Quick camera question, public post

[taimatsu]

If I were going on holiday soon and wanted to buy a digital camera which is better than that on my iPhone 3GS, takes SD cards (because I already have one) and costs under £100, what should I buy?

Comments

[diffrentcolours]

Canon PowerShots tend to be pretty decent compact digital (non-SLR) cameras. I've had two now, and they're groovy.

They are not small, certainly not compared to a cameraphone, but they're good for photography in a range of conditions, from close-up portraits to landscapes.

I'd strongly recommend getting a bendy-leg mini-tripod for taking timed / landscape shots from tables etc. They're under a tenner usually.

[purpleheather.livejournal.com]

Seconding the recommendation of PowerShots :)

[oneplusme.livejournal.com]

Tricky. I'm quite a fan of Panasonic's Lumix range, on the basis that they take SD cards and seem to produce nice pictures. Not sure you'd find one for under ~£130ish, though. Of course, I know less than nothing about photography, so take that with a shovel-load of salt.

(I do have a camera I could lend you, although it uses xD cards, which is somewhat annoying. Card included, obviously.)

[taimatsu]

I have a Lumix (DMC-LS2) I bought about 3 years ago for £150 from John Lewis. Something at that level might be less now?

I want a camera of my own, and wouldn't want to take someone else's where I might drop it in a loch :)

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Seconded on both Lumix and PowerShots. Both produce similar image quality at the same price level but are quite different in terms of ergonomics/controls. Get yourself down to a Jessops/Currys etc. to have a fiddle to see if you can get your head and fingers around the controls/menus, then buy the cheapest deal online. :o)

[lovingboth]

In what way does that camera not do what you want?

[taimatsu]

It had champagne spilt on it and the sensor has big blurry patches on it :)

[sfred]

I love my Kodak EasyShare c613. The more recent model (c813 - 8mp instead of 6) is £71.99 at Amazon. See my latest post for examples of its work!

[sfred]

Oh, and it takes SD cards.

[imc.livejournal.com]

A refurbished Canon Powershot A650 might come in just under £100; an A620 certainly would and is still reasonably decent (similarly for the ones in between).

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I have a Canon Powershot A520 which I bought second-hand from ceb for, err, I can’t remember exactly but I think under £40, and I’ve been happy with it as a goes-everywhere camera. I had a second-hand Powershot S40 before that and it was OK, too.

[sarahloo.livejournal.com]

The main problem with camera phones is that the lenses are tiny. And often plasticy. Lens quality is very important! The Panasonic Lumix has a very good reputation, but I would suggest looking at any Canon, Nikon or Pentax with a decent lens too. The main thing is to get one you enjoy using, so it's essential to "try before you buy"...