[jeffycs]

Looking at getting the family a digital camera - have used Kodak, Sony and Fiji models since they've first come out through work. All under 2 mpx models...

So everyone I know recommends the Canon A60 / 70 - seen it in action and agree it's sweet - anyothers overlooked? or recommended - again - not lookiing to spend a lot nor looking for a PRO or gadget/toy filled unit....

 

[SINC]

I bought my daughter a Canon A-40 for Christmas last year. It has worked flawlessly and takes fine pictures.

VERY hard on batteries though. If I had it to do over, I would make sure I bought a model with a rechargeable battery. (and buy a spare day one) She had to buy rechargeable batteries because she couldn't afford to toss the spent ones away any longer.

Also consider buying a large memory card when you buy the camera. (128MB) That will cost you one third the price of the camera, but worth every dime.

Cheers

 

[imactheknife]

I bought an olympus D-40 zoom 4 mega pixels for $500 about 10 months ago..now you can get them on ebay for $300US....it takes very fine pictures...if you are looking to spend less I have a canon a10 (1.3 MP) that takes nice pictures too! and canon is a very good name brand in Digital cameras as well...Mark

http://www.megapixel.net/cgi-bin/reviews.pl?lang=en&item=oly-d40

 

[Lawrence]

Sinc wrote:

Also consider buying a large memory card when you buy the camera. (128MB) That will cost you one third the price of the camera, but worth every dime.

I get my flash cards at TigerDirect
Their Lexar media 12x 256 mb compact flash card cost me
only $82.99 cad plus shipping and taxes.
I'm hoping that the 12x 512 mb cards come down in price soon.

My camera is just over 3 m.p. Minolta Dimage 5

Dave

 

[Lawrence]

If I was going to buy another camera in the 2 m.p. range,
It would be the Canon A60

If I was going to buy another camera in the 3.2 m.p. range,
It would be the Canon A70

Both camera's are very flexible.

Dave

 

[Lawrence]

Has anyone seen the Canon A80

Dave

 

[jtmac]

I'm struggling with the same decision/choice.
I'd like to get a compact digicam for my father.

I saw the A80 at Henry's a few weeks ago. Its swing-out screen is smaller than the Gs but very functional. The CF cards and the AA batteries are pluses. The bulkiness is a minus.

The other camera I like is the Olympus Stylus 300. It is very intuitive and compact. It's also weatherproof. However, it has a small lithium battery, and uses Xd cards.

Choices .....

 

[TroutMaskReplica]

does anyone know anything good or bad about the digital elph cameras? i just like the size and shape -- easy to slip in a pocket.

 

[CubaMark]

I'm a big fan of the Canon digital still cameras (I own an A40). The design, quality of build, ease of menu use, - all show a lot of thought went into the product.

It also has a very active user base for support, advice and sharing of photographic art.

Finally, the latest issue of MacAddict has a large digital camera shootout (the website is always a few weeks behind the newsstand). Interestingly, the Canon's, at low- mid- and high-end, come out a consistent 2nd, but always with very good recommendations.


M

 

[vapour]

I like the digital Elph series of which the S400 gets very good reviews. You sacrifice a few manual features for size but the picture quality is excellent. They key to buyin g a digicam is to figure out what kind of phtographer you are. Do you want a simple point and shoot then the elph series should be on the top of the list. Do you like to get more creative or take a lot of night shots than you probably want something with more manual controls which generally means bigger.

Apart from the Canons I would consider the Nikon coolpix series. They are not as slick looking but the macro on a Nikon is very good, they give you a wide variety of scene modes for different shooting conditions and last time I checked you get Adobe Photo Elements in the box. ( $100 software)

Here is a shameless link to some pics I took with a Canon A70 and S50: Lost and Found Foto Log

 

[Moscool]

Got my mother a Nikon Coolpix 2100 (same as the 3100 but lower definition). I was amazed by the colour balance (very natural) and the good built-in flash. Fits in the pocket and can work from AA batteries when discharged.

Excellent performance and value for money.

 

[CubaMark]

A few additional thoughts...

I don't think the Canons are any worse on batteries than any digital still cam... they're all deadly on alkalines. The first accessory purchase at the camera store is a pack (two is better) of high-mha (1800+) lithium rechargeables and a charger (preferably on that will do the occasional 'deep discharge' for you).

Second, be very careful when choosing based on Zoom feature. ONLY buy a camera with a high optical zoom. The "digital zoom" feature is a crock - it just magnifies the pixels, which you can do with better results in Photoshop. High resolution + high optical zoom=better pics.

M.

 

[TroutMaskReplica]

we have a nikon coolpix 5700 at work that i can use for serious photography, although i wouldn't want to. the thing is impossible to use,just too damn complicated, with many features buried deep within the complicated menu system. the manual is completely uselessas the translation from japanese is ludicrous.

i'm leaning toward simplicity in a personal camera... or maybe i'll just stick to film.

 

[iMiller]

I have an Olympus D-380.. It's a 2.0 Mega Pixel and I enjoy it...
however my biggest advice is make sure your camera has Optical zoom.. it's the only feature i wish my camera had.. Digital zoom is a useless feature.

 

[da_jonesy]

Well I know this doesn't count... but I use a Sony Mavica CD 400... the images get stored on mini CD's.

Now the camera is a 4 megpixel camera, but I only take photos at the 2 megapixel setting.

I would recommmend just about any Sony Product... If you can, make sure you get something with a Carl Zeiss lens... the optics are superb.

 

[oryxbiker]

I recommend the Olympus cameras. I find they take the best pictures, and are fairly cheap. but keep one thing in mind. Get a camera with rechargeable batteries. These things use batters like theres no tomorrow. I have a Fuji 1.3 mpx camera that can take about 30 pictures and then the 4 AA batteries bite the dust. And it doesn't even take good pictures!

 

[Caillou]

I own a Canon s230. 3,2 megapixels. Great gift to receive! Love the fact that I can switch to manual setting and play around with B&W, Sepia and a whole lot of adjustments for ambiant light, etc.

I'm an amateur photographer of the "father takes pictures of the kids, kinda". The Canon S230 turns out quite good pictures when printed on professional printers (over the Net to a drugstore eLab, for example). On my Epson c82... hum, ok for Grand-mère, but does not do the trick when compared to the silveries of my Canon Rebel SLR wit Fuji film, obviously. On screen, fabulous. Can take 2 minutes of video too !

Size and weight are quite favorable to this little wonder. Fits very easily in a pocket for walks with the kids.

By the way, true, the digital zoom is a misnomer. I never use it as the resolution drops tremendously. Maybe the only drawback of the S230: the optical zoom is only 2x. So don't be impressed by the combined optical/digital zoom factor of 6,4. You get an equivalent 70mm zoom. That's it. (Well... that's quite good given that it's the size of a business card !)

I would certainy appreciate having somebody's opinion who had this model and switched over to something else. This is my first digital camera, so I don't have a comparable in the digital world.

 

[Moscool]

For me the biggest drawback is time lag. Once you add the digital pre-processing to the auto focus you lose any form of spontaneity. And given that none of the small cams can do multi-shots for more than a second or two... Who wins the lag race at present?

 

[Dr.G.]

jeffycs, I was tempted to get a Canon A70, but I am going to get a more expensive camera now. Still, I have used the A70 and it is still, dollar for dollar, one of the best cameras for the money. Just a thought.

 

[SINC]

I was given a Canon Powershot Pro90 IS as a retirement gift from my employers. While it is only 2.6 mpx, it does have a 10X Optical zoom and takes wonderful pictures. It was the "top of the line" from Canon in 2001.

It serves my every need and I have no plans to replace it soon, if ever.

Cheers