Well, it's my birthday My parents are buying me a new digital camera (giving me their cc).

Anyways, I need some recommendations. I want something easy to use (not DSLR, too many settings ) Good zoom around 10x or 12x, and around 7-8 mega-pixels. I am not really concerned with size. Also image stabilization is a plus. Does not need to have great video recording features.

I have looked at reviews for a few kodak cameras, our neighbor has one and its great. But all the reviews are negative on their larger cameras, on different sites too. Also looked at canon, but I don't really like the flip out screen on the back.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

7-8 mega pixels ? Are you planning on printing posters around 36" ? If not that is over kill, and a waste of money. If you plan on printing nothing bigger than 8x10 3 mega pixels is just fine. I have an Olympus and a Pentax, both are great.

 

Well the mp are not that important, but most cameras that I have seen with good zoom capabilities have higher mp anyways.

 

Be careful of real zoom and digital zoom.

 

Canon is the only way to go (my 2 cents). I think they take the best pictures and have a great support team. A good basic/cheap camera are the A series )a610) or the more advansed G6 or newer. Good luck...

 

sony H/R series, canon pro IS series, nikon coolpix series, panasonic's lumix zooms...theyre all good really. all cameras are now a days are just computers. whatever you get, make sure theres some sort of image stabilization since longer zooms require either a) daylight only shooting b) high (read: noisy) ISO, or c) tripod use. Image stabilization lets you use lower ISO (better image quality) and slower shutter speeds handheld.

really..theyre all the same you wont know the difference. let the way they feel in your hand & their price dictate your decision...as those are the only real tangibile factors that will matter. you dont need to shoot at full res if you dont need to, plus it will save space on your media cards...

 

wow theres a lot of new camera purchase threads this week. Looks like lots of ppl need to upgrade lol.

Anyways I put my money with panasonic. I love my camera and have had excellent luck with it. The zoom is good, but I didnt get a model with the best zoom and image stabilization is Wonderful.

 

I like my 4mp Olympus. I would love more mega-pixels, say at least 8. It's the picture quality issue with the mps. 35mm film, crappola, is roughly equivalent to 3 mega-pixs. Get at least 4, it's not that much more to get a decent 10.

 

I just picked up a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5K and got a package deal from Beach Camera on-line.

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/prod...?sku=PNDMCFZ7K

This camera normally retails at your local outlets for $350 and I got the camera,1GB card,card reader and cable,lens cleaner kit,lens protector sheets,a case,extra battery pack and a PictureMate 240 pic printer for $380 shipped to my house in two days. At Best Buy it would have cost almost $600 to duplicate the package.

Here's a review of the FZ7 and check out other cams reviewed on the site to help with your decision.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz7/

I've only had the camera a week but it's very easy to use but has alot of manual adjustments and great image stabilization and a very good variety of scene modes. For the money I couldn't find a better camera. Yeah,I could of got more megapixels but 6mp is fine for 11x9 photos and I don't see me making much bigger ones. It's also got a very nice 12x optical zoom.

 

im actually looking around at a new camera also...ive always had olympus because they offer a all weather camera...and my last one was a very good camera...i bought it 4 years ago...and it just crapped out...and i snowboard with it in my pocket...so i have taken some huge spills with it in my pocket...

 

One thing you might want to consider is the shutter lag between depressing the button and the camera actually taking the picture. Some "point and shoot" cameras have a longer lag time than others. With our Sony, especially in low light conditions, by the time the camera finishes autofocusing, deciding if it's going to use the flash, etc... you missed the picture. My brother-in-law's Canon Exim doesn't have this problem.

Also... DSLRs are really not that more complicated (unless you want them to be). Yes, lots more buttons, etc... but almost no shutter lag,most are auto-everything so you can use them like a point and shoot, you'll miss lots fewer photo ops with one.

But... if it's portability you're after, can't beat the point and shoot cameras for small size. Our Sony fits in my back pocket - can't do that with my XTi.

Just my .02

Merlin

 

yea maybe I should search BEFORE I start a new thread, what an amazing idea, huh, lol

 

We recently (Christmas) got a Canon A640. It may be more than you're looking for (10mp) but I would definately reccomend the Canon A series. Really easy to use, and they've got some extras in case you want them down the road. The program that comes with them is easy to use too.

 

I would definitely recommend Canon, they have great cameras and take excellent overall pictures.

You should definitely get a nice large amount of megapixels, because you want to have some extra for cropping photos and keeping nice sharpness. It can be a little difficult to find a 10x zoom for a good price, but they do exist. Image stabilization needs to be "optical stabilization" rather than digital. Also, keep an eye on the video capabilities, many of Canon's cameras take video at 30fps at 640x480, and up to 60fps at 320x240. 640x480 is good enough to play on TV and not see too much pixelation.

In that grain, with good zoom and image stabilization, I would recoomend:

Canon Powershot A570IS- 7.1Mp, 4x Optical Zoom, Optical image stabilization, 2.5" Screen. It has the DIGIC III chip, which has gotten excellent reviews in sensitivity and image quality.

Canon Powershot A710IS- 7.1Mp, 6x Optical Zoom, Optical Image Stabilization, 2.5" screen. has the "older" DIGIC II chip, but still produces excellent pictures (my S70 has the DIGIC II, takes great pics).

Canon Powershot S3 IS- 6.0Mp, 12x Optical Zoom, optical image Stabilization. Also has the Digic II chip. This is a real power-zoom camera, if that's what you need (for many 3-4x is enough though).

You might also glance at the Canon SD700IS (6.0Mp) and SD800IS (7.1 Mp), very compact and have a lot of great features; 3.8x zoom, and they have optical image stabilization! Unheard of with such small cameras...