[Dubloseven]

i'm looking to get a good digital camera for college so i can take pictures whenever i want. i dont need to have many manual controls on it (thats what my canon rebel 2000 is for). size is very important, and so is picture quality. so far i have narrowed the list down to the canon s400 andthe nikin 4300. which one do you guys recommend? i can get the s400 for $450 and the 4300 for about $350, but the size of the s400 is a lot smaller than the other one. if there are any other cameras that you recommed, what are they? thanks a lot.

[maxintosh]

I highly reccomend the S400. You won't want to lug anything around, and the picture quality and design ergonomics of the S400 are stellar. Haven't been much impressed with Nikon's line, to be honest. Get the S400, you won't regret it

[Jens Peter]

I have the S400, or IXUS 400 as it is called in Europe, and I like it a lot.
It fits in my pocket, very quick to turn on and it takes good pictures.
It works with iPhoto, and the PhotoStitch software from Canon to make panorams works very well to.
I have also recordet a movie, but I can't get it off the camera. ( But I haven't tryed that hard either..)

All in all, a good little camera, I can only recomend it!

Jens Peter

[maxintosh]

Originally posted by Jens Peter:
I have the S400, or IXUS 400 as it is called in Europe, and I like it a lot.
It fits in my pocket, very quick to turn on and it takes good pictures.
It works with iPhoto, and the PhotoStitch software from Canon to make panorams works very well to.
I have also recordet a movie, but I can't get it off the camera. ( But I haven't tryed that hard either..)

All in all, a good little camera, I can only recomend it!

Jens Peter

Yep, you need to use Image Capture to retrieve movies from digicams.

[jdhindes]

Here's a good site that really helped me in my decision on which digital camera to purchase. www.dpreview.com There are reviews and great forums.

I personally have a Canon and I used to be totally Nikon, but I just don't like their digital cameras. I really like my Canon--it's an older S40 and I am very pleased.

I say stick with the Canon and you won't be sorry.

Jim

Hope this helps.

[itai195]

I have a Nikon 4300, my parents have a Canon s400.

If size and speed are your thing, then definitely get the s400. It's a smaller and much faster camera. In general, it will focus and shoot images much faster than the 4300... that's especially nice to have in low light situations.

If image quality is more important, I'd get the Nikon. I like small cameras, and considered switching to the s400, but the image quality I get out of my Nikon 4300 is better (IMO of course) and the camera is small enough for me. Canon has done a lot to improve the softness issues in their images (used to be my number one gripe) but now they have big chromatic aberration problems. Also, like past elphs, I still feel the s400's colors are a bit under-saturated... especially in daylight, where images can look washed out sometimes. OTOH, the only image quality issues I've ever had with my Nikon were caused by its annoyingly slow autofocus speed, especially in low light. As long as you take the time to carefully compose your shots, it's hard to screw up with the 4300. Of course, if you take a lot of quick, candid shots, the s400 will be your only option.

If you're willing to spend $450, you may want to consider the S45 also. It's hard for me to suggest getting a 4300 over an s400 at this point, because the 4300 is a 9 month old camera and the s400 just came out 2-3 months ago. The 4300 was a hot item when it came out, but the s400 is probably a better buy these days. If you want to seriously consider a Nikon, you may want to wait until they release new models (probably in September). You may also want to take a look at the Fuji F700 coming out in July, or at the 5MP Minolta F300. OR you can just get the 5MP Canon S50, which is a camera that will last you for several years. Or you can save some cash and get a Canon A70, which is also a pretty small camera with a large number of advanced features and a low price tag.

[tooki]

Or get a Nikon 4500 -- they have a $200 mail-in rebate till the end of the month. I've seen them as low as $570 before rebate, so you can get a fantastic camera for little more than the 4300 would cost you.

tooki

[BrettOZ]

I have a Nikon 4300 - love it. The only reason I went for it over the canon was for the option you have to add additional lenses. But this may not be your thing if you are going for compact?