i'm looking for something with good zoom (> 4 optical), good battery usage, picture stability and clarity (> 5 mp) and one that will last a long time.
brands and possibly models under $250 please
thanks Canon makes the best comsumer camera in my opinion. They have really great imagine quality for their size. I would recommond them. Here are a few choices:
Slim and Small- No limit- Canon SD900
Slim and Small- $300-400 limit Canon SD800 IS (Has Imagine Stablization)
Slim and Small- $200-$300 limit- SD600 6MP
Ultrazoom- Canon S3IS (Has Imagine Stablization) 12X optical 6MP
Budget Camera- No limit- Canon A640 10MP 4X Optical Zoom
Budget Camera- Less than $300- Canon A630 8MP 4X Optical Zoom
Enutheist Camera- No Limit- ($500+) Canon G7 10MP 6X Optical Zoom
SLR- No Limit- Canon Mk-II $5000 w/o lens
SLR- $3000 - Canon 5D Full Sensor
SLR- Budget - Canon 30D
SLR- Below $1000 w/ lens kit - Canon Rebel XTi I own a few Nikon DSLR's and I'd buy the Canon Powershot A630 or A640 for myself. These cameras have the larger 1/1.8" (5.2 mm x 7.2 mm) sensor 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 $250, look at a Canon Powershot A630. My brother has had his A630 for about a year and it's a very nice camera. You can get it at B&H Photo (available through Yahoo! Shopping) for $192.
If you can go to $350, look at the 10 MP Canon Powershot A640. This is not a camera that you can stuff into your shirt pocket, but it's an excellent camera. It sells for $260 and you can add a very nice memory card for under $50.
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...
If you want to spend less than that, here's my standard "cheap but decent camera" answer:
Some of our best answerers always recommends the Fujifilm FinePix F20 camera as the best-for-less choice. I have to say that I like the sample images at Steve's site (below). If Morey000 or SpaceCowboy show up after me and make this recommendation, choose them as the best answer, because I'm just passing along their suggestion. I have no personal experience with this camera. I see it at B&H Photo (available through Yahoo! Shopping) for $150; $190 with a 1 GB Sandisk memory card.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_revi...
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Fu...
My brother has the A540 and my mother-in-law has the A530 - on my recommendation - and neither one has stopped speaking to me yet. Based on this and experience with other Canon Powershot cameras, I am now recommending the A550 as a nice and relatively inexpensive camera.
Canon just introduced the A550, which has more pixels, but offers less user control. I'd be happy with the A540, but the A550 is probably also worth considering, especially since the A540 has been discontinued. I've seen it for $140 in some stores like WalMart and Target.
The A550 costs $160 at B&H and, of course, you'll need a memory card.
A550 review: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_revi...
Steve's reviews updates the "Best Camera" list periodically:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_came...
Consumer Reports from May 2007 has a short article on digital cameras and they recommend 10 different point and shoot cameras in the following order within groups according to camera design:
**COMPACTS**
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 (Overall score 75) [$410]
Kodak EasyShare C875 (Overall score 73) [$165] - Rated better for shutter lag
Nikon Coolpix P4 (Overall score 65)
**SUBCOMPACTS**
Canon Powershot SD500 (Overall score 72)
Casio Exilim EX-Z850 (Overall score 72)
Sony Cybershot DSC-W50 (Overall score 70) [$180] [Similar to W55] - Rated better for shutter lag
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX3 (Overall score 69) [$200] [Similar to FX-10, FX-12]
Olympus Stylus 720SW (Overall score 61) [Similar to 770SW - $360] (Waterproof)
**ADVANCED COMPACTS ("Near SLR")**
Fujifilm Finepix S6000fd (Overall score 77) [$300] - Rated better for shutter lag
Fujifilm Finepix E900 (Overall score 73) [$250]
[Things change so quickly in digital cameras that I can not find all of these models listed for sale and it's not even May yet. Prices are from B&H Photo, April 2007.] 5mp is ok why not just go to 10mp and have a very clear picture.try the links.this camera is very good.and very easy to use.and takes great pics. I would recommend the Canon A550...
The best camera for under $200 is the Canon A550
* 7.1 Megapixel
*4X Optical Zoom
* Very good photo quality, noise levels low through ISO 400 (in good light)
* Well built for the price
* Very good performance
* LCD visible in low light
* Some manual controls
* AF-assist lamp, good low light focusing
* Good movie and continuous shooting modes
* Impressive software bundle
* Uses AA batteries; great battery life
* USB 2.0 High Speed support All cameras with the same size sensor and pixel count (and therefore price) make roughly the same images. They all have the same flash performance, red-eye issues and noise levels.
There is no brand or model which is significantly better than the others.
It comes down to personal preference (which feels better in your hands or has easier buttons to press).
The only way to determine this is to go down to your camera store and try out a bunch of them.
Hope this helps. | 