Digital Camera Advice

[supachargd2k5]

In the next month or two i am going to be purchasing a new digital camera for myself. Im not a professional photographer and dont plan on being one. I want something powerful and will be using it for everyday pics of misc stuff and cars. Im wanting to spend between $200-500, i just wanted some ideas from people who may know whats good before i spend my money on something. Thanks in advance.

I was looking at this one but i have never used it,
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Pentaxa10/

 

[TurdFerguson]

something similar to what you posted is the Sony DSC W100 which is the 8 megapixel version of the w30, w50 and w70. I bought the W50 and love it but i kinda wish now i went with the W100

 

[Antagon]

Google Steves Digicams, best site out there for this sort of stuff.

 

[SVT8U]

I have this one. Its awesome.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_s80.asp

 

[Monolith]

In your price range, I'd go with the Canon A620. Street price is generally right around $280-300 and it offers 7mpx, the new DIGIC II processor and a very intuitive interface. It's what I will be replacing our Sony 5mpx with very soon.

Here's a review for it: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona620/

As much as I have enjoyed our Sony, I would recommend steering clear of them simply because of the proprietary Memory Stick format. The Canon (and most others) use compact flash (CF) cards which you can literally buy at the corner Walgreens in a pinch. Sony's Memory Stick is a little more difficult to find and often more expensive, so you have to think ahead about memory needs and of course pay more for it.

Hope that helps in some way.

 

[supachargd2k5]

I appreciate the information, both canons sound good and i really like the idea of the a620 just because its not terribly expensive.

 

[supachargd2k5]

Has anybody heard anything about the Canon Powershot 700, and hows does it compare to the a620
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona700/

 

[supachargd2k5]

im really diggin the Canon A620 right now

 

[SoCalCobra]

Canon SD630
This baby is AWESOME! I just bought this last month and it takes gorgeous pictures. It's a very slim camera (I carry it in my front pants pocket) and the back of the camera is dominated by a very large LCD screen. There is no viewfinder on the back, because the LCD takes up the whole back side! But, you don't need a viewfinder since it's so easy to see with that large screen.

 

[Monolith]

Has anybody heard anything about the Canon Powershot 700, and hows does it compare to the a620
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona700/

It looks nice but it strikes me as probably being a stop-gap between the A620 and whatever "next big thing" Canon intends to release next. Like Sony, Canon sometimes pushes a weird version out between major models just to test the water with new technology.

I'd still do the A620 and probably will very soon.

 

[Monolith]

There is no viewfinder on the back, because the LCD takes up the whole back side! But, you don't need a viewfinder since it's so easy to see with that large screen.

It looks like a nice camera, but an optical view finder is an absolute necessity, in my opinion. Not only does using it instead of the LCD often double your battery life, but it's really hard to see practically any LCD screen in bright sunlight. If you can't see the screen, you can't see what you're shooting.

 

[SoCalCobra]

Honestly, I haven't had any problems with it in the daylight. True, it's not as easy to see in bright light, but I've never had any problems seeing exactly what I was trying to shoot. Also, I've had the camera for over a month, and taken well over 150 pictures with it and haven't had to charge the battery once since the initial charge.

 

[Snakestress]

i got a sony cybershot 6mp from circuit city for about $200 incl tax ($189). it takes good moving, and low light pics. aside from being cheap it is pretty small and is very user friendly. also takes vids and decent sound quality for a digital camera.

here is a sample

 

[supachargd2k5]

Snakestress: nice lightning and i like the sonys, just undecided right now.I like the canons though and that Sd 630 looks real sharp but im scared of the LCD draining the battery quickly.

 

[03LGCOBRA]

Go with a Canon Powershot 450, best camera i have seen. I had a sony, then used my friends powershot, no question the powershot is better.

 

[Snakestress]

Snakestress: nice lightning and i like the sonys, just undecided right now.I like the canons though and that Sd 630 looks real sharp but im scared of the LCD draining the battery quickly.

thanks. and yes there are a lot of options nowadays its mind blowing. when i first started getting interested in digital cameras, there were like 5 diff models. now theres diff models of different mp's and whatnot. i guess the biggest factor to decide would be, just like when modifying a vehicle, the biggest bang for the buck and what the purpose is for the product. i read that anything over 5mp is useless if you arent taking or printing big pictures. all those are good cameras.. you have a lot of choices considering that your budget goes up to $500 which covers pretty much any good digicam (and the kitchen sink)

 

[SoCalCobra]

Snakestress: nice lightning and i like the sonys, just undecided right now.I like the canons though and that Sd 630 looks real sharp but im scared of the LCD draining the battery quickly.

Like I said, the battery doesn't drain fast at all. Besides, it comes with a rechargable battery that you just plug in, so you're not going through batteries non-stop.

 

[supachargd2k5]

o i didnt see that, i guess its not to bad if yuve got a spare if you do run out

 

[supachargd2k5]

anybody else have any cameras they might have or have used that are worth looking at?

 

[blk89SC]

hey

dont want to hijack the thread but i am also looking for a new digi cam. snow cancelled classes today so im gonna go drop some dough on one i think. i was thinking the sony DSCW70. anybody have any experience with this?