Help buying a compact digital camera.

[naxalite0906]

Hey everyone.

There may be other threads like this scattered around lit. I tried searching but didn't come across any that could help though, but maybe that is because I can never use the search option properly!

I just wanted to make this thread to see if anyone could reccommend a fairly cheap/lightweight camera that I could use for trips abroad etc. I am no photography expert, but obviously I would like something that still produces good quality pics (especially with scenery etc when I am travelling) but is also quite easy to use and has a number of useful features too.
Someone said the panasonic Lumix ones are quite good, but I wanted to see if there was anyone on here who could offer more advice as to which are the best cameras to get etc.
I am looking to spend no more than £130 tho (around 250 us) as my budget is quite tight. Like I said, I am no expert, but I would like something that is value for money and does the things I need it to at a decent quality. I do go away in 10 days, and ideally I would like to get one before I go.

Thanks for your help.

 

[RUbensBeautY]

I am sure people who are actually knowledgeable about cameras will give you much more useful advice. However, I recently got a camera I am very pleased with. I googled ( http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/18150/nikon-coolpix-l18/) and found it to be just a little above the price limit you have mentioned. It has many little gadgets, I think it will take a while to figure them all out but I am really happy with the quality and it is also surprisingly easy-to-use.

Take a look if you like: http://www.nikon-coolpix.com/e/l18.html

 

[naxalite0906]

I am sure people who are actually knowledgeable about cameras will give you much more useful advice. However, I recently got a camera I am very pleased with. I googled ( http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/18150/nikon-coolpix-l18/) and found it to be just a little above the price limit you have mentioned. It has many little gadgets, I think it will take a while to figure them all out but I am really happy with the quality and it is also surprisingly easy-to-use.

Take a look if you like: http://www.nikon-coolpix.com/e/l18.html

Does that come with a battery and charger etc? Thank you for your input... Its a nice looking camera.. the black colour especially.

 

[SinfulTwo]

Just purchased a camera ourselves and i reckon it's ideal for anyone. Praktica luxmedia 8303. 8.2mp. Anti shake, video, optical and digital zoom, a heap of special features, battery charger, leather case..everything except a big memory card. £90.

Very pleased with it. Hope this helps.

 

[Weird Harold]

I just wanted to make this thread to see if anyone could reccommend a fairly cheap/lightweight camera that I could use for trips abroad etc. I am no photography expert, but obviously I would like something that still produces good quality pics (especially with scenery etc when I am travelling) but is also quite easy to use and has a number of useful features too.

Depending on how you define "good quality pics" your requirements are contradictory.

Almost all digital cameras sold today use essentially the same CCD to save pictures at any given resolution -- i.e. all 6 mega-pixel cameras use essentially the same 6MP CCD chip. Therefore any difference in image quality depends on the camearas optics -- the lense(s) and that means any major improvement in picture quality is going to require better lenses and better lenses tend to defeat the "compact" "cheap" and "Lightweight" part of your requirements.

The best compromise you're going to be able to manage with your budget is a camera with an optical zoom.

Since you want to use it for traveling and "touristy" pictures, make sure you get a camera that does NOT rely on internal, rechargeable batteries. You want a camera that can be put back in action by a quick stop at a souvenier stand for a commonly available alkaline battery instead of having to wait until you get to your night's lodgings and waiting overnight for the camera to charge.

For Traveling, You also want a camera that accepts "SD" Memory cards -- those are the most common kind and additional memory cards can be found in most places that sell film for conventional cameras. (at least in the US, SD cards are more common than the other card formats; europe may favor a different standard.)

My daughter has an Olympus FE280 that has done yeoman service through four trips to Disneyland:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/images/digital/all/1318_all.jpg

It uses AA size batteries and fills one (512MB) SD chip/day at Disneyland (as opposed to four to six rolls of 35mm film on previous trips)

 

[SweetErika]

I don't know what's available to you over there, so I'm not going to talk about specific cameras.

I will tell you to price shop, particularly online, for the model(s) you're looking more closely at. There are also lots of good review sites online for this, and I've even seen ones that give comparison pics with different cameras, so do some searching.

Also, go to some shops that have cameras and pretend you're using them on your trip. Small is great, but some of them are so small that they're hard to hold, easy to drop and it's difficult to see the options and such. After you do this, do the price shopping thing. I don't know how it is there, but here camera stores are usually way more expensive than big box stores with sales and online retailers. They're great for getting good advice in most cases, but awful for those of us with tighter budgets.

I'll also second Harold's advice to get a camera with commonly available batteries and a big memory card. Both of our cameras use AA batteries. We have a couple of sets of rechargeable batteries plus a charger, so we always have some ready to go plus some backups. In addition to that, it's important for us to be able to buy more batteries just about anywhere, should we need them. They last for a good while provided the camera isn't on all the time, but having the knowledge that it's unlikely we'll ever be without is so great.

1 and 2 GB memory cards aren't very expensive at this point and we've found them to be totally worth it. If the cost is about equal, I'd go for two 1GB cards over one 2GB card just because it's nice to have a backup should one of them get lost or damaged on the trip.

So, definitely factor in the cost of the memory card(s) and extra batteries you'll want to go with the camera.

 

[schwiner]

Would wait probably a month or so as there are a lot of new models that will be coming out soon. However, if you want to buy a camera really soon I would go with either the Sony W80 or the Canon SD870. They are both very good cameras and very reliable as well. If you have any specific questions send me a PM and i'll let you know what you need to know!

 

[RUbensBeautY]

Does that come with a battery and charger etc? Thank you for your input... Its a nice looking camera.. the black colour especially.

It came with two Lithium batteries, Energizer AA I believe.

 

[HornyExecutive]

My Sugguestion

I do quite a bit of film photography (35mm and medium format), but wanted to buy as little digital for my pocket while i travel. I'm just back from Greece where i used this little jobby. Kodak EASYSHARE V1003 Zoom Digital Camera

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=10492&pq-locale=en_GB&_requestid=2583

I'm from the States, but this is camera i found at the UK Kodak website just now so i know it can be bought in the EU. For my trip camera was great...i took quite a few photo's with it. The software that comes with it is pretty quick to figure out and use as well.

The only thing i didn't like (and maybe cause I like my zoom lens's) was the ability to get close up. It lacked what i'm use to, but certianly would be sufficient for 'point and click' type photography. Also, don't be fooled by cameras with a large MP value, because marketing has a lot to do with companies selling cameras with a lot of MP's. I bought the one i did because it was on sale. You can literally get the same quality pictures from a 3.0MP camera as from a 10MP camera. If you want some great advice on cameras, go here: http://kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm This guy does a great job explaining things.

Good luck shopping!

 

[Weird Harold]

1 and 2 GB memory cards aren't very expensive at this point and we've found them to be totally worth it. If the cost is about equal, I'd go for two 1GB cards over one 2GB card just because it's nice to have a backup should one of them get lost or damaged on the trip.

A caveat about memory cards: Choose a camera and read the documentation closely before buying any chip larger than 512MB -- my camera can't use anything bigger than 512MB and will see a 1GB or 2GB as a 512MB card.

You can literally get the same quality pictures from a 3.0MP camera as from a 10MP camera.

Not True -- yet sort of true.

How many megapixels you need depends on what you're planning to do with the pictures -- when you shirik them to fit a 1024x768 screen resolution, you're essentially wasting any camera capability greater than 1024x768.

Downshifting your camera's resolution setting to the resolution you'll be using the images will double or triple the number of images a memory card can hold, but make printing "that one priceless image worth framing" problematic at larger frame sizes.

For sharing images over the 'net or displaying them on a computer, PDA, or iPhone screen, even 1 mega-pixel is enough camera, but if you plan print, crop, or otherwise manipulate an image the more pixels in the original the better -- no matter what kind of optics quality are focussing the image.

 

[SweetErika]

I do quite a bit of film photography (35mm and medium format), but wanted to buy as little digital for my pocket while i travel. I'm just back from Greece where i used this little jobby. Kodak EASYSHARE V1003 Zoom Digital Camera

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=10492&pq-locale=en_GB&_requestid=2583

I'm from the States, but this is camera i found at the UK Kodak website just now so i know it can be bought in the EU. For my trip camera was great...i took quite a few photo's with it. The software that comes with it is pretty quick to figure out and use as well.

The only thing i didn't like (and maybe cause I like my zoom lens's) was the ability to get close up. It lacked what i'm use to, but certianly would be sufficient for 'point and click' type photography. Also, don't be fooled by cameras with a large MP value, because marketing has a lot to do with companies selling cameras with a lot of MP's. I bought the one i did because it was on sale. You can literally get the same quality pictures from a 3.0MP camera as from a 10MP camera. If you want some great advice on cameras, go here: http://kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm This guy does a great job explaining things.

Good luck shopping!

Okay, since you mentioned the Kodak EasyShare, I'll add my experience.

When digital cameras were still pretty expensive, we were given a larger HP 5.1MP camera (it cost around $550 back then and was one of the better ones on the market). It takes really excellent pics, even on the medium quality setting.

About a year and a half ago, I bought a Kodak EasyShare 5.something MP camera on sale for around $70 because, like you Nax, we wanted something that was smaller, easy to travel with and that wasn't so expensive that we couldn't afford it to get lost or broken.

In comparison to the HP, the image quality is noticeably lower, even though it's the same number of MP and it's around 5 years newer. Some of that has to do with the smaller lens size, but when we've tested Nikon and Canon cams that are about the same size on the same quality settings, they definitely outperform the Kodak by leaps and bounds.

In addition, we've found the EasyShare software to suck and have had compatibility issues when it comes to downloading the photos off of the camera. The features on the EasyShare are also not as good; the menus and buttons aren't as intuitive as our old HP's. We really like taking B&W and Sepia pics directly from the camera (they come out much better than if we convert them with photo editing software), and the Kodak definitely lags behind the HP in the quality of those images as well.

It's a fine camera for the price I bought it at and keeping memories, and it certainly does what we wanted in terms of being small and cheap enough to travel with, but we'd really prefer a camera that can put out high enough quality images to have printed up and frame as artwork. That kind of versatility is important, especially when you're taking photos on what may be the trip of a lifetime. Even if you don't plan on printing them out, it's really nice to have the ability to have art-quality images from your camera; as our old HP has taught us, the camera doesn't have to be the newest, highest resolution or most expensive to give you that ability.

So, I'd suggest going with a camera that's well-known for its quality images, rather than its ability for any techno-doofus to use it. That doesn't mean you have to compromise on user-friendly features; it just means get something that's known for something other than how easy it is to share the pictures, which is clearly Kodak's main selling point.(And, even so, it's not all that easy to use, and you're savvy enough to figure out how to share your pics from any camera!) With Kodak, too, I think you're paying for brand-name recognition, rather than quality. Here, people are likely to think, 'Oh, Kodak's been in the picture business for a long time, so they MUST know how to make a good camera!' when that's not really the case.

My guy suggested taking a piece of graph paper to the store with you, taking test pics of it at the same resolution, and then seeing which camera in your price range gives the least distortion around the edges of the pic/gridlines to judge lens quality. You want the best and biggest lens for your money, even in a small camera. If you're not able to do tests like this, we'd advise reading comparative reviews and going with a brand that's known for good lenses and overall quality.

Like I said, Canon, Sony and Nikon are pretty safe bets. We don't own any of these brands, but we have taken test pics, and Hubby's read a ton of reviews and articles on both. By not getting the smallest possible camera, you'll likely get higher quality images, more features, something that's easier to use AND save money.

I just looked quickly at the CNET editor's reviews for cameras that were at least 7MP in the $150-225 range (which will still leave you money for a larger memory card and batteries[most of these come with a 32MB card, which is a nice backup, but not great for a trip), and you may want to start by checking out:
Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Canon PowerShot SD750 (silver)
Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH (Black)
Canon PowerShot A570 IS

It looks like Amazon.co.uk has a selection and might have some good deals (sometimes other colors are A LOT cheaper or there are good sales and rebates), so you may want to check that site out for price comparison purposes.

It looks like the Panasonic you mentioned isn't compact and didn't perform so well, according to CNET. Panasonic isn't known for cameras, and given that, the price and reviews, I'd avoid it altogether.

It's great to have a case to protect the camera and keep extra batteries, memory cards and any other accessories together, but keep in mind you'll want to put the case in a backpack/day bag, or otherwise keep your camera hidden when you're not taking pics.

 

[Labattz21]

recently bought a Cannon Powershot SD750 and I love it..at newegg.com it was well under 200.00 take a look, I don't think you'll be disappointed !

 

[naxalite0906]

Thank you so much for your advice everyone... I am still looking into it...
The one I found in the local shop was this one:
http://www.jessops.com/Store/s66193/0/Digital-Compact-Cameras/Casio/Exilim-EX-Z12-(Grey)-Digital-Camera/details.aspx?&IsSearch=y&pageindex=1&CatId=236&ManIds=1163,1527,&SortBy=SkuOfferingPriceASC&IsInStockOnly=False&comp=y

It looks like it has everything I need, yet still being fairly straightforward and cheap. Does anyone have any bad experiences with casio? The reviews on www.reevoo.com seem to be good too.

 

[sxcascinn]

Hiya I just read this article and I am buying the A590 as soon as I can.
That being said you can get the A580 on eBay in Aus for $199
This is the article I read...
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/01/c...ot_a590_is_and_its_two_little_brothers-2.html

The A590 is not available yet but will be soon... But I also read some of the user comments and am in Lust... I dropped my A540 Canon on saturday grr and now need a new camera as I dropped it on the extended lens...
Won't ever buy another kodak again though as they really are low end cameras that chew through batteries like water. I use rechargeables and that still did not make a difference to mine.

 

[naxalite0906]

Hiya I just read this article and I am buying the A590 as soon as I can.
That being said you can get the A580 on eBay in Aus for $199
This is the article I read...
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/01/c...ot_a590_is_and_its_two_little_brothers-2.html

Thanks, but the A590 puts everything a little over budget if I then buy a case and memory card. Nice looking camera though, although it does seem a bit chunky too.

 

[Weird Harold]

Thank you so much for your advice everyone... I am still looking into it...
The one I found in the local shop was this one:
http://www.jessops.com/Store/s66193/0/Digital-Compact-Cameras/Casio/Exilim-EX-Z12-(Grey)-Digital-Camera/details.aspx?&IsSearch=y&pageindex=1&CatId=236&ManIds=1163,1527,&SortBy=SkuOfferingPriceASC&IsInStockOnly=False&comp=y

It looks like it has everything I need, yet still being fairly straightforward and cheap. Does anyone have any bad experiences with casio? The reviews on www.reevoo.com seem to be good too.

Reading the specs, the only reservation I'd have with that camera is that it has an internal rechargeable battery and requires a mains adapter to charge it. It won't matter how good the pictures it takes are if the battery dies and you can't take ANY pictures.

 

[SweetErika]

Thank you so much for your advice everyone... I am still looking into it...
The one I found in the local shop was this one:
http://www.jessops.com/Store/s66193/0/Digital-Compact-Cameras/Casio/Exilim-EX-Z12-(Grey)-Digital-Camera/details.aspx?&IsSearch=y&pageindex=1&CatId=236&ManIds=1163,1527,&SortBy=SkuOfferingPriceASC&IsInStockOnly=False&comp=y

It looks like it has everything I need, yet still being fairly straightforward and cheap. Does anyone have any bad experiences with casio? The reviews on www.reevoo.com seem to be good too.

I didn't know Casio made cameras. Here, their main products are calculators and cheap digital watches.

I think you can do a lot better for the same amount of money, or even less. The proprietary battery is a bad idea, as Harold said, and some of the ones I posted had better features (such as 4x optical zoom) AND good reputations with camera experts, as well as users. Plus, what's the deal with not having a viewfinder? The viewfinder is usually a lot easier to see through in different kinds of light. We almost always use that, not the LCD screen to take pics.

 

[naxalite0906]

I didn't know Casio made cameras. Here, their main products are calculators and cheap digital watches.

I think you can do a lot better for the same amount of money, or even less. The proprietary battery is a bad idea, as Harold said, and some of the ones I posted had better features (such as 4x optical zoom) AND good reputations with camera experts, as well as users. Plus, what's the deal with not having a viewfinder? The viewfinder is usually a lot easier to see through in different kinds of light. We almost always use that, not the LCD screen to take pics.

Ok, thank you for the input.. I have kept looking.

 

[SweetErika]

Nax, take a look at these. I don't know if you can get them cheaper, and you should definitely read reviews and price shop yourself, but they seem to be pretty good, budget-friendly options:
A560 w/ 1GB card for under 90 pounds (though you can get it w/o the card for 80, so you might want to see how much card you can get for 10 pounds separately)

A570 IS for 113 pounds
Click me for detailed review. This one looks really great and I think it'd serve you well at home and on your trip. Plus, you'll still have money for a card and an inexpensive case if it doesn't come with one.

FWIW, I looked at all of the 6 and 7MP cameras in your price range on Amazon (only the best for you, Naxy! ), and I think you'd be happiest with the A570 IS (second one) long-term. From what I can tell, they both use standard, AA batteries, have viewfinders in addition to the LCD and use SD memory cards. I looked at other brands and the proprietary battery packs and cards are VERY expensive: like 25 pounds for the Samsung battery, and they also hope you get the expensive cradle to recharge it.

I'm not a camera guru, but I'm a hell of a researcher and shopper, and I don't think you can do better for the money on either of them, but particularly on the second because it got excellent reviews across the board and is feature-packed so you'll have a lot of flexibility. Also, whereas most cameras in this size and price range are 3x optical zoom, these are both 4x, so you're getting something valuable there.

See what you think and if you can find a better price (including shipping, if online) elsewhere. I looked at Jessop's prices and selection, and they both seem pretty crappy, so I'd not bother with them. Otherwise, I'd say go for the second one if you feel good about it. Definitely price shop for memory cards, batteries and cases, too. Even your local mass-merchandiser might have a perfect little case for cheap. These suckers are so small, you may very well just want to wrap it in a piece of fabric for padding and put it in your daypack or wherever it's not going to get smashed or stolen. That's what we do on trips because we want to be able to whip it out quickly when there's a photo op, and nothing has happened to the little camera; they're pretty tough, really. Any kind of little case for batteries and extra memory cards will do. Be sure to take the batteries out when you know you won't be using the cam so it doesn't get knocked on and drain them.

Let us know what you get! And where are you going on your trip?

 

[naxalite0906]

Let us know what you get! And where are you going on your trip?

Thank you erika... and I am going to New york I can't wait.. See http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=568844 if you feel you have advice for that too!

Oh, and I do not mean to be rude.. The cams look wonderful, my only doubt with them is the size as they don't seem to be "pocket sized." I may not be carrying a bag all the time, but would still want the camera on me so I dunno how big they are, but I have a good idea they are bulkier than other cameras. I guess its a compromise I have to make tho

 

[SweetErika]

Thank you erika... and I am going to New york I can't wait.. See http://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?t=568844 if you feel you have advice for that too!

Oh, and I do not mean to be rude.. The cams look wonderful, my only doubt with them is the size as they don't seem to be "pocket sized." I may not be carrying a bag all the time, but would still want the camera on me so I dunno how big they are, but I have a good idea they are bulkier than other cameras. I guess its a compromise I have to make tho

Both of the ones I just listed are palm-sized, ultracompact. If you look at the CNET reviews I linked to under each, it'll show you at least the first one in the palm of a hand, and the second one is the same camera, but just a better model. IIRC, Amazon gives dimensions, but you should be able to find those elsewhere as well if you google the name of the cam with 'specifications dimensions'.

It's about as small as you're going to get while still getting good pics and features. You also don't want much smaller, as it'll be hard to hold and the LCD will be difficult to see if your face isn't right in front of it. From everything I've read, a 2.5" LCD is about as small as you want to go.

Unless you're wearing tight pants, you shouldn't have trouble fitting these in your front pocket.

I think there's also a video link to and in-person review of the first cam somewhere near the bottom of the review page, where a guy hold it and talks about it, so you can see the size in comparison to everything else.

I'd imagine a store with a good selection of cameras should have models in that series or something with comparable diminsions so you can see what it's like in person, too.

I bet you'll have a blast in NY! VelvetDarkness just got back from a quick trip there, and she gave some info on what she enjoyed, if you're looking for reviews or free/low-cost activities!

 

[Weird Harold]

IIRC, Amazon gives dimensions, but you should be able to find those elsewhere as well if you google the name of the cam with 'specifications dimensions'.

It's about as small as you're going to get while still getting good pics and features. You also don't want much smaller, as it'll be hard to hold and the LCD will be difficult to see if your face isn't right in front of it. From everything I've read, a 2.5" LCD is about as small as you want to go.

Amazon lists "Dimensions (WxDxH): 9 cm x 4.3 cm x 6.4 cm" for the A570. Which is almost exactly the same dimensions as two decks of regular sized playing cards.

Most of the 4cm thickness is in the "finger grip" bulge, but these are NOT "shirt-pocket cameras." They are however "jacket pocket" or "purse" camera sized and there shouldn't be any real problem in keeping one handy.

I have relatively long fingers but otherwise "average" hands and these cameras would be very close to the lower size limit of comfort for me.

A visit to the camera counter at a the English Equivalent of Wal-mart or K-mart should reveal whether the size is going to be a problem, but I'd say the CANON "Powershot" line would be a very good choice for the needs naxalite0906 has described.

 

[vividimaginings]

Hey everyone.

There may be other threads like this scattered around lit. I tried searching but didn't come across any that could help though, but maybe that is because I can never use the search option properly!

I just wanted to make this thread to see if anyone could reccommend a fairly cheap/lightweight camera that I could use for trips abroad etc. I am no photography expert, but obviously I would like something that still produces good quality pics (especially with scenery etc when I am travelling) but is also quite easy to use and has a number of useful features too.
Someone said the panasonic Lumix ones are quite good, but I wanted to see if there was anyone on here who could offer more advice as to which are the best cameras to get etc.
I am looking to spend no more than £130 tho (around 250 us) as my budget is quite tight. Like I said, I am no expert, but I would like something that is value for money and does the things I need it to at a decent quality. I do go away in 10 days, and ideally I would like to get one before I go.

Thanks for your help.

Canon Ixus 70

 

[SweetErika]

Canon Ixus 70

What makes the Ixus better than the A570? I see the Ixus takes a lithium battery and has 3x instead of 4x optical zoom, so my instinct is to say the A570 is better, but I could very well be wrong about that. I'd like to learn from this thread, too.

 

[Weird Harold]

My daughter has an Olympus FE280 that has done yeoman service through four trips to Disneyland:...

It uses AA size batteries and fills one (512MB) SD chip/day at Disneyland (as opposed to four to six rolls of 35mm film on previous trips)

A correction: My daughter's current camera is a 2.0 MP SONY "Cybershot."

It is the roughly the same dimensions as the CANON A570 -- eg it's 4cm thick and roughly 9cm x 6cm. My daughter says she carries it in the front pocket of her jeans "all the time."