Digital camera advice

[soccer4minimags]

Just what the thread says. I am looking at getting a digital camera in the next week or so. I have been shopping for a few months for one and I still don't really know what to look for. As far as I can tell with my needs I really don't need more than a 3 or 3.2 mega pixle. Anybody recomend any particular brand over another. There are three I am looking at a sony, a nikon, and a fuji (looks most likely). My budget is around 250. These three all have similar features. I have never owned a digital camera so I really can't compare that much. Any recommendations from people with some experience.
thanks.

[soccer4minimags]

here is what I am looking at:

nikon coolpix 3200

fuji A330 finepix3.2

sony cybershot 3.2 P8 or P72

[magmonkey]

I have had three digital so far

older kodak dc 25

an olimpus

and the nikon coolpix

for the money the nikon is about the best little camera I have seen and it stands up to some decent abuse( it spends half its life in the machine shop waiting on projects to be finished and the other half kicking around in my gear bag)

if I had it to do on the same budget I would definatly buy the nikon again

now if i had DEEP pockets I would buy one of the digitals based on the eos frame (but I am WAY too cheap for that )

ALan
DC

[LudavicoSoldier]

The Sony Cybershot line is quite good for the money. A P72 can run you about $250.

Its no EOS10D (my new toy), but it'll do the trick. I use a 3.2 P72 as a loaner cam for the students here, they cant seem to break it.

[Halliday]

It's just a 2 megapix, but I love my Canon A40 PowerShot.

Graduation girls.

[chairman_mao]

The Canon line is very nice form everything I've seen. I believe the SD100 ELPH is in your price range. It's 3.2 MP with I believe 2 or 3x zoom. The best part it's only marginallly larger than a pack of cigarettes.

[Hexis]

I have a Canon A80 and love it, it's a lil more than you want to spend. I would highly suggest looking at a Canon A75. It's pretty much the same thing, just 3.2 MP vs 4MP. It's also under your price.

Canon A75 at bhphoto.com

One very nice featue is that the A75 and A80 both use CF cards. CF cards are cheap and can be purchased in very large sizes. I would rule out the Sony on the MemoryStick alone. The A75 also uses standard AA batteries. You can get rechargables to cut down on cost, but being able to use normal batteries can save you in a pinch.

[bornl33t]

I have a Canon A80 and love it, it's a lil more than you want to spend. I would highly suggest looking at a Canon A75. It's pretty much the same thing, just 3.2 MP vs 4MP. It's also under your price.

Canon A75 at bhphoto.com

One very nice featue is that the A75 and A80 both use CF cards. CF cards are cheap and can be purchased in very large sizes. I would rule out the Sony on the MemoryStick alone. The A75 also uses standard AA batteries. You can get rechargables to cut down on cost, but being able to use normal batteries can save you in a pinch.

I second this...one this that's noteable. The A series uses 4 AA batteries. It's kinda nice not having to change batteries every time you pick up the camera. My roomie had to but lithium batteries for his nikon it was chewing the regular ones up that bad.

[Halliday]

Man I just read a review of the A75.......

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A75/A75A.HTM

Get that. It blows my A40 out of the water.

[trevorjk]

anyone have experience with the konica minolta dimage z2? or other higher end camaras for around 400?

[Blazestorm]

I recommend the Olympus 740 UZ...

I currently have...

https://www.sgclan.net/stp/

Took those pics with it...

https://www.sgclan.net/oly/

Those too....

https://www.sgclan.net/rev/

And those =)

Highly recommend!

[Bluestrike_2]

I can't vouch for Minolta today, but if it's any consolation I have owned one of their video cameras for the past decade. Very nice, and I wish they were built like that today. Fine piece of craftsmanship.

On another note, MEGAPIXELS ARE NOT THE END ALL FACTOR. They are similair to computer processors, in that brand A cannot be compared against brand B based on megapixels(or, in the example, processors) alone. Optics are a HUGE part of it. I reccomend Fuji, Nikon, and Canon above the rest. Sony, ugh! I have a lot of problems with their items. Not only with theirphotographic equipment, but with other things like their projectors and such(HDTV projectors, not film ). I just don't want anyone to get screwed on acount of some dip**** at Best Buy who doesn't understand art if it bit him in the rear.(Long story). Or cameras. I'm talking about the guy trying to say that brand A is better because they control more of the market. Granted, in photography that's usually means it is of good quality in the consumer market(save some circumstances, :cough: Sony :cough: ). Yet that is NO reason to say it is better. If those kind of blind statements were true, Rollei better start selling those Aeron chairs in their board room.

Me, I'd shop by mail-order catalog(they also go by phone and internet) B&H Photo and Calumet are very good companies. Very knowledgable(Calumet). Less chance of talking to some stupid teenager who doesn't understand anything about cameras, except the megapixel. Uneducated employees(in their fields of work)......

bhphoto.com
calumetphoto.com ?

Go with a company who has experience making high quality glass in the photographic field. That includes pre-digital. So Sony does not cut it.

On another not: Sony's Carl Zeiss lenses are not very high quality. Don't let the blind "zealots" who feel as though they are a sort of fashion item, blind you! @ Sony zealots!

Good luck and I hope that some of this information can help you in your journey to purchase a good digital camera.

One hidden cost though. Media. Can range from $100-200 depending on size. Personally, I prefer Compact Flash(Lexar WA although I doubt you would need WA cards) and Hitachi Microdrives(little more expensive, but not as much as the large CF cards. Up to 4gb(~$400)

If you wanted a 4gb Hitachi microdrive you coudl buy an iPod mini for ~$250 instead of ~400 for the drive. Pop it open and remove. Although I will say this. No one has yet to get the iPod mini Hitachi Microdrive 4gb to work in a digital camera. Although some have gotten them to be used as storage in a computer.

[Muzikman]

Blue has just about everything right...so, good advice, listen to it

To toss another very good company to buy from out there... www.adorama.com I have spent a lot of money with them and have been happy with every purchase.

Also, this question seems to be asked a lot. Here is a thread from not too long ago asking the same thing.

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138461