What Digital Camera should I buy?

[pdavison]

I know very little about digital camera's but I want to buy one that is as small as possible, with a large screen & that will produce good quality pictures. Could anyone recommend a good one to buy around the £200 mark?

Also I'm off to the US at the end of August, would it be worth waiting to buy one out there?

Any advice gratefully received!

[pmanson]

Have a look at the usual suspects from Canon, Pentax etc. I've got a Pentax Optio S5z which I brought a couple of years ago which is really good.

Saying that my new phone has a 3.2mp camera in it!

[mkgriff]

I have a Sony T7 that I am very happy with. It is very slim and has a large screen, good battery life..... There is also a replacement model - T9, which is a little better again, but more expensive.

[beanbag]

The best one (just got it today), for 200 is the Canon IXUS 65.

www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=109&t=289754&p=1

It's got a better spec than the Sony, plus it uses cheaper and more easily available SD cards which can be used for lots of other things. Sony uses its proprietry memory stick which can generally only be used with sony products.

On top of that, the Canon is better for night time photography, and has more video features as well as a slightly larger CCD and faster shutter speed.

Hope this helps!

[planetdave]

I'd be off down Jessops* making a nuisance of myself. I know I'd like one that would fit a shirt pocket/4megapixels+/boots up in <1 second and doesn't have a shocking lens.

Then I'd bugger off and buy it on t'internet

*There are other high street photographic retailers that you can be a cock in

edited for being a cock

Edited by planetdave on Monday 31st July 11:03

[muley]

I'm delighted with the performance of my Sony DSC-P200.

[xjsjohn]

for idiot proof, small and a good snapper i got (and have now passed on to the wife) a Fuji FinePix Z1

great little camera, in auto mode it seems to shoot everything well, and has some manual functions for the "david bailey" moment.

Also its credit card siced ad about 12mm thick so small too.

can find them on pixmania.com for not too much.

[Parrot of Doom]

Buy a book, something like 'photography for dummies' - assuming you're a bit of an amateur. £10 on a book will make a bigger difference than megapixels or carl zeiss.

[a2z]

I have just got an Olympus Mju 700. 7.1 megapixel. The screen is huge and takes a very good photo. Slim and light enough for a shirt pocket. I had the previous model for 3 years of site abuse and it never broke (metal weatherproof body) until some scrote nicked it. Anyway, £199 from John Lewis.

Edited by a2z on Monday 31st July 11:01

[Saabyfox]

I have one of these, and it is superb. Clear screen, 6.0 megapixel, easy to use interface.
www.jessops.com/Store/s34635/0/Digital-Compact-Cameras/Olympus/SP-700-Digital-Camera/details.aspx?&IsSearch=y&pageindex=1&CatId=236&comp=n

And its now only £179!

[pdavison]

Thanks everyone, looks like a lot of choice out there!

Any idea if I would save any cash by buying in the States?

[planetdave]

I should co-co

[dinkel]

The IXUS is king but a Finepix is so easy to use . . . Mine is a E300 Olympus SLR. I'm so glad I waited and didn't buy a tempting cheaper IXUS or whatever. They're about 300 BP and I prefer them over a D50 / D70 . . . supersimple handling and quick.

[V6GTO]

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=289754&f=109&h=0

[imperialism2024]

mk6fiesta said:

Ive just bought a Sony Cybershot DSC-W70 on the weekend to replace a digital Ixus which I lost (and have subsequently found - doh!)

It was 299 euro, so I think 200pounds would be easily attainable in the UK.

Nice brushed metal casing, huuge LCD, 7.2MP, lots and lots of macro modes, adjustable ISO etc - also got a lovely Carl Zeiss lense and uses Li-Ion batteries, so no need to be buying crate loads of AA's!

I'll slightly modify that suggestion to a DSC-W50. It tends to run $50 less than the W70 and the only difference is 6MP instead of 7MP, which isn't a difference worth more than about $5. Plus I'd assume the noise is a little greater on the W70 compared to the W50, given the same size sensor and smaller pixels, etc etc

I'd throw in taking a look at Panasonic FX-series cameras. They're quite easy to use, but also give decent image quality and are very streamlined with large screens.

But probably the most important factor is how it feels in your hand. Make sure it's comfortable to hold, and that you can easily reach all important buttons without having to fidget much with the camera.


Anyone up for putting together a PH P&S buyer's guide?