Digital Camera Question

[dubbs11]

I am in the market for a new digital camera. Looking for more of a point and shoot than DSLR or anything. I was wondering if any of you had any recommendations, preferences etc.? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[cecilc]

... any recommendations, preferences etc.?

Well, being a Canon guy myself I'd recommend looking at some of the Canon p&s cameras - specifically, any of the "A" series (550, 620, 640) as possibles ....

I'd also recommend that you actually hold the cameras that make your short list, which ever brand they may be.

And as nice as all of the "automatic" modes are in all these digital cameras, I'd also like one where you can override all of the automation and shoot in "manual" mode .... and I think most of the Canon "A" series will allow you to do that, too .... (and I'm sure some of the other brands - Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, etc. allow the same flexibility).

Good luck - I know you've got a lot to choose from out there.

[bste_lax]

I am also a Canon guy. I have gone through two "A" series models and loved them and recently picked up an ELPH SD1000.

Aside from my own experience, I have heard nothing but good things from Canon's.

[TexOle]

As a former photojournalist I used Canon almost exclusively. They make a solid camera that will take the abuse that many of us put them through. Canon is known for not using the highest quality in there lenses, but they will keep shooting which is important. I cannot think many photojournalists that use Nikon. Nikon has better optics, but they struggle to take the abuse. I personally am a huge fan of Olympus. Zeiss lenses are awesome.

When buying a digital camera first look at the megapixels. Anything less than 4 is garbage. Next you have to decide what you are using it for. If you are not going to be shooting sports especially in extreme conditions, wildlife, or professionally I would probably go with point and shoot. If you buy an SLR you also need to buy the lenses which are not cheap. I can get in to more technical issues, but that would drive you nuts.

I still shoot film with my SLR, and have the pics put on a CD.

[Beta]

I had a Canon A640 (before it got stolen) and it was $$$$$$$$$$$$

I highly recommend it, and anything else Canon.

[dubbs11]

I am also a Canon guy. I have gone through two "A" series models and loved them and recently picked up an ELPH SD1000.

Aside from my own experience, I have heard nothing but good things from Canon's.

How do you like the SD1000? This is one of the models I have been looking at.

[bste_lax]

I am also a Canon guy. I have gone through two "A" series models and loved them and recently picked up an ELPH SD1000.

Aside from my own experience, I have heard nothing but good things from Canon's.

How do you like the SD1000? This is one of the models I have been looking at.

I have only had it for a week and a half but have liked it so far.

[Campbell]

I have a Panasonic point and shoot digital. I can't remember the model but I'll see if can't find it tonight. I DO NOT like this camera. It is 6 or 7 megapixels and for some reason it shoots horrible pictures indoors. I have tried flash/no flash, adjusting it manually, adjusting distances and room lighting etc., but I get lots of "noise" in my photos. I have taken same pictures with Sony and Canon cameras and they perform infinitely better. I even returned the camera and got a different one with the same problems. For close up photos, like of individuals, and even outdoors it shoots some nice pictures, but when you want to shoot something like your family sitting on the couch it fails.

My dad and a friend of mine both have Sony cameras and love them. We had a Canon prior to this Panasonic and it took great photos and videos, but had quirky mechanical issues and eventually (after 2 years) the whole thing crapped out. I like the size of the Panasonic and the fact that it has Leica optics, but I think it has something to do with the size of the sensor and the number of pixels it is trying to jam on there. I am not a digital camera expert so I have no clue, but I was really expecting something to work straight out of the box.

One thing to consider is that Sony cameras use their own kind of memory stick and I think Canon uses either SD or CF so you can usually find pretty cheap cards to get a lot of space and swap them in and out with other devices using those cards. If you don't plan on using tons of memory space for pics or vids then the Sony card is not that big of an issue.