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GeorgAz





Joined: 04 Jan 2003
Posts: 815
Location: Scottsdale

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 11:12 am    Post subject: Camera choices Reply to topic Reply with quote

Ok, all...Give me some of your picks for a new digital camera for less than $300.00. What are the features I should look for ?? Pixels, etc, are still Greek to me and don't know how to do a lot of size editing, etc, as my little Kodak s doesn't allow many options.Help! Best place to purchase, also.
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desertgirl





Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 3350
Location: Chandler, AZ

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 11:23 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Excellent resources
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
Some selections in your price range: http://www50.shopping.com/xPP-Digital_Cameras--price_range_190_260
Personally - I am very partial to Canon. My current hike camera is a Canon S2IS - It is somewhat larger to carry. Will not fit into your pocket etc ...
http://www50.shopping.com/xPO-Canon_PowerShot_S2_IS
Other good choices: http://www50.shopping.com/xPO-Canon-PowerShot-A710-IS (Smaller form factor but not as much zoom as the S2 or S3IS)
Features that I look for
1) Form factor - Get something you will use and one that will fit yor use model
2) Zoom - I like to have a lot of zoom in my hike camera but it comes at a price. Lesser zooms usually give you higher quality.
3) Ease of use - This where I like my Canons most (May be I am just used to it )
4) If you want the ability for Video clips -- Then SLRs are out
5) Image size -- These days anything over 4-5 MP is more than adequate for typical print sizes.
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KFarm





Joined: 30 Jan 2006
Posts: 98
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Hi GeorgAz,

I personally like Canon. A couple of good cameras in that price range would be the Canon PowerShot A630 or the Canon PowerShot SD40 (which is on sale at Circuit City). A630 is a 8.0 million effective pixels camera with 35 mm - 140 mm (4x) zoom and the SD40 is a compact camera with 7.1 million effective pixels
with 38 mm - 90 mm (2.3x) zoom . dpreview.com is a great website for reviewing these and any other cameras. Hope this help and you find the camera you are looking for...
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Davis2001R6





Joined: 12 Dec 2003
Posts: 5591
Location: Italy

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 12:22 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Fry's Electronics website has the Canon A530 on sale, it's last years version but still a great camera at the $130 price. I probably would have gotten it instead of my current one if it was on sale then.

Fry's Canon Link

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/a530.html
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gpsjoe





Joined: 01 Feb 2004
Posts: 535
Location: Mesa AZ

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Add an extra $100 or less and get the Canon SD800 IS. See

http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Canon_PowerShot_SD800_IS_Digital_Camera,__26198643/sort_type=bottomline

It has all the latest Canon technologies including image stabalization. It's lens starts at 28mm which is a little bit of wide angle campared to 35mm and can zoom to 3.6X.
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thesuperstitions
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PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I agree with desertgirl about Canon. My experience has been that they capture color very nicely. Their auto mode is very good. "Optical" zoom, IMHO, is not a place to compromise. My recommendation is to get a Canon with at least 5MP and the best optical zoom you can afford.
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Al_HikesAZ





Joined: 21 Jun 2005
Posts: 263
Location: Scottsdale, AZ

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 2:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Camera choices Reply to topic Reply with quote

GeorgAz wrote:
Ok, all...Give me some of your picks for a new digital camera for less than $300.00. What are the features I should look for ??

A lot depends on what hiking you do. I chose the Pentax W20. 7mp 3xoptical zoom. It is lightweight, fits in my pocket and most importantly it is waterproof, dustproof and has image stabilization. A friend was very careful on a water hike but still toasted his dSLR because of moisture from his hands.

Canon and Nikon make excellent cameras. Pentax is very comparable in image quality. I have a Canon Rebel XT, but it doesn't go on many hikes. I agree with Ken on optical zoom - Digital zoom is not worth it.
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BoyNhisDog
The dangerous place where the winds meet




Joined: 05 Jan 2003
Posts: 1375
Location: Tucson

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

More than you want to spend but a real photographic machine bargain now is the Canon Rebel XT at B&H. This is the older model but it is a smoking little DSLR and this comes with an 18-50mm lens. It is $579. At the site above just type in the promotional code psnov06 and select Canon to see other cameras that might interest you. Research them on the sites that Desert Girl provided.
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Cholla





Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 379

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 4:26 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

You might want to check out this site as well for weatherproof cameras that are nice for outdoor activities.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/cameras_wr.html

I have been happy with the Olympus Stylus 500 I purchased two years ago. One nice feature is the 2.5" LCD that helps in bright outdoor lighting. The latest version is 7 megapixels.

As a point and shoot I also find that outdoors stepping down 1/3 stop also improves color saturation.

Hope this helps.
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BoyNhisDog
The dangerous place where the winds meet




Joined: 05 Jan 2003
Posts: 1375
Location: Tucson

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I am just going to add that if you can afford to step up to a DSLR like the Rebel XT, the bigger sensor is so well worth it. You will get a much bigger dynamic range of light in your images and you will see a lot less noise as well.
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threedogz





Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 668
Location: Chandler

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I'm par to Canon, I have the older Digital Rebel that came out a few years ago and I have no complaints.

The best way to pick out a camera is write down all the things you need out of a camera, then find one that best fits your needs in your price range.
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GeorgAz





Joined: 04 Jan 2003
Posts: 815
Location: Scottsdale

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

Wow! Thank you all for your input. Will check it all out...going to print this whole page and take with me on my next shopping venture!
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Suz





Joined: 27 Nov 2005
Posts: 3186

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 6:31 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I vote for canon, too but I'm a frequent Consumer Reports reader and strongly suggest consulting their online reviews (4.95 for a month) before heading to the store.
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Daryl





Joined: 07 Feb 2003
Posts: 1168
Location: Everett, Washington

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 7:38 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I like Canon, but Nikon is just as good. Panasonic makes some good point and shoot cameras that a lot of people rave about as well.

If you can swing $340, Dell has the Canon S3 on sale. 6mp, 36-412mm zoom range (WOW!), great macro mode and image stabilization not to mention the flip out and twist view finder. I have the S2 and would like to upgrade to the S3 for when I don't want to carry arround the SLR and lens.

Under $300, the A630 is nice. I have one in my desk at work and have been very happy with.
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Desert-Boonie





Joined: 23 Nov 2004
Posts: 219
Location: Glendale, AZ

PostPosted: 1/17/2007, 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply to topic Reply with quote

I know nothing about camera's, but I have 2 Sony's and I have never had a problem with them. Tons of accessories Sony offers with all their camera's as well. I use the DSC-H1 5.1 Mega Pixel 12.0x Zoom Cyber-Shot. It has taken a beating and still works as good as new.
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