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OwlBoy · Jun 15, 2005, 04:04 PM

I like my big "real camera" size digital camera. Its the size of a standard SLR.

I have been finding I wish I had a small pocket sized digital camera, to just have with me in my pocket.

Can anyone recommend a good 3 megapixel or more pocket size digital camera that has a reasonable price?

SD media would be a plus, since I already have 2 SD cards for my bigger Digital camera.

I don't have the money for one at the moment, but would like to know what to keep an eye on.

-Owl

d4nth3m4n · Jun 15, 2005, 05:49 PM

i have a powershot sd300. 4mp, think they're running like $300-something right now.

i really love the thing, just small enough to take everywhere, but the picture quality doesn't really suffer at all.

SD is the media. if you can swing that much cash, i would highly recommend it to you.

edit: might want to take a look at the sd200 while you're at it. check newegg, i think they have decent prices on these things.

budster101 · Jun 15, 2005, 06:06 PM

http://www.dynamism.com/cubik/index.shtml

http://www.i4u.com/article738.html

http://amos.shop.com/amos/cc/pcd/104.../adtg/06130523

http://www.ambientweather.com/orscdsthdifl2.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=31388

http://www.brookstone.com/shop/produ...gital%20camera

lavar78 · Jun 15, 2005, 06:29 PM

Get a Casio Exilim. They're usually cheaper than the leading brands. I have an EX-Z40 (4 MP) that I got a few months ago for $200 (after $100 rebate) from Circuit City. It's tiny, has a nice 2" screen, and the battery life has been great.

scaught · Jun 15, 2005, 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by d4nth3m4n

i have a powershot sd300. 4mp, think they're running like $300-something right now.

i really love the thing, just small enough to take everywhere, but the picture quality doesn't really suffer at all.

SD is the media. if you can swing that much cash, i would highly recommend it to you.

edit: might want to take a look at the sd200 while you're at it. check newegg, i think they have decent prices on these things.

i have the same camera as dan. very nice quality. i got mine off amazon for 3 something back in february or so. newegg was cheaper by a little bit at the time.

its VERY small. like, smaller than my 40GB ipod. about an inch shorter, half an inch narrower, about the same thickness. the screen on the back is the best part, its HUGE and is probably the first thing people always comment on when they see it. a nice solid metal body with a decent amount of heft to it makes you feel secure throwing it in your pocket. a decent array of manual settings. relatively intuitive menus, etc.

the only negative things i ever read about it were people seeing some very faint purple halo-ing around things in their images, but those seemed to be scarce. i havent experienced any of it.

AssassyN · Jun 15, 2005, 08:16 PM

Canon SD200, 300, 400, or 500, depending on budget.

I have the SD200 and it's been EVERYWHERE with me, dropped, kicked, slammed, and STILL takes amazing pics. PLUS, it's the hottest item to have 'cause you can sneak this thing into ANY "no cameras allowed" shows and the "Night Snapshot" takes incredibly good pics w/o flash. I love mine.

MacMan4000 · Jun 15, 2005, 08:43 PM

Nikon S1
Canon SD300

rozwado1 · Jun 15, 2005, 08:45 PM

notice he didn't mention the image quality...

Get a Casio Exilim. They're usually cheaper than the leading brands. I have an EX-Z40 (4 MP) that I got a few months ago for $200 (after $100 rebate) from Circuit City. It's tiny, has a nice 2" screen, and the battery life has been great.

lavar78 · Jun 15, 2005, 10:17 PM

Originally Posted by rozwado1

notice he didn't mention the image quality...

The images are great. Who would recommend a camera that didn't take good images?

The Godfather · Jun 16, 2005, 12:02 AM

1.3MP, SD, $50
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=2624930

MrForgetable · Jun 16, 2005, 12:17 AM

Originally Posted by scaught

i have the same camera as dan. very nice quality. i got mine off amazon for 3 something back in february or so. newegg was cheaper by a little bit at the time.

its VERY small. like, smaller than my 40GB ipod. about an inch shorter, half an inch narrower, about the same thickness. the screen on the back is the best part, its HUGE and is probably the first thing people always comment on when they see it. a nice solid metal body with a decent amount of heft to it makes you feel secure throwing it in your pocket. a decent array of manual settings. relatively intuitive menus, etc.

the only negative things i ever read about it were people seeing some very faint purple halo-ing around things in their images, but those seemed to be scarce. i havent experienced any of it.

haha the purple fringing is everywhere if you look closely. personally, i like the camera a lot. it is everything I wish it would be except the fact for the purple fringing. if you look at edge of a light object in a dark background (or vice versa), there should be a purple halo (maybe faint, some will be heavier than others) visible around the object. sometimes it's annoying, sometimes it just looks like a reflection of sorts.

however, other than this and maybe slightly blurry corners, it is an awesome camera. i wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone in need of a small camera.

Warung · Jun 16, 2005, 01:09 AM

Originally Posted by d4nth3m4n

i have a powershot sd300. 4mp, think they're running like $300-something right now.

I've got the same one and I really like it. Just brought it on a long vacation trip, took some great pictures with it and it was very, very portable. The UI is completely intuitive...

Otherwise I'd recommend the Exilim, - also a great camera, which is small, light weight and takes great pics.

My 2 €ç (after shopping around for about 6 months)

MacMan4000 · Jun 16, 2005, 02:24 AM

[shameless plug]
If your in the Louisville, KY, Lexington, KY, or Clarksville, IN area stop by your local Murphy's Camera!
[/shamless plug]

(and while your checking out the site, let me know if you find any dead links, typos, or missing images, etc. I just did a major overhaul of the whole site... I might have missed a few things)

paul w · Jun 16, 2005, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by d4nth3m4n

i have a powershot sd300. 4mp, think they're running like $300-something right now.

i really love the thing, just small enough to take everywhere, but the picture quality doesn't really suffer at all.

SD is the media. if you can swing that much cash, i would highly recommend it to you.

edit: might want to take a look at the sd200 while you're at it. check newegg, i think they have decent prices on these things.

I CANNOT reccomend this camera, sadly.

The taking pictures indoors (or in lowlight situations) is very difficult. It's nearly impossible for me to get a non-blurry shot. YET my girlfriend's Pentax Optio S takes brilliant lowlight pictures. And the image quality in other situations is excellent.

So- although I love my Canon (great daylight and deceent flash pix, excellent screen and menu, and size), I must recommend the Pentax Optio S (or whatever version they're on now).

Also, unless you're going to be blowing these pictures up bigger than 8x10, A4, there's really no reason to go bigger than 3 megapixels.

MacMan4000 · Jun 16, 2005, 02:29 AM

[QUOTE=paul w]I must recommend the Pentax Optio S (or whatever version they're on now).
/QUOTE]
Optio S5z, or Optio S45

Depending if you like buying a jillion "AA" batteries (S45) or getting a rechargable Li-Ion battery and charger included (S5z).

as2 · Jun 16, 2005, 04:40 AM

I have a canon powershot SD20 - It's V Small, 5MP, and i've been extremely happy with it. The only thing to note, is that because of it's size there is no optical zoom.

Regards

Adam

Lancer409 · Jun 16, 2005, 05:51 AM

Originally Posted by paul w

I CANNOT reccomend this camera, sadly.

The taking pictures indoors (or in lowlight situations) is very difficult. It's nearly impossible for me to get a non-blurry shot. YET my girlfriend's Pentax Optio S takes brilliant lowlight pictures. And the image quality in other situations is excellent.

So- although I love my Canon (great daylight and deceent flash pix, excellent screen and menu, and size), I must recommend the Pentax Optio S (or whatever version they're on now).

Also, unless you're going to be blowing these pictures up bigger than 8x10, A4, there's really no reason to go bigger than 3 megapixels.

if that's the altoids camera, there's an insane ammount of complaints about it's lens. i have a sd200, and indoor pics (with flash or on a stable surface/tripod without flash) have turned out fine/great. the lens is sharp compared to pentax len's in camera's of comperable size.

maybe you set it to low iso and no flash .. and your girlfriend set her camera to auto iso settings (which scale up in low light) leading to less blurry shots (which turn out grainer / and can be done on the canon as well) ...

in almost any review, the canon beats the pentax hands down...

Lancer409 · Jun 16, 2005, 06:01 AM

sd300 now for 252 bucks!

Dell Home has the Canon PowerShot SD300 4 MegaPixel 3x Zoom Digital Camera for $349 - 20% off code $GN$D6864K0XV? [Exp 6/21, 2k] - $30 off $300 code S$JZTQ86CQR3SV [Exp 6/21] = $252 with free shipping.

AssassyN · Jun 16, 2005, 06:23 AM

^ deal 4 real

OwlBoy · Jun 16, 2005, 07:40 AM

hmmm

paul w · Jun 16, 2005, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Lancer409

if that's the altoids camera, there's an insane ammount of complaints about it's lens. i have a sd200, and indoor pics (with flash or on a stable surface/tripod without flash) have turned out fine/great. the lens is sharp compared to pentax len's in camera's of comperable size.

maybe you set it to low iso and no flash .. and your girlfriend set her camera to auto iso settings (which scale up in low light) leading to less blurry shots (which turn out grainer / and can be done on the canon as well) ...

in almost any review, the canon beats the pentax hands down...

I have never read or heard of any complaints. This is my review- an experienced photographer who's used both extensively. And after nearly 2 years the Pentax has been insanely great-a solid camera indeed. excellent lens too, better than the canon (no purple fringing). The only weakness is its flash-but that's a common weakness.

I'm talking about situation using NO flash. With the Pentax you can get good results, with the canon it's darn near impossible. Perhaps the canon has a better flash, but it's a true joy to take indoor photos with the pentax without the flash. With the Canon I've tried everything possible- and my camera is currently set to underexpose by one full stop and I STILL can't get the same results as the pentax.

But the Canon is indeed nicer in many ways. Most people don't care about what I'm talking about and shoot with flash all the time. I persoanlly hate flash and any always prefer the ambient light...

Josh Reid · Jun 16, 2005, 11:15 AM

I agree with Paul in some respects...I love my Powershot S410 but I rarely, if ever, get a good shot without using the flash. I've tried manual settings, auto-settings, there's always blur. That's my biggest complaint about the camera, as I've seen people using super cheap cameras who, in mid-low-light get crystal clear photos.

TheMosco · Jun 16, 2005, 11:53 AM

Get the Pentax, I love mine.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Jun 16, 2005, 01:23 PM

Sony cybershop T7 is the smallest 5mp camera right now.

TheMosco · Jun 16, 2005, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by Severed Hand of Skywalker

Sony cybershop T7 is the smallest 5mp camera right now.

I think the new Casio just took over. Not sure if you can buy it yet, but I thought I saw it was coming out soon.

Lancer409 · Jun 16, 2005, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by paul w

But the Canon is indeed nicer in many ways. Most people don't care about what I'm talking about and shoot with flash all the time. I persoanlly hate flash and any always prefer the ambient light...

I dont like flash shots either (harsh looking colors compared to warm ambient shots)

try setting it to full auto and disabling the flash, or set it to auto iso and disable the flash..

i think the issue you're having is the iso is staying low (which keeps the image from becoming grainy) but also causes it to take longer to expose a photo. with auto iso or a high iso set from the start, shot times should be much faster.

that said .. lumix fx7 ... optical image stabilizer.

when i next upgrade my digicam, it will feature a image stabilizer. canon will keep my business if they slap that in a small formfactor.

KeyLimePi · Jun 16, 2005, 02:17 PM

I have an SD10 that I love. Great pics outdoors, very good indoors. Very small and good battery live. Rugged, too. I've bang mine up pretty much, big ol' dent in it, there's something that rattles in it, but it still works great.

milhous · Jun 16, 2005, 05:55 PM

the Fuji FinePix Z1 I think is one of the most compact and sharply designed cameras i've ever seen. 5.1 megapixel, all metal case, and FAST start up and picture taking. hit up your local best buy and see for yourself. 399 at the store, though you can get it for less online.

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fu...ew/index.shtml

i don't think it meets your criteria, but i was very close to buying it when i first saw it. in fact i'm still thinking about getting it.

Severed Hand of Skywalker · Jun 16, 2005, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by TheMosco

I think the new Casio just took over. Not sure if you can buy it yet, but I thought I saw it was coming out soon.

nope it's bigger and it has that giant optical zoom that comes out a mile

MrForgetable · Jun 16, 2005, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by Josh Reid

I agree with Paul in some respects...I love my Powershot S410 but I rarely, if ever, get a good shot without using the flash. I've tried manual settings, auto-settings, there's always blur. That's my biggest complaint about the camera, as I've seen people using super cheap cameras who, in mid-low-light get crystal clear photos.

the shutter speed the camera is picking is TOO SLOW. handheld indoor shots will almost ALWAYS come out blurry because the sensor is just not recieving enough light to properly expose the picture.

to fix this on an automatic camera, bump up the ISO to 100 or 200. i personally would never use ISO 400 unless I just wanted a picture at 800x600. ISO 100 and 200 are easier to clean up in post processing and fine if you want to print 4x6s without PP.

this is just one of the limitations having such a little sensor.

CMYKid · Jun 23, 2005, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by milhous

the Fuji FinePix Z1 I think is one of the most compact and sharply designed cameras i've ever seen. 5.1 megapixel, all metal case, and FAST start up and picture taking. hit up your local best buy and see for yourself. 399 at the store, though you can get it for less online.

[b]$249[\b] from Tigerdirect! They show it for more on their site but the catalogs list em for $249...

powertrippin · Jun 23, 2005, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by OwlBoy

I like my big "real camera" size digital camera. Its the size of a standard SLR.

I have been finding I wish I had a small pocket sized digital camera, to just have with me in my pocket.

Can anyone recommend a good 3 megapixel or more pocket size digital camera that has a reasonable price?

SD media would be a plus, since I already have 2 SD cards for my bigger Digital camera.

I don't have the money for one at the moment, but would like to know what to keep an eye on.

-Owl

Canon SD10. It's incredible.

maxintosh · Jun 23, 2005, 03:31 PM

I have the SD200 but if I did it over I think I would go for the Fuji F10. It takes incredible night pics (up to 1600 ISO) with little noise. Got to play with one and it's a great little camera.

JoshuaZ · Jun 23, 2005, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by AssassyN

Canon SD200, 300, 400, or 500, depending on budget.

I have the SD200 and it's been EVERYWHERE with me, dropped, kicked, slammed, and STILL takes amazing pics. PLUS, it's the hottest item to have 'cause you can sneak this thing into ANY "no cameras allowed" shows and the "Night Snapshot" takes incredibly good pics w/o flash. I love mine.

Canon is the best. go for Canon.