Digital Camera for £300-£350

sasilverman

I'm looking for a new digitil camera as my canon ixus 500 is getting a little old and i'm getting frustraterd by it's restrictions.

One camera that has caught my eye is the Canon Powershot S3

The 12x is really appealing and also it looks quite small.

Anyone got any other recommendations, or has anyone had any experience with this camera?

***UPDATE***

I'm by no means a professional photographer, mainly I'll be using this camera on holidays and at concerts, sporting events etc. I was looking at this camera as a sort of a step up from a normal point and shoot, but not yet quite an dSLR - for what i'll be using it for I don't want to be spending £350 on a camera and then the same on lenses...

pin

Have you thought about buying a Digital SLR?The consumer end ones are pretty small and the photo quality will be better than any point and shoot will be able to offer. On top of that the lenses are interchangable.There is an offer at Jessops on the Pentax *iST for about £350.

wolfman

Just bought a new one myself.

The Canon Ixus 800 (£280ish) is very good. Has image stabilization which can be a handy feature.

In the end I went for the Casio Ex-Z850 (£220ish). Been very pleased with it so far. Excellent manual features, so I can setup the shot exactly how I want, or can just go for one of the auto/presets. My flatmate has the Sony DSC T9 which is impressive too, but I prefer the Z850.

If you're looking for a point and shoot similar to your Isux 500, then you don't really need to spend much more than £250 to get something of top quality.

Digital SLR's may be worth considering but are quite a lot bigger. I myself had been looking at the Canon EOS 350D and Nikon D50, but decided a DSLR wasn't for me.

You mention about restrictions, you're best listing what you want from a new camera. Does it have to be small, battery life, what kind of lens zoom, how many mega pixels etc...?

Lord_Chris

i really hate small cameras... even though they can be just as good as a large camera, its just not got the same feeling to it. Photography is as art, it shouldnt be wasted by making a camera that does everything for you in something the size of a credit card.

Theres my two cents for today (or maybe pennies.....)

wolfman

Lord_Chris wrote:

i really hate small cameras... even though they can be just as good as a large camera, its just not got the same feeling to it. Photography is as art, it shouldnt be wasted by making a camera that does everything for you in something the size of a credit card.

True, although I got quizzed about this kind of thing by a friend who is a keen photographer. Surely, capturing the moment is the most important thing, and you're more likely to be carrying a small point and shoot than a DSLR (or at least it's that way for me). How I made my decision to get the Ex-Z850 over a DSLR.

pin

I own both a DSLR and a point and shoot. I have to say the pictures on the DSLR as SOO SOO much more better than the point and shoot even they have the same amount of mega pixels (which in any case is a pile of marketing drivel).You have so many manual options with a DSLR which you don't have with a point and shoot. The ability of more manual options means you can create a better shot. And the ability to change lenses is very useful.

cloud_dog

Agree with Wolfie, size matters

Currently have a Casio Exilim Z40 and am thinking about getting a new one. Was reading one of the mags and noticed that Casion are brining out a Exilim Z1000 soon. Priced aroung £300+ wiht 10.1 megapixels and the carcase did not look much bigger than my current one.

Will wait for a test review but am definately interested as my Casio has been brilliant. The lag to capture images is extremely small (the other main reason when purchasing).

cloud_dog

polarbearit

These days sensor size has as much to do with picture quality as number of megapixels. Hence dSLR pictures will often best P&S with smaller sensors. I have 2 dSLR's and 1 point and shoot. I never use the point and shoot as it is slow and irritating compared to a dSLR. So I certainly wouldn't buy a large P&S, but a dSLR in preference.

CAT-THE-FIFTH

I have the Pentax *ist DL2 for 350 quid at Jessops

http://www.jessops.com/Store/s33528/1-136-481/Home/Cameras/Digital-SLRs/Pentax/iST-DL2-%2b-18-55mm-f-and-35-56-Lens-/details.aspx

This is very good value!

sasilverman

Anyone have any other suggestions/advice?

Dead_Eye_Jones

The only website you need: https://www.dpreview.com - great reviews, all the specs, get to see example images etc. Geesh really should update my Ixus V one day!

Enjoy !