Digital Cameras

[sr71blackbird]

I am thinking of getting a digital camera, but do not know which is the best deal.
I think I am narrowing it down, but thought I would ask here, maybe someone has a suggestion.
I looked at an Olympus FE-340 last night and I liked the button layout and the way it felt. But did not have a chance to play with the camera itself because the store was about to close.
I also like the Canon ELPH type cameras

But the Olympus was like $160 and the Canon was over $300


Which is better, really?

I am looking for one that is easy to understand and use and not too bulky, but not too small.
I think 8 mp will be about as low as I go in terms of image quality.

Any other suggestions?

[StupidGirlllll]

check out CNET.com they compare a bunch of stuff

[Ritalin]

My two cents: I have the Canon powershot SD 900 (10 MP) and I love it as a point and shoot digital. I've printed 11 x 14 with captures from it no problem. It's durable, easy on batteries and compact.

[~Katja~]

Canon PowerShot G9 would be my pick. It's not a pocket size camera, but you can shoot in manual modes as well s in RAW image files.
The image quality is great.
You can get it for around 300 bucks.

Other than that the lower PowerShot models always have been reliable to me and Canon Customer Service is the best I have experienced.

[Tenbatsuzen]

First: Canon. Canon. Canon. This cannot be stressed enough.

Second: Do not buy from Best Buy or box stores of that ilk. Buy from either Beach Camera, Adorama, B&H, or Canoga Camera. You'll get a better deal.

(and DO NOT BUY FROM ANY OTHER CAMERA STORE - there are a HUGE AMOUNT of rip-off artists based out of brooklyn.)

[smiler grogan]

Canon PowerShot G9 would be my pick. It's not a pocket size camera, but you can shoot in manual modes as well s in RAW image files.
The image quality is great.
You can get it for around 300 bucks.

Other than that the lower PowerShot models always have been reliable to me and Canon Customer Service is the best I have experienced.

I couldn't agree more. I bought a G9 this past spring and love the motherfucker. My wife is an elph fan and just upgraded to a 10 megapixel model. It is also a terrific camera and more compact.

[hunnerbun]

I just bought an Elph last week and I love it. I have a Rebel XT but it was way too big for me to take everywhere with me and it takes a bit more finessing, but the teeny tiny Elph is so portable. I got the SD790 IS, 10.3 mp with image stabilization, it also does awesome video. I bought an 8 gig card and I am good to go.
I also believe Canon is the only way to go.

[extracheese]

It all depends on your usage.
If your a serious photog who likes manual controls and will be printing large printouts (letter size) photos. etc...

Im a casual shooter who takes tons of pics and rarely prints them. I have thousands on the computer. I want it simple, and the camera to be small.

A portable camera is only useful if your willing to toss it in a pocket.

I love my Canon sd950
12.1 pixels ( much more than i need) but i can select 8, or 4 pixels if i want.
Best feature besides stunning pics, is the HD videos it takes. everyone marvels at the
clarity of the vids. THe vids are large - each minute i shoot is like 100mg on the card.

check these sites

http://www.dpreview.com/

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/

http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html

http://www.imaging-resource.com/DIGCAM01.HTM

http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/reviews/

[badorties]

i love my panasonic lumix with leica lens ... pocket-sized, rubberized front ... perfect point & shoot camera

and don't forget to go to B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/category/989/Digital_Photography.html)

[JerseyRich]

First: Canon. Canon. Canon. This cannot be stressed enough.

Second: Do not buy from Best Buy or box stores of that ilk. Buy from either Beach Camera, Adorama, B&H, or Canoga Camera. You'll get a better deal.

(and DO NOT BUY FROM ANY OTHER CAMERA STORE - there are a HUGE AMOUNT of rip-off artists based out of brooklyn.)

ICK! Stay away from Beach.

B&H should be your only choice. Just make sure you get the USA Warranty version...Gray market cameras will always cause you headaches.

[Tenbatsuzen]

ICK! Stay away from Beach.

B&H should be your only choice. Just make sure you get the USA Warranty version...Gray market cameras will always cause you headaches.

I've had decent experiences with Beach. Maybe not for the higher-end stuff, but they do have good deals on lower-end consumer models.

[JerseyRich]

I've had decent experiences with Beach. Maybe not for the higher-end stuff, but they do have good deals on lower-end consumer models.

BBB has tons of complaints against them for Bait and Switch. Just a word of warning. I'm sure there are people that had great experiences with Trannies...doesn't make it advisable. :smile:

[marky2bucks]

http://www.dpreview.com/ has really good reviews.

[ahhdurr]

Research this but -

I was having a casual conversation with someone who knows cameras recently that told me 6-8 MP is as high as you want to go ... after that it's the quality of the lense that will determine what your pictures look like. If you're going SLR, you have a really broad range of lenses to pick from.

The explanation was something like you have divisions within each mega pixel that max out at 6 -8 MP ... after that, you're adding unnecessary MP and getting poorer quality images. Like I said - check on that, but the source was reliable to where I'd look into it.

[~Katja~]

ICK! Stay away from Beach.

B&H should be your only choice. Just make sure you get the USA Warranty version...Gray market cameras will always cause you headaches.

actually, Canon acknowledges and honors the warranty as long as you include the receipt.

Keep it an you are good to go for a lesser price. BUT dealing with these Brooklyn based stores is a hassle. They all have the bait and switch methods down.