I was looking into a Samsung, but a friend told me they were not very good. Now I'm looking into a Nikon (as she suggested) and a Kodak. What is the best brand to buy? Is there another brand I should be looking at? Define what you want, first of all.
Do you want it pocketable or doesn't that matter?
Samsungs are OK, but the features are often accessed in an illogical way and the instructions frequently impenetrable.
Best to go for a metal body
Make sure you have at least 3x OPTICAL zoom
Probably best to get one with a lithium-ion battery to keep costs down.
Make sure you get one that takes a SD card (they're MUCH cheaper cards and more reliable than most others)
Make sure that the hatches to cover the memory card and battery are really well made -- they're the single biggest failure point on digital cameras and quite often when they get broken you've just got to throw away the camera. Some of the otherwise-excellent Pentax models are weak in this respect.
One make which is often underestimated is Casio who have some excellent models in their range. nikkon is the best its does look so good but it takes the best pics sony cybershot cannon is okay it doesnt have image stabilizer Stick with Canon.
Under $200 - A-Series 540 or 530 (both Use AA batteries)
Under $300 - SD-Series 630 or 600 (li-ion batteries = better) If you can get one that has a charger and can be plugged in to your computer or an outlet to get more power rather than using those annoying, expensive, dies and costs $10 to replace lithium batteries, it'll save you TONS of frustration and money. Get one that comes with or uses a good ol' Li-Ion battery. It may be a bit more expensive, but it's worth it!!
I have a Kodak v550 (or rather, HAD a Kodak. I was an idiot and broke it in a bumper cars accident. Dumb as ****, I know. But it indured many other drops. It was a tough little thing.) and it's great! How serious are you into photography? I know Canon has some really nice ones (y'know those big ones the pros carry around? A friend's dad is a professional photographer, and he uses Canon stuff a lot.) . Like REALLY nice. But they also cost waayy too much for my budget, personally. How much are you looking into spending?
Samsungs can be pretty cheapy. Kodak's good for me. I'm getting another to replace mine, and I'll probably get another Kodak. Easy to use, and great pictures! Nikon makes good SLR Digital or high end camera. Sony and Canon are good brand and good point and shoot cameras. Nikon does not make good quality point and shoot at low prices. You may want to consider looking into Sony or Canon Canon, Olympus, Nikon, Sony all excellent brands. Notice I didn't include Samsung. | 