Digital Camera.. Which One To Get?

[ramaslamma]

I am currently thinking of getting a digital camera. Something with great... I mean great image quality. I am aware Canon and Sony are the top brands but in terms of models I am not sure? I have seen the prices of the digital cameras plummet by so much. So as fellow rfd'ers share and let us indulge in your vast knowledge of digital camera industry.

I am thinking of an SLR but the price doesn't justify it.... They are too too pricy. I need something under 300.. or 250.

[bruceferns]

I like the Sony models, the only problem I have is the AA batteries, seems like Sony does not use Lithium Ion.

I bought the Kodak P850 and am quite pleased with it, though I realize for Picture quality, Sony is the best.

Any suggestions on a good Camera with a lithium Ion battery as I have to purchase another one for my in-laws.

Bruce

[1madman1]

I like the Sony models, the only problem I have is the AA batteries, seems like Sony does not use Lithium Ion.

I bought the Kodak P850 and am quite pleased with it, though I realize for Picture quality, Sony is the best.
Uhh, the majority of Sony's current models use their InfoLithium batteries. Including all the ones that I've owned (W7, T7, T9, and F717).

[aidzhsiah]

I recently bought an older Casio Exilim for my girlfriend for about $200 and it's fantastic. From the reviews, the newer models look to be better too.

For the price, the picture quality was good and the battery life was absolutely insane.

When I was researching, the Sony W30/50 was good also. I was also considering the Canon SD30 just because it was so danged small :D

[klam]

Fuji F20? $299

I am quite happy with my F10 (older model). I've been very impressed with it all around. I normally shoot Canon DSLRs but the Fuji is honestly one of the best point & shoots I have ever used, my expectations are high. Excellent image quality for a compact, very low noise for a small sensor, marathon battery life, and quick performance.

100% crops from F10, impressive at high ISO
http://www.klamonline.com/posting/f10_1.jpg

[PrinceMS]

Here are my opinions:

NO Sony = you pay for name + have to use their stick for mem card

NO Canon = Used to be good but lot of my friends who bought it recently are complaining

None that uses AA / AAA battries. Charge doesn't last too long.

What's left? HP are decent. Kodaks are fine (but usually not slick looking).

I have an HP R707 , i am thinking of selling and jumping to DSLR :)

[rfdrfd]

Wow, no offense to the poster above, but I totally disagree and is opposite, and I've used at least 10 digital cameras so far:

I'll briefly summarize:

Rechargable AA batteries - you'll soon learn to love them. AA are cheap, non-prioprietary unlike Li-ion. Lasts a long time, if your camera is good. AA also goes up in power every few months. 2100 mAh, 2500, now its 2800 mAh = more juice for u. Currently, my Sony W1 with 2 AA lasts for 500+ shots. So, I bought 4 AA's for about $25, so I have 3 sets of AA to last me well over 1500+ shots.

Sony/Canon/etc. Li-Ions are at least $50 each. Most are close to $100 each. Think of how many AA's u can buy with $100 ??

Sony - BEST user interface, 3:2 aspect ratio (which is exactly a 4x6 print, so no more cropping), excellent power usage, Carl Zeiss lens best in world. Movies records in .mpg (best compatibility with Windows), flash levels are adjustable (important)

Canon - very popular, so lots of user feedbacks. Newer ones have 3:2 ratio, but I have found their 9 point focusing to be strange and never focuses on the same spot each time you press it (without moving the camera). Movies record in .avi (so some need codecs to play it, annoying)

Nikon - have copied Sony's styles, I would trust Nikon for DSLR, not points and shoot

HP, Mustek, Casio.... i wouldn't pick these. They are all very late in the game and playing catch up. QUality on most of these are not up to Sony/Canon standards. I've used a Casio one before, tons of great features, but the image color, quality is just flat and not as lively as Sony W series

Kodak = bascially going bankrupt soon, so becareful about warranty and support later.


Memory sticks being a problem? Come on. Ppl are selling 1 gig for $40 on RFD here. Sandisks/Lexar also are cheap as well. So pls dont let that swing you away from great Sony cameras.

If you like zoom, check out the Sony H series. Image stabilzer with 12x optical zoom. Amazing.

www.dpreview.com check out the forums in there. Lots of user feedbacks

[hdom]

Wow, the Fuji models look pretty promising. If it wasn't for the XD thing, I think they would be a lot more popular. My point is, make sure you look at the kind / price of media you want, cause chances are you will need one with your camera purchase.

So far, SD are the cheapest with 1 GB at ~$25.

As for DSLR, the Pentex K100D/*ist prices are falling like mad and once they have the K10D out, prices will likely fall again. So, something to look out for in the 2007.

[matkun]

Don't know too much about this, but here's something to consider:

http://www.dansdata.com/gz059.htm

A Higher Megapixel rating can often actually mean lower picture quality..

"Well, if you're shopping for an ordinary digicam, bear in mind that money spent on higher resolution may actually be buying you less than nothing. A lower resolution camera can actually be a better product in every respect.

Of course, the camera companies just can't sell lower res cameras any more. Even entry level models are averaging 5MP as I write this - real resolution hasn't, of course, improved much since the 2MP days."

[DaVibe]

I would completely agree with ^^^
I've been casually looking for a Digital Camera and I'm more concerned about the options and optical zoom then I am the MPs (since they mean nothing now unless you're getting a GOOD camera which can make use of the extra MegaPixels) ...

That's all I've got to this discussion :)

[ShadowVlican]

Fuji F20? $299

I am quite happy with my F10 (older model). I've been very impressed with it all around. I normally shoot Canon DSLRs but the Fuji is honestly one of the best point & shoots I have ever used, my expectations are high. Excellent image quality for a compact, very low noise for a small sensor, marathon battery life, and quick performance.

100% crops from F10, impressive at high ISO
http://www.klamonline.com/posting/f10_1.jpg
i second this for your budget

[cipher]

Wow, no offense to the poster above, but I totally disagree and is opposite, and I've used at least 10 digital cameras so far:

I'll briefly summarize:

Rechargable AA batteries - you'll soon learn to love them. AA are cheap, non-prioprietary unlike Li-ion. Lasts a long time, if your camera is good. AA also goes up in power every few months. 2100 mAh, 2500, now its 2800 mAh = more juice for u. Currently, my Sony W1 with 2 AA lasts for 500+ shots. So, I bought 4 AA's for about $25, so I have 3 sets of AA to last me well over 1500+ shots.


I love AA batteries. Canon's DIG!C III processor will be even more frugal and use less power which means AAs will last even longer!


Canon - very popular, so lots of user feedbacks. Newer ones have 3:2 ratio, but I have found their 9 point focusing to be strange and never focuses on the same spot each time you press it (without moving the camera).


First rule of thumb...disable the AiAF on Canon cameras. Too bad you can't do that in full auto mode.


Nikon - have copied Sony's styles, I would trust Nikon for DSLR, not points and shoot


True. Nikon makes nice SLRs, but can't seem to make any decent P&S cameras. They used to have a few prosumers that were pretty good.

[aidzhsiah]

On the AA vs LiOn battery issue, I think the main issues you have to weigh out convenience vs. weight.

Cost is not a huge deal. You can buy cheaper LiOn batteries online so overall, the cost difference isn't huge, esp. if you factor in the cost of getting a good AA charger.

Battery life is a total non-issue. I also disagree with the poster above that AAs don't last as long as LiOns... it definitely depends of the camera. My brother has a cheap Fuji digicam that goes through batteries at insane rates. As for LiOns, my gf's Casio gets 300+ shots on one charge and my Canon gets just about 100 shots before dying.

The biggest difference between the two is size and weight. Cameras using AA batteries have a lower limit to how small they can get and tend to be noticably heavier than LiOns.

Convenience is definitely AAs strong point. I can't even tell you how many times I wished my Canon used AAs when all 3 of my LiOns died in the middle of a trip or an event (3 batteries + 1 charger = hard to keep track which one is charged). If you have AAs, you can almost always find batteries to keep shooting if you need to.

[rubberband]

True. Nikon makes nice SLRs, but can't seem to make any decent P&S cameras. They used to have a few prosumers that were pretty good.

<cough>

My ancient Nikon coolpix 775 (2.1mp, 6 years old) takes fantastic shots, and 8x10 prints look great.

Avoid HP and Kodak. Fuji, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Casio, etc etc are all fine for P&S. Shop for the features you want (and models that don't include ones you don't) rather than by brand and you'll do fine. Do NOT get anything that includes the digital zoom as part of it's overall zoom.

If you want a DSLR, get a Canon or Nikon.

[ramaslamma]

thanks Guys i will look into Nikon, and possibly Fiji, Though I am tempted to get a canon slr.