recommend a good computer and digital camera?

Mac? Surely, you jest? Isn't that the computer that started out with almost 10% of the PC market and has managed to go to approx. 3% of the market in a few short years? Don't get stuck with one of those boat anchors.

Get a reasonably-priced Dell or IBM PC and buy the digital camera with the money you saved from not buying the over-priced Mac. As for camera choices, Canon and Nikon have some very nice 3-4 megapixel models available for resonable bucks, and I am quite satisifed with my Toshiba PDR-M70 that I bought over two years ago.

Mac....don't make me laugh, geez.

-RW-

Surely, Rhwainwright is jesting. If we to subscribe to his notion that market share/sales is an indication of a company's or product's superiority, then we should be buying most of our sound equipment from Radio Shack or giant discounters. Viable (perhaps just different, but sometimes clearly superior) alternatives to popular PCs, solid-state devices, Cds, VHS, digital cameras are Macs, tubes, vinyl, Beta (yes, Beta) and 35mm cameras.

By the way, what works for me is a Mac and a Sony D770. The Sony's resolution is not as high as that of current models, but I like its flexibility--it operates much like a good SLR. I also use Adobe PhotoShop 5.0 (purchased inexpensively on eBay) to crop, adjust color balance, etc. I have two iMacs, purchased used for about a quarter of what they cost new; the Sony was a demo. I also use, however, film cameras because I have my own darkroom.

The only time I would definitely not recommend a Mac is if you're planning to play a lot of different games on your computer. Then a PC is probably a better choice.

Depending on how you ultimately use a digital camera will influence your model choice. Close-up abilities, focusing and exposure options, ease of operation, pixels, etc. should all be considered. And, of course, your budget.

A note re pixels: Unless you have a high resolution printer, and are planning to make a lot of enlargements (8X10) and higher, paying a lot for a camera because of pixel figures doesn't make much sense to me. It's a bit like owning a Leica or Nikon with high resolution lenses and taking your film to WalMart. Of course, some people might argue that Walmart must have high quality film processing because they do such a good business.

Good luck!

Nick (PS: sometimes I buy stuff at Radio Shack, too)

Sorry, for the typo. It 'rlwainwright', not 'rh..." Must have misread it because the resolution on my iMac's screen is so poor.

Nick (only jesting)

I'll give you yet one more professional recommendation for the Mac if you have not figured it out by now. In the world of photography and graphic design and image manipulation Mac rules. Period. End of story. I've been taking pictures since I was five and been a pro for over 20 years. The vast majority of profesionals in the fields of photography and graphic arts have relied upon Macs for as long as I can remember (just as has been demonstrated here on this thread). The only reason not to go that way is if you anticipate the need for proprietary software (such as gaming software as someone already suggested) which is not available for Mac. One other great perk about Macs is they are far more stable than PC's and far less vulnerable to viruses, worms, rashes and constipation. As far as digital cameras, there is so much out there that would do a great job for the needs you mentioned, and that technology is changing so fast that by the time I typed a recommendation for a point-and-shoot solution it might be obsolete. The Nikon prosumer solutions that Albert reccommends as well as others (D70 & D100) would be a great tool to have if you don't mind the size. If you are just looking for a snapshot solution to put stuff on the Internet and do the occasional picture of the family you may not want the bulk of a prosumer camera, even though the features and quality of the images are significantly better if you get serious about your digital shooting. I'd heartily second recommendations for Nikon's lineup of prosumer and professional digital cameras and a used one may be a great option if you can verify it's provenance. For point and shoot; as I said, there's a new model out every week it seems. I've seen stuff from Nikon, Sony and Canon that all have offered up some great features in the past as well as offering very satisfying results. The main drawbacks I see in going with a point and shoot is shutter lag (newer cameras are getting better and better about this), rangefinder and or tiny lcd viewing screens, and slow cycling time to shoot a burst of images one after the other. There are other drawbacks as well, but those are the ones that bug me the most. Biggest plus? Portability and economy, though some of the prosumer cameras are offering a whole lot of bang for not a lot of buck these days.

Good luck!

Marco

Photography Website

I would go with a Mac. One you switch to the Mac OS X operating system you will never go back. In particular if you are interested in image processing applications. You don't need to play games anyway, better to listen to you music collection. Otherwise I hate to say it, but I have heard a lot of good thing about ibm machines: long warranty and extremely reliable. Stay away from Compaq, HP, Dell. I have heard about to many problems.