digital cameras

material_girl_4

Help! I'm wanting to buy a digital camera; something small that zooms in and out and produces good quality pictures, but I don't have a clue what make to buy. I also don't want to pay a substantial amount but still require quality. Is this asking too much or is this possible? Grateful for any help.

SONIC_2

Can we have some idea of budget please? ::)

material_girl_4

Between £100 and £150?!!! Or am I hoping for too much for too little?

SONIC_2

Try looking here http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/technical/refurb/shop.php

This is the refurb site for Fuji, who mae some very good cameras. Several models are worth looking at, but the A310 Zoom looks a reasonable buy. as does the A401. The S304 has a very good zoom, but in my opinion is let down by some other minor things.

As a rough guide, the higher the 'megapixcels' the better, don't buy anything less that 3.

The higher the optical soom the better, digital zoom is normally included, but using this can blurr images, optical is always better. Don't be out off by cameras that have both, the digital zoom can be turned off.


My choice would be the A310, as it 3mb reasonable zoom, good picture quality, and has the ability to record short movies with sound. It's up you what you pick, and you may not even want a Fuji. Tell me what you think.

alexj2002

I would disagree with Sonic about the Megapixels thing. A few years back I bought an Olympus C220 Zoom for £170. It's only 2 Megapixels but produces large images with good colour respresentation. It has movies but no sound and has optical (and digital zoom) which you were looking for.

Optical Zoom is where the actual lens moves. Digital is where the software in the camera makes it bigger (and often blockier)

The Olympus C220 could be picked up from Amazon for £70 not very long ago so it still might be there. Else try pixmania (and use the discount codes from this site).

coolagarry

I've had a 2 mp and a 3mp camera and didnt notice any difference on 6 x 4 prints. The larger mp camera, of course, put far fewer pics on the memory card and I frequently had to reduce the mp if I wanted to email a pic. A 3X optical zoom lens is the least I would go for.
Take a look here and read the reviews for each of the cameras http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/202-2820014-0531044.

alared

Still there


http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000ULKEK/ref=ord_cart_shr/202-2216656-0513450?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

SONIC_2

I would disagree with Sonic about the Megapixels thing. A few years back I bought an Olympus C220 Zoom for £170. It's only 2 Megapixels but produces large images with good colour respresentation. It has movies but no sound and has optical (and digital zoom) which you were looking for.

Optical Zoom is where the actual lens moves. Digital is where the software in the camera makes it bigger (and often blockier)

The Olympus C220 could be picked up from Amazon for £70 not very long ago so it still might be there. Else try pixmania (and use the discount codes from this site).

May I just point out that she wishes to spend upto £150 on a digital camera. Spending this amount on a 2mp camera is not advised surely???? ::)

If she had told be that her maximum spend was £100, I would have advised into the 2mp market.

alexj2002

Fair point but if I wanted a PC to go online/word/excel etc. and had a budget of £1000 would you recommened a £1000 super games machine or recommened a cheaper PC?

It all depends on what you want - I was just giving my opinion.

CBestwick

First off, what kind of photography do you want to do; holiday snapshots or do you want to get into it a little deeper?

If it's just holiday snapshots then the Fuji A340 (4 megapixels and 3x optical zoom), has a lot going for it at around £130. Megapixels matter to a point - if all you want is standard 6"x4" prints and don't want to do any cropping then a 2MP camera would suit you just fine but if you want to print larger than that (and we're talking photographic prints not inkjet prints-you can go much larger with inkjet prints per megapixel), then you will need a higher resolution camera.

Also take a look at the Pentax Optio 33LF that Amazon have for £100 at the moment - 3.2MP and 3x optical zoom and revolving/tilting lcd. Dixons also have the refurbished Casio QV-R40 for £100 (4MP, 3x optical zoom).

If you want to get into photography a little deeper and start taking control of apertures and shutter speeds then it's likely you'll also want a little more than the 2MP that the Canon A60 has to offer. The Olympus C725 offers manual control, 3.2Mp and an 8x optical zoom although it is a little bulkier than the other cameras mentioned here and can be bought for around £140. if this is a little too bulky for you then have a look at the Konica/Minolta G400; 4MP and 3x optical zoom although a little more expensive at around £155. The Canon A75 (3.2MP, 3x optical zoom), shouldn't be ignored either, although it is a little pricey.

These are just a handful of the hundreds of digital cameras around. In my opinion they offer some of the best packages for the money, dependent on what you want to do with them. No doubt others will disagree.

What you really need to do is consider what type of camera you want; is physical size (or lack of), important? Is a large zoom important? (I would suggest a 3x optical zoom for a usable do-it-all camera - ignore digital zoom). What size prints do you want and will they be inkjet or photographic prints? Do you want any manual control over the picture taking process? How much do you want to spend?

If you can answer these questions then you are a long way down the line to choosing your camera. At the very least you should end up with a shortlist of cameras to check against reviews and more importantly, to get your hand on at your local Jessops or other camera shop. If the camera doesn't feel comfortable and easy to use, you won't use it and it'll be a waste of money - try them out in the high street and buy them online! ;-)

Good luck

Chris

alared

CBestwick

What`s your opinion of the Olympus C-310 for around £100 to £120 online?