need help choosing a digital camera...under £90, some optical zoom... read on for more hopeful specs. Please!!

Question

Am trying hard to find a good digital camera, and would desperately appreciate any input anyone could give me...

1) i want to take fun holiday snaps, max size 6x4. do i need a 5MP camera, or will a 3.2MP / 4MP do just as well?

2) it needs to be under £90, to be able to take SD memory cards of up to 512MB, and to be able to take Ni-MH rechargable batteries/ li-ion rechargable batteries. I would like it to be compact and pocket-sized, and it would be good for it to have a zoom.

3) It needs to be available in the UK

4) I was thinking of the Kodak EasyShare C530/ C330/ C340 / C360, or an olympus c370. does anyone have any opinions/ experiences/ cheap, reputable vendor sites for any of these?

5)does anyone know of any sites selling panasonic cameras for under £100, as I've heard they are brilliant?

Sorry for all the questions, but i'd really thank you for answering (anyway, think of the points! ;-) )

thanks for all feedback so far... canon a430 sounds interesting thanks- thanks for the tip about olympus memory cards as well!

am also thinking of Kodak Z730

again, just a few more details...

would like it to take short videos, but this is not essential.

as a comparison guide to UK prices, the kodak c340 is £80, and the c330 £70 on amazon.

the sites will have to be able to ship to the UK.

thanks!

MUST be under £90- $300 is no good unfortunately!

as cameras are cheaper in america, even with the exchange rate, about $170 will be my budget (eg canon a430 is $140, but £100)

Answer 1

Given what you've said, and the cameras you've said you were thinking of, I'd recommend the Kodak. Olympus lenses are going to be better quality than what the more compact Kodak cameras would use, which will translate into a sharper image, but Olympus also uses the xD memory card format, rather than the SD. I generally deal in the Canadian Dollar, but given that the British Pound is approximately twice that... you may also want to check out the Canon A430 (I'm not sure what the model would be over in the U.K). Even though it's 4 megapixels instead of 5 (if you're really not going to be printing larger than the 6x4 or 4x6 size then 4 megapixels will be MORE than enough), it takes two AA batteries, you can use the rechargeable Ni-MH or the Lithium batteries, and it's 4x optical zoom.

From what I can recal, Z730 is a little bulkier in comparison for what you're asking, and it may also be quite a bit more expensive in comparison to what you've said you're looking for. I will also let you know that in my own tests, Nikon tends to be a little off on the photo colour. It still is a good camera manufacturer, but from what I've tested and seen in results, Canon tends to be a little better. Also, be careful when purchasing from sites from overseas as they may or may not have the price marked in British Pounds. It'd be better to look at camera stores in your area, they will have a pretty wide selection of cameras and will also be able to give you a slightly better deal in some cases.

Answer 2

I would go with a Canon or a Nikon, rather than Kodak or Olympus.

We've tried all kinds of digital cameras (HP, Kodak, etc) and were not happy until we got our Canons. Right now, we have the DigiReb, which is way out of your quoted price range...but save up for it, because it is like no other! It takes pictures in the dark, without a flash, that look like they were taken in daylight. We had a baby in the NICU, and got such awesome photos, that all of the nurses eventually went out and got the same camera.

I just got a Canon SD600 Digital ELPH because its a lot smaller than the DigiReb, and it takes video, which is a feature I want to be able to use for my classroom. This one is also a little out of your price range (though a lot closer $250-$300 US), but the older versions (I believe someone already mentioned the SD300) should be well within your range. The advantage the SD600 has that the older ones do not, is that it goes up to 800 ISO. Other than that, they are very similar. I like that its very small and fits in your pocket. It takes better pictures than other cameras of similar price range, and the LCD Display is killer.

We tried to go cheap on a digi camera, but it just didn't work.

Answer 3

Try the nikon coolpix L4. It is SD compatible up to a 2GB card. I went with the L3 myself. It will use a 4GB card and the video has audio! I spent 3 weeks shopping for my camera, but I am glad I did. I think I got the perfect camera althought I spent a tad more than I had planned. As for available in the UK, just order from Buy.com or Circuitcity.com and I belive they both offer over-seas shipping.

In my opinon, Kodak is still relativly new to the digital market. My olympus was awesome and it was 3.2mp camera. it was just a brick (1 pound) with the 4 AA batteries and the 128MB limit on the smartmedia. 3.2 will take one serious HQ pic.

Here is what made me choose the L3. The L4 had 10Mb of onboard memory and the L3 has 32MB, 2 AA Batteries (I use Energizer Nimh rechareable batteries), 3x zoom and 4x digital zoom, Video with audio, Memory card capacity to 4GB (and I hear the new-not-yet-released 8GB AND 16GB cards will also work). Anyways, it weight 6 ounces with batteries and SD card. it also offers 15 hours of voice recording too. It was SD card compatible and most important it has a BIG display!! With the 4GB card I can shoot 20,000 pics at 640x480 or 5,000 at 1280x1024 or I can record 31 minutes of tv quality video with audio. And in the low quality mode I can record up to 6 hours of video.

The only thing I would suggest you look into is wether you need a view finder. Fewer and fewer cameras offer this, but they are nice if you happen to need a picture and the sun is at the wrong angle. I didn't think it was important enough for me to worry about.

DO NOT GET A 512MB card if you plan on shooting in HQ mode. The 1GB cards are so cheap right now. Just a few dollars more than 512MB. my 4GB SD card was only $107.99 at Buy.com. Thats $8 more than what a 2GB card cost at the local store.

The ONLY other camera I considered buying was the Sony DSC-N1. And I passed on it for 1 reason only. Can you say Memorystick? I would have been all over that camera if it had been SD. But Sony refuses to go with the flow. You have to be a nut to buy memory that is not compatible with multiple devices or can't share with friends and family.

L3 is the perfect camera! Now if it only played MP3s....

Answer 4

If you won't be processing anything bigger than a 4x6, a 3.2 or 4 MP camera will be fine.

I can personally recommend the Canon Powershot SD300 Digital Elph. I've been using it for almost a year and love it. It's very small and easy to use, even with a toddler in one arm. Has a li-ion rechargable battery. The EasyShare cameras are nice and easy to use, but in my opinion the Canon takes clearer photograph. Also, the EasyShares that I have seen are all fairly big and bulky.

Here's a link to the Canon SD300 page on the Canon site:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=10599

It's a 4.0 MP with 3x optical/3.6 digital/11x combined zoom. 2.0 inch LCD screen. It also takes high quality movies with time limited only by the size of your memory card. I have a 512 card in mine, but I believe it will accept a 1GB card as well.

As far as retailers, I can recommend tigerdirect.com. You can browse on their website, but for international orders you have to call the toll-free number once you know what you want. They do have a couple of panasonics, but I don't think any of them are in your price range.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

Answer 5

The Kodak Easy Share model for digital cameras is what I call a workhorse camera. Kodak is known for making easy to use cameras that give a lot of options for what you pay for them.

Digital quality from Kodak is good to very good. Their resolution tends to be better than average and if you like the idea of manipulating the image before printing it you will have the ability to do so.

Only thing that may be a disadvantage is if it breaks or stops working. The camera will have to be sent to a repair center and I am not sure if there is a European based center. Although they may tell you that it will take 3 to 6 weeks to repair, always add a week to that if the repair center is out of the European area.

Also if you are truly interested in the Panasonic cameras you might check out the prices of Camera World. They are based in the USA out of Portland, Oregon. They have good prices plus have a rotating schedule of sales on their inventory. If you watch their website weekly I am sure that you will find a decent price on a Panasonic.

Answer 6

The bottom line here is that the more you put into it, the better a camera you will get. You are asking about half the price of some of these cameras that are considered to be bargain basement material. That's for 3 megapixels or less. I use a Canon Powershot with 7.1 megapixels. Yes, that's more of a 250 to 300 US camera. You can still get 4 or 5 megapixels (the higher you go the better the picture) in around the 199.00 range. You will have to shop around to find the best deal in your area, as most small shops won't list their wares on the internet. You could try "pawn" shops, but you won't have warranties or guarantees that will be worth anything. Good luck.

Answer 7

Well, I'm not much on conversion of the English money to the USA money...BUT I do know some things about cameras.

A 3.2 mp camera will do JUST fine for standard 4x6 images.

I have used the Kodak easy share system...and they are OK...I'd go with something like a Nikon, or Canon myself...(Kodak tends to have problems with under/overexposure in the images...and if you underexpose the image it will be SO incredibly grainy...)

Some sites to try,

Keh.com, bandhphoto.com, calumet.com and amazon.com....all reputable and all offer deals.

In any case, I hope that was some help.

Answer 8

I have the Kodak Easy Share C360 and this is the best camera i've ever seen. It takes great pictures and Video!! it's a 5mp 3x optical and 4x digital zoom. It's easy to use, good lcd screen , menu is very simple. Also the battery life is AWESOME! They are selling it in newegg.com for $160.99(father's day special) and you can buy a 2gb memory card for $39 (newegg) and record 4 hours of video and 1,200 pictures in 5mp! !!!!

Answer 9

I think that you wil pay more than that.

Look for the Nikon Coolpix L2. It is a very good, modestly priced digital camera. You might find some nice Canon digital cameras in that medium price range.

Good luck

Answer 10

check out the Canon SD550. Dell has them on sell and will beat any other pricing out there (dell.com) it is a great little camera! Iove mine. About $296- best buy for the price and you can do movies too!!

7.1 MP (effective) CCD captures rich details with excellent clarity
3X optical zoom for wide angle coverage, and 4X digital zoom for acquiring fine details
Preview your images before and after on the 2.5" TFT Color LCD monitor
On-camera print/share button for easy direct printing and downloading
Fast frame rate movie recording lets you shoot at 60 fps for fast moving subjects
Supports USB 2.0 hi-speed interface for fast downloads and file transfers
Customize and correct color as you shoot with the My Colors feature