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Sean Hughes
06-27-2007, 2:27 PM
Hey everyone. I'm a believer in the gathering on information. We are getting a gift for friends of ours and are looking at digital cameras. Just point and shoot types. We'd like to keep the cost at around $200. Any opinions appreciated.

Thanks

Jim Becker
06-27-2007, 2:29 PM
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/

Glenn Clabo
06-27-2007, 2:59 PM
I second Jim's motion...best review site.

Nancy Laird
06-27-2007, 3:01 PM
Only piece of advice I can give is to get one with at least 6.0 megapixels...better pictures. I have a Pentax that I got at Wally World for $108.00--on clearance. Then you pay almost $30 for a memory card!!

Nancy

David G Baker
06-27-2007, 3:32 PM
I purchased a Sony digital for under $200 from B&H Photo for the LOML and it takes great pictures. Check out the cameras at Wally World find one that will do what you want, then go on line and compare prices, remember to include shipping prices when comparing prices.
I love the 6 mega pixels but do not like having just the screen on the camera back for composing my pictures and the weak electronic flash. I came from the old 35mm single lens reflex days with large flash units for lighting and will probably eventually buy a digital single lens reflex with an external flash set up for myself.

Glenn Clabo
06-27-2007, 5:14 PM
Nancy and everyone else who is interested...
Instead of trying to explain that 6.0 mega pixels = better pictures isn't necessarily true...and it's a VERY common feeling/comment....check this out ----
http://www.shortcourses.com/pixels/index.htm

It's just one of my hobbies...and one of those misconceptions that's hard to explain...but important when putting down your money.

Jim Becker
06-27-2007, 5:34 PM
What Glenn says is true...if you are not going to be printing out large prints, it's not necessary to have 6 mp. It's not horrible to have that capability, but not necessary. The quality of the photo will be limited to the output medium regardless. And a 3-5mp camera is more likely to be in your price range.

I carry a Nikon Coolpix S1 as my "travel camera". It's compact; has a metal case and takes wonderful pictures. It only hurts when "action" is involved...shutter delay which is not atypical of the typical point and shoot autofocus cameras. But they also don't cost as much as a digital SLR. :)

Pat Germain
06-27-2007, 5:47 PM
My daughter has a Panasonic Lumex which I borrow all the time. It's a great little camera. It has a very large viewscreen and it's small and slim enough to fit into my pocket. There are multiple models of the Lumex cameras with different options and different prices. You can often get them on sale/clearance as new models are coming out all the time.

I've used this camera a lot and it's never failed to take a great picture. The only downside would be it doesn't have a direct viewfinder; just the viewscreen.

Absolute necessities for any digital camera purchase are high quality, rechargable batteries, the biggest memory card you can afford, and a good carrying case.

Art Mulder
06-27-2007, 7:04 PM
Ditto what Jim first said - go to dpreview and check out what they say about the models you are looking at.

Have to disagree about the 6 megapixel thing. All you need is 3 megapixels to get enough detail for 4x6 prints. Sure, more is nice, lets you zoom in and print bigger stuff and so on, but it isn't mandatory. However, like most computer-type things, they just keep upping the capacity.

Any add that talks about "digital zoom" is feeding you a line.

Do remember to budget for a memory card, as the one that comes with the camera is probably as tiny as they can make it.

One thing to check in those reviews is the memory speed - how long it takes the camera to write the image to memory. It can make a big difference in enjoyment. I have a Canon a95 which is a wonderful little 5 megapixel P+S camera... about 2 years old I think. My father in law also has a Canon, but on his model it takes almost twice as long to write the image to memory. If you only ever take one shot at a time, this is no big deal, but if you're around kids or anything where you want to snap a couple of shots in reasonable succession (ie: within 5 seconds) then this delay can be infuriating.

have fun
...art

Rob Russell
06-27-2007, 7:11 PM
Take a look at the (Panasonic) Lumix DMC-FZ30. It's the previous generation model of their high end "looks like an SLR" high end super zoom. I have one. It's got a built in 12x lens and takes good pictures. You can pick one up on ebay for a decent price, although just over your $200 price point.

Steven Wilson
06-28-2007, 1:03 AM
I searched a while before I picked up a Pentax OptioWP. I bought it because it is waterproof and takes a pretty decent picture. Since most of my pictures these days are fish porn, the water proof aspect of the camera was a big selling point. However, it's also a great, simple, point and shoot camera with a decent optical zoom (3x), reasonable pixel count (enough for a decent 4x6 and acceptable 8x10), and simple ergonomics which are important when it's 15F and you're waist deep in a cold river with a 26" steelhead on the end of your fly rod that you're trying to snap a picture of.

Charlie Velasquez
06-28-2007, 3:44 PM
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/


As Jim and others have mentioned, this is a great site for reviews of cameras. After reading through these you will need to decide which features are right for you, then decide on a couple of cameras that fit the bill.
But there is always a trade-off between features and price so you really need another site that caters to price. I recommend dealcam.com (http://dealnews.com/digital-cameras/)

It has no reviews of cameras, just list lowest prices and seems to be more comprehensive then most of the searchbots.

It has a sister (brother??) site that will also give you some great prices on memory - dealram.com at the top header.

Leo Pashea
06-28-2007, 3:56 PM
Nancy and everyone else who is interested...
Instead of trying to explain that 6.0 mega pixels = better pictures isn't necessarily true...and it's a VERY common feeling/comment....

VERY true! Megapixels have little to nothing to do with quality digital photos. I believe it is the mentality of "it's bigger, it MUST be better", which is exactly what the marketing guru's want you to believe.

Wes Bischel
06-28-2007, 4:34 PM
Sean,

Another good review site is Steve's Digicams:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
Also, when things are narrowed down, check the reviews on Amazon and other retailers.

We've had a Canon Powershot S110 and a Kodak V550. Both have served us well in the point and shoot arena. My wife takes thousands of pictures each month and really appreciates the Kodak software for keeping track of things.

FWIW,
Wes