Chargeable Budget Camera - which to buy?

[mikebatho]

Hi. Looking for a budget snapper of a digital camera. Doesn't need to have a million fancy features or mega high pixel count (my last one was 4megapix & that was good enough) but I don't want to be forever buying batteries so the one feature I do want is a chargeable fuel cell.

Budget £50 - £100

Any suggestions, people?

 

[robbieduncan]

a chargeable fuel cell

Define what you mean by this. There are no fuel cell cameras using the normal, accepted, definition of fuel cell.

 

[mikebatho]

Ok, well with my old cannon brick, you plug the thing into the mains, usually overnight to charge, then use as normal. I'm looking for a lot of use per charge...

 

[SimonUK5]

Define what you mean by this. There are no fuel cell cameras using the normal, accepted, definition of fuel cell.

I assume he means, he wants a camera with a removable battery which you put into a charger. Not a camera which has an in-built battery.

Most cameras now, have a removable rechargeable battery.

 

[robbieduncan]

OK, so no liquid hydrogen involved

 

[mikebatho]

Lol, no hydrogen required

I'll have to have a look if you can take the battery out of the old one. I've never removed it. I just plug a lead in the side of the camera & an orange light starts flashing on the back next to the display, then when it's charged it goes green. Lasts for ages too, but it's a real brick.

 

[mikebatho]

So any suggestions?

 

[driftless]

There are a zillion of those. Most of the P&S (Point and Shoots) have rechargeable batteries and some them are quite capable given your stated requirements. A few more requirements, i.e. - budget, zoom, pocketable?, etc., would be helpful.

Darn, the fuel cell requirement peaked my interest! So, no black plumes of smoke over Manchester then?

 

[mikebatho]

No more smoke than usual from burning cars : )

Ok, lets say pocket sized, simple to use, no digital zoom required, don't really need more than.10mpx, around £70 - £80, long battery life when.charged is important.

 

[driftless]

You can expect more than your requirements. The Nikon Coolpix S3300 or the Canon or Olympus counterparts should be right in your wheelhouse.

 

[MCAsan]

Canon S95 if you can still find one or the S100. You can shoot raw, jpg, or both.

 

[driftless]

Canon S95 if you can still find one or the S100. You can shoot raw, jpg, or both.

Yes, the ability to shoot raw is a great option if you would like to expand your photography boundaries either now or in the future.

 

[firestarter]

Canon S95 if you can still find one or the S100. You can shoot raw, jpg, or both.

These are from 3x to 5x his budget. The S95 is a good price now - but it is £200.

OP - my favourite brand is Panasonic... but as long as you stick with the major makes, whatever they have at the £80 price point should be fine.

 

[mikebatho]

Yeah, budget is priority. Jpeg shooting is fine, that & the previously stressed chargeable battery. It really is only point & shoot I need

 

[robbieduncan]

Go into Jessops. Look at £100-£120 point and shoot cameras. Play with them. Find one you like. Then go home and buy online. Most likely £100-£120 in Jessops = £80 online

 

[mikebatho]

Cheers.

I didn't want anyone to spend any time on this, I just hoped someone out there may have bought one recently that fit my requirements that they wanted to mention. The problem I've had this weekend is that I've only had limited mobile internet so looking at reviews & comparison sites has been really tricky. I can get back on my desktop tomorrow. I'll have a look on Amazon & see what people are saying. Nice one.

 

[robgendreau]

I'd recommend one of the Canon Powershots; there are a million different varieties. You can use rechargeable batteries of various sizes in them, and I've found battery use pretty minimal, especially if you get one with a viewfinder.

What I really like about them is that the firmware is open source...so you can go to chdk wiki and find a firmware substitute that will allow you to do all sorts of stuff with them, like shoot RAW, time lapse, etc etc. For someone already experienced with cameras it makes that second little P&S really versatile.

Rob