Urgent camera buying advice.?

I need to buy a digital camera tomorrow. I cant spend more than 260 US$, whats the best camera I'll find for that price or less? Is there an optical zoom camera on the market for that price? Ive been told by many people I should not buy a Digital zoom camera, I must buy a Optical Zoom camera, why is that? Is it really so important? Please dont give me anymore links just advice.

Optical zoom makes the image larger before it hits the sensor that records the image.
Digital zoom makes it larger after it hits the sensor and just wastes the pixels you've paid for; it's the inverse square law - even just 2 x digital zoom means loosing 75% of your resolution. If you give a damn about picture quality, ignore digital zoom entirely 'cos it's pointless.

There are only really two other things to consider for a 'compact' camera:

1 - does it have a viewfinder?
2 - does it use a proprietary brand of memory card

If it doesn't have a viewfinder, you just won't be able to take pictures outside in daylight 'cos you won't be able to see the image on the LCD screen to frame your shot. This might cut out the lower end of the market though (sorry).

If it uses a proprietary brand memory card (i.e. if it's a Sony) then memory cards will be far more expensive than they need to be so avoid it. I have it on good authority that if you buy a Sony then your penis will shrivel up and turn into a turnip. If you are a girl, then your bottom will become large enough to be tracked by NASA. Allegedly.

Brand-wise I've always favoured Canon, but I hear good things about Nikon's Coolpix range and Panasonic are using Leica lenses so shouldn't be overlooked. Basically, you should buy one from a name you associate with decent film cameras rather than electronics or film (sorry Sony, Kodak, etc.)

I'm sorry I can't advise you exactly which one to get as I'm in the Europe (where the history comes from) and I unfortunately have no clue whether $260 is peanuts or not but try this for a place to start: http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Cameras-Ph...

Sony Cybershots are my favorite models, but Canons are also very good.

Optical zoom is where the lenses of the camera actually move around to change the focal length of the camera. Basically this magnifies the image almost perfectly. Digital zoom uses equations and algorithms to tell the camera what the image "probably" looks like. The digital zoom also lowers the resolution of the image, which is a second hit to image quality. Digital zoom is just plain terrible: avoid using it at all costs.

For me Canon is good. Try Canon PowerShot A540. It has 4x Optical Zoom and 4X Digital Zoom. Its also a 6 Mega Pixel Camera.

Optical Zoom is better. Magnification of an object is done by the lens. Unlike Digital Zoom, magnification is done by a computer which will distort the image.

sony dsc-s600 is the best choice.

Buy a canon or panisonic, not a Sony. Sony's are nice looking cameras and thats about it. They rely on their name way to much. But i as a digital camera salesmen of all cameras I concur with the A540 statement. Its an amazing camera for the price and you could also look at the A530. (Both Canons). You will need a memory card too most cameras come with enough memory for 8-10 pics. Buy whatever is on sale (SD memory). Thats another reason I hate Sonys they make you buy their own type of memory card and if you buy a new camera and want to use the card you have to buy a Sony. SD gives you a range between Kodaks, Panasonics, Nikons, Casio, ect.

Look on eBay and look for the Canon S70. Canon doesn't make it any longer, but it is a great camera. Originally, it sold for 500+. You may get a new one for considerably less. It has a good lens and great functionability. I think it's better than the newer models.

If you already have a memory card, get a Canon Powershot A630, which I have seen for $255. If you also need a memory card, get a Canon Powershot A540, which I have seen commonly for $170, leaving you extra for a nice memory card and some rechargeable "AA" batteries.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_... (ignore their prices, which are out of date)

I did some research after my canon died and ended up with a Nikon l3 the shutter is a little sluggish but the camera works great other than that I've learned to work around that so that camera was a good choice for me