Looking for a compact digi-cam that will last and is good for travel?

Question

something with fast shutterspeed so I don't have to take the same picture 5 times to get it clear. does anyone know about such things?

Answer 1

Canon makes great digital cameras, and has a huge pricing base to suit all. I own 2 of their cameras, the A70 powershot and the S3 IS, both are great cameras, the S3 IS has the image stabilizer built-in for clearer and beautiful photos.

www.canon.com

Answer 2

Most new compact cameras would be suitable. Canon make some very good cameras worth recommending.

If you want an ultra compact, point & shoot camera, then perhaps look at one of the SD models. The new SD850 IS, which has an image stabilizer, is my top pick.
Another good SD model is SD1000 (even though it is lacking the image stabilizer).

But, if you are travelling for some time...you need to consider the life of your battery. These small cameras will barely provide up to 200 shots on a full charge, so if you are on a long holiday, it would be a good idea to buy a spare battery.

Another camera option is to buy one which uses AA size batteries. This is a good, cost effective choice as these cameras generally provide longer battery life of around 300 shots or so. And you can literally take as many batteries with you as you wish to carry.
You would need to buy rechargeable NiMH batteries(something like 2700 mAh) plus a charger. You could also use non rechargeable Lithium batteries, such as Energizer's e2...which provide a lot of power.
Never bother with ordinary alkaline batterires, which do not hold enough charge to power a camera for long.

Canon's A570 IS is my top pick of the A series which only uses 2 AA size batteries, so if you buy a charger which accepts 4 batteries, you always have a spare set. THe A560 would also make a good, cheaper alternative.

If you prefer a camera with a longer zoom, then Canon's S3 IS is a good choice, even though it is a little more bulky in size compared to the compacts.

For fast camera performance, be sure to buy a high speed SD card (Sandisk Extreme III is excellent).

good luck...

Answer 3

I heard that Canon S3 IS is good but I personally do not have any experience with it so I can't recommend it. You may want to research into this model because it's canon's best seller in the point and shoot category. I have a canon ixus 750 and it doesn't have image stabilization so I have to re-shoot certain scenes (esp. if flash is prohibited) just to get a decent picture.

Recently I stumbled into Pentax Optio a30 and was impressed with its image stabilization system. It's the same system being used by their dslr range namely, Pentax k100 and pentax k10d. I'm so impressed with the clarity of the pictures even though my hands are not steady and I don't use the flash.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

The Sept. 2007 issue of Shutterbug magazine has a review of five 10 megapixel digicams. You can also access it at shutterbug.com.