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Any recommendations for a digital camera under $300? (1 Viewer)

Chad Ellinger

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I'm thinking about getting a digital camera this Christmas, but I don't know much about what to look for. I know that I should be looking at 2+ MP models and that a good optical zoom is important (as opposed to digital zoom).

There are some great deals on the Kodak DX4330 going on now ($299 for a 3.1 MP camera). The camera seems to rate favorably on CNET.com and amazon.com but some of the digital camera review sites I've looked at have criticized the picture quality.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a camera in this price range? Any experiences with the DX4330?
 

David Ely

Supporting Actor
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Sep 1, 1998
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I'll chime in with my thoughts on Kodak. Their current line of digital camera are borderline awful. I've always liked their previous models (I own a DX4900), but there's no excuse for the latest models.
Basically the camera is doing HEAVY processing of the image. Lots of fine detail is just completely destroyed by this processing. The best example of this I could find online is at dcresource.com
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/ko...iew/index.html
Scroll down the page to the picture of the palm tree. This effect is seem on all current Kodak digital cameras. Hopefully this is something that can be resolved with a firmware update, but there's still no work from Kodak on the issue.
With that said, I think you should check if any stores in your area are clearing out older Kodak models. I was able to pickup the DX4900 for a mere $400Cdn!!!!
 

Chad Ellinger

Second Unit
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The Canon A40 also looks promising. Although it's only 2 MP, the picture quality looks pretty nice (DCRP Review) and the price is VERY nice ($200 at OfficeMax with coupon). Any thoughts on the Canon versus the Kodak?
 

Paul Jenkins

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I just bought a last-year refurb Kodak DX3500 on uBid for $70. Picture quality is good, IMO, and it is a 2mp. Bought a 128MB expansion card for $30 on eBay and for $100, can take 150+ high quality pictures. Interface is nice and it does what we need it to do (family photos, vacations, etc,. that we can get up to a 5x7 made if we want...)
 

DonnyD

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I've had a Canon A40 for a week now and so far I am impressed with the pic quality. Also available at a lot of places for 249.
 

Justin1

Stunt Coordinator
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Jan 4, 1999
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Minolta F100

4 megapixel camera that is extremely small, takes excellent pictures and has a solid set of features

Can be found on the internet for around 330


Fuji Finepix A303

3 megapixel camera that is a great deal for starters
Takes excellent pictures but lacks some of the higher-up features

Can be found on the internet for around 230
 

Lowell_B

Second Unit
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Dec 3, 2001
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I got the Canon A40 about a month ago, and am extremely happy with it so far. Can be had for around the $220-230 range online. Great picture quality, fantastic manual mode, tons and tons of other goodies.
Definately check out some reviews if you haven't already.
The DCRP review posted above, also check out Steve's Digicams review:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/a40.html
Lowell
 

ThomasC

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crap, i should've never looked at this topic, now i want a canon a40! :)
 

Trey Jones

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Canon A40 is a great camera and has some very advanced features for a 2 MegaPixel camera. Very nice.

Which ever camera you get you will need a new (larger) memory card with a week. Especially for the holidays.
 

Eric Samonte

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I have a Kodak DC4800 and frankly am loving it. But the prices of 5 MP digicams are well in reach that I'm thinking of selling my old one to get maybe...a NIkon CP5000 or an Olympus c 5050. Anyone care to comment on this?
 

Masood Ali

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One thing to note about Fuji digicams: their megapixel rating includes interpolation, which inflates their numbers.

For example, their highly rated S602 claims 6 megapixels, but only has a 3 megapixel CCD. The quality of the pictures is somewhere near 4 megapixels.

This has nothing to do with the quality of their cameras, but in case any of you were factoring the "megapixel" count into your purchasing decisions.
 

Michael Reuben

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Michael Reuben
Anyone have any experience with the Olympus models? A friend of mine swears by his (I don't know which one; I should ask).

M.
 

ThomasC

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My friend has an Olympus (2.1 MP I believe, not sure which model), and has some pictures at his band's website (click on one of the links under "recent events of interest" or go to the complete list and click on one of the performances, pictures from the performances are at the bottom of the page):
http://pi.softpixel.com/
 

McPaul

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Any familiarity out there with the Sony DSCP-7 digital camera? it's new, small, full metal, lith ion battery 3.3 mpxl, 3x optical. Generally goes for $400 US or less. I'm thinking of picking that up.. any comments about it? thx.
 

Chris Derby

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Oct 31, 2000
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Any familiarity out there with the Sony DSCP-7 digital camera? it's new, small, full metal, lith ion battery 3.3 mpxl, 3x optical. Generally goes for $400 US or less. I'm thinking of picking that up.. any comments about it? thx.
If it used something other than MemoryStick, I would considered purchasing a Sony.

It doesn't, so I have a Canon S200.
 

McPaul

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Chris... hmmmmm I'm not knowledgeable in the world of the memory sticks vs. other types of memory, but AFAIK they both store the same amount of memory, and the memory sticks seem to have more compatibility for other uses. For example, transfer that memory stick to your sony clie and if you have wireless access, send it to someone, or show it to friends on the clie. TV's have memory sticks now and also DVD players.

What's the main reason to go with a Cannon-type of memory stick?
 

Walt N

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Jul 23, 2001
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I don't know what the price deals are on the Memory Sticks but Canon uses Compact Flash which allows one to pick up a 512MB card for around $140 on the net. They can also use the IBM 1G microdrives. I've never come within a mile of filling my 512MB card with photos, but it's nice to have the capacity if you use the video movie feature a lot.

From what I've read at the digital photography sites the Sony DSCP-7 is a great camera. I went with a Canon S230 ELPH mainly because it's very thin, small, and fits in my front pocket so easily but aside from that they're quite comparable.
 

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