$200 To Spend on a Digital Camera.

Darren Mortensen · 11-29-2003, 05:58 AM

Wife and I would like to buy a new Digital Camera before Christmas. Price limit is $250 MAXIMUM! What would you suggest?

DonnyD · 11-29-2003, 08:31 AM

I have been through several digital cameras the past few years and now have the Fuji 3800 which I really like.. Great looks of a SLR and packed with simple to use features. Simple point and shoot or get as complex as you wish........ I had a Canon A40 (I think), a Sony F85 Mavica, Sony F717, Panasonic something........but I always reached for the little Fuji......All made great pics but the Fuji is just easier to use it seems......It may be just above your limit but I think Fuji has a 2800 of the same style....... The Canon line gets a lot of attention but I found the menus a lot more complex if you got out of the auto mode. The Sony F717 needs a big manual to figure that one out.......

Don't let the megapixel thing confuse you. 2 Meg is plenty UNLESS you are planning to print giant pictures or something......I actually shoot mine on 1 meg usually......Oh and the Fuji has low resolution video too. I use that for quickies but it is a pretty good option......

DPReview.com is a great source for info on digital cameras. You'l find links to online retailers and tons of user reviews on everything.

Good luck........ BTW.... Great looking HT setup.....

Kirk Gunn · 11-29-2003, 10:28 AM

In the "Deals" section of HTF:

Canon PowerShot S230 3.2 MP Digtal Camera for $269.88

Peter Kline · 11-29-2003, 01:09 PM

You want a camera with minimum of 3 megapixels if you intend to blow up pictures to 8 X 10 ocassionally. Canon's are excellent and have great lenses which help the quality of the pix. If there's a 3-5 Megapixel camera at $200 (unless it's a close-out of a major brand such as Canon, Fuji, Kodak, Konica-MInolta, etc.) STAY AWAY. Bargain, off -brand cameras have poor lenses. I personally wouldn't recommend 2 MP cameras. There's a tremendous difference in quality once you hit 3 - better shadow detail, less grain, etc. 2 MP are OK for sending over the net.

Shane Martin · 11-29-2003, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Canon's are excellent and have great lenses which help the quality of the pix

The only flaw I found with Canons when I went shopping was that they have their own "custom" battery as opposed to using normal rechargable batteries. They are fairly expensive and typically don't last very long.
Here
is the camera along with the place I bought mine this past year. I really really really like my camera. 14 day no hassle return policy.
Here
is DCresource's review of it.

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Mark Fitzsimmons · 11-29-2003, 03:49 PM

I have a Canon A60 and it uses standard AA batteries. So not all Canon's use custom/nonstandard batteries. The A60 should be around $200 and is an excellent camera. It has a great movie mode which I use frequently and takes beautiful pictures. If your budget is an absolutle maximum of $250 then this may be the best way to go, because you are going to want to pick up a large compact flash card to go with it especially if you are going to be shooting lots of movies. I have a 256mb and I find it very appropriate. You can get a 256mb compact flash card for $50 at best buy which is a steal. I think I paid about $80 for mine.

Peter Kline · 11-29-2003, 05:02 PM

Darren,

My Canon G2 uses a battery that is made by several companies other then Canon (OEM batteries are usually more expensive) including Sony and is readily available at any Best Buy, Circuit City and even CompUSA. You can shop around for the best price (check the 'net). It is rechargable and has no memory loss. It lasts for any photo shoot I've needed. This Camera and the G3 and G4 have excellent battery life. You can always get an additional battery to have on hand - mucho recommended no matter what camera you purchase. The A60 is an excellent choice as well and right in your price range.

11-30-2003, 10:05 AM

Quote:

The only flaw I found with Canons when I went shopping was that they have their own "custom" battery as opposed to using normal rechargable batteries.

I have the A60 as well and it uses regular batteries. I really like my Canon and highly recomend it. My boss bought the A70 on my recomendation and he's boarderline anal about things like this and he likes his too. Read the revies on the A60/A70 and you'll quickly find its a highly rated reasonably priced unit. I'd also suggest you pick up a 128 meg CF card for it as well

Khoa Tran · 11-30-2003, 12:41 PM

I just bought the Canon a70 for 260 plus tax, all i can say is that it's a GREAT camera...has so many features that i've always wanted...picture quality is so much better compared to my sony....for above 3mp i'd recommend the canon a60/70 or the nikon 3100 can be had for a little less then 250, it takes great pictures too but has less features then the canon....

Darren Mortensen · 12-03-2003, 02:09 AM

WOW! THANKS!

I see that the WALMART website has SAMSUNG 4 MP Digimax 420 for $268.00 (yes, I kno I said $250.00 max)... Is this a bargin for 4 MegaPixels... Or should I stay with the Canons as suggested?

Khoa Tran · 12-03-2003, 02:38 AM

i wouldn't trust samsung just yet, they are still a new company....if you want reliable quality i would go with a canon

Shane Martin · 12-03-2003, 08:33 AM

Samsung isn't exactly known for its lenses. Unless the reviews are overly positive about it, I wouldn't take a chance.