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Simon · Sep 27, 2005, 03:40 AM

I'm looking around to buy my first digital camera. Since I have no idea about digital cameras or photography I figured I'd might as well ask people with more experience. I don't have any special needs, I just need a camera to take some vacation pics.

I'd like a camera that's easy to use (i.e. no unnecessary features like movies, sound recording, etc.), doesn't have ten million buttons or comes with a 600 page manual, has small size and weight, good battery life and a fast UI. Are there digital cameras that come with some kind of video out (S-video, component, VGA, whatever.) so I can display pictures directly with my projector?

I recently saw a Samsung i5 that looked quite nice and was rather small. Is that a decent camera?

Do you guys have some recommendations?

Macola · Sep 27, 2005, 01:02 PM

Try this site, it may help make your decision easier:
http://www.myproductadvisor.com/mpa/home.do

Also check out the reviews on dpreview.com. After narrowing it down, it's largely a matter of personal preference.

EFFENDI · Sep 27, 2005, 02:38 PM

I'm selling my Olympus C-60Z, if you might be interested.

SpaceMonkey · Sep 28, 2005, 12:17 AM

Also check out http://www.dcresource.com It has a pretty good "buyer's guide" that outlines the features of each of the major camera lines out there.

I'd recommend the Canon SD200. I have the A510, and wish I had went with something smaller. The A510/20 is pretty small, but large enough that I feel like I have to *plan* to take it anywhere, which really cuts down on those random photo opportunities you stumble across.

Railroader · Sep 28, 2005, 02:06 AM

What's your price range?

I like the Canon Elph series for it's simplicity and excellent picture quality. The Canon SD300 Powershot Digital Elph is a GREAT camera for under $300. Or if you want to have a little more resolution, the SD550 is around $420.

ncsurfer · Sep 28, 2005, 02:11 AM

The canon sd400 is a great 5 megapixel camera. You can get them from costco.com for $299

Simon · Sep 28, 2005, 03:43 AM

Thanks for the help guys.

I'll check the comparison and review sites, but I'm actually more interested in people's personal favorites here. I can ask them specific issues about their cameras, something I can't do with a simple review article.

My price range goes up to $350. I could imagine spending more if the camera offers some great additional feature, but up to now, I've got the impression that more money mainly just buys more resolution or more exotic features. Both are things I'm actually not looking for. I think 5 Mpixels is more than enough and I could care less about movie recording, sound recording or even OCR text recognition (no kidding, I saw it as an advertised feature on one camera!).

I'd like small size (the Samsung i5 is really compact) enough memory, good battery life, fast, simple and clean UI, and decent transfer speeds to my Mac. That's all. There must be some camera that offers that. I hope.

Railroader · Sep 28, 2005, 04:59 AM

I am not a fan of buying cameras from companies that haven't been in the camera business. Granted, Sony has come a long way in the last couple years.

I'd like small size (the Samsung i5 is really compact) enough memory, good battery life, fast, simple and clean UI, and decent transfer speeds to my Mac. That's all. There must be some camera that offers that. I hope.

You seem to be caring about the least important things in your list of things that are important for a camera. The first and foremost important feature in a camera should be image quality. After reading the review at dcresource for this camera I think you could do much better for the money.

Simon · Sep 28, 2005, 05:14 AM

Railroader, I think you misunderstood me, I'll try to be more clear.

Of course image quality is *the* crucial issue. My list deals with the other issues that are important to me. I didn't explicitly write image quality because I figured that goes w/o saying. Of course I'm not planing on buying a camera with loads of memory, but crappy image quality.

I don't quite understand your comment about the i5 and image quality; the dcresource article says "Overall, I'd rank the Digimax i5's photo quality as very good, and comparable to the other ultra thin cameras on the market.". However, it also says that there's a long shutter lag time which is of course a complete show stopper. So I probably won't buy the i5, I was just mentioning it because I think it offers some otherwise very nice specs (tiny, fast transfer, big internal memory).

Simon · Sep 28, 2005, 05:28 AM

The SD450 seems to be quite a decent camera. Unfortunately it's rather pricey for a camera that comes with a mere 16MB memory. And it could be smaller/lighter. But its picture quality is supposed to be very good. I'm just a bit worried about what the review says about battery life.

Walker · Sep 28, 2005, 08:01 AM

Buy any Canon that you can afford and you'll be happy.

IceEnclosure · Sep 29, 2005, 01:03 PM

Canon please.

(Happy 2000th Post!!)

YZThump · 02:51 PM

Canon SD series if size is a primary concern

oh yeah, about the memory card....you are going to have to buy a "real" sized one no matter what camera you buy. The card included in the package is just a gimick so they can tell you you'll be shooting photos in minutes after opening. I'd get a 512MB min. That should hold 568 pictures when used with a 2 megapixel camera, 426 images when used with a 3 megapixel camera, 256 pictures when used with a 4 megapixel camera, 204 images when used with a 5 megapixel camera, and 160 pictures when used with a 6 megapixel camera.

Bendyrabbit · Sep 29, 2005, 03:16 PM

I adore my Canon Powershot S45. I've had it for about three years now and think it one of the best things I've ever bought. It sold me on digital. Mine is a 4MP that I paid about $400, I think. I just found it online for $225--and amazing deal, I think. It does do video, which I use a little, but mainly just regular pictures. Very east to operate and feels solid without weighing too much. I've compared it to pictures taken by relatives using other digital cameras and haven't seen anything in its price range that matches it. Great pictures, solid, easy to use. I think I even saw the 5MP version for less than I paid for the 4MP...

Jacob · Sep 29, 2005, 04:36 PM

Canon has an excellent well rounded lineup of cameras, with simple layout, small design and awsome picture. Reason I suggest a Canon is...you always get your money back for them. They're excellent. Good lense. The pro's use em. Plus, awsome battery life. I havent changed my batteries in about 2 months. I dont use it a LOT, but enough that its impressive.