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recommendations on 4-5 mp small digital cam?

jelloshotsrule

jelloshotsrule

macrumors G3
Original poster
i'm looking to get my girlfriend a digital camera, and looking for suggestions/recommendations.

here are my basic desires/thoughts:

1. 4-5 mp
2. small. a camera that can be taken anywhere for those candid shots you just can't pull off lugging around a big dslr.

and less important, but possibly worth noting

3. i have a canon (digital rebel), so she's somewhat familiar with the way canon's menu system works, etc. that, along with having fairly high respect for canon, makes me think about sticking with one of the small, 4-5 mp canons out there...

but which one? and i also like/respect nikon... so that's not out of the question.

so, i'm thinking, any thoughts/recommendations on any small, 4-5 mp nikon or canon cams???

thanks. 🙂
 
I've been looking for the same and after exhaustive research I think I'm gonna get the Canon S410 Digital Elph. Probably tomorrow.
 
we like the Canon S series

My wife and I have owned a Canon S200 since June, 2002 and have been nothing but satisfied with it. It's very small, but picture quality is very good. Of course that model is only 2 MP, but the current incarnation, the S410 is 4 MP.

The only downside i've come upon is the zoom. With only 3x zoom, you won't be pulling objects far off, right into your face.

For us it's been the perfect camera for vacations where space is limited.
 
I have a pentax optio 555 which i love. Its a good size, not as small as the elphs but pretty small and it takes great pictures. The learning curve is super simple and changing settings usually doesn't take more than a button or 2. it takes fantastic pictures
 
Go for Canon

THe new canon powershot (new as of a few months ago) I don't remember the model name, but powershot.com should give you some comparos of canons. They're awesome. The one I've had experience with features a 28mm wide-angle lens. Most digicams start at 35,38,or 40+mm. If you got the EF-S lens with your Digital Rebel, You most likely won't be able to completely go away from the wide angle wonder. In addition, it has a 5MP chip with the DiG!c (I think that's how Canon spells digic) processor allowing for fast burst rates, and it allows auto-focus on any of 9 standard zones, or a flexible one where you move the box around the thing to be focused. It has a ton of Program modes, including slow shutter and a night mode. Movie capture modes are great. If you want specific specs, canon can supply them. It's not TINY but it's pretty slim. I STRONGLY RECCOMEND the poweshot line. check it out. IT's the S60 by the way. And also, it is Powershot.com. Just visited there. They have a wide range of offerings, one of which will surely fit your needs. The A95 is particularly attractive if teh S60 isn't for you. Lastly, go for 5MP, and ignore digital zoom. If you spend a little more (~$100?) now, you will be happier with your equipment, and it will undoubtedly last you longer than if you went for a bottom of the line 4MP model. Hope this extended ramble helps.
 
I just recvd my Canon PowerShot SD300 and it really rocks.... fantastic LCD displays and half the size/weight
of it's predecessor. Check it out. 😉
 
Canon Ixus 430

I'd recommend the Canon Ixus 430 (replacement to the 400 model) - it's an excellent camera with more features than the average user requires and, on top of that, it's very small.

It's the perfect size to carry round all the time and it takes excellent photos. I've had some of the ones I've taken blown up to A3 and there is no sign of pixelisation. Colours are rich, the autofocus is very sharp and the flash is pretty good too.

I've recommended this camera to three people who have been absolutely delighted with their purchase. I picked it up from ebuyer for about £220 with about £40 for a 512MB memory card (IMO you don't want to get less than 256MB).
 
i have the olympus mju 410 digital. it seems pretty decent to me. the photos that it gives look to be of a decent quality and it is pretty simple to use. oh and its "weatherproof" which in my experience means you can basically submerge the thing and it still works!
 
I'd go for either anb old Canon 400 or the replacement 430. The 500 has some problems and isn't as good so I wouldn't buy that. Canon has by far the best lense of all compact digicams and you can see it in the pictures. Second would be Sony. Sony has a new cam out that is awesome too, I forgot the name but it's the same type as the P100 only with 7MP(too lazy to look 😀 ). But here's the link if you need more info: dpreview.com
 
ScottN said:
I'd recommend the Canon Ixus 430 (replacement to the 400 model)
Click to expand...

All depends on yr budget but this is old technology now. There are two new Ixus (that's the European name) just hit the market about two weeks ago. The Ixus 30 and Ixus 40. Read up the reviews on them first. Good luck.
 
Some things to consider before you purchase.

Are you ok with a proprietry battery vs AAs like those in the Canon A95/A85 etc. AAs allow you to easily carry rechargable and prioprietry AAs so that you never have to worry about power. Rechargables drain over time and if you want to grab the camera on the way out somewhere its a bit of a hassle to check if its charged etc The A95/A85 is only a little bit bigger than the ixus series and cheaper. Its easier to hold and shoot as well. Its worth a look.

Memory media. CF is the cheapest and has the biggest. xD is the most expensive which is a real shame because there are some nice Fuji and Olympus cameras out there...
 
Pentax Optio S4

I highly recommend this little beauty, it has been updated to S4i with a larger LCD and some minor asthetic changes. I still prefer the S4, it's increadibly small and very easy to use. The S4 will be highly discounted now. They just announced the Optio S7 which looks amazing. A friend has an Ixus which he seems very happy with.

I'm looking for a new camera, as the S4 proved very popular with my girlfriend and I never see it. Here's my current short list...

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com..._optio750z&camuser=panasonic_dmcfz20&show=all
 
I am quite surprised to see very few Olympus cameras here.
The C-50Z is a 5.0 megapixel ultra small digital camera. It is amazing. You can set it to point and shoot OR customize about every setting on it.
It fits into my palm of my hand, too!

Linkety

The lens is well protected, and you quickly get used to not bumping it closed. It really isn't that hard, and it helps to keep your fingers out of the lens too. Nice side effect. The batter life is awesome. Just keep using it. Get home. Charge it. 🙂
 
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