[milf]

I'm looking to replace my digital camera with a current model. There are five million choices, each with a million diffierent features that I know very little about. I'm looking to buy in the $500 range (+/- 100). I'd like a compact design, ala Panasonics Lumix model or Sony's T7 Cybershot, but not at a huge picture quality or feature loss. Any suggestions?

[t6hawk]

Start here : http://www.dpreview.com/

That's one of the best if not the best site online for camera reviews. i got my camera after reading thru the reviews on that site. (the one for my camera was a 12 page review and covered EVERYTHING)

Edit: to search for cameras in a specific price / feature range, go here: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

[Mac Write]

Check out the D50. it's an SLR and can have changable lens. It will of course make you fall in love with photography and get you spending thousands on bigger longer faster lenses I have the D70.

[t6hawk]

I only have an old Sony DSCS75. Still takes great shots but is only 3MP. I'd advise getting a camera that has manual features and a good optical zoom (or changable lenses)

[MrForgetable]

if you want photo quality or features, sony's ultra slims are possibly one of the worst choices you can make. the pictures that come out are "video-like", which is not a compliment. it lacks a tripod mount, which you have to add the dock to get I think, and there are pretty much no manual controls. big screen, yes. lots of sex appeal, yes. but that's about it. you can do a lot better than the superslim sony's in your price range.
of course you might not mind the picture quality, i am just a perfectionist anyway.

if you are willing to give up some speed and some size, the canon powershot S60 or S70 will be in the lower part of your budget so that's always good. a wide angle lens (28mm at 35mm equivilent) which is always good for taking photos of lots of people in cramped areas. but i'd suggest you try it out a local store before you think about it, as it may be bigger than you want. the picture quality is top notch though. i have no trouble recommending it as a relatively compact camera. lots of manual features, RAW, etc. But if you don't use them, I'd possibly jump for the small Canon SD500.

the SD500 is a 7 megapixel camera that is very small. 2.0 inch screen is nice. i hear a lot of people are having a lot of problem with a whine in the videomode so I don't REALLY recommend it, but it is an option because it is small, takes relatively good pictures, and doesn't have too many manual controls, so it's a snapshooter.

you can probably do "better" than this, but If i may throw in a wildcard. I like the Canon Powershot S410. you can probably pick one up from a very very reputable company for around 250 with an extra CF card too. it is a little bigger than the SD family (same size as the SD500 almost), has a small screen, but it actually has more pixels in the screen so it shouldn't bother too much. It uses cheaper CF cards. it is "slower" than the SD300 (it's 4 megapixel competitor), but even if the technology is 2-3 years old, it still takes much higher quality pictures than any new compact camera. i'd go as far as saying that the picture quality from the S410 is better than any relatively compact camera within 300 dollars of its street price. i don't have one, but after analyzing pictures, it really has better photo quality.

i have too many recommendations. i like the sony P200 for it's ease of use, 7 megapixels, pretty good photo quality for a 7 megapixel, and compactness. if you want an all-around camera that can go anywhere, take good pictures, take good video, i do not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. plus you can find some for 350 on the internet.

the lumix is ok, but i'd personally look for something with an optical viewfinder to save battery sometimes or if the LCD is hard to see in direct sunlight.

ive said too much.

[trip]

Originally Posted by milf

I'm looking to replace my digital camera with a current model. There are five million choices, each with a million diffierent features that I know very little about. I'm looking to buy in the $500 range (+/- 100). I'd like a compact design, ala Panasonics Lumix model or Sony's T7 Cybershot, but not at a huge picture quality or feature loss. Any suggestions?

I bought the sony dscv3 - and it rocks - I love this camera !

1. The more megapixels you have the more important it becomes to have a 2.5 viewscreen over a 2 inch - sony dscv3 has this.
2. nightshot / nightframe
3. Movie quality is 640x480, and records fine. Nice.
4. nightshot for movie mode - oh yeah baby !
5. picture quality rocks - big time (you can print enormous pictures and I mean ones that can replace posters on your wall.
6. easy to use.
I love this camera. no regrets!

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec...sony_dscv3.asp

[t6hawk]

ooooo i want one....my old Sony DSCS75 is an awesome camera and I've gotten some great shots but it's almost time to upgrade so I'll definitely keep the DSCV3 in mind but I like the DSC-F828 better. 7x optical, microdrive support, nightshot, a Class 1 laser pattern Hologram AF illuminator... the microdrive is the main thing I'm lookgin for

[trip]

Originally Posted by t6hawk

ooooo i want one....my old Sony DSCS75 is an awesome camera and I've gotten some great shots but it's almost time to upgrade so I'll definitely keep the DSCV3 in mind but I like the DSC-F828 better. 7x optical, microdrive support, nightshot, a Class 1 laser pattern Hologram AF illuminator... the microdrive is the main thing I'm lookgin for

I agree. If yu can.. go for the 828. i would have reccomended this too, but milfs budget and size preference wouldn't get him the 828.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

I just got the Sony t7. AMAZING. It is so soooo fast.

[JohnIIE]

One site that gives a lot of info about digital cameras is steves-digicams.com I bought a Canon G6 just recently and took some pictures on a vacation to Utah. I can say that this camera takes some good pictures.