Looking to buy digital camera...

[Marcys]

...for my daughter for her 18th birthday. Would like to give it to her a little early so she can bring it on our cruise and test it out.

 

Looking for one that's inexpensive (hopefully around $200, maybe $300 tops), takes decent pics, is teen friendly, and is VERY easy to use. Not looking to do fancy things with the camera. Pretty much just shoot, preview, delete, print. would like an auto flash. Mine you must turn it on manually and I always forget.

 

What do you all recommend?

[PaulMedik]

Marcys:

 

 

I have tried several brands and I've found Kodak suits my purposes best. Fast shots as opposed to a delay, easy to navigate options and batteries last forever in my DX7590. I've also used several other Kodak models and all were superior in function and results. The DX7590 also records video with sound that is sufficient for our cruise purposes. I have two 1GB memory cards and I carry two extra batteries though I have NEVER managed to completely discharge one. It comes with a docking station/charge cradle that automatically transfers the pictures to your PC.

 

I just checked KODAK.com and the DX models appear to have been replaced by the 'Z' series. They look the same and the features are the same. Don't worry about the MSRP as I'm sure you can find it in your listed price range.

[seadancer]

Hi Marcy

 

We got a kodak Z730 and love it.Takes great pics and is realtively easy to understand how to use. I'm not a pro buy any means and this camera works better than my last which was a fuji.

You should be able to find it under $200 without a problem.We paid 179 at best buy a while back. Also get a 256mb card for it and it will take around 157 photos at the best setting with this.

 

Good Luck in your search

Jeff

[Marcys]

Thanks to both Jeff and PaulMedik. It sounds like you both like Kodak. I'll definately look into their cameras.

[mountainhouse]

There are several big digital camera review sites on the web. Steve's, Dpreview and DCresource are some of the biggest. I think their reviews are very thoughtful. Steve's and DCresource have best camera listings:

http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/

http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html

[Marcys]

Mountainhouse, thanks for those websites. They're helpful but it's still so confusing!!

[mountainhouse]

Yes, they are a bit confusing. Mostly any of the name brands will work fine. Yes, everyone will tell you a particular one is better. But it's not night and day difference. It's more like one is 95% as good as the other. Some features to consider, and some assumptions about what I think you might be looked for:

1. Mostly 4x6 prints - anything 5 megapixels or over is fine. This is how many tiny light sensors the camera has. More usually makes for a more detailed picture. 5 megapixels is good up to an 8x10 print or so.

2. Some cameras have better telephoto lenses. Like a stronger set of binoculars, they bring far off object closer. However, they make the camera much bigger. Probably wouldn't fit in a purse.

3. Most folks use the display on the back of the camera for taking photos. Make sure yours is large. At least 2" size.

 

Sooo, I'm think you need any Kodak, Fuji, Olympus, Nikon or Canon that is either compact or ultra-compact, that at least 5 megapixels.

 

Unfortunately, most of these are over $300. So, I'd compromise on something. Assuming your daughter's eyes are good, go with a small LCD on the back. Also, if making 8x10 prints is not important, go with a 3 or 4 megapixel camera.

 

Personally, I bought my daughter one of these last Christmas (for under $150) and she's happy as a clam.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_a410.asp

 

Some cameras come with printers. Remember, that printing at home, though a nifty thing to do, is always more expensive (ink and paper!). Give her the camera and tell her to go the local Walgreen's is she wants to print something.

 

Hope that helps a little. Good luck. E-mail me if you need more info. Oh and, I forgot, congratulations on your daughter's birthday!

[Guest slrman]

Optical zoom is the only kind that counts. The digital zoom can be ignored as the quality will be so bad, you'll never use it. I've had maybe 7 or 8 digital cameras, my first being a Kodak DC 50 to give you an idea low far back I go with them.

 

A good place to buy one on line is Jiffy Photo Center in Ft. Pierce FL. http://www.cvc.com.br/ send an e-mail to Mike and let him know what you need. His price, service, and shipping are wonderful. I have ordered several times from him since I moved to Brazil and he has always been the best

[JimHam4]

You can save money by getting a camera with fewer megapixels. I had a Sony 3.2 that would give a decent 8x10, not the best, but decent. Now have a 4.3 and it works fine for average family photos and pictures my DD's take.

 

Consideration is memory cards. A lot of people don't like the Sony, I happen to and it uses the same memory cards I already had for my camcorder. Saves me money by being able to share cards between the two. If you already have memory cards for something else (PDA, etc.) buy a camera that uses the same type.

[zackiedawg]

Most of the Sony critics are those who were already shooting with another type of digital memory card, and didn't like that they were using a different format. Ironically, there are 4 different formats of card out there, and someone using a Canon, for example, couldn't throw their cards in an Olympus camera, which uses a different format. Yet only because Sony is a massive electronics superpower do they get pointed out for their different format.

 

Someone new to the digital camera market shouldn't care what type of memory stick the camera takes - no matter what, they'll have to buy one! The prices are almost a match for the cards nowadays (for a while, some cards were more expensive, but the prices seem to be equalizing), and with the exception of the XD cards, the speed is nearly the same between the SD, CF, and MS cards (the XDs are slower, which will really only matter to someone needing to do burst photos or take many in fast succession).

 

It doesn't much matter what brand you buy, as long as you stick to the bigger companies - Kodak, Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus, Casio, Panasonic, Konica Minolta, Fuji, and Pentax. The differences in speed, quality, color, etc are small enough to really only matter to photo enthusiasts and people making large prints (over 8x10). For the average vacation photographer, just about any camera from these manufacturers will do fine.

 

For a younger girl, you may want to pick a decent compact that has an element of style - she might not care as much about long zooms and nightshot capabilities. As long as it is still a good camera with the features you need. Check out the Olympus Stylus Verve range, the Canon SD range, Kodak's V line, Nikon's S line, and Sony's T or N line. Many of these come in variious colors, are very compact but with big LCD screens, and are all still 5-8MP, 3x optical zoom cameras with most of today's advanced features. Some of these can be had between $200-300, but note that many of these camera lines have new models coming out all the time...the newest model in each line will likely exceed $300, but look for other versions that have been out for some months and the prices come down.

[Dr. Crash]

Marcy I won't confuse you i promise, this isn't the best it's not the worst, but i think you would be extremely happy with it.

 

this is a great starter camera with a few benefits, memory is comparatively inexpensive,ultra slim, 5.1 Megapixel and a 2.5" hi res lcd.

it's only a couple hundred online which leaves a few pennies for a memory card and a new camera case. right now online it's only $205 !! great price for all the features. it only comes with 12MB built in memory so take the rest of the money and buy a BIG chip! figure about $45 for a 512 chip(good for 200 plus 5 meg pics).

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3650602

 

Happy shopping!

[Marcys]

Wow, Dr. C, thanks for the suggestion. Do you know if you can also use a regular battery (it comes with a rechargeable one). My DD will be taking it to Israel for 6 weeks this summer, and I don't know that all places they will be will have electricity to recharge. Looking at the back of the camera, I see a video camera icon. Do you know if the camera takes short videos?

 

Thank you everyone else! I'm checking into all suggestions!

[Dr. Crash]

Shooting Modes -- Movie: TV movie 640 (640x480) at 15fps; small size 320(320x240) at 15fps; smaller size 160 (160x120) at 15fps; Time-lapse movie 640* (640x480) at 15fps

 

 

No to the AA's, you can buy additional Li-Ion batteries for less than $20

[gonegoing]

I have a canon powershot sd110 - I recommend anything Canon has. My sister has the "next step up" of my camera, and a few of my friends have powershot's as well.. Everyone I know has been pleased with their cameras - Sorry that I haven't provided you with much!

[miami]

I have a Canon SD400. It's a 5 megapixel with a larger screen. I really like it because of the size and it takes great pictures. They also make the SD450 which has an even larger screen.