I want to buy a good digital camera for under $300. What features should I be looking for?

Question

Is my price range unrealistic? What brands/models would you recommend?

Answer 1

You're gonna get no more than 3.2-4 mega pixels. Try to get at least 5x zoom.

Answer 2

there are two basic elements to look for in a digital camera. The pixel count and the optical zoom capabilities. The bigger the number on both of these, the better off you are.
The pixel count (megapixels) is what determines the overall sharpness of your image. This matters less for work being viewed on-screen but much more so when you print the image at a photolab. Look for something with a minimum of 5 megapixels, 8 is better but might be stretching the budget a bit.
The optical zoom is also important because this is what gives you more power to compose your picture. You do NOT want digital zoom (altho all cams have this, don't use it). Optical zoom is when the glass elements of the lens shift position to increase and decrease your magnification. Digital zoom merely enlarges the middle of your picture and crops the outer edge. The problem with this is that your picture is really only a conglomeration of dots. Enlarge those dots enough and all you will see is dots. Optical zoom does not enlarge the dots, it actually, physically enlarges the image, thus giving you an infinately better picture.
There are other features that are nice, but not necessary. Image Stabilization (IS), Red Eye Reduction, Slow Sync Flash, remote triggering, intervoltometer, etc, but these should be more like surprise bonuses than things to actually shop for.
The other thing to consider is to buy a camera that is made by an optical company. Olympus, Canon, Minolta, Nikon are all glass companies that produce cameras. HP, Sony, Panasonic, etc are electronic companies that sell cameras.
Above all else, avoid Sony. Everything Sony makes is proprietary so if you want to expand your camera memory, you have to buy Sony name-brand product and it will cost you a lot more.
Hope this helps!

Answer 3

There are several things you will want to consider before looking at what is available.
1. use - what is the primary use you will be putting this camera to? If you're just wanting to get family ad vacation type shots, then megapixel count should be the highest you can afford. If it's primarily going to be used as a vacation and trip camera, then you will want to look for higher optical zoom. Optical zoom is an actual magnification of the image, digital zoom is asking the camera's computer to fill in the 'gaps' and details on a shot that is a longer distance than the glass lenses were built to handle. If you travel to areas with a lot of precipitation or humidity, you WILL want to look into cameras that are somewhat weatherproof. Many are not weatherproof at all and being caught in a light sprinkle could be disastrous for your camera. Are you wanting to take a ot of 'macro' shots? A macro shot is an extreme close-up of things such as flowers and insects, and is life size or bigger at 100% viewing. Some cameras are set up to allow for extremely close-to-the-object picture taking (we're talking within inches) and some are able to use magnifying diopters to help magnify the image when taking the picture.
2. megapixels - the higher the megapixel count the better your resolution will be for printing out larger picture.
3. physical size - if you have large hands, then you might find a tiny, very light weight camers to be akward for it, causing you to fumble the camera and possibly drop it.If you have small hands, then you want to be sure your finger can reach the shutter button comfortably when holding the camera securely in both hands. The best way to try this out is to go to several stores where they carry a variety of cameras and hold them, look through the viewfinder and see if the weight and feel of the camera suits you. You don't necessarily have to buy from them, but if at all possible, see how the camera fits in your hands before purchasing it.
4. discontinued or current technology - There are some camera models or brands that are being discontinued. some of these will have continued support and some won't. If you are considering buying a 'last years model' camera, make sure you can still get the support for it if it is faulty.
5. new or used - many cameras still in perfectly good condition can be bought used from an individual or refurbished from a dealer. This would get you more camera for less money. However if you want to stay with new, then this option is out. One thing to watch for here, if the camera is used or refurbished, make sure you are paying a significant difference from the 'neww' price, otherrwise having the longer warranty might be worth the slight difference in price. Why pay $250 for a used item when the same item new would only cost $275? If the price is close like that, then forget the used or refurbished and get the new.
5. As far as I know, all digitals will connect to your computer for downloading and editting the pictures. Many of the new cameras coming out now have an ability/program called PictBridge that allows you to connect direct to a printer that also has this ability, so you can print out your pictures direct without a computer.
6. accessories - look at the accessories for the camera: memory cards, type and size of batteries used, etc. Sometimes a slightly cheaper camera will cost you more because it uses a more expensive form of memory.

These are all things to be considered when you buy a camera. Having someone to tell you what to buy is really not a good idea, as what suits someone else's needs and requirements may not suit yours. Once you've narrowed down the possible choices to the ones you will consider buying, then go to the camera review sites (as many as you can find) and read reviews on the cameras you are interested in. An otherwise nice camera may have a very slow shutter/write time, causing you to miss shots if you're wanting it for photographing fast-paced events. Another camera that works well for someone photographing sports events may not work for you if what you are primarily wanting is landscape pictures and 'macro' pictures. Again, this all goes back to deciding what your needs/wants are and which features are or will be more important to you.
One last thing to consider, if you wear glasses or have poor eyesight, make sure you can comfortably view things through the viewfinder.

Answer 4

You should be able to get a very decent digital camera for $200 to $250 range. I hate giving brand advice - a lot of what you hear boils to the "Ford vs. Chevy vs. Dodge vs. Toyota vs. Volkswagen vs..." fanaticism.

The online and bricks-and-mortar stores have many makes and models to choose from. My advise is that you should visit a brick-and-mortar store to "kick the tires" to compare features and prices, after looking at some of the product information on the WWW. Sure, you can buy something on the WWW when you decide what you want, but nothing beats being able to hold a demo unit in you had to see if it feels right in your hand, and maybe see some test prints - soem stores do that.

Also if your friends have cameras in that price range, check those out too, and see what kind of prints they get off their printers, and have them email you some, too...
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Features:
Look for a camera with at least a 5 times zoom lens, at least encompassing the range of 35 to 175 mm, 35mm film camera equivilent - that info should be printed near the lens, or in the "specifications" section of the manual. For comparison, a 50mm in a 35mm film camera has about the same filed of view as your eye does.

Another nice feature would be a "macro" setting, for taking close ups of small objects like flowers and insects without a lot of cropping. This will be nice if you want to shoot detail pictures of items to sell on eBay, etc.

Unless you want to make a lot of larger (say 8" by 10" or larger) paper prints, or want to take pictures professionally (for pay), then a camera with more than 5 or 6 megapixels will probably be overkill. What I notice, though, is that many times people will stand too far back from what they're trying to get a picture of, expecially when the subject contains people, then crop the heck out of the picture later - and then wonder why the resulting photo is so fuzzy and lacking in detail. If you think you'll be guilty of this, get all the megapixels you can afford. Americans and Canadians seem to be especially guilty of standing to far away from their subjects when taking pictures, probably becasue they've been culturally trained to have a lot of "personal space" around themselves.

And look for a camera with anti-shake software build into it too, though most cameras starting in the $200 range have it now.

Answer 5

It depends on what you're looking for. Here are some considerations:

Size. There are ultra-small cameras, which can fit in your pocket that you can carry everywhere. The Canon SD Digital Elph line and the Sony WSC lines are tiny. Don't underestimate the convenience of having a small camera with you all the time. You can take pictures whenever. However, tiny cameras typically come at a sacrifice.

They usually have fewer manual controls meaning you can't control as many things. If you're a beginner, that's fine. Also, you have to use a special battery that costs around 40-50 dollars. and differ from one camera maker to another. Thus, you can't use a Canon battery in a Sony camera. However, these special batteries do often hold charge well.

If you don't need a tiny camera, you can opt for a bigger one. Usually, they require alkaline batteries or NiMH rechargeables. You're highly recommended to get the rechargeable. Not only will they recharge, they hold charge much better. They are more expensive than alkalines but recharging makes it worth it. Larger cameras often have more megapixels, better lenses, and more options, but they are harder to carry around. Canon has an "A" series in this line.

Megapixels. Frankly, I think megapixels are overrated. Right now, the average low-end camera is moving up to 5 megapixels. You can't even find 2 megapixel cameras any more. Still, you almost don't need more than 4 megapixels, unless you intend to create large photos. The more megapixels you have, the fewer photos you can take since they use up more memory.

Viewing screen. These screens used to be tiny, maybe an inch along the diagonal. These have grown and grown. Right now, it's common to find 2 inch screens, but Canon has one that's 3 inches. They do tend to come at a price. 2.5 inches is pretty good. This is good when you want to show friends your pictures on the camera, without having to download. A good viewing screen typically has about 150,000 pixels, but many cameras are serviceable at around 110,000 pixels. Note: these pixels are viewing, not what the camera stores when you take a picture.

Recharging dock. Personally, I'm not a fan of the recharging dock. This is where you take the entire camera, sit it in the dock, and use it to recharge batteries. I'd rather remove the battery and use its own charger (this mostly applies to tiny cameras, not to larger ones that use alkaline).

There are a bunch of other features you could look at. Does it white balance? What kind of video capabilities does it have? What kind of memory card do you want to use? For example, many cameras use secure digital (SD), but Sony has its own Memory Stick. Should you switch cameras, you'd have to get new memory.

I'd recommend a middle of the line Canon SD camera, say an SD600 or SD630, which are just at 300 dollars. I might also recommend the Sony DSC-W50 which is about 250 dollars, but does use the Sony Memory Stick. I was thinking about the Casio Exlim EX-S500, which is ultra thin, but it had a dock.

Here's a website that has some recommendations, though it's a bit out of your price range: http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/

It mentions Fuji F-30, which is about 100 dollars above your price range, and has a large ISO range. In a typical camera, you usually use ISO 200 film which is good for daylight photos. However, as it gets darker, it's nice to have faster film, like ISO 800.

Digital cameras have a similar rating, but at ISO 800 or more, they produce awful pictures. The quality of the color is not good, and it's grainy, just like film. However, the Fuji F-30 can go way up in ISOs (up to 3200) with decent quality. But this only makes sense if you intend to take a lot of pictures in low lighting conditions or action pictures that require a fast shutter speed.

To summarize: features to look for: quality of picture, size of camera, size of viewing screen, kind of battery, kind of recharger, video capabilities, if you care.

Answer 6

If you're a novice, go for at least 3 megapixel with optical zoom and with expandable memory ( SD card, MMC) and can run in AAA battery, some products even boast a video recording (creative, benQ and other computer related brands can match commercial brand in terms of price and features). Good for starter. Do not immediately go for high end brand or latest model, they are costly and will also be rendered obsolete after a few years due to rapid advancement in digital technology. Aside from that you'll end up paying for other features you don't need such as USB connection, special lens, expensive battery, etc.Not to mention battery replacement from the manufacturer itself ONLY.

Answer 7

I have a few and teach photography classes. My first desireable feature is a camera that uses standard batteries(AA). You can always use rechargable ones but if the camera has a non standard rechargable battery, you will be out of business if your battery goes flat. And it alwqays does at the worst time. Second is size. I like one that will fit in a shirt pocket, otherwise you need a bag all of the time or a strap. Third, 2.1 megapixels minimum. That gives you prints up to 10 x 7.5 with good quality. Fourth, good zoom, optical zoom is much better than digital zoom. 4x to 10x is best. Fifth, SD memory cards area very good choice. They are small and cheap.

Answer 8

You want good picture quality, short shutter lag, long battery life, and big LCD screen on the back. Also ability to take videos can be a neat feature. I think Casio Exilim's are pretty good for compact, simple camera's right now. Mega pixel's aren't as important any more now that 3 and 4 MP are dirt cheap. Don't go lower than 3 MP. Many review sites exist Cnet.com is good and sites like pricegrabber.com can find you the best on-line price.

Answer 9

There are too many good choices in your price range. Two makes that give you the most for the money are CASIO and Olympus. Canon, Fuji, and Sony also offer some amazing cameras in your price range.

Oh, one other recommendation... Never buy a simple point and shoot. Even if you're just a beginner, one day you many need additional controls which most ultra compact cameras don't offer (CASIO being one exception).

Answer 10

Start with the basics. Battery life is important, as is ease of use. Also, when looking at features make a list of features you want, and then narrow it down to which ones are more important to you. Also, keep in mind what you're trying to photograph. Also, if you want a good bargain, try to look at sales or maybe discount Web sites like eBay. The best part about shopping on the Web is that you don't have to deal with salesmen.

Answer 11

You want more than 3 megapixels, good resolution, at least 5 or 6 times zoom, and good battery life. One that also has different shot capabilities (like night, out doors, etc) is a good feature.
I have an Olympus that is great and Canon makes some good cameras in your price range.