I'm thinking about getting a digital camera for Christmas, but I want to know a bit more before I buy.  I have some rather specific needs, particularly with regards to size.  The camera needs to be small.  I've been looking at the Canon ELPH series, particularly the SD400.  This camera may be a little out of my price range though.  Here is a list of features I'd like to have, so if y'all could suggest some comperable cameras, as well as give me some pros and cons about the cameras I'd appreciate it.  Also for those in the know, if you could tell me whether or not the SD300 or SD200 would suit my needs.


-Size (bout the size of a pack of smokes, I need to be able to carry it easily in the back pocket of my britches)
-Rechargable Battery (prefer Lithium Ion, but Nikel metal hydride will work)
-Fairly durable (I'll be carrying it in my pocket, so I need it to not break)
-Take decent pics, particularly for web-based image sharing
-Easy to use (I understand that with the size requirements it will be a point and shoot, but the other features need to be easy to use)
-prefer 3.0 or more Mega Pixels (but I really don't know enough about this stuff to make a good judgement call)
-Price <$300 prefer <$200
-good lense

If is has a big multiple zoom that's cool, but not required.  Same goes for movies, nice but not necessary.

I'm really curious as to how products from other brands stack-up, and I'm will to spend a little extra for better quality as long as it is within my maximum budget.  Thanks in advance.

I did find these two post from our search, and one other from google, that has been helpful.  I'm looking for technical data, but I don't know enough to really understand most of the stuff on this site.

Ours:
http://gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20091&highlight=digital+camera

http://gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8141&highlight=digital+camera

Google:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/

I worked for a year in an electronics store, so I'm pretty decent with the technical stuff... my personal recommendation would be a Panasonic DMCFX-7 or a DMCFX-8, they're pretty much the same camera, but the FX-8 is this year's model, with improved battery life.. However, the FX-7 is still a terrific camera, and can be had on ebay for fairly cheap. The FX-7 has a Leica lens (best lens you can buy, IMHO), a rechargeable Li-Ion battery that's good for about 200-250 shots, a flash, 5x optical zoom, 3x digital zoom, does movies with sound, an unlimited consecutive mode (as long as you hold the button, it will take pictures at about 2.3frames per second, with no lag), is about the same size as a canon SD400, no optical viewfinder is the only downfall I can think of, but the 2.5" LCD is very clear, with a thick plastic shield that protects it while making the image clear, even in bright daylight, the camera has an optical stabilizer as well. Do some research, I think you'll find it's a great camera. Feel free to PM/Email me with any questions you may have, as this will probably be my last post on the board for awhile, for various reasons.

Oh yeah, and it's 5.0 megapixels.. forgot that..

Here's an excellent site :

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/SD400/SD4A.HTM.

The compare function is excellent!  It compares similar shots taken with different cameras and settings.  Really useful.

I went with the Pentax 5Si because of all the reasons you mentioned in your post.  I really wanted the SD400, but it was a bit too much money at the time.  In retrospect, I should have spent the extra cash.  Then Pentax takes fantastic pictures when lighting is excellent.  However, the quality suffers in a big way if you use it indoors or when lighting is not so great.

one last tidbit from me, DPReview.com has reviews for almost any camera you could ever want to see, they've got photo galleries, and best of all, they have forums for each brand of camera, sometimes even specific cameras within a brand, the guys there are pretty helpful, and they can help you out..

Quote from: NiceGuysFinishLastone last tidbit from me, DPReview.com has reviews for almost any camera you could ever want to see, they've got photo galleries, and best of all, they have forums for each brand of camera, sometimes even specific cameras within a brand, the guys there are pretty helpful, and they can help you out..

their reviews are biased towards canon and nikon...well, everybody is  

I have the Nikon 8800.  8 MP, 10x zoom, image stabilization, cool snow and night modes, all in a small-ish package.  I loved it until like 2 months ago it just died. Camera was about 7 months old, so Nikon is replacing the main board in the camera for free, but it's been gone from me for a month, and will probably be another month till I see it.  I didn't drop it or anything.

But who needs 8 mega pixels?  Not many people.  I love it for zooming in from on details captured at long distances though. I usually shoot with it in 6 MP mode to keep file sizes more manageable.

I've had two Olympuses  - olympi? that are both small and useful. Most recent is a stylus 600 or something. I like it, but its LCD only which takes some getting used to and washes out in some light.

Having used a few different brands, I will say I find the olympus' menus and controls the most intuitive for casual morons like myselft.

For sub-$300 digital cameras, you're looking in the right direction oppy00. The SD series from Canon is really the way to go with all of the things you're looking for. The small, fast, and take great pics for the price. The Panasonic DCM-FX8 is another good camera and can be found for under $300, but I prefer the Canon because the interface is a lot more intuitive and quick. Also check out the T-series from Sony.

I recommend in this order:
- Canon PowerShot SD550 (7MP ~$360)
- Canon PowerShot SD500 (7MP ~$320)
- Canon PowerShot SD450 (5MP ~$290)
- Panasonic Lumix DCM-FX8 (5MP ~$280)
- Canon PowerShot SD400 (5MP ~$250)
- Panasonic Lumix DCM-FX9 (6MP ~$330)

One thing you really need to keep in mind when looking at that price point is that there's a lot of crap out there in that class. Canon, Panasonic, and Sony are real good at delivering affordable digital cameras that aren't complete crap. At sub-$300, you are going to want to stay away from everyone else in my opinion.

If you're looking for more info, make sure to use dpreview.com, dcresource.com, and .

Well, other then checking thoes sites like people said, I would say; If you are going to take photos for the web, they don't need to be very large. Don't get caught up in megapixels. Even a 1MP camera would be good for web stuff.

My advice is, pick two or three things you cant live without, and look for cameras that meet thoes. ie. great pictures, small, long battery life. If you find a ton that meet that, add another thing you can't do without. Maybe <200. Then you'll come down to a few, and you can look at the other things to see if anyone of them stand out, in a good or bad way.

Basicly, if you are thinking of sometimes doing movies, dont even check if a camera does that. Worry about things you actually will want. Battery life, size, price, picture. Things that will bug you everyday you use it. Don't get a jack of all trades, unless you want to pay for a good one. A cheep one will probably dissapoint in many ways. Also, don't forget the price of a good stick of memory for the camera. Prices are good, online you can get 1 gig for $65. If you are not gona need that much, feel free to get 256megs. I have that much, and who ever needs to take the super high quality and size pictures? Espcally if you are going to share onto the web. (You'll probably end up down sizing each photo before you send it to the web)

For me, battery life, and quality of photos (note: not size) are the most important.

/burns soap box

Quote from: GrainbeltI've had two Olympuses  - olympi?

olys.  :mrgreen:

I 'preciate the help so far.  I'm going to run some of those suggested cameras by a friend of mine who is also helping.  I'm leaning more towards the Canon, now.  Which is probably good.

Thanks for the help so far   and please keep it coming.

Sorry to threadjack, but do you pros know what the status of Compact Flash memory is? Is it being phased out. It seems that most new consumer digital cameras use SD cards.

I have several CF cards from my old camera and would like to upgrade to a camera that still uses them.

Any suggestions.

Quote from: callmelennySorry to threadjack, but do you pros know what the status of Compact Flash memory is? Is it being phased out. It seems that most new consumer digital cameras use SD cards.

it certainly isn't the case. compact flash is still the most widely used memory for cameras and it will be for a long time.

It may not matter to you, but remember that with a lot of non-SLR digital point-and-shoot cameras (if not all) you get that delay between the time you press the shutter release and when the camera actually takes the photo. So if you're looking to take action shots with a point-and-shoot, good luck.

I bought a used Nikon D1 digital SLR last year to take photos of nighttime stock-car racing at a local track. It works very well and even though it's only 2.7 megapixels, I can print 20x30-inch posters that look terrific. So there's more to it than just megapixels, and a higher-end used camera may actually be better for you than a new point-and-shoot.

Quote from: dbNncIt may not matter to you, but remember that with a lot of non-SLR digital point-and-shoot cameras (if not all) you get that delay between the time you press the shutter release and when the camera actually takes the photo. So if you're looking to take action shots with a point-and-shoot, good luck.

I bought a used Nikon D1 digital SLR last year to take photos of nighttime stock-car racing at a local track. It works very well and even though it's only 2.7 megapixels, I can print 20x30-inch posters that look terrific. So there's more to it than just megapixels, and a higher-end used camera may actually be better for you than a new point-and-shoot.

that all true but i actullay don't recommend a dslr if you're not serious photographer. it's just total waste. not to mention you would have no idea how to use it.

also you can't get a pocket size dslr.

first get a point and shoot. learn how to take pictures. then get a higher end camera.

Quote from: JetSwingfirst get a point and shoot. learn how to take pictures. then get a higher end camera.

For anyone interested, I found a really good site for learning the basics of digital photography. I am a horrible photographer and my pictures always turn out like crap, so I figured I should try learning how to take pictures instead of blaming the poor results on my camera  

Check it out:

http://www.shortcourses.com/

for more andvanced shooters:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/

Quote from: JetSwing

Quote from: callmelennySorry to threadjack, but do you pros know what the status of Compact Flash memory is? Is it being phased out. It seems that most new consumer digital cameras use SD cards.

it certainly isn't the case. compact flash is still the most widely used memory for cameras and it will be for a long time.

Compact flash is quickly being phased out of consumer digital cameras by all major manufacturers and for very good reasons. It's simply too large, heavy, and power hungry compared to other forms of flash memory like Secure Digital and Memory Stick. Now it's a different story for prosumer and D-SLR cameras. CF isn't going anywhere because of it's capacity, bandwidth, speed, and buffers. In fact, Sony of all companies has recently began to incorporate multiple media (CF and MS) compatibility into their prosumer cameras.