best dig. cam. on a budget

[Ninja_Turtle]

ok, heres the deal im 17, got my first job...ill be getting my big first pay check this week, 100$ is automatically going to my cellphone and cable bills, so i have around 275$ to spend, now i wanna buy some stuff like video games, shirts, and a skateboard...and also a digital camera, but im on a budget, so i wanna get the best cam...i went to compusa.com but all the cheap cams are terrible specs, and i dont wanna a too pricey cam, somewhere around the eh...100s-150s $$$ american dollars, anyone got any suggestions??? i would like it if its compatible with the sony flash memory cards (the purple memory sticks)...i dont know the difference of 2mega pixels or 3...they sound the same, 2mega pixels are for pictures that are around 8.5 by 11 and 3 are for larger, i wont be printing anything larger than 8.5 by 11 so eh...well anyways i want the best bang for my buck...any suggestions??? THANKS!!!

 

[Sly]

I think the best buy within your budget is the Nikon Coolpix 2200. I purchased one last month for my Sisters Birthday. It connects with Panther perfectly and gives a surprisingly good picture for the price. However you will need to purchase an SD memory card, case & rechargeable batteries as well.

 

[Shaun.P]

Get the Nikon Cool Pix 2100, it comes with a battery charger and rechargable batteries. I've had it for a year, and it's a great little cam.

 

[Muzukun]

I'd suggest something from canon on that budget. I'm not sure how much the canon 3.2 megapixel cameras cost (look on pricewatch.com or try google's froogle or yahoo if the company is in NY be sure to check up with them on the bbb cuse I've found some pretty bad companies out there...).

I personally went with the Olympus Camedia D580, love it, 4 megapixels and it's great. It's around 200-230 online though, so if you want to wait a bit see what else you could get

As for the nikons I've heard great things about them too so they'd be a good buy too ^-^

 

[Abstract]

I'm not American, but if you can get the Canon A70 or A75 cheap, then that's a great camera to get for the price. Its 3.2MP, which is as much as you'll ever need unless you plan on cropping pictures a lot because you have too much time on your hands. Yeah, its a good camera, so if you can get one on the cheap, then go for it. Don't know much about the Coolpix cameras, but they're supposed to be good as well for hte price.

 

[aswitcher]

I'm not American, but if you can get the Canon A70 or A75 cheap, then that's a great camera to get for the price. Its 3.2MP, which is as much as you'll ever need unless you plan on cropping pictures a lot because you have too much time on your hands. Yeah, its a good camera, so if you can get one on the cheap, then go for it. Don't know much about the Coolpix cameras, but they're supposed to be good as well for hte price.

Yeah the A70 is a great camera but get the A75 is the newer model.

 

[locopano]

If you want a small camera that has exceptional qulity IXUS430 or IXY in US??or any camera by canon. A75/A85, I say "small" because ifits small you will actually bring it everywhere...like i can fit mine into my jeans pocket and take it where ever i go.. an i actually do.

otherwise go Nikon 3200/4200, get at least a 3.2MP(3200) camera.. i personally would go for less than 4MP (4200)but yeah its upto you

In terms of quality i would say the nikon series rivals canon ONLY.. and thats just in image quality.. but the nikons are big (bigger) an awkwardly shaped for carrying around...

Down in AUD the IXUS 430 is $550AUD = $375US, but austraila is way more expensive than US.. so im sure its cheaper there.. especially from eBay etc..

Iwould definately wait a while (putin some extra cash) for a camera that will last you for ages and really do what you need it to do... 4MP printouts show no signs of grainy or pixelated distortion..some 3MP do..especallyif you haveused zoom etc...

Overall look at the reviews on the Canon IXUS range and i think there will be no more debate......

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Here is a a lesson on digital photography 101:

a 2mp camera produces a file that is 1200x1600. Yes, you can get a 8x10 from a 2mp camera, but that is at 150dpi. Depending on the printer, either it will look great (dye-sub printers) or OK (ink-jet printers). With ink-jet printers most feel that to get good or great results you need to print at 240dpi. With a 2mp camera that means a print size of 5x6.5.

At 3mp you are looking at a print size of 6.4x8.5 at 240dpi. So it is not hard to see that you can get an 8x10 at a slightly lower resolution (about 200dpi).

You may be a little young to remember some of the film sizes, but megapixels can be looked upon by some of the film sizes through recent history. IMO, the 2mp camera is like the old Disc or 110 sized film. Great for the 4x6 and good for 5x7's. *x10's are pushing the limits. 3mp cameras are like the 126 or APD format. 4x6 and 5x7's are great. 8x10's are good to very good.

If you can wait till your next big paycheck I would say saving for that 3mp camera makes the best sense.

For value the Canon A75 can't be beat:

http://www.penncamera.com/store/view.cfm?id=5213

It offers a lot of future capabilities.

For Price alone the Canon A310 can be bought on your budget without saving, but is more limited:

http://www.penncamera.com/store/view.cfm?id=5208

A good in between is the Canon Sd110:

http://www.penncamera.com/store/view.cfm?id=5262

Some other choices (particularly if are willing to wait till the next paycheck):

Pentax S40 (a 4mp camera)

http://www.penncamera.com/store/view.cfm?id=5224

Minolta X31 (a very compact 3mp camera, very nice feature set):

http://www.penncamera.com/store/view.cfm?id=5615

You have to decide on the value of some of these cameras. I would suggest though that you look at some of the smaller cameras. They will be something that you will carry around, as opposed to leaving it behind. I use the Pentax S40 as my go everywhere camera myself. And buying a 3mp or 4mp camera will mean that you would be less likely to want to upgrade later.

 

[CalfCanuck]

Also consider the storage medium ...

Be sure to factor in the cost, and wide or narrow use, of different types of memory cards - for example, 256 MB cards are not all the same price, and you might just re-spend all the money you save on a particular camera.

Some companies use expensive, limited use cards. The advantage of a univerrsal format like Compact Flash (CF) used by Canon is that you can "move the cards" to a different camera in a few years. I even use these CF cards in a digital recording unit that I bought to replace my DAT when recording audio in the field.

I've had 2 people buy the A75 in the last month, and they are quite happy. You best bet probably will be B & H, the largest photo dealership in the US if not the world. They generally have everything in stock, and good web site.

 

[michaelrjohnson]

I have a Canon A60, and even though it's only 2.0MP, it's an incredible camera. For the quality of the camera itself (case, production, etc), the customization (full manual settings), and the quality of the images it can take (in superfine quality at 1600x1200) it is amazing for only $175 (when it was available, last dec). Now, the models are more advanced.

Get a Canon.

You will NOT be disappointed.