Which digital camera for my mum ?

[ubuntu_demon]

Hey,

I'm searching for a digital camera for my mum. It has to be very easy.

Her budget is max 250 euros for the camera and needed stuff such as batteries. Which leaves room for about 200 euros for the camera.

She will use the camera for making pictures of jewelry and taking holiday pictures.

Some things we consider important for the camera to have :
- extremely easy to use
- viewfinder and lcd screen
- runs on batteries
- has some optical zoom
- macro function (for jewelry)
- sd-card slot (cheapest cards)

I will probably get it within a 1-2 hours because I won't see my mum for a while and she needs enough time to practice with it.

A few cameras I like (based on a quick talk with a salesman) :

Canon Powershot A560 (macro range of 5 cm)
Canon Powershot A550 (macro range of 5 cm)
Canon Powershot A460 (macro range of 1 cm)

Any suggestions and tips are welcome!

[bailout]

Doesn't meet all your requirements but the fuji f20/30/31 get great reviews. The f20 is a simpler p&s version with the same sensor and if you can find it has been selling very cheap recently.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf31fd/

[dasunst3r]

Speaking of Digital Photography Review, you could also check out their buying guide.
Doesn't meet all your requirements but the fuji f20/30/31 get great reviews. The f20 is a simpler p&s version with the same sensor and if you can find it has been selling very cheap recently.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf31fd/

[fuscia]

i like my nikon coolpix 5600. it's got macro, but a little limited in optical zoom (3x, i think). the glass is pretty nice. much better than my film camera (80s minolta). it's pretty small and fits easily into a normal pants pocket.

[chakkaradeep]

I have Nikon Coolpix S8 (http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/digitalcamera/coolpix/s8/index.htm). Its really good :) and also plays good with Ubuntu (http://chakkaradeep.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/ubuntu-and-digital-camera/) :guitar:

[imon9]

I am currently using Casio Exilm-110...(buy the more recent models) the series comes in cheap price and almost great quality picture (except for night scene without flash..but seems to improve now in newer models)

else, for something more highend... i recommend Panasonic Lumix

[andlinux21]

Well it doesnt take SD cards but this camera is pretty nice and its very light for your mom
Fujifilm Finepix S5200 5.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom several of my co workers have it and they love it.

[ubuntu_demon]

Thanks guys!

I choose the canon powershot A550 because my mum didn't want to wait any longer and it seemed like an easy and decent camera for her.

[andlinux21]

Good choice let us know how she likes it when she gets it..

[anaconda]

Yep.. good choice. I have a similar camera.
If you want even better macro pictures you might want to try a regular magnifying lens kept in front of the camera lens.. It works perfectly.

There are some good pages on the net about using a lens in front of the camera..

[ubuntu_demon]

Yep.. good choice. I have a similar camera.
If you want even better macro pictures you might want to try a regular magnifying lens kept in front of the camera lens.. It works perfectly.

There are some good pages on the net about using a lens in front of the camera..
Thanks for the suggestion.

[ubuntu_demon]

We already gave the camera to her and tested it. It's a nice and easy camera.

Personally I don't like Canon very much because they don't play along with Linux very well. My Canon scanner doesn't work and is just a paperweight. The Canon S200 and S300 printers we have do work but not very well. So for myself I probably wouldn't have bought Canon. But this Canon camera was the best one I could find which fitted her wishlist and budget.

[happy-and-lost]

I know Sony are *evil* but they make very good and versatile cameras. I'd steer clear of Nikon cameras, they eat batteries.

[Lord Illidan]

My dad's got a coolpix, forgot which version is it, but it mounts as a usb drive...very handy!

[mips]

Doesn't meet all your requirements but the fuji f20/30/31 get great reviews. The f20 is a simpler p&s version with the same sensor and if you can find it has been selling very cheap recently.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf31fd/

I would recommend the exact same cameras to someone wanting a P&S camera.

They have excellent low light performance which is very handy for indoor and dark shots.

I would actually like to get myself one.

[gus sett]

...the digital camera recommendations thread covers
a broad spectrum of the pros & cons of the digital gizmos
available these days :!: Kodak Z710 has no image
stabilization, but the shrouded viewfinder as from
yesteryear...

Hey,

I'm searching for a digital camera for my mum. It has to be very easy.

Her budget is max 250 euros for the camera and needed stuff such as batteries. Which leaves room for about 200 euros for the camera.

She will use the camera for making pictures of jewelry and taking holiday pictures.

Some things we consider important for the camera to have :
- extremely easy to use
- viewfinder and lcd screen
- runs on batteries
- has some optical zoom
- macro function (for jewelry)
- sd-card slot (cheapest cards)

I will probably get it within a 1-2 hours because I won't see my mum for a while and she needs enough time to practice with it.

A few cameras I like (based on a quick talk with a salesman) :

Canon Powershot A560 (macro range of 5 cm)
Canon Powershot A550 (macro range of 5 cm)
Canon Powershot A460 (macro range of 1 cm)

Any suggestions and tips are welcome!