What is the best ultra portable digital camera under $500?

[tnitsuj]

By ultra portable, I mean easily shoved in jacket or pants pocket and taken with you everywhere. Canon A70 is too big.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Canon S400 (if you prefer to use CF media)

Canon SD100 (if you prefer to use SD media)

 

[BassDominator]

The picture quality is probably best with a canon s400 or sd100.... but I know folks really happy with the Pentax Optio S4 (so small it fits in an altoids tin)

 

[Anubis]

Pentax Optio S4 or Optio 555

they both focus better then the canons in low light

the Optio S4 is teh size of an altoids can and the 555 is a lil bigger but still portable

 

[Redviffer]

Take a look at the Olympus Stylus 300 and 400 series. Tough bodies (metal), very compact, and water resistant to boot.

Otherwise, your probably looking for something like a Minolta DiaMage (sp?), they are ultra thin.

edit: added Minolta link


DiMAGE X20

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

I :heart: my S400 but I've never tried any other ultra portable so I really can't compare.

 

[BigSmooth]

Here are Imaging-Resource.com's picks for small cameras (some are smaller than others).

 

[DaWhim]

ultra portable = SD10
SD100 is smaller than s400 by at least 10% = more protable

 

[EvilYoda]

The Canons are not anywhere near ultra-portable, not to me at least...I'm in the market too, and the Optio S4 is at the top of my list. It's amazingly small, and still has a good built-in zoom. The SD10 is still pretty thick, and the zoom is only 2x.

Other than that, the other camera you should be looking at (other than the Minolta DiMage xT, I guess) should be the new Sony T1. It's super thin, and is 5MP. Supposedly they're shipping to the States as we speak (earlier than anticipated)

 

[DaWhim]

Originally posted by: EvilYoda
The Canons are not anywhere near ultra-portable, not to me at least...I'm in the market too, and the Optio S4 is at the top of my list. It's amazingly small, and still has a good built-in zoom. The SD10 is still pretty thick, and the zoom is only 2x.

it is to me that you know nothing about canon's camera, esp sd10 and sd100. sd10 will beat the crap out of optio S4 in size, because it has no zoom.

 

[akodi]

s400 or nothing at all....with that i'm at 300 posts

 

[BCYL]

Another vote for the Canon S400... I love mine!

 

[minendo]

Canon SD100. Excellent camera.