What is the best quality camera that I can use for digital photography at a decent price?

Question

anything under $400 that takes clear pictures?

Answer 1

I'd say don't overbuy, if your main interest is regular snapshot,
parties, friends etc.. and are only interested in printing 4X6 photos. I recommend the following camera:

The best camera for under $200 is the Canon A550

* 7.1 Megapixel
*4X Optical Zoom
* Very good photo quality, noise levels low through ISO 400 (in good light)
* Well built for the price
* Very good performance
* LCD visible in low light
* Some manual controls
* AF-assist lamp, good low light focusing
* Good movie and continuous shooting modes
* Impressive software bundle
* Uses AA batteries; great battery life
* USB 2.0 High Speed support

Answer 2

I think you should get the Canon Powershot A640. It's well within your budget and it's a great camera.

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. This model has been replaced by the A630, which I would expect to be just as popular.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 it's just another upgraded version of the now-classic A620. It looks pretty much the same except for being a 10 MP camera.

I own a few Nikon DSLR's and I'd buy the Canon A630 or A640 for myself.

The A620 was rated about twice as good as any as far a battery life. I hope the A630 and A640 are just as good. Use Energizer e² LITHIUM batteries and you will be happy with battery life.

With this camera, you will find that the included memory card is a cute little token of thanks from Canon, but not much more. Buy a 1 or 2 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. The Ultra II would be excellent, but if you are really into video, you might prefer the faster Extreme III.

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

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/a640.html
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/a630.html

Answer 3

For that price range, if you can't go a bit higher for a DSLR, then I would recommend the Canon PowerShot S3 IS. It is considered a prosumer model, as it has configurable settings, program mode and manual mode. It falls way short of a DSLR, but it's not strictly "point and shoot", either.

With a 12x optical zoom, swivel LCD screen, image stabilization, excellent quality video clips with a dedicated video button, which means you can take high resolution still photo's even while you are using the video feature, very long battery life, and overall excellent quality, it is definitely a camera to consider.

You can get it for between $330 and $400, depending on where you make the purchase. You will also want to get rechargeable AA batteries and high speed (SanDisk Ultra II) SD card, as these do not come with the camera. (canon includes 4 alkaline AA batteries and a 16mb SD card; you want 1 or 2 gb cards).

Go here http://www.imaging-resource.com/ to read the reviews of this camera and the other comparable cameras. You might prefer the feautres and/or photo quality of one of the competitors,

Answer 4

The Canon Powershot range is world renowned for user-friendliness at an affordable price. They are very simple to use and allow you to shoot fully automatic as well as play around with different settings (unlike some of the more expensive, albeit similar featured cameras). I've had an A520 for about a year and despite an upset when the lens cap wouldn't open, it takes very clear, good quality snaps. It's uses SD Card storage and AA batteries (it's worth getting rechargeables).

Answer 5

Visit the Nikon USA website. They have a wide range of digital cameras under the Nikon Coolpix series and you'll definitely find something that suits your price. You can also read their specs online.

Personally I prefer Nikon because they come with excellent lens and have easy to use features. They also retain picture quality fidelity- which means, a picture you take 10 years from now with the same camera, will be equally clear as the one you took today. They are compact, light, durable and user friendly.

The Nikon USA website also lists special offers occasionally. Check these out.

Answer 6

A good question, one that will allow people to recommend their own camera as I. I own a Sony Cybershot DSC-H2 and love it. Takes excellent 8X10s when enlarged. It's 6 megapixels, 12X optical zoom should you prefer lots of zoom. Allows you to adjust shutter speed,and aperture. Has image stabilizer which the Canon A640 doesn't have. Comes with batteries and charger, very god on batteries by the way. Only 1 sec delay between shots. Can be bought for around $300

Answer 7

A good place to check on the web is "epinions.com". You'll get pretty good reviews on just about anything, including digital cameras in your price range. Just click on the below link to get started. Good luck.

Answer 8

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 that take GREAT photos, it has tons of settings, 10x optical zoom, and I got it for $279.