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Need some more digital camera help!

K

KillerCharlie

Diamond Member
I'm looking for a camera with the following attributes:

$200-$300
Point and shoot
Relatively small and portable
I'd prefer standard media cards (though not the biggest deal)


What I'd use it for:

-Pictures of scenery while I'm hiking (I'll be in Seattle for the summer and probably for the next several years. I love going to national parks, kayaking, etc.)
-Touristy stuff
-Random stuff like airshows, museums, whatever
-Other things that you use a digital camera for

I'm not really the person who's always out socializing and taking pictures of other people - I just like taking pictures of trips and stuff, but I would still like something portable since I go somewhere almost every weekend.

What do you guys suggest? I went to dpreview but all the numbers they throw at you are meaningless to me.

I've been looking at Canon since you can't go wrong with them. My main dilemma there is this: should I go for something with a few more features (A530 or A540) or something smaller (SD450). They both have the same zoom and such. I looked at the A600 and A700 series but they were a little big for my tastes. I don't know much about cameras so I don't even know if I'd be able to use all the extra features of the A series. I'm not sure exactly how portable I want the camera to be. It'd be really nice to have something really small, but I think an A500 series could still fit in my pocket.

There are so many other cameras out there too... It's so hard to sort them all out. I was originally hoping to buy them from a store (Best Buy, Fry's, or even Wal-Mart since they have them cheap sometimes) if they're not that much more expensive, but I'll buy online if I have to.

Thanks.
 
This ultra small camera with mpeg-4 movie recording for less than $160 shipped.
5mp and 2.5" screen too.
SAve yourself $100.

Maybe I needed to put in a link
LINK
 
The main cameras I"m looking at now are the SD450 and the A530. What advantages would the A530 give me over the 450? They both have about the same amount of zoom and such...
 
Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
Any other opinions?
Click to expand...

For most people shooting outdoor scenery, I offer them the Olympus SP500UZ...
It has 50x zoom [10 optical, 5 digital] (close to the top in its class) and several outdoor shooting modes, including a night and panaramic mode. It also has the ability to later add a stronger zoom, or a wide angle lense. It does take the XD cards, and at $350 may be a little pricy for you.



For you, I'd recommend the Olympus SP320. Very similar to the 500...
15x zoom (3 optical, 5 digital), still will take the add on lenses zoom or wide.
Also adds an underwater picture mode to the already included night and panaramic.
Uses XD cards, and Finally it costs $299.


 
Panasonic LZ 2 under $200

DESCRIPTION



Compact and lightweight, the DMC-LZ2 is great for both the beginner and experienced photographer. The DMC-LZ2 boasts a CCD with an effective pixel count of 5.0 megapixels, and offers an incredible 6x optical zoom; Panasonic's high-performance Venus Engine Plus LSI; 8-1/2000 seconds shutter speed; Mega Burst recording; QuickTime motion image recording with sound and many more advanced features.


FEATURES

6x Optical Zoom in a Compact Body
MEGA Optical Image Stabilizer
Snap Off Consecutive Shots at 3 Frames per Second
2.0" Diagonal TRM LCD for Easy Viewing- Even Outdoors
Two Convenient Power Sources--Alkaline or Rechargeable Batteries
14MB Built-In Memory

Review
 
I like the Canon A5xx/6xx series since it uses standard AA batteries that you can find anywhere and pack emergency alkalines as backup. Just snagged a A530 from Dell for $150. I'd get one just to play with and once you know what you really want, then upgrade to a more expensive model with more bells and whistles.
 
I have an old Fujifilm FinePix 2650 that I bought several years ago. Yes, by today's standards, it's POS, but it still takes good pix, and is relatively small. Well, as compared to my Nikon 5700 anyway...I paid about $189 for it new. The newer versions of the same camera have more features, but are about the same price. IMO, you can't beat Nikon's lenses. Possibly the best glass available, but there's nothing wrong with a Canon either. Canon and Nikon are arguably the 2 best consumer camera manufacturers in the world.
Here's a site that lets you spec what you want in a camera, then gives you the top results:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp
 
Originally posted by: TXHokie
I like the Canon A5xx/6xx series since it uses standard AA batteries that you can find anywhere and pack emergency alkalines as backup. Just snagged a A530 from Dell for $150. I'd get one just to play with and once you know what you really want, then upgrade to a more expensive model with more bells and whistles.
Click to expand...

Off the top of your head, do you know how the A530 improves on the A520?
 
I'm looking mostly at the SD450 now. Would 3x zoom typically be enough? Like I said, I'll probably be taking a good amount of outdoors and scenery shots in forests and mountains.

What about the Panasonic models? They're pretty compact and feature filled.
 
Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
I'm looking mostly at the SD450 now. Would 3x zoom typically be enough? Like I said, I'll probably be taking a good amount of outdoors and scenery shots in forests and mountains.

What about the Panasonic models? They're pretty compact and feature filled.
Click to expand...

I quoted a Pana because thats all I have owned over the last 2 years. Great shots, full of detail, cameras are packed with features, and having a 6x or 12x optical zoom will come in way handy because once it goes to digital you start to lose picture detail. Not to mention the one I linked is under $200😉.

I have the Panasonic FZ5 and it has the 12x optical and I use it all the time taking shots of everything. Infact I find 12x isnt enough for alot of my shots and will be buying an adapter soon. bt what ever you decide on make sure it has a good optical zoom. Digital Zoom IMO just suck when everything starts to pixilize (SP) on you. I have never used in with my camera for that reason.

Check out the Pana sample shots in the review I gave above and then ones of other camera makes and see what looks the best for your application. No
 
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