My trusty, but ancient Canon Powershot S10 died a hard death this weekend and I need to get a new Camera this week. What are you guys using and what is a good camera for the money. I really don't need infinity zoom cabilities or a zillion megapixals. I also would like one that is somewhat durable and somewhat compact. What do you suggest?

-Britain

I use an old HP 635 Photosmart that I got free with a printer. Works pretty good on everything except close-ups...

We have a Powershot SD200 Digital Elph. Nice Small Easy

Britain, I was in the same boat as you...my Olympus C700 was mortally wounded in battle. As it was a 2mp and 10x optical, I was looking for more of a point and shoot.

I just bought a Sony 4mp DSC-S90. Its only 3x optical, but has a super clear 2.5 inch LCD, power up to shoot time is under two seconds, has a fine video mode for 640 x480, for as much as your card can hold.

I just took some pics of a clean 911T while on vacation, we'll see how clean and crisp they are. The cost was $250 at Fry's.
-B

i am using a old cybershot....

it's 3.3mp, does good with close-ups and reg pics.

good white balancing too.

Fugifilm S 5000.....10x optical, but only 3 megapixels, but I like it.

Typical pic below.........

I have an old Nikon Coolpix 775. Works pretty well. I've always liked Nikon. Fuji is good as well. Pugbug, that picture looks AWESOME

I have a BenQ DC 5330
here's a little overview

the only things I have to critizice:
- the accu pack perservance isn't the best
- the camara is a little slow (time gap between 2 pics)

Canon powershot SD300

Olympus Stylus 500. Very small but not too small. Weather-proof camera. Replaced an aging Olympus 2mp camera that I never had a problem with. The Stylus 500 is 5mp, 3x optical, 2.5" LCD (no viewfinder, never used it anyway) and it's Weather-proof. Perfect for my last trip to Niagara Falls - the Maid of the Mist boat ride gets you pretty wet. Takes fantastic pictures. Only drawback is the xD media is a little pricier since it's proprietary to Olympus and Fuji. I paid $250 shipped from Dell. Excellent macro close-ups.

There's a new Pentax camera out (forgot the name), 5mp, that is completely water proof (no extra $150 waterproof shell). Perfect if you do any snorkeling.

Bought Canon S1-IS a year ago. $400 new on ebay, $500 retail.
Lost it last week (PLEASE don't ask)
Purchased another NIB off ebay last night, $219.

bad-Its a little heavy. LCD screen is kinda small.

good- 10x optical, 4X digital zoom, image stabilization (really valuable at long zooms), uses CF cards, does AVIs w sound, has many custom settings for "effective film speed, shuter speed, etc" so you can do real photography. good warenty (1 year, up to 3 years available).

Nikon Coolpix 5200. 5.1 mp, 3x zoom. It was $250 last month with li ion battery and charger. Its nice and compact and takes really good pictures.

I have a Nikon coolpix 990 for sale for $200.00. great camera, wife moved up to Nikon D70. The 990 is a great camera. Excellent macro, good zoom. All paperwork is included.

Let me know, Gary
503.557.8449

you can't go wrong with Canon's they are super for ease of use and quality...

I recently got rid of mine and have mixed opinions about the replacement... it's a konica minolta Z1 with 10x optical zoom and 3.2 MP and a super-macro setting.. my ONLY complaint, is that it doesn't have a "steadying" system, so if you try to use the full zoom, you better have a tripod...

the newer models correct this short coming...

I have to hand it to Olympus for ruggedness, I smashed my old digital in the tailgate of my truck but the little sucker still works just fine.

Want a nice DSLR.......

my dad has the cannon EOS SLR camera....

works real well...

I picked up a canon SD400 about 3 weeks ago from Office Depot for $279 delivered to my door. The street price on this camera is about $320. I really like this camera alot and here is a review.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/sd400.html

You can't beat the size. I used to hate lugging my big digi-cam around until I purchased this one, it fits right in my jeans front pocket.

Nikon just released a new model in this range too.

I think Canon is the way to go- stay away form the point and shoots with regular batteries (canon A series) go for a cartrage type rechargable. Get removeable memory-Compact flash cards are now dirt cheap. I have a EOS D10, powershot G1 and just bought my daughter a SD400- last years model with the smaller LCD and compact flash for 250.00. The G series are cool with the flip out and movable LCD- this gives you options for composing shots - over your head - down low etc.

Good luck!

QUOTE (Kargeek @ Aug 22 2005, 02:39 PM)

I think Canon is the way to go- stay away form the point and shoots with regular batteries (canon A series) go for a cartrage type rechargable. Get removeable memory-Compact flash cards are now dirt cheap. I have a EOS D10, powershot G1 and just bought my daughter a SD400- last years model with the smaller LCD and compact flash for 250.00. The G series are cool with the flip out and movable LCD- this gives you options for composing shots - over your head - down low etc. Good luck!

I'll actually disagree with the battery statement... I had rechargeable "AA" batteries for my A40... they would last A LONG time between charges and the camera took great pics...

Before buying anything take a good look at the Panasonic FZ Lumix line. Panasonic teamed up with Leica Camera AG and have built some incredible digital cameras. The FZ series use an image stabilized constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range Leica designed lens with a 12x optical zoom. I know you're not worried about a big zoom range but the Panasonic/Leica FZ series are comparably priced and image quality is incredible. They make the FZ series line in 3 to 7mp range these days. The image stabilization alone is worth checking out.

I have an older Panasonic FZ2 (2mp), FZ4 (4mp), and a Pentax *ist DS digital SLR with several different Pentax lenses.

Don

QUOTE (dbledsoe @ Aug 22 2005, 02:05 PM)

Before buying anything take a good look at the Panasonic FZ Lumix line. Panasonic teamed up with Leica Camera AG and have built some incredible digital cameras. The FZ series use an image stabilized constant f/2.8 aperture throughout the entire zoom range Leica designed lens with a 12x optical zoom. I know you're not worried about a big zoom range but the Panasonic/Leica FZ series are comparably priced and image quality is incredible. They make the FZ series line in 3 to 7mp range these days. The image stabilization alone is worth checking out. I have an older Panasonic FZ2 (2mp), FZ4 (4mp), and a Pentax *ist DS digital SLR with several different Pentax lenses. Don

Ya, a friend of mine suggested this one: panasonic lumix dmc-lz2s

He got it from Costco for somewhere around $300.

-Britain

QUOTE (MattR @ Aug 22 2005, 01:46 PM)

Nikon Coolpix 5200.  5.1 mp, 3x zoom.  It was $250 last month with li ion battery and charger.  Its nice and compact and takes really good pictures.

... that's what I have

Casio Exilim EX-Z750. A little spendy but worth it!

I was in the same boat a few weeks ago. My 3 year old Canon A40 made a hard landing in the driveway. Now it takes Andy pictures.

I looked at everything and ended up buying a Nikon Coolpix 7900. 7.1 Megapixels and lots of options, but still easy to use. Metal body, glass lens. Half the size of the Canon with double the size view monitor. I don't think you can beat it for $399.

Pentax Optio S4 I literally carry it aorund in an altoids tin. It's been halfway around the world in an altoids tin. Works great, no complaints.

Link with pics and specs


Better description of features

Canon Powershot A95.

5MP
3X optical zoom
A million shooting options
Micro function for super close stuff
Uses AA batteries so you never have to worry about finding and/charging some lithium ion specialty battery when yours unexpectedly dies!
Awesome pictures
$300 at any electronics store.

QUOTE (SGB @ Aug 22 2005, 10:40 AM)

Bought Canon S1-IS a year ago. $400 new on ebay, $500 retail. Lost it last week (PLEASE don't ask) Purchased another NIB off ebay last night, $219. bad-Its a little heavy. LCD screen is kinda small. good- 10x optical, 4X digital zoom, image stabilization (really valuable at long zooms), uses CF cards, does AVIs w sound, has many custom settings for "effective film speed, shuter speed, etc" so you can do real photography. good warenty (1 year, up to 3 years available).

I've got the S1 IS as well, stick with the Canon's. It's what you have used, right? If I had the extra cash I'd look at the new S2 IS. The S1 is still available off of eBay and some of the photo-depot type shops on the net.

My best,
Mike D.

I have a Pentax 330gs optimo (3.2mp) easy on batteries and takes great pics and I always say go to a camera company for cameras...anyone can source electronics...its the lens that counts....that being said, I guess an electronics company can source lenses too, don't listen to me....I'm not well......

I just got the Canon SD400 as well, as a "pocket cam" to keep with me for shots of the kids, car events etc. I'm planning to get the EOS 20D as well but that is just not practical at all for day-to-day use. The SD400 has worked out great thus far except that the low-light performance is pretty meager; like most of these tiny cameras with their itty bitty flashes and compact optics. One thing I LOVE about this camera is the response time is waaaay quicker than my old Nikon, even at full res and superfine compression. It also has a movie-mode that works suprisingly well.

Be sure to check out http://www.dpreview.com for the most thorough digicam reviews.

I just picked up a Pentax Optio WP, about the same size as the standard Optio but 3X optical zoom; 5MP and works under water. Used it for my shots of the Concorso Italiano (another post). Very easy to use with 15 programs including movie.

Canon Digital Rebel all the way. you'll never go back to point & shoot! it's super fast too just like an SLR.
A N D you can blow yer pics up to 30 x 40 when you shoot in RAW (that's shoot in RAW not in the raw)!

........b

QUOTE (campbellcj @ Aug 22 2005, 10:25 PM)

Be sure to check out http://www.dpreview.com for the most thorough digicam reviews.

I used this site when buying both my cameras. They tend to be slanted to Cannon's, but then so is this board. The Rebel is sweet, but around $1000 is not what Britain had in mind I'm sure.

Sony Cybershot U10: 1.3mp, about the size of a small cell phone)

Olympus E-100rs: 1.5mp, 15fps, 10x zoom w/image stabilizer.



Sold my Olympus C2100uz 2.1mp, 10x zoom w/image stabilizer, to my friend and bought the E-100rs.

I was taking pix of my friend at the last Duel @ De Anza (2003?) with my C2100uz and I caught him entering a turn, in the middle of the turn, and then coming out...With the E-100rs and 15fps, I catch everything!

I like my old cameras...played around with another friend's Nikon D70, and it's fun, but heavy and definately for serious photogs. Also, instant on is a nice feature.


I may only have 1.5mp, but heck with 15fps, I get a lot of pix...so it's all about what you need in your camera.

Sang

FRom Consumer Reports....
Olympus, Kodak,

3MP Fuji came out on top
4MP's Kodak and Olympus.
5MP Kodak and Canon.

We not only tell you about the best products to buy, but also where you can buy them. Click below to compare prices on models of your choice at reputable online retailers.
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Brand and model Price Overall Score Test results Features
Small type: similar model(s)
indicates a Quick Pick meriting first consideration.
CR Best Buy indicates an exceptional value.
2-MEGAPIXEL MODELS
1 Minolta DiMAGE E223 $180 9 8 25 16 3X • •
2 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-U60 $250 6 6 65 3 None • • •
3-MEGAPIXEL MODELS
3 Canon PowerShot A510 $180 8 11 300 2 4X • • • •
4 Canon PowerShot S1IS $350 17 14 180 3 10X • • • • •
5 Olympus Camedia C-740 Ultra Zoom $250 13 15 65 3 10X • • • •
6 Fujifilm FinePix F700 $360 7 16 180 1 3X • • •
7 Canon PowerShot SD110 $230 7 10 380 2 2X • •
8 Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart M307 $150 6 9 85 4 3X • • •
9 Olympus Stylus 300 Digital $195 7 12 170 2 3X • •
10 Olympus D-540 Zoom $155 7 11 460 5 3X • •
11 Fujifilm FinePix A330 CR Best Buy $140 7 11 380 4 3X • •
12 Hewlett-Packard PhotoSmart 735 $200 10 10 35 3 3X • • •
13 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P72 $200 9 12 260 3 3X • • •
14 Casio Exilim EX-S100 $350 5 8 110 3 2.8X •
15 Sony CD Mavica MVC-CD350 $380 18 8 120 2 3X • • •
16 Kodak EasyShare CX7300 $90 7 8 240 2 None • •
4-MEGAPIXEL MODELS
17 Kodak EasyShare DX6490 $380 14 16 60 2 10X • • • • •
18 Olympus C-765 Ultra Zoom $335 11 15 130 2 10X • • • •
19 Olympus C-770 Ultra Zoom $435 12 15 120 3 10X • • • •
20 Canon PowerShot SD300 $320 5 11 140 1 3X • •
21 Olympus Stylus 410 Digital $265 7 12 360 2 3X • •
22 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-L1 $245 5 7 260 2 3X • •
23 Kodak EasyShare CX7430 CR Best Buy $185 8 12 520 2 3X • •
24 Canon PowerShot S410 $280 8 11 380 2 3X • •
25 Kodak EasyShare LS743 $250 6 10 400 2 2.8X • •
26 Konica DiMAGE Z2 $320 14 10 280 3 10X • • • • •
27 Olympus D-580 Zoom CR Best Buy $190 8 11 600 2 3X • •
28 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC70 $255 8 16 320 2 3X • • •
29 Pentax Optio S40 $210 6 19 95 5 3X • •
30 Pentax Optio S4i $280 4 11 150 3 3X • •
31 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P73 $205 8 11 560 4 3X • • • •
32 Olympus D-425 $145 6 10 260 2 None • •
33 Fujifilm FinePix S3100 $240 14 11 220 3 6X • • • • •
34 Canon PowerShot SD10 $335 4 7 110 2 None • •
35 Fujifilm FinePix A340 $180 7 11 340 4 3X • •
36 Olympus Stylus Verve $270 5 9 55 2 2X •
5-MEGAPIXEL MODELS
37 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20S $495 22 23 280 1 12X • • • • •
38 Nikon Coolpix 5700 $555 19 13 100 3 8X • • • • • •
39 Canon PowerShot S60 $395 10 14 260 2 3.6X • •
40 Olympus C-5500 $315 12 12 340 5 5X • • • •
41 Olympus Stylus 500 Digital $280 7 14 140 2 3X • •
42 Kodak EasyShare CX7530 CR Best Buy $240 9 12 240 2 3X • • •
43 Olympus C-Series C-5060 Wide Zoom $500 18 12 560 2 4X • • • •
44 Pentax Optio SV $360 6 14 100 9 5X • • •
45 Epson L-500V $190 7 9 140 2 3X • •
46 Hewlett-Packard Photosmart 945 $350 17 8 60 2 8X • • • •
47 Casio Exilim EX-Z55 $300 6 9 400 2 3X • •
48 Kodak EasyShare LS753 $320 6 10 400 1 2.8X • •
49 Nikon Coolpix 5400 $500 14 15 240 2 4X • • • • •
50 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-M1 $520 8 6 160 4 3X • •
51 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P100 $320 7 11 460 3 3X • • •
52 Canon PowerShot A95 CR Best Buy $290 12 14 650 2 3X • • • •
53 Fujifilm FinePix F450 $315 6 12 150 4 3.4X • •
54 Hewlett-Packard Photosmart R707 $250 7 9 320 3 3X • • •
55 Canon PowerShot S500 $330 8 11 320 3 3X • •
56 Olympus C-5000 Zoom $285 10 12 40 3 3X • • • •
57 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1 $365 6 5 120 4 3X • •
58 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1 $300 9 11 240 4 3X • • • •
59 Konica Minolta DiMAGE X50 $280 5 6 240 3 2.8X •
60 Nikon Coolpix 5200 $335 6 15 120 3 3X • • •
61 Sony CD Mavica MVC-CD500 $555 21 16 55 2 3X • • • •
62 Pentax Optio X $295 5 12 90 9 3X •
63 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7 $345 5 13 45 7 3X •
6-MEGAPIXEL MODELS
64 Fujifilm FinePix E550 CR Best Buy $310 9 15 300 1 4X • • • • •
65 Fujifilm FinePix S7000 $515 21 28 60 2 6X • • • • •
66 Kodak EasyShare DX7630 $295 10 14 400 3 3X • • • •
67 Olympus C-60 Zoom CR Best Buy $280 8 11 400 2 3X • • •
68 Casio Exilim EX-P600 $430 9 10 260 4 4X • • •
7-MEGAPIXEL MODELS
69 Canon PowerShot G6 $545 17 16 850 2 4X • • • •
70 Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom $620 18 12 750 2 4X • • • • •
71 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-V3 $530 14 10 300 1 4X • • • •
72 Pentax Optio 750Z $460 9 17 170 4 5X • • •
73 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P150 $365 6 11 420 2 3X • •
8-MEGAPIXEL MODELS
74 Nikon Coolpix 8700 $640 19 13 140 3 8X • • • • •
75 Nikon Coolpix 8400 $700 17 20 180 5 3.5X • • • •
76 Canon PowerShot Pro1 $640 23 16 110 3 7x • • • • •
77 Olympus C-8080 Wide Zoom $715 27 19 120 3 5X • • • • •
78 Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2 $795 24 8 160 1 7X • • • • •
79 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828 $830 33 15 110 4 7X • • • • •

Canon SD400 Digital Elph. Very awesome camera