Digital camera advice???

[woza]

Hey guys, i am looking at buying a digital camera for a present for my girlfriends birthday. Went shopping today to harrods and saw some nice ones. Went further shopping and had a look at the sony cybershot dsc-w30 and the sony dsc-s600.

not being very in the know with cameras i really dont know what is good and the "manager" in jessops was useless.

The dsc-w30 seemed and looked really nice and the one thing the shop manager told me was that it was very quick. Ive got about £200 to play with. My girlfriend isnt a pro photographer or anything. Just want to get her a nice camera which will take some good photos?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Are there any good websites which have comprehensive reviews on cameras also?

Many thanks in advance guys.

Woza.

[Gemm]

dpreview.com would probably be the best site to check the cameras.

www.dpreview.com/

First question, do you want something that can fit in a pocket/handbag or something larger and more serious?

[LongQ]

www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html

It's a fast moving market - models in that price range seem to change about every 6 months so just scan the list for anything with a 2006 review date, maybe late 2005 as well.

Unless you (or rather your gf) have any specific requirements - use underwater or something like that - pretty much anything in the price range will probably be very satisfying but if the bug bites expect to be back in the market for an upgrade (I'm thinking features rather than megapixels) in time for Xmas ...

[cannedheat]

How about something like a Canon Ixus 60? It's small, shiny and compact....just like what women want

www.cameras2u.com/products/details.cfm?PRODUCT=1080B004AA&refer=prg

[woza]

thank you for all your responses guys. to answer a few of the questions, it doesnt have to have any special features. Just want it to take good quality photos and video. must look good but doesnt have to be tiny like some of the sonys. I dont really want something really clumpy though.

The canon looks nice, is this particularly good? I take it that for the money there is nothing that stands out amongst the rest?

Thanks again for your replies!

[cannedheat]

for the Canon (It's called the SD600 in the States and the Ixus 60 here)

Steves-digicams.com said:

Bottom line - The Canon PowerShot SD600 is a welcomed addition to this awesome ultra-compact line. Not only can this model be carried in any size pocket, it's ready to capture that special moment in an instant with such robust performance. Image quality was very good for a consumer model, and with 6-megapixels you'll have plenty of resolution to create photo-lab quality 8x10-inch or larger prints. The only items we recommend you add to your purchase are a high capacity SD card and an extra NB-4L battery pack. With a street price of around US$349 or less, it offers an excellent value for such a durable and capable digicam.

[viper_larry]

cannedheat said:

How about something like a Canon Ixus 60? It's small, shiny and compact....just like what women want

www.cameras2u.com/products/details.cfm?PRODUCT=1080B004AA&refer=prg

Agree with cannedheat.

Is currently the A List camera from PC Pro:
www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/86269/canon-digital-ixus-60.html

I have a previous version and it is superb.