Which Digital Camera?

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Bane

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Hi people!

Well, thinking of buying a digital camera for my girlfriend for Xmas but, I have absolutely no idea what to buy.

It'll be used for normal activities (holidays, pics of niece, etc).

I know she wants one with a good optical zoom.

Erm...Think that's the important stuff?

Oh, and only want to spend about

 
Resolution - anything over 5 Mega pixels should be fine printed @ A4. There are higher resolution available - but they use up more space on your hard drive

Optical zoom - look for 4/5X. Bigger are available but the cameras tend to be more money and 'professional' models with big lenses stuck on the front.

Digital zoom - doesn't count - just makes things bigger and blurry!

Memory card - SD most common

Battery - can eat standard AA's. Some come with a Li-Ion rechargeable and they last longer. But you are stuffed if it goes flat when you are on holiday ;)

Avoid Vivitar - had no end of problems with mine.

If you are likely to do any close ups most have a 'macro' mode - but not all

Check what comes with the camera - often you don't get the memory card or a case and you may need to allow for these in your budget

 
Well - my main camera is a canon, digital SLR.....

Awesome kit, but a bit over the top for your requirements, methinks.

I`ve got a second, underwater digital that I use when out in tropical, reef infested waterB-)

I`d look at the best make you can afford in the "creative compact" range - Canon (Ixus), Nikon (Coolpix), or Pentax (Optio) nare all pretty good :)

The Ixus may be a bit expensive, unless you can find a deal - maybe the Powershot - A580 perhaps?

The Coolpix is likely to be the P50. I think it is better than the L18, for roughly the same cost.......

Don`t know that much about the Pentax - but one of my colleagues says hes really chuffed with his.

HTH

KME

 
Thank you very much guys.

Very helpful.

Just reminded me KME to look for a camera that has/accepts an underwater housing.

That was a mistake I made on my last purchase. Couldn't find one!

 
Regarding underwater camera....

I bought, off the net, a (sorry, Apache:)) Vivitar 6200w

erm....Awesome. Been in the red sea for hours on end, out in the desert, bashed about in a local "bus" in Kenya; and still produces excellent shots.

Biggest advantage for me: built in AWB for underwater <15ft, and >15ft :)

 
My first vivitar never took a picture. Just wouldn't work. Sent back.

Replacement worked ok for ~6mths than all my pictures were very red. Sent abroad for repair (seem to think Canada?). Came back just the same.

Ate batteries. Seriously 15 pics to a recharge on 2 1500mah rechargeable batteries!

Wouldn't touch with a bargepole, and then just to nudge it into a canal ;)

Love my little Konika Minolta (before they went bust)

:D

 
Odd - polar opposite :)

Lasts for 2-300 shots underwater, many with flash (2 x 2200mAH AA)

Closest to a problem was sticking shutter button on the waterproof outer.

My own fault - careless when cleaning the salt off :(

WD40 is good, though. :)

(Canon is better - but I`m not taking that little darling near the water - she can`t swim) :(

 
I've just got a Sony ericsson C905 as I don't want to haul my Fuji S7000 when I'm off on the mountain bike or hiking.

As a phone that takes a great 8.1MP picture, enables you to 'geo-tag' it (uses the in-built GPS to give the co-ordinates of the shot taken) and enables that photo to be uploaded to a blog site it's a miracle of modern technology! :D

 
How much Please Mr S? (If you don't mind me asking?) and we see some sample pics off of it - when and if you get a spare 5 minutes, Please Mate?

 
My wife swears by the Panasonic cameras.
Well, take the missus over to the "Olympus" cameras instead then, perhaps she won't swear then, Nige. :D

 
Lol, I have an old Olympus & they are extremely rugged little cameras.

The wife ribs me about it coz it's an advantix not a digital one. :)

 
I currently have a Sony Cyber-shot 10.1 mega pixel DSC-N2

Which is a year and a bit old

I

 
I was looking at these the other week, they have come down in price an awful lot.

How many pics can it take with & without the smartcard/SD card?

 
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