Best Digital Camera For The Money?

MW740

MW740

Joined
Aug 21, 2002
Messages
732
I am in the market for a digital camera. I'm not sure how much I should spend, but I don't want anything fancy. I need suggestions from you guys.
 
Canon PowerShot A40 for $250 (~1 year ago) has served me very well. Great optics (it is a camera after all) and, even though only a 2 mega-pixel camera, has the quality to blow up enlargements with quality not seen in a lot of 3 or 4 mega-pixel cameras. Honest to goodness camera quality glass lenses make a big difference.

Spending less then ~$250 is a waste of money for all but the most casual uses. Get one that has a normal 35mm insta-matic feel. Those small little camera's sound nice but, those tiny buttons are hard to hit and the darn things are just harder to hold, point, and click. Think about a standard format and standard size for general convenience for yourself and friend snapping a picture for you.

Powershot A60
 
I got a Fuji FinePix A303 for 200 bucks on sale, its a GREAT camera, it really is.

You can read the review and see sample pictures at this site: http://steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/a303.html

That site reviews every digital camera I have ever wondered about, and many consider it the main source for information. Whatever camera you do chose, read the review on that site first before you buy it.
 
I have a Canon Powershot S230 (Digital Elph) that I really like. It has a 2.0 optical zoom and up to 6.4 with digital assistance (but digital zoom pics get very grainy).

It is a 3.2 megapixel camera and that does plenty good quality for my purposes. The pics enlarge on my computer to be well bigger than my 17" monitor by the time they are 100% size.

I guess this is probably the case with many digital cameras: there is a delay for a moment between when you hit the picture button and when the pic gets taken. This takes getting used to.

One drawback of my camera, which is otherwise really good (and this drawback may be in other digicams as well, I dunno) is that the shutter speed can be made *longer* but I have not found any setting to make it *shorter*. I would like to be able to take pics in manual mode using a shutter speed setting like on any 35mm camera, such as 1/500 sec. The digital cameras I have seen won't do that.

The S230 is very nicely compact, though. That is a major plus. I carry it every day (never know when you'll need photo documentation of something). It rides nicely in a shoulder pack with other...equipment.

edited to add: Oops, almost forgot to tell you what I paid. My camera was about $380 at Brandsmart USA. I'm sure it has come down in price since I got it about six months ago, since the number of megapixels in typical cameras is going up. CompactFlash cards are also getting much cheaper. I have a 256meg one that cost about $75.

---Jeffrey
 
I've been very happy with my Canon Powershot S30. It's 3.2 megapixels, and has full manual controls and good optics. Here are a few pics I've taken with it http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=396376 and http://www.villagephotos.com/pubbrowse.asp?selected=390331 . I paid $500 for it over a year ago at a military PX; I believe it can be found for $350 or less online if you look around. The 4 megapixel version of this is also worth a look, it's the Powershot S40 and the S45. The S40 is the older version and can probably found for much less than the S45. Good luck.
 
Since my wife is a photographer, only 5 megapixel+ cameras are in this house. Right now I use a Sony DSC-F707. This particular model has been discontinued in favor of an improved one; the only improvement being the memory stick capacity. Anyway, you can get a 707 for less than $600 since most retailers are making room for the new model. The memory stick isn't even an issue since I have approximately 130 pictures on the stick right now.
 
I have the Canon S45. Whilst everyone says it's one of the best 4 megapixel camera, if not the best, I'd say go for the Canon Digital Elph with the 4 megapixels. It's more compact, and you'll find it easier to carry around. My regret was not waiting for the Elph to be released when I got my S45 in January.
 
I have to chime in for the Canon A10. I got it a year ago for about $150 and its really not that different from the A40. Depends on what your needs are. I don't know if they still make them, but if you are on a very tight budget, its quite a bargain. I've taken over 1100 pictures with it so far that are up on my web site, people think its an expensive camera because it works so well. From what everyone else here has said, I think you can't go wrong with a canon.
 
I wrote a general advice post a little while back:

some general Digital Camera advice

In that I said 2Mp (megaPixel) with an optical zoom lens is adequate for general purposes.

This hasn't changed - but with the advance in technology and the accomanying drop in prices - the current consumer "sweet spot" is now the 3Mp digicam.

With the Canon A70 being the apparent overwhelming favorite:

canon_powershot_a70.jpg


Here are some reviews of the Canon A70 -

pretty enthusiastic -
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_a70-review/index.shtml

More detailed reviews -
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A70/A70A.HTM

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona70/
 
I just bought a Panasonic DMC-F1. I don't want to recommend it yet (I haven't had it long enough to see if there are any problems). But very compact, good optics (Leica), 3.2 megapixels. Takes photos as well as 10fps videos (built in mike and speaker). Has a small rechargeable lithium battery (like a cellphone) and all cables(USB to computer), software and battery are included. About $300-350.

My last was an Olympus C-900, I also really liked it.

Although 5 megapixels are great most people really don't need that high a resolution (IMHO). My last camera was 1.3 and my prints looked as good as a film camera's. The new one is 3.2 and is great, even for printing larger photos (in fact for web posting or emailing you will be better off sizing your photos down). In any case, most of the major brands are similar as far as price and features-- it's just what style and set-up you like. If I were you though I would go to a big camera or electronics store and handle them. You can always buy online ;) .
 
I have nothing but praise for my Sony Cybershot DSC-S85. It's got 4.1 megapixels, all kinds of settings I have no idea how to use, comes with all software and rechargeable battery and charger, AND it even has a Carl Zeiss lens. I paid too much for mine, but you can get one now for about $400.
 
I have the upgraded model that Daniel Flory mentionied. The Sony DSC-F717 actually has a fair number of improvements over the F707, although most of them are rather subtle. They are both terrific cameras.

Now that the F717 has been out for a year the street price is down to just over $600. If you're willing to pay that much for a camera I don't think there are any better ways to spend it. The F717 has the best lens system in its class, comparable to what you find on professional cameras in the $4000+ range. It has a lot of bells and whistles, but the bottom line is that it produces among the best images available in the 5 megapixel category.

--Bob Q
 
It depends on what you wantout of the camera. I recently bought a digital and my main use will be for email shots or posting to the web. I bought the Canon a-60 which is the 2 MP version of the one pictured above. The camera has an impressive amount of control built into it. I bought the 2mp version because it was about $70 cheaper than the 3MP version and I don't plan on using it for prints. If I want prints I will use the 35mm film camera but for web based shots the digital camera is great. The A 60/70 also have provision to attach close up lenses, filters etc to further enhance the macro function of the camera.
 
I'm fairly new to digital photography myself but here's some advice you might want to consider.

My first recommendation is to look for something with 3.2Meg resolution (price range should be around $300 - $400). This should give you enough detail for most of your needs--prices jump up quite a bit if you move to the next level of cameras at 4Megs (not bad at all if price is not a consideration and you know that you will be doing lots of 8x10 plus enlargements).

Next, buy the smallest camera that you can comfortably operate. If it's convenient to carry, you will use it more often.

Also, don't fall into "the-more-bells-and-whistles-the-better" trap. Just look for basic features that are intuitive and easy to operate without constantly referring to a manual. It should go without saying but I'll do so anyway: a 2 - 3x optical zoom lens is a must (fortunately this should be standard on most cameras with 3.2M).

Look at the type of storage media (card) the camera uses, then look at your computer (if you'll be using one to process pictures) and/or your current printer (or future photo printer) so you can match up the compatability of the cards and slots. You might also want to look at the maximum storage capacity the type of card can hold and its cost relative to competing card types. Don't underestimate the importance of this exercise.

Consider the type (or types) of batteries that the camera will be using. Rechargeable nickel metal hydride batteries interchangeable with lithium batteries are ideal. I don't care for proprietary batteries that is only made by the camera manufacturer because they're usually more expensive and may be hard to replace when you're on a trip.

Finally, I used to be a loyal Nikon fan with film photography but with digital photography my preferences are Canon, Sony/Olympus (tie), and then Nikon (in that order). Digital Elphs, A70, and S45 (all Canons) are cameras you might want to check out.

My recent (and first) digital camera purchase: Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom. Do as I say--not as I do! ;)

I hope this helps you.
 
Originally posted by Daniel Flory
Since my wife is a photographer, only 5 megapixel+ cameras are in this house. Right now I use a Sony DSC-F707.


I agree with Daniel Flory, My wife and also have a photography business and we use the same camera. the quality is outstanding.
Click to expand...
 
i have a canon s230 that overall i'm happy with. the interface is fairly intuitive and user friendly and it takes good pictures and videos. i paid around $400 for it but i'm sure it could be found for much cheaper now. one complaint i do have about it as someone said before is that there is a delay before the camera takes the picture and in between shots. after using this camera for a while i went back to my nikon coolpics 800 i think it is and i was amazed how much faster it was, inbetween shots and taking the shot. that might be somewhat attributed to the lexar media in it though. i found that with the nikon i just wasn't carrying it with me enough for it to be worth it to me. so i would say if you can get a small camera that you can operate comfortably and one that is small enough that you can carry it with you at all times you'll find yourself having it when you want to take a picture. however if you're mostly taking pictures of knives or stuff around the house or whatever that may not matter to you as much. the s230 is quite small but i kind of find myself wishing i had gone with an even smaller camera like sony's very small (i don't know the name) 2 megapixel camera, just because the canon is too big for me to carry comfortably in my pocket and it's a little heavy on the belt. (although it's fine in a jacket pocket). also the panasonic ewear (with the annoying commercials) is pretty cool because it's really quite small and it has a swivelling screen that can allow you to take pictures of your self or to hold the camera above your head at a show and take a picture that way. if i were going to buy a digital camera again i would want to make sure that it's small enough that i can carry wherever i go, that it has at least 2 or 3 megapixels (i don't need 4) and that it's easy to use.

Pete
 
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