What are my choices for 2-3 megapixel digital cameras?

[PizzaDude]

My mom and I want to give my dad a digital camera for his upcoming birthday. We're looking for a fairly inexpensive, easy to use, quality camera. I was thinking 2-3 megapixels and for under $250. He doesn't do any photo-editing or anything professional, it's more or less just a toy. I'd rather get a 2 megapixel camera that's really nice rather than a junky 3 megapixel one. As long as it's USB, easy to use, and produces good pictures, it'll work out fine. Let me hear what AT likes! Thanks.

 

[LukFilm]

Canon A40 for $250 from OfficeMax after using a $50 off coupon and going through Ebates Ebates

 

[GTaudiophile]

Check out DPreview.com if you haven't already. My favorite camera in that range is the Canon S30, but it may be too pricey. You can't go wrong with any Canon digicam, though.

 

[IgoByte]

I don't know what its current price looks like, but the Canon S110 is a sweet lil' camera.

 

[LukFilm]

Also don't forget that you'll HAVE TO spend another $100 on accessories such as rechargable batteries with a charger and a bigger CF card (like 128MB).

 

[IgoByte]

Originally posted by: LukFilm
Also don't forget that you'll HAVE TO spend another $100 on accessories such as rechargable batteries with a charger and a bigger CF card (like 128MB).

Definitely a good point. It's never just the camera.

 

[PizzaDude]

That A40 does look cool. I didn't even think about the accessories. Thanks for mentioning that. Is there anything that I should look for in a camera, I really don't know much about them. If there's anyone that knows a lot about this kind of stuff please spill it here. I'm open to any and all info.

 

[AnAndAustin]

From my personal experience here in the UK the Fuji and Olympus d.cameras are unsurpassed in terms of price, usability, reliability, picture quality and all-round perf.

It's easy to get carried away and buy a 3MP just because all of the reviews say how pointless anything less is. Bear in mind the reviewers review the best kit and get used to (ie spoiled) it and therefore slate the 'lesser' products. Even 1.3MP gives very good results even when printed off at A4 size (20x30cm, about 9x12"), esp if you have decent knowledge of sw. I wouldn't buy a 1.3MP now, not with 2.0MP costing little more but you really don't need 3.0MP at all, esp if it is more for novelty value.

 

[AnAndAustin]

Check media prices, they're very cheap and 64MB (£20 BTW) can hold 140-280 2.0MP pictures (high to medium quality) and when you compare this to standard film (which isn't reusable) even the standard 16MB supplied is pretty decent.

Rechargable batteries are a very good idea, look for cameras which use standard size (UK AA) batteries as these are preferable to being tied in to a dedicated expensive rechargable battery which is useless if you battery runs out at the crucial moment. Alkaline are the best, and Nimh for rechargables as these last longer and provide a higher juice supply. I can get 4xAA Nimh batteries complete with charger for £15 and that's without shopping around ... it isn't expensive.

 

[LukFilm]

Originally posted by: PizzaDude
That A40 does look cool. I didn't even think about the accessories. Thanks for mentioning that. Is there anything that I should look for in a camera, I really don't know much about them. If there's anyone that knows a lot about this kind of stuff please spill it here. I'm open to any and all info.

This is a VERY COMPLEX question and that's why there are sites dedicated just to that. So go read them, it's very useful. Of if you don't have 120 hours to spare, just trust us on the suggestions that we give you.

 

[azkiwi]

I vote for an Oly. I've had a few and they have always been great value. I wouldn't worry about the accessories - your Dad will handle that when he gets into it. 2MP is fine for a starter (and beyond) camera. The latest Olys plug in USB direct, no software required which is a real nice feature. Go to Steve's Digicam and get educated on the subject and you'll feel a bit more confident in your choices - but keep in mind most sites are geared to digicam afficianados and tend to be a bit more discriminating than your average consumer..

 

[PizzaDude]

Thanks a lot for that feedback guys. Good stuff indeed. I'll check out the Olympus's. If you could link me to some good informative sites I'd be greatful.

 

[Damascus]

Fuji Finepix 2600. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better value.

 

[Damascus]

Product Information

2 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, video recording, usable as a webcam, built-in lens cover,
16MB starter SM card, charger and batteries, and good picture quality according to reviews
I've seen.

 

[PizzaDude]

That looks nice, although I don't need it to be able to capture video or act as a webcam. Those are just bonuses. What do you guys think of the Fujifilm FinePix A201 and the Olympus D-380? I took a look at TechTV's review of these 2 here and they looked good to me. I especially liked the batrtery life of the Olympus being good.

 

[pdo]

another vote for Canon A40. I got one last week for $250 which includes a 128MB compact flash card from Officemax. Checkout the hot deals forums. I think they're only giving a 64MB compact flash this week.

 

[AnAndAustin]

The Fujifilm FinePix A201 are excellent cameras, as said the webcam and video capture it can do are bonuses and don't cost you extra for them. The Olympus cameras are also fantastic now that their only weakness (non-USB) has been fixed. I can't comment on other d.cameras as a year ago when I last scoured the web and magazines the Fuji and Olympus offerings were in a class of their own, esp for the all important final results. It is so close between the 2 cameras you specify, both are absolutely excellent that it just comes down to personal taste. I have had more hands on experience with the Fuji d.cameras but if it's for your dad and prices are close I'd go for the Olympus. It has a more traditional look and feel that your dad will probably prefer. HTH!

 

[RossMAN]

I agree with LukFilm, unless you have 120 hours to thoroughly read online reviews, forum posts, UseNet posts, magazine reviews and talk with photographers it's best that you just accept our advice.

I'll throw in another recommendation for the Canon PowerShot A40 is an excellent value, it meets all of your criteria and then some.

Before you pass judgement do yourself a big favor and read these glowing reviews (some even have sample pictures), they speak for themself.

PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS
imaging-resource.com (with sample pictures)
dcresource.com (with sample pictures)
steves-digicams.com (with sample pictures)
dpreview.com (97 owner's ratings almost 5 out of 5 stars in every category)

CONSUMER REVIEWS
ePinions.com (100% recommended by 8 reviewers)
Amazon.com (4.8 out of 5 stars with 39 customer reviews)
CNET.com (8 out of 10 stars with 95% positive reviews)

 

[aka1nas]

Hehe, ROSSMAN, people are going to start thinking you work for Canon.

The A40 is an awesome camera for the money and I would heartily reccomend it asa first time camera.

 

[WayneTeK]

I disagree... I think the best camera for the price/size/weight/quality is the Canon Poweshot S200... This camera, though it may have a slow shutter speed, has many versatile uses... It is so light, you can carry it around with you and it doesn't seem like a burden, unlike many other cameras out there...

Takes excelent pictures and the 2.0 megapixel rating, do not be decieved by this low number... You most likely only need 2.0 megapixel if it is for practical uses... anything over that, perhaps a professional photographer might need... but the avg. user only needs about 2~3.... with 2megapixel, you can get PHOTO QUALITY prints up to 8x10 page...

So trust me on this one, i got a great buy on this camera... look up www.pricegrabber.com and do a search for the camera that YOu want...

though this camera may have strong points, its weakpoints are a few... the only disappointment with this camera is at night... Because the camera has such a small lens, its shutter speed does not have a wide range as a bigger lens camera.. the bigger the lens, the more versatility you can do with... so obviously, if you are going for a small camera, you are going to have to make some sacrifices... but the flash helps a lot..

Happy Hunting.

 

[shabby]

Skip the fuji 2600 and go with the 2800, you cant beat 6x optical zoom

 

[nortexoid]

another canon a40 user here...

good camera for the money...it's probably the most flexible camera in its class w/ aperature, shutter speed, exposure, etc. adjustments.

movie mode records audio as well...movies generally no longer than 17sec. tho in the highest resoltuion, over 30sec in the lower resolution.

it has a panoramic stitch assist mode for taking multiple shots and stitching them together horizontally...

burst mode works well - it appears to buffer the first ~9 shots in high res, fine compression...thereafter pictures are taken slightly slower...

taking pictures in the dark at night in auto are rather poor i've noticed...program mode and overexposure settings really help here..manual mode w/ a larger aperature and long shutter time work well too...a higher ISO will help too, but the pic can start to look a little grainy.

all in all, i've enjoyed this camera w/ my short 3 week experience w/ it...battery life is excellent using these duracell 1800ma NiMHs i picked up at the sony store (along w/ the accompanying charger), especially w/ teh LCD turned off...

facts: 1.5" LCD, takes 4AA batteries, 3x optical, 2.5" digital zoom, effective 2MP

 

[shabby]

Originally posted by: tdas2

Originally posted by: Damascus
Fuji Finepix 2600. You'll be hard-pressed to find a better value.

B**lshit - in full "intepolated" 2MP mode, images look more noisy as it DOES NOT use a true 2MP CCD . Therefore avoid buying Fuji's on the basis, thats if you like to blow up images.

Its the 50i camera that interpolates images from 2mp to 4mp, not the 2600. It doesnt interpolate them when taking pics at 2mp, just at 4mp, its called digital zoom you know.
If your gonna tell me that my 2800 interpolates images i call bullsh|t on you.

 

[AnAndAustin]

tdas2 no offence but you are coming on a bit strong, righteous and a tad biased too. From what I know and from what I've read the Fuji don't interpolate, certainly not the A101, A201 and 2600 models and this is easily chjecked as find the CCD used is generally very easy. Anyway it seems all d.cams are pretty darn good now and diffs are pretty small too, I rec Fuji and OLympus as I know a fair few people who've got on brilliantly with them and when I last scoured most reviewers found them the best all round d.cams too.

 

[aka1nas]

I also would recommend against Fuji's. In my experience, they have a greater tendency to break than most brands. Most of their models use a superHAD sensor which, while can give better quality on a megapixel per megapixel basis, is usually touted as a much higher resolution than it actually is(the image is interpolated to a higher size.) I.E. a 2.1 megapixel superHAD sensor may be better than a normal 2.1 MP sensor, but Fujis claims it is a 3 MP sensor, when it doesn't look quite that good at that size. It's kind of like a PR rating on a CPU. Other than that, Fuji has decent lens quality and focus, but the lenses do seem to die after a year or two on a relatively high percentage of cameras.