I need a new digicam but I'd like some suggestions...

[imported_Snagle]

First off, my budget is $250-$300. Over $300 just wont work. I will definetly be waiting until Black Friday (Nov 26) to make my pruchase though, so some items may be on sale then.

I'm going to be shooting a wide variety of subjects: Outdoor/Nature, family events, hockey games (in a pretty poorly lit arena), and whatever else I find interesting.

What I Need: 4 Megapixels, lots of manual controls, Continous Drive, at least 3x optical zoom, takes CF or SM, minimal shutter lag and delay time inbetween pictures. Probably a few other things I've forgotten.

Right now I have a Fuji Finepix A303. I've outgrown it and it is really starting to bug me with a long shutter lag, lack of manual controls, etc.

I've been looking at a few of Canon's products. The Powershot A80 and the S410 both caught my eye. The S410 looks better in many respects but it seems to lack manual controls a little bit.

I'm going to be printing almost exclusively 8x10s so MAYBE a 3 megapixel will work. If you guys think thats the case then the Canon Powershot S1 IS looks great if someone puts it on sale or if I can find one on eBay for a few dollars less.

Please suggest some other models that would work well given my budget and needs.

 

[Modder N Art]

Originally posted by: Snagle
First off, my budget is $250-$300. Over $300 just wont work. I will definetly be waiting until Black Friday (Nov 26) to make my pruchase though, so some items may be on sale then.

I'm going to be shooting a wide variety of subjects: Outdoor/Nature, family events, hockey games (in a pretty poorly lit arena), and whatever else I find interesting.

What I Need: 4 Megapixels, lots of manual controls, Continous Drive, at least 3x optical zoom, takes CF or SM, minimal shutter lag and delay time inbetween pictures. Probably a few other things I've forgotten.

Right now I have a Fuji Finepix A303. I've outgrown it and it is really starting to bug me with a long shutter lag, lack of manual controls, etc.

I've been looking at a few of Canon's products. The Powershot A80 and the S410 both caught my eye. The S410 looks better in many respects but it seems to lack manual controls a little bit.

I'm going to be printing almost exclusively 8x10s so MAYBE a 3 megapixel will work. If you guys think thats the case then the Canon Powershot S1 IS looks great if someone puts it on sale or if I can find one on eBay for a few dollars less.

Please suggest some other models that would work well given my budget and needs.

If you rarely print over 8x10, then 3mp will probably be sufficient, or better. In that case, more MP are kind of wasted, while you still have to have larger memory cards and more storage on your computer.

I highly reccomend the S1 IS. You will find the 10X IS zoom invaluable for sports and wildlife. It has full manual controls, even having manual adjustments missing on the Digital Rebel. The EVF is actually usable. It uses CF, which IMHO is very good, because CF is common, and comparitively cheap. The movie mode on the S1 is very very good, better than my Canon 8mm camcorder. Even on a 60" TV, the movies look great. A comment I keep getting from people is that the movies don't look like "home video", they look like regular TV. I used to keep a Tiffen Ultra Contrast filter on the camcorder to tame the insane contrast, but it is not needed on the S1. I could go on and on extolling the virtues of the S1.

I'm a pro photographer moving towards not being a pro any more, and I find the S1 a delightful alternative to my large and heavy DSLR's and pro lenses. I consider the S1 the ULTIMATE snapshot camera.

Lisa

 

[IQJUMPuw]

Nikon Coolpix 3700

I've had Olympus C4000Z, Casio Exilim Z40, Olympus D580 and Canon S410 (still have this one). Nikon impressed me the most.

 

[Abhi]

I have had Nikon 4300 for quite some time now. Its been great.

 

[applesseed]

Well I've had the Nikon 4500, a 4 Megapixel for two years now and it's been great - but it's probably too pricey for you. I usually recommend people to go for Canon (avoid the "A" series) or Nikon brand. I also think that for a typical end-user who's just gonna take snapshots should just look into a 2 or 3 megapixel - unless you do web design like me. I've got a friend who just recently bought a 4 megapixel camera - it takes awhile to capture shots and loads onto the CF card. I forgot what brand it was.