Best 3MP Digital Camera?

[BaboonGuy]

What do you guys think? I really need one of these to take some better pics for my school yearbook. I was looking at the A70 but it looks a little oogly, the S230 looks good but it only has 2x optical zoom. My budget is under $300, I'm looking for the best quality stuff overall -- picture, battery life, looks... weight/tv out/movie capabilities don't matter.

Thanks.

 

[NFS4]

A70

I don't think it's "oogly"...it gets the job done and I love mine.

 

[RossMAN]

Canon PowerShot A70 is awesome and is hard to beat.

Yes it's ugly but it takes amazing pics and uses regular AA's (rechargeable NiMH's are cheap).

 

[imported_Mike]

olympus stylus 300, a70, elph cameras, sony s75(not made anymore, but still a kickass camera).

 

[minendo]

I was debating between the A70 and SD100 and went with the SD100. I originally wanted to spend around $300, but I spend a little more to pick up a camera which included a rechargeable LI-ion battery.

 

[amdskip]

I have the A70, extremely happy. At the rate I buy digital cameras, I'll have a better one in 6 months. This is my 4th camera.

 

[JoeShmoe85]

canon s230, nice size, good battery life, easy to use, no regrets

 

[LS20]

if you are looking for a point and shoot, go for Nikon 3100 -- has very simplified menu and scene modes
super compact point and shoot: Canon S230
more features at the expensive of size, AA batteries, and build quality/feel (plastic vs s230 aluminum): Canon A70
full manual controls, more stuff to dabble with, but larger and heavier: Canon S30

all are solid, solid cameras with excellent pictures and are very affordable..the s30 might be harder to find since its discontinued. i felt that the s230 was too sparse for me (i use s30), but bought one for my aunt because it was a better fit for her. depends what you're looking for... cant really go wrong with any of those cameras


you can find Minolta F100 for really cheap on ebay, and its a 4mp, too... but i've had no experience with one

 

[Eli]

A70.

What is ugly about it? It looks like.. a camera.

 

[KenGr]

I've been very happy with the A70. At first glance the body looks a little clunky but it fits larger hands very well and the 4AA's give excellent battery life at low cost (rechargeables). I just had it on vacation for a week, probably took 300 picts (with erases), did a lot of playback and review, and never had to put in the backup batteries. The lens is very sharp also. I did a comparison with 35 mm film and you can look at it here:

Digital Comparison

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: KenGr
I've been very happy with the A70. At first glance the body looks a little clunky but it fits larger hands very well and the 4AA's give excellent battery life at low cost (rechargeables). I just had it on vacation for a week, probably took 300 picts (with erases), did a lot of playback and review, and never had to put in the backup batteries. The lens is very sharp also. I did a comparison with 35 mm film and you can look at it here:

Digital Comparison

That is really interesting!

Thanks.

 

[LS20]

FYI beachcamera.com (very very reputable) is selling Nikon 3100 for 239$ and the 4300 for 329$... which I think is an absolute steal for the quality of the camera

 

[mjquilly]

does the Nikon record sound w/ video? the nikon site and dpreview.com don't say explicitly if it does nor not...

 

[hollowman]

a70. if you wanna go with small and compact, go with s400.

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: mjquilly
does the Nikon record sound w/ video? the nikon site and dpreview.com don't say explicitly if it does nor not...

i think the 3100 might NOT record sound... check on steves-digicams.com