digital camera?

[Wadded Beef]

not sure what they want to spend, so what's the best bang for the buck digital camera at the following prices... $150, $250, $350 (just ballpark figures) thanks!

i was looking at these on newegg, whaddya think?

Sony DSC-W1 5.1 M-pixels 3X Optical 2X Digital Zoom Digital Camera $309.95
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=30-150-046&depa=0


Canon PowerShot A85 4MP, 3xOPT, 3.6xDG, 1.8Inch LCD, CF Card Digital Camera $249.95
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=30-120-152&depa=0


Nikon Coolpic 4100 4MP, 3xOPT, 1.6"LCD, SD Card Digital Camera $179.95
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=30-113-121&depa=0


Kodak EASYSHARE CX7300 3.2MP, 3xDG, 1.6"LCD, SD/MMC Digital Camera $97.95
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=30-170-013&depa=0

 

[Keyvan]

i generally like the canons.... it's the ones i recommend to friends and family, and they all love them.

for one thing, the canons have a more efficient battery consumption than others, and they use their own Digic or Digic2 image processors which are supposed to be fairly good.

 

[Wadded Beef]

alrighty i'll show em a few canons, thanks!

 

[firerock]

I would suggest you to stay w/ either Sony or Cannon. I don't like is there slow auto focus function, slow file saving, and no actual battery indicator. And I don't like Sony's own memory stick (higher price), more reddish photo, and bad warranty.

 

[QueBert]

$350 range, Fuji S5100 no question. The W1 is great for a compact camera, amazing start up time, very responsive, pics printed from it look real. I had the camera, but took it back because I wanted something more "camera-ey" it was just too small for my liking. it has a gigantic LCD, I was real impressed at that.

Fuji S5100. Solid feel to it, responsive, 10X optical zoom, incredible lens. Can take an insane # of shots with 1 set of batteries. I must get 350, and I use the flash/LCD frequently. I fell in love with the SLR like apperance of it. 3 bad things thing I can say about it, it uses stupid XD memory cards. They're nice and small, and nice and expensive. Only up to 512 now. I'd love a 1 gig card in mine but oh well. If they want a compact camera this is defnitely not the one for them. But for the sub $500 market, it has the truest "camera" body. Another down point, there's no remote avail. last bad, the viewfinder is a small LCD. it's really low resolution, and I honestly don't understand why they just didn't use a lens like every other digital camera I've used *shrug* very good overall cam for 350 bucks though!

 

[tata]

sony w1,
pro: easy of use
con:expensive memroy stick

Canon A85
Pro: manual control
con: a little big

Nikon 4100
Pro: $50 rebate

Kodak 7300
Con: fixed lens

 

[rpv]

canon

 

[Mem]

If you want to go Canon,then the new A520 (review here ) is worth considering,do note it takes SD memory cards.

 

[EvanAdams]

keep an eye on power. I went traveling and the largest pain in the but was the size of the units I needed to charge the battery on the camera. It is something I'd keep a look out for now.

If they have a vaio laptop then go sony otherwise the memory stick for me is a no go zone.

 

[Zepper]

http://www.geeks.com had a very nice Minolta 3 Megapixel digicam that was like $500 or more when first released for under $150. - under $100 on special once so they may be gone. And the Kodaks with the D in the model number (w/Schneider-Kreuznach (?sp.) Variogon lenses) are also usually good. Some of the Panasonics with Leica lenses are pretty good. Canon's "A" series are usually great too. Check http://www.steves-digicams.com for reviews on a bunch of digicams.
.bh.

 

[Keyvan]

Originally posted by: QueBert
$350 range, Fuji S5100 no question. The W1 is great for a compact camera, amazing start up time, very responsive, pics printed from it look real. I had the camera, but took it back because I wanted something more "camera-ey" it was just too small for my liking. it has a gigantic LCD, I was real impressed at that.

Fuji S5100. Solid feel to it, responsive, 10X optical zoom, incredible lens. Can take an insane # of shots with 1 set of batteries. I must get 350, and I use the flash/LCD frequently. I fell in love with the SLR like apperance of it. 3 bad things thing I can say about it, it uses stupid XD memory cards. They're nice and small, and nice and expensive. Only up to 512 now. I'd love a 1 gig card in mine but oh well. If they want a compact camera this is defnitely not the one for them. But for the sub $500 market, it has the truest "camera" body. Another down point, there's no remote avail. last bad, the viewfinder is a small LCD. it's really low resolution, and I honestly don't understand why they just didn't use a lens like every other digital camera I've used *shrug* very good overall cam for 350 bucks though!

i'm not sure about the price of the canon S1 IS(which i think is great btw), but it seems to be canon's version of the camera above...

 

[Gurck]

For a myriad of reasons I'd suggest staying away from Sony. Canon makes good cameras.

 

[corkyg]

Canon is a camera company since way back. Sony is a tape recorder company. The Memory stick is a modern version of the Betamax.

Fuji is good. Minolta is good. Olympus is good. Nikon is good. All are camera companies.

SD is now becoming the de facto standard t6hat used to be Compact Flash.

 

[Zepper]

Sony makes some of the best cameras in the world (most remote camera crews for television use Sony cameras) and according to some recent surveys are up there in terms of service, support and satisfaction on their digicams. But the fact that they continue to try to play the razor/blades game (proprietary memory, etc.) keeps me from recommending them. Plus camera qua camera, Canon is usually better. My camera is an HP made for them by Pentax and for under $100. as a refurb it was hard to beat the deal.

.bh.

:moon:

 

[corkyg]

Agree about SOny videocameras. That is a different subject. Those are glorified taperecorders.

Note that Sony does not make lenses - they buy them Only camera people make their own lenses - the most important part of any photographic system.

 

[Zepper]

Doesn't Sony buy (or make under license) Carl Zeiss lenses for their top digicams. Plenty good!

.bh.

 

[PurdueRy]

Olympus has one of the best features to have in a digital camera....Optical zoom...major..... I would take good optical zoom over MP anyday

 

[tata]

Originally posted by: Mem
If you want to go Canon,then the new A520 (review here ) is worth considering,do note it takes SD memory cards.

yepp

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: Zepper
Sony makes some of the best cameras in the world (most remote camera crews for television use Sony cameras) and according to some recent surveys are up there in terms of service, support and satisfaction on their digicams. But the fact that they continue to try to play the razor/blades game (proprietary memory, etc.) keeps me from recommending them. Plus camera qua camera, Canon is usually better. My camera is an HP made for them by Pentax and for under $100. as a refurb it was hard to beat the deal.

.bh.

:moon:

This is essentially Sony's MO: create good professional level products, use reputation to sell awful consumer level products designed to break within 2 years at ridiculous prices. These sleazy tactics extend to their online games division as well.

 

[loic2003]

Originally posted by: Gurck
For a myriad of reasons I'd suggest staying away from Sony. Canon makes good cameras.

My canon DV cam died two months after the warranty ran out. It had had only a few hours of use. Canon don't support small businesses and inflate component prices and labour costs so even a basic repair costs £150+ thus persuading you to buy a new camera. They offer no support for small elctronic engineering companies and force you to ship the product to them. not impressed at all.

I have a nikkon Coolpix still camera that is nearly two years old. It's taken a pounding on drunken nights out but is still hanging in there fine. It aquires shots very quickly and is quite kind the battery (I can get ~60 photos with each one using the flash and the LCD from a pair of 2300mAh cells). Quality is good, although I find the colours stronger in the sony camera my parents use.

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: loic2003

Originally posted by: Gurck
For a myriad of reasons I'd suggest staying away from Sony. Canon makes good cameras.

My canon DV cam died two months after the warranty ran out. It had had only a few hours of use. Canon don't support small businesses and inflate component prices and labour costs so even a basic repair costs £150+ thus persuading you to buy a new camera. They offer no support for small elctronic engineering companies and force you to ship the product to them. not impressed at all.

I have a nikkon Coolpix still camera that is nearly two years old. It's taken a pounding on drunken nights out but is still hanging in there fine. It aquires shots very quickly and is quite kind the battery (I can get ~60 photos with each one using the flash and the LCD from a pair of 2300mAh cells). Quality is good, although I find the colours stronger in the sony camera my parents use.

Individual experiences will always vary, for instance my a75 has taken a beating without a hitch. It's also good for 3-400 pics on quad 2300 AA NiCads. I think to get a clearer picture of Sony as a whole, one needs to read up on just how many of their customers have had their products die around two years after purchase (it's a lot, and it's because they pretty much invented the concept of planned obsolescence), take into consideration that their products are of low quality to begin with for the most part, and yet more expensive than the competition... how they're always pawning proprietary solutions... and experience with their online games division doesn't hurt either.

Any business wants to make money, but Sony is especially rabid about this, to the point of biting the hand that feeds them, so to speak. Well, to be honest, they're at the point where they've eaten the hand that feeds them, the person it belongs to, and his/her immediate & extended family. I find it amazing, and a testament to the power of image and marketing, that they're still in business. But then they're not an isolated case; one need only look at Apple, Bose & AOL for more examples.

 

[loic2003]

Originally posted by: Gurck

Originally posted by: loic2003

Originally posted by: Gurck
For a myriad of reasons I'd suggest staying away from Sony. Canon makes good cameras.

My canon DV cam died two months after the warranty ran out. It had had only a few hours of use. Canon don't support small businesses and inflate component prices and labour costs so even a basic repair costs £150+ thus persuading you to buy a new camera. They offer no support for small elctronic engineering companies and force you to ship the product to them. not impressed at all.

I have a nikkon Coolpix still camera that is nearly two years old. It's taken a pounding on drunken nights out but is still hanging in there fine. It aquires shots very quickly and is quite kind the battery (I can get ~60 photos with each one using the flash and the LCD from a pair of 2300mAh cells). Quality is good, although I find the colours stronger in the sony camera my parents use.

Individual experiences will always vary, for instance my a75 has taken a beating without a hitch. It's also good for 3-400 pics on quad 2300 AA NiCads. I think to get a clearer picture of Sony as a whole, one needs to read up on just how many of their customers have had their products die around two years after purchase (it's a lot, and it's because they pretty much invented the concept of planned obsolescence), take into consideration that their products are of low quality to begin with for the most part, and yet more expensive than the competition... how they're always pawning proprietary solutions... and experience with their online games division doesn't hurt either.

Any business wants to make money, but Sony is especially rabid about this, to the point of biting the hand that feeds them, so to speak. Well, to be honest, they're at the point where they've eaten the hand that feeds them, the person it belongs to, and his/her immediate & extended family. I find it amazing, and a testament to the power of image and marketing, that they're still in business. But then they're not an isolated case; one need only look at Apple, Bose & AOL for more examples.

Well I certainly agree that individual experiences vary. I must say that I've always had a good experience with sony which is probably why I find it hard to agree with your opinion. As an example, sitting next to me is a Sony MHC-EX5 sound system from ~10 years ago. It's been used every day and is working like new. When I had my first car I bought a bottom-of-the-range sony headunit. The car was an original mini (ie no suspension really) and it was always cranked up loud being a bit of a boy-racer back then. Worked perfectly the entire time I had it. I also had a low end discman back when a 'cheapo' one cost me £95. That took a pounding when I cycled and it travelled all over the world on long 21 hour flights, etc etc. I still have it around someplace today and it works as well as the day I bought it. It's got to be over ten years old that thing. I also have a Sony TV that's still working fine.

I was really gutted about the canon camera. I've always had a lot of respect for the canon cameras (not their printers, got to be HP for me). I'm not sure who I'm going to go for when I get round to replacing the camera, maybe I'll give them another chance....

 

[Gurck]

Who knows, maybe their manufacturing processes are better for goods they send to the UK. I've had multiple bad experiences with their products, more with their online games, and more yet with their customer service. Reading up a bit, I found I was far from alone. It does seem that marketing isn't quite as prevalent over there, at least not on TV (which is where most of ours occurs). It could very well be that with such a big hit to their method of profit which works so well in the US, they do indeed bite the bullet send you guys better stuff.