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View Full Version : Looking for a digital camera



nbakewell
November 19th, 2008, 07:02 PM
Hey all...I'm looking to get a digital camera for Christmas but I really don't know the first thing about them and tend to get lost doing research - so i'm looking for personal recommendations. I only have a couple of requirements:


I'd like the camera itself to be small/slim, how it can easily fit into a back pocket, etc.. I'm the type of guy that doesn't like to carry bulky things around with him.
I'd like it to have a rechargeable battery instead of taking AA batteries or the like, but I suppose this is not a make-or-break feature.
I don't need tons of options (most of the stuff these cameras can do now anyways I'd prefer to do on Photoshop) but I would like it to be able to take large, crisp pictures (I guess most cameras do that nowadays)
Video is a plus


My price is flexible but i'm not looking for anything professionals would use, just something to carry along in case of a good sunset or random picture. Any suggestions are welcome - thanks!

chucky chuckaluck
November 19th, 2008, 07:07 PM
providing the glass is good, the more megapixels you have, the greater are your options for editing. also, optical zoom >>>>>>>>>digital zoom.

userundefine
November 19th, 2008, 07:20 PM
I'd recommend a Canon Powershot or Lumix. They make very good consumer digital cameras. And the guy above is right. If zoom is factoring into your choice, optical zoom is what you want. That means the lens zooms like a normal camera. Digital zoom is when the camera upscales the image to make it larger. This means horrible quality while using digital zoom.

And megapixels aren't everything. On smaller cameras it really doesn't add anything to your camera except maybe grain in your pictures. Glass is unimportant for megapixels. Sensor size is important, and small cameras means small sensor size (and fitting more pixels on the same small sensor).

ElSlunko
November 19th, 2008, 07:34 PM
I just got a Cannon SD 990 IS. It's not too bulky, but there are slimmer camera's out there. Not sure how it would feel in my back pocket (I sit down a lot) but it fits just fine in my front pocket. It is pretty light. I got it from newegg.com for 350 (You get a free camera bag and 8gb FD).

Here are some pictures I took with it :

http://flickr.com/photos/23171019@N06/ (Check out Camera Fun)

and a video :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N2OgJKvVVI (Be sure to 'Watch in High Quality)

I've been thoroughly satisfied with this camera. Works great with f-spot. I've only owned it for a couple of weeks and am still trying to figure it completely out. There's a lot of options, but it can also be very simple so it's pretty versatile.

Therion
November 19th, 2008, 07:41 PM
Heckuva deal on NewEgg right now on the Canon SD1100 which seems to meet all your criteria. Just got one myself the other day.
Mine came with a 2GB memory card, now it's up to a 4GB card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830120251

gn2
November 19th, 2008, 07:48 PM
Helps if you mention where you are because the market varies from country to country.

billgoldberg
November 19th, 2008, 08:20 PM
My Lumix DMC-LS80 does all that, works perfectly in Ubuntu.

It does come with AA batteries, but I have a AA battery recharger, so this isn't an issue.

It doesn't have much internal storage, but an SD card costs close to nothing.

* 8.1 megapixel
* 3x optical zoom
* 2.5 inch LCD
* ISO 100 - 1600



“This camera outperforms many cameras with a similar specification and price tag. It really comes into its own with its ease of use. You will also find one or two features that are not normally associated with entry level cameras such as image stabilization and widescreen movies.”

It's sold for 96 US dollars now here:
http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?omid=105&ref=bizrate&utm_source=Bizrate&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PNDMCLS80S&sku=PNDMCLS80S

Sealbhach
November 19th, 2008, 08:36 PM
I have a Samsung S1050. Works great in Ubuntu, all i had to do was just plug it in - even though it came with a disk for Windows. It plays video and is 10MP, but a bit too bulky for the back pocket.


http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment/review/Samsung_S1050_11637.php

Some pictures I took with it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/57745288@N00/sets/72157607402312943/



.

Phreaker
November 19th, 2008, 09:00 PM
I have had only good experience with Canon products