Best small digital camera for the money? Suggestions/opinions appreciated!

[Sandor]

camera link

I was going to buy this, but figured I would ask for a few opinions first. I'm looking to buy a camera I can carry in my pocket for family holidays, friends parties, etc, and I thought the Fujifilm FinePix F401 2.1MP for $129 was a pretty good deal (I'll rarely print any out, and if I do, I doubt I would go over 4x6). I already have two 128MB Smartmedia cards, and I can get an extra battery on ebay for $10, so those aren't issues for me. Basically, I was wondering if anyone:
1) had first-hand experience with this camera (the on-line reviews all seem to be good)
2) know if there is another small/slim camera out there that's better for around the same price

Thanks!

 

[glenn1]

I would have suggested a Canon A60 as being a good alternative in that price range, but it takes CF and you already have some SM cards. Even so, it's still a damn fine camera for the price.

 

[Sandor]

I could pick up a 256MB CF card at Amazon for ~$15 after rebate, so new medium wouldn't prohibitive in this case (and I have dozens of NiMh AA batteries). And the canon isn't much bigger either:
Fuji- 3.3 x 2.7 x 1.1 inches ( 85 x 69.4 x 27.5mm)
Canon- 3.98 x 2.52 x 1.24 inches (101.0 x 64.0 x 31.5mm) (Excluding protrusions)

Thanks- now I have two to consider 🙂

 

[Sandor]

any other thoughts?

 

[Shelly21]

I'm looking at Fuji FinePix A210 or similar, is that in a similar category?

 

[nakedfrog]

3x optical is nice on a small one like that. I've got a Fuji with 6x optical zoom, and it's kept me very happy for 1.5 years.

 

[Shelly21]

Actually, I did some more looking around and settled on Fuji A340 for around $150 give or take. Now, I noticed that it does not record sound when doing a short movie. Is that a common feature?