Best Low Budget Digital Camera ?

blaze one

Adventurer
I lost my memory card to my VERY old and outdated Kodak 1 mega pixel camera , So i am using that as my excuse to buy a new camera :rolleyes:
I am looking around at local electronic store web sites , and it is just making me more confused as to what is good , what is bad ... too many choices :Wow1: So i thought that some people here could recomend a good digi cam . I would like to keep the price under $300 usd . Just cause technology moves so fast , i don't wanna dump a load of cash into something i will replace in short time .

Uses for this camera , will just be general photography of vactions and events , no "professional" photography will be taken . Durability would be a nice asset , as would ease of use and OPTICAL ZOOM is a must . i have heard digi zoom is not as great .
Thanks for the help .
 

flyingwil

Supporting Sponsor - Sierra Expeditions
We have an older model Cannon Powershot A70, and the newer Poweshots like the A610/620 seem to be pretty comparable with the updates in technology... I think they are going around low $200's. All I can say is I like this camera, and still do not know how to use all of it's features.

I am not a camera guru, and just know what I have and what I like. I do like it for a cheap camera, and have not had any problems with it. I would definitely recommend a cannon.

Wil
 

paulj

Expedition Leader
In your price range there probably isn't a bad camera, especially if you stick with the major brands. While companies still come out with new models ever 6 mths, the market is relatively mature.

My favorite digital camera site is dpreview.com which has in depth reviews, lists of cameras, buying guides, and active forums (most organized by manufacturer). I've bought Canon (A40) and Pentax (43WR and DS); while I've been happy with each, I can't tell you what's best in the current market.

Leave room in your budget for batteries and memory cards. Think about how long you will be away from home and power sources, as that can guide your choice of battery type (proprietary rechargeable v. AA rechargeable or Lithium), and the amount of photo memory you need.

paulj
 

cshontz

Supporting Sponsor
I am by no means an expert, but I have had great experience with the Canon Powershot line of products. First I had a Canon Powershot G2, and now a Canon Powershot S80. I also agree with PaulJ that you'll have no trouble finding a good camera in your price range.

Great source for camera reviews:
http://www.dpreview.com

I think you'd be happy with any model from the Canon Powershot SD### line of cameras. They're good performing compact snap-shooters if their features meet your satisfaction. There are also plenty of excellent alternatives to Canon products. You should be able to find a camera that you'll be extremely happy with with relatively little research.
 

Scott Brady

Founder
I have had good luck with the Fuji S5000 (not sure what the current model is). Optics are always the key IMO and the Fuji has a 10x optical zoom at 2.8.

It will also take a filter.
 

BajaTaco

Swashbuckler
Here ya go...

Canon A520 for $177 incl. 3-day shipping.

Canon A520 review

I have the predecessor to this camera (A85) and am very happy with it. The biggest advantage is that it's compact and highly portable which makes it easy to snap photos at any moment. The A520 seems to be an improvement over the 80-series with a 4X zoom, although it looks as if the lens is not quite as wide as the old one.

All of my 2005 adventures and many of 2004 were shot with this little camera and finished in a digital darkroom.

Some things I like about it:
  • uses AA batteries
  • uses SD/MMC memory (not proprietary)
  • AiAF focus system works great
  • Does very well with exposures/focus in low light
  • Good color - I really like the Canon processor, it bumps up the color/contrast a bit
  • has threaded lens body so can add adapters/filters - not often seen in this size/price range
  • Sepia & B/W options
Oh yea, great little photo stitch utility for pano shots too. EXAMPLE
 

datrupr

Expedition Leader
I have a Canon Powershot A40 that is now about 5 years old, and I love this camera. It tkaes AA batteries, will shot B7W & Sepia, has 3X zoom and more features that I even use. It will also take filters and telephoto lenses, and it uses nonpreprietary memory cards. I think it is great and will buy another Canon digital camera when this one decides it is done working for me. I would recommend a Canon camera, and they have very good ones in the price range you are looking.
 

blaze one

Adventurer
thanks guys , that helps me out alot , it is always better to hear first hand what a product is like , sometimes i don't trust those online reviews because some sound as if they were written by the manufactuer .
And that is a good idea , about leaving room in my budget for memory and batteries too .
Thanks again , i let you know what i get , looks like it will the Canon .
 

paulj

Expedition Leader
I find the most use thing about reviews on places like dpreview is their detailed look at the controls, and menus. They also have sample images, though with my limited experience it is hard to see the differences that they talk about. http://www.steves-digicams.com is another good source of reviews.

The latest successor to the Canon A40, the A95 may be out of your price range, the next-to-latest, the A85 might well be in your range. http://forums.powershot-a.com/ is forum for Canon cameras, especially the A series.

A good camera in this range will have 3x optical zoom. I'm not sure what the pixles are up to now, at least 4. There are lots of 7's out there now, though I'm not sure about the price range.

There are also 10x zoom cameras, however you really should get image stabilization with that. It is too hard to hold a camera still enough at that zoom, without some sort of aid.

These smaller point and shoot cameras have a couple weak points:

- low light capabilities are limited. To fit in a small body, the lense has to be small, with limited light gathering capability. The sensor size is also small. It is also hard to hold a small camera still due to its low mass. So blurred images due to camera movement are a common complaint with small cameras. Consider getting some sort of in expensive tripod, clamp or other support.

- difficulty in using filters. In many landscape shots, there is a big difference in brightness between the sky and the ground. Exposing to get one right can leave the other either washed out, or too dark. A way around that is to use a filter, either a polarizing filter which darkens blue sky, or a gradient one that is darker in the upper half. Most point-n-shots lack a way of mounting such filters. Canon sells an adapter for the A series.

paulj
 

pangaea

Adventurer
I bought my wife a Powershot for Xmas last year, and she and I have both been really happy with it. The nice thing is that I use a 20D, and the interface and controls are very similar across the Canon line. Thats a definite benefit if you think that you might someday move up to an SLR.

My only complaint is that it uses AA batteries. It seems like running that LCD screen eats up batteries pretty quickly. The upside is that its convenient to be able to get new batteries at any gas station/ grociery store, etc. The downside is that we've gone through a pretty fair number of batteries to feed that camera.
 

BajaTaco

Swashbuckler
pangaea said:
My only complaint is that it uses AA batteries... The downside is that we've gone through a pretty fair number of batteries to feed that camera.

I am using the Panasonic 2300 mAh NiMH AA batteries from Costco with my Powershot A85 and have had excellent performance. I haven't done a formal test of the batteries, but I know I have shot well over 400mb using flash, LCD screen, and reviewing photos and the batteries were still going strong when I got home and put them back in the charger. On the recent Baja trip, I had one set of these batteries in the camera for almost nine days, shooting on 7 of those days before they died. I shot about 410mb incl. LCD, LCD review, flash, and movies/audio.
 

blaze one

Adventurer
I found the Canon A520 for $306 after taxes , CANADIAN FUNDS , But how many pics can you take with the "stock" 16mb memory card ? , I think i will get a 40mb card to go with it .
I also have a concern with using AA's , but it is nice that if I am at the beach for the day , i don't have to wait for it to charge if it goes dead in the middle of the day . I can just pop in some new batteries .
 

datrupr

Expedition Leader
It depends on how you have you picture settings set up. The lower the quality the more pictures you can get. Mine came with an 8mb card and on medium setting I could get about 72 pics on it. I upgraded to a 64mb and switch to high quality and I can still get about 120 pics on that card and about 20 on my original 8mb card.
 

blaze one

Adventurer
ok thanks , i think the 16mb will do , i will just have to see for myself . I tend to take alot of pictures , then go back later and delete them if i think they are not worth keeping .
 

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