Cheap 12MP Digital Camera in ALDI

Sandvich

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2827_11963.htm

Do you think this is any good? I'm not expecting to do professional level photography with it. My current camera is an old Olympus Camedia C3040 which doesn't work at well for example when I want to take a picture of a bunch of detail objects on a shelf.

KarmaGarda

Hi Sandvich,

I'd be a bit dubious of that one! Something to remember, 12 Megapixels doesn't always mean a better photograph. My Nikon D60 is only 12 megapixels, and I've heard people mention the Nikon D40 takes as good a photo... and that's only a 6 megapixel camera.

What I would do is take a look at this link and see if it helps you choose the camera you may be looking for. There's some great links in there for reviews and comparisons. The medion isn't even mentioned in some of the sites! Here's the link:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055557678

If you have any further questions, more than happy to help

KG

Sandvich

I know, I doubt I'd even use that many pixels. But a lot of these deals can be pretty good and while it may not be great, it might be better value than something that costs quite a bit more.

KarmaGarda

I know what you're saying, but in that link I posted there's 1 link (which I think is the most useful one) that displays the most popular cameras on amazon. Check out how many are in and around the same price range:

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n:281052,:,:,:,:,:

I'd be using that as a guide before considering the Aldi camera. A quick look around other sites and I have found any particularly good reviews as of yet.

KG

KarmaGarda

Just to add, make sure you read the reviews on any cameras on that list too. Would hate to have convinced you to buy one that was reported as rubbish

Kintarō Hattori

The quality of a camera is in the lens and that Medion is going to have a crap lens. So no matter how many MP they throw at it, it simply won't be a great camera.

Sandvich

How do you know it'll have a crap lens out of interest?

I understand why MP have little to do with image quality given how excessively huge anything over 6MP is for most purposes, but it would seem a bit insane to make a camera that did have such a high resolution if it couldn't utilise it to some extent.

Kintarō Hattori

It's a Medion camera would be a good starting point. Let me give you an example. On Sony compact cameras the lower end of the price range use Sony's own lens while the better models use lenses from a company called Carl Zeiss. Even between two cameras made by the same company there is a world of difference between the images.

Nikon, Samsung, Canon, Sony etc all make decent compacts with good quality lenses. The budget models in their range don't. It's basic marketing. Medion who don't specialize in optics won't make/source a good lens for the camera as they want to sell it at a set price.

While it may be a competent camera I wouldn't expect the images to be startling.

Fajitas!

For 80 quid!?

Who cares about how sharp the pics are, it's a camera for 80 quid! It even has a metal body (As long as you don't get the pink one).

Go for it, worst case scenario, you've got a bit of a sh*te camera, and 80 quid lighter. You can still use it on nights out just for random snaps. If it takes a tumble, you're not much out of pocket.

Edit; While you're in there, pick up 16 of these @ a total of €20 for yourself. Best weekend you'll have for 100 quid in a long time :pac:

melekalikimaka

usually aldi are rebranded vivitar... asking for trouble seen a few of these uys about and really you'll regret the purchase...

KarmaGarda

Fajitas! wrote: »

For 80 quid!?

Who cares about how sharp the pics are, it's a camera for 80 quid! It even has a metal body (As long as you don't get the pink one).

Go for it, worst case scenario, you've got a bit of a sh*te camera, and 80 quid lighter. You can still use it on nights out just for random snaps. If it takes a tumble, you're not much out of pocket.

Edit; While you're in there, pick up 16 of these @ a total of €20 for yourself. Best weekend you'll have for 100 quid in a long time :pac:

When you can pick up something like a Canon Powershot A480 for around €90 I would be staying well clear of that baby! Under 100 delivered and just pick up a little less of The good stuff in aldi, and you're still under €100

KarmaGarda

Oh, fajitas, I've found that the Jessops beside me don't actually do a bad deal on develop only. They charge £4 per roll too and then £2 per CD if you scan. So I'm gonna drop a few rolls in there and get em all popped on the same CD. Works out better once you save on travel going the whole way to Brixton! Not sure if there a Jessops near you?

Captain Flaps

I'd avoid. For around the same price you could get a Samsung compact, which would be a much better bet than anything from Aldi or Lidl. I work in a photo lab and you'd be amazed how many times I ask a customer who is unhappy with their photos what brand they use only to have them say "dunno, got it in lidl".

To be honest, I'd avoid most 12mp compacts in general and that one in particular. More pixels = more grain on a bad sensor through a bad lens, which leads to more noise. You might get some good shots on a clear day but these cameras have a tendancy to blow out the highlights and throw a lovely sheen of red banding on any slightly underexposed areas.

In my opnion you'd be much better off with this: http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5593127/c_1/1|category_root|Photography|14573486/c_2/2|cat_14573486|Digital+cameras+and+packages|14573491.htm

Not an amazing camera but it's guaranteed to be better than the Medion one.

Actually, it's gotten pretty favourable reviews, such as this one: http://video.aol.co.uk/video-detail/review-samsung-new-digital-camera-es20/3815462405

Good luck with whatever choice you make!