So I’ve had my trusty old Sony Digicam for ages now and I wanted to upgrade before a summer trip to China. I’m in the market for a camera that is definitely smaller and cheaper than a digital SLR, but still has some good features… bang for buck.
Wish list of things I’m looking for:
-better than 3x optical zoom
-quick processing between pics
-quick start-up
-portability
-multiple shooting modes
-some controls
Models I’ve checked out:
-Canon Powershot SX100IS: Nice, but wish it were a little smaller and processed faster between pics.
-Canon Powershot SD870IS: Also nice, but there seems to be issues with sturdiness and I wish it had a better zoom.
-Canon PowerShot Pro Series S3 IS: Very nice, but maybe a little bit too large.
-Sony Cybershot DSC-W150: Nice, smallish, 5x zoom… but wasn’t able to find a lot of reviews.
people usually come to me for camera questions, but i was stumped with all the new non DSLR questions that people ask me.
i found that most cameras now are pretty quick and have decent zoom. see if there is a hardcore camera shop near you, something better than a Ritz or Wolf camera. But going to those just to play around with them would be swell to just check out.
If size isn’t a big constraint, perhaps you can look into the Panasonic DMC-FZ50. It’s not a DSLR but basically has all the features of once (sans interchangeable lens).
Otherwise, I have a Casio 5mp camera you can have (for free). I don’t use it and it’s sitting in my drawer collecting dust. It’s small, but picture quality can sometimes be lacking.
If size isn’t a big constraint, perhaps you can look into the Panasonic DMC-FZ50. It’s not a DSLR but basically has all the features of once (sans interchangeable lens).
I have owned old Sony and Casio Exilim which I paid around $400 each when they first came out. But I’ve experienced about these small camera is that there’s no real difference in picture quality. So when my Casio crapped out on me, I went to Costco and bought the cheapest digital camera there at the time which was Pantex Optio M30 for around $170. The camera is durable, it has 7.1 mp, 3x optical zoom and takes fine pictures. From now on I’m just going to buy cheapest digital camera they have at Costco for travels and get a nice SLR for really nice pictures. Right now I see pretty good looking Canon A570 for $139. I don’t think you can’t really go wrong with that. No need to pay lot for these small cameras because new/smaller and better stuff comes out consistently.
i purchased the canon S3is
about a little over a year ago
for my mother’s birthday gift
it has some nice pseudo dslr
features and takes great pictures
but the drawbacks are the size
and the fact that it doesn’t take
anything besides 4 AA batteries
at a time.
the no rechargeable battery option
is why i’d suggest staying away
from this model (and any other camera
of the same vein).
No, I don’t have one outside of my camera phone. that really sucks though.
I usually just rock a 50mm lens and take off the extended battery pack and it is usually pretty easy to manage in size. It’s not as big as what It would be if i brought all my gear with me.
If i were to get one, it’d be the Canon A470. Just came out, pretty small. I’d get the orange one.
I’ve been wanting to get the Ricoh GR Digital II, but I simply can’t justify it with the price and the high noise. I might be willing to get it if it was absolutely perfect, but it isn’t.
No, I don’t have one outside of my camera phone. that really sucks though.
I usually just rock a 50mm lens and take off the extended battery pack and it is usually pretty easy to manage in size. It’s not as big as what It would be if i brought all my gear with me.
If i were to get one, it’d be the Canon A470. Just came out, pretty small. I’d get the orange one.
I like the SD40 line too, they are tiny as hell.
Looks super small. Wonder what the battery life is like.
