Digital Camera

[KillerCharlie]

So I'm going to get a digital camera as my primary camera. It'll be an all-around camera for various conditions. I will be doing a lot of hiking and camping in the forests and mountains this summer though. I'd like something that isn't too big (Canon A600 series is just too big, but the A500 series is okay). Fitting in the pocket would be nice, but it's not an absolute requirement. It should be $300 or less.

I've been looking at the Canon SD600 (excellent quality) as well as some Panasonics (great bang for the buck) that are both ultra-compact and "regular" compact.

Any opinions? Is it a bad idea to buy a camera that only has 3x zoom when you'll be taking lots of outdoor and scenery/landscape shots? Most of the models (regardless of size) only have 3x-4x.

 

[iamaelephant]

The Panasonic Lumix series is very nice. I pesonally have a Lumix DMC-LX1 and I love it. Click the link in my sig to see some of the pictures I have taken with it. It's probably a little out of your budget (don't know what they cost in USA though) but it's an example of the quality of Panasonic cameras. For the record, the Lumix DMC-LX1 is 8mp with 5x optical zoom.

 

[alrocky]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=38&threadid=1869944&enterthread=y

Braznor can help you with the purchase and his office colleague can help you pick one or two or maybe even three digital cameras.

 

[RollWave]

CASIO EXILIM! I love the look/feel of mine!

 

[DaFinn]

Canon is the only way to fly... err, shoot... I mean take good quality photos! I have 4 already, latest is Ixus 60 (powershot SD600) and I love it! Nice features and good quality photos for the size!

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: DaFinn
Canon is the only way to fly... err, shoot... I mean take good quality photos! I have 4 already, latest is Ixus 60 (powershot SD600) and I love it! Nice features and good quality photos for the size!

Negatory.
Get Fuji F10. It'll beat any P&S out there. It can do ISO800, noise free. It has the color and feel of a DSLR.

 

[KillerCharlie]

I'm also interested in your guys' opinion of ultra-compact (SD series and the like) vs. less compact (A500 series and the like). I'd really like something portable, but if the hit in quality is too bad I'll switch.