I want to get a digital camera, and I have been doing some research can someone tell me what would be the best

Question

to buy? I want somethingh simple, I don't need any fancy.The one request is to have a large viewing screen. the largest I have seen is 3". Any suggestions? Thank you.

Answer 1

Here are some cameras with 2.5" LCD screens. I have a strong bias in favor of cameras that have optical viewfinders and these seem to have the "slightly smaller" LCD's. If you want to read my rant against a camera without an optical viewfinder, go to the bottom of this reply. If you really want a 3" monitor, you can probably skip that part.

Consumer Reports for November 2006 has ranked the Canon Powershot A620 as the best compact digital camera. It is becoming almost a legend for longevity at the top of various consumer lists. It looks like this model has been replaced by the A630, which I would expect to be just as popular. The A640 appears quite similar and shares the "600" series numbering, so I guess it's just another upgraded version of the now-classic A620. It looks pretty much the same except for baing a 10 MP camera. The continuous drive is a little slower, but the files are larger, so that's no surprise. I own a few Nikon DSLR's and I'd buy the Canon A630 or A640 for myself.

With this camera, you will find the memory card is a cute little token of thanks from Canon, but not much more. Buy a 1 GB Sandisk Ultra II or Extreme III card. You will NEED the increased capacity and write speed to fully realize the benefits of your camera.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a620%2Ccanon_a630%2Ccanon_a640&show=all

If you want to trim the budget a little, the Canon Powershot A430, A530 or A540, are all great choices. You will still need a decent memory card as discussed above, though. The A430 has a 1.8" monitor, though.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a430%2Ccanon_a530%2Ccanon_a540&show=all

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Optical Viewfinders

I lament the passing of the optical viewfinder and I would choose almost any camera with an optical viewfinder over one that only has an LCD viewfinder. Why?

1. You never have the option of turning off the LCD and these things eat batteries for lunch and spit them out. Why do away with the option of a viewfinder that has zero electrical drain?

2. You have to hold an LCD viewer out at some distance in front of your face. This is more conspicuous than I prefer to be all the time.

3. The need to hold a camera at arms length will introduce some shake. I like the idea of stabilizing a camera against my face when I am taking a picture. This is especially important with a longer zoom lens. No wonder "image stablization" or "vibration reduction" is necessary with these cameras. Not that there's anything WRONG with IS or VR, but it is really a requirement with LCD viewfinders and telephoto lenses.

4. Using the LCD to view photos after you've taken them slows down the camera quite a bit. You can't shut of the LCD monitor and still take pictures if you don't have an optical viewfinder.

Answer 2

The Canon Powershot SD630 Digital ELPH has a 3.0" LCD screen, 6.0 megapixels and 3X optical zoom...and is the perfect little, simple to use, point & shoot camera. It recently won a European award for 'Best Ultra Compact'.
It uses a supplied Lithium battery (battery life is only about 160 shots, so you would need to remember to charge it regularly if you use the camera often).
I would suggest you buy a fast SD card (Sandisk Ultra II or Extreme III) for optimum performance.
Here's an excerpt from a well-known review site..."Bottom line - The PowerShot SD630 is an outstanding camera that offers great image quality, robust performance, and various user-friendly exposure modes, all packed in an ultra-compact, durable and stylish shell. It's sure to make an excellent choice for any user in the market for an extremely pocketable, high resolution digicam".

Answer 3

Well...I have a Kodak EasyShare Digital Camera with 5.0 Mega Pixles (the more pixels the better), it takes great pictures, it has the option for video and audio even though the audio isn't that great. But for $150 you're not going to get the best of the best, but you can still get a good camera for taking pictures.

Answer 4

Finding a screen that is bigger than 3 inches will move you into a high price market. I enjoy using a Sony cyber shot. It's handles everything I've asked. Action photo, aerial photos and portraits. The size of the screen does not effect the photo it self. Most camera's today are built to smaller sizes. Unless you want to go to the $700 plus range you can get a good camera in the $100-$200 range good luck

Answer 5

Check out Kodak .
They have simple idiot proof cameras, and they also have top of the range as well. They come with an accompanying computer
program to set You up on the net as well.

Answer 6

Look at the Canon 5D

Very good camera and will take photos that are stunning!
I have 2 of these, very happy with them

Answer 7

Try the Canon A520, it is so easy, and very good on closeups, i am not very good with stuff like that, but this camera is the easiest i have found, and less then 150.00, good luck.

Answer 8

Try a Nikon D50. Outstanding camera. You will love it.