I need help in choosing a digital camera to buy.?

I am looking for a new digital camera and I am lost. I have been doing research and I seen that Sony and Canon cameras are both really good brands. My last camera didn't hold very many pictures and the batteries only lasted about an hour, so I want a camera with good battery time and memory space. I want to be able to take quality pictures and videos (videos aren't as important). I want something that is stylish but reasonably priced and easy to use.

Any advice you can give me would be very much appreciated. I'm counting on you guys!!! =)

I suggest this one, you can buy it for around $115

Canon A460 Specifications

* 5 megapixels
* Movie mode with sound
* JPEG file format
* 4x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom
* Autofocus
* Auto and manual exposure
* ISO 80-400
* 2.0-inch LCD
* Secure Digital memory (16MB card included)
* 2 AA Batteries

I just bought a CannonPowerShot S3, which is part of a great series. You can't get it from Best Buy or Curcuit City as they have already switched to the 08 model which costs $500. No thank you.

Mine was around $200-$250, and was purchased from Office Depot/Max. It has a battery life of 550 pictures (4 AAs), AMAZING picture quality, and has a zoom of 12x. Quite impressive. It also has a viewfinder, which I enjoy. The controls are easy to use, though it may take some getting used to. It's bulkier than a "regular" camera that has a 5x zoom, but it's not exactly heavy. It won't fit into a purse or pocket, but it makes up for it.

I HIGHLY recommend Canon as opposed to Sony.

Get something with at least 5 megapixels. Kodak and polaroid have some good ones for around 100-150. As far as how much it holds you can always get a memory card. And with the batteries, i definately feel your pain. I got the $10 energizer digital cam rechargables, that come with the charger and 2 batteries, you can find it in Walmart and save a bundle!

you want one with a good optical zoom, at least 10-12 power. it needs OIS , optical image stabilization as well. I've got the Kodak z740, its nice, but it is 3 or 4 years old. my friend just got the a new Panasonic off of eBay and it takes great pics as well. as for battery life, good luck , just buy a couple of extra rechargeable ones. you can get some good deals on eBay with extra batteries and all kinds of stuff including extra memory cards as well.. good luck

If you're looking for a camera with plenty of zoom, then I'll suggest my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2. 6 megapixels, 12X optical zoom. Will give you an excellent 8X10, has image stabilizer, very good on AA rechargeables. Come with battery charger. Has manual controls in addition to auto. Only one second delay between shots. Super zooms as the Canon S2 IS and the Sony above are a bit larger than most cameras.
Regular size camera (compact) which also gives excellent 8X10s is the Canon PowerShot A630. 4X optical zoom, 8 megapixels. Has manual controls + auto, takes AA rechargeables.

I own a few Nikon DSLR's and I'd buy the Canon Powershot A630 or A640 for myself. These cameras have the larger sensor (1/1.8" or 5.2 mm x 7.2 mm) that is nearly double the sensor size you find in many point and shoot cameras and this translates into better image quality. They allow fully automatic use or total user control and offer several stages in between. The only significant difference between these cameras is that the A630 is 8 MP and the A640 is 10 MP.

If you're going to spend up to $200, look at a Canon Powershot A630. My brother has had his A630 for over a year and it's a very nice camera. You can get it at B&H Photo (available through Yahoo! Shopping) for $184.

If you can go to $300, look at the 10 MP Canon Powershot A640. This is an excellent camera. It sells for $260 and you can add a very nice memory card for under $40. The images from the A640 compare VERY favorably with the images from a Canon G7, which costs about twice as much.

For either camera, buy a 1 or 2 GB Sandisk Ultra II or Extreme III card. You will NEED the increased capacity and write speed to fully realize the benefits of your camera. The Ultra II would be excellent, but if you are really into video, you might prefer the faster Extreme III. These cards cost from about $25-45 at B&H and several other outlets.

A630: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_revi...
Also: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Ca... (Read owner opinions)

A640: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_revi...
Also: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona64...

These cameras are well-known for their long life on batteries, also.

I got a fuji FinePix S700 from circuit city for $207 and it is an awesome camera. Takes great close-ups and, has macro and super macro. It also takes awesome distant shots with 10x optical zoom which is a lot more than most cameras. 7.1MP which is more than enough. Its has a lot of manual settings if you want to get fancy but is a great point and shoot camera it takes normal AA batteries and they last a LONG time.

Even though I personally own this ultra compact camera, I would still like to highly recommend the purchase of a Nikon Coolpix L10 for the following reasons:

1. Besides taking well-exposed hi-quality 5 megapixel pictures, it uses a standard set of rechargeable double AA batteries which last a very long time - 300 shots per set of rechargeables;
2. Has a 3x optical zoom;
3. The flash setting for "red-eye" correction is on the navigator wheel and not within a submenu;
4. It's very small and light;
5. Uses inexpensive SD memory cards;
6. The digital video feature takes wonderful "sound" videos which are noise free. It records the piano very well with it's built-in microphone;
7. It comes with a USB 2.0 transfer cable which you connect to your USB computer port;
8. Has tripod mount on bottom of camera;
9. And the price is a mere $119 [sold at Samy's Camera - www.samys.com, and Staples.com; $99 at amazon.com]

Review(s) can be found at www.amazon.com [Query: "Nikon Coolpix L10" along with pictures provided by satisfied purchasers.]

Good luck!