Buying a digital camera

Mutant_Fruit

I have a Pentax Optio 230 digital camera at the moment, but i'm unhappy with it. I've had it for about a year, and it EATS batteries. I can get at most 25 pictures with flash before the AA's are wasted. This didn't happen when i originally bought the camera, but its rediculous having to carry around a dozen rechargeables whenever i go out.

So, i'm looking for a new camera which does the following, i'm not too sure whats recommended and whats not, so let me know what camera you think would suit me best.

3 megapixels or better.
Optical zoom better than 3x preferably.
Preferably uses compactflash cards, as i have over 512mb's of those cards.
Ability to take multiple picture rapidly, no long waits between photos (like mine does).
Long battery life... 25 photos or less just isn't cutting it. Preferably able to use AA's, as i have a lot of NiMH rechargeables with 2100mAh capacity. But if the supplied battery is good, the ability to use standard AA's can be ignored.

Costing no more than €250. Thats the limit.

davmigil

Canon A85

Citizen_Erased

The Canon IXUS 500 meets the criteria. My brother has one here , its an execellant camera - unless you require something proffesional that is.

Mutant_Fruit

Both cameras seem to be pretty good, the reviews i've read have been very complimentary of both cameras, so i'd like to ask ye what annoys you about your cameras? Is there anything in particular that you wish was different or better?

And lastly, where would be the cheapest place to get them?

Beats

Check out the sticky on where to buy equipment. I'd go into a few shops in town and examine various options. Ask about issues you have with present camera. Things have improved greatly with regard to shutter lag and battery power. Get the prices and then compare with a few internet options
( Pixamania/Cam-Ireland/ Technik-de).

Happy shoping

bucks

Citizen_Erased wrote:

The Canon IXUS 500 meets the criteria. My brother has one here , its an execellant camera - unless you require something proffesional that is.

Have one of those aswell. Excellent little camera.

Mutant_Fruit

Right, after reading through a few dozen reviews, i've come across a few cameras with an "Image Stabilization" feature. There are a few cameras out there with the feature, but i'm finding it hard to track down a proper listing of different cameras, along with what features they support.

Some sites i've visited have lists, but they list cameras with I.S. support as having no I.S. support. Can anyone recommend a good site with an up-to-date and searchable list?

BrianD3

As regards IS, many of the cameras that have it will cost more than 250 quid. Although it is becoming more popular on cheaper cameras it is mostly found on ultra zooms, prosumers and I think one dSLR.

I don't know of any lists where you can display all cameras which have a particular feature eg IS. www.dpreview.com does list out detailed specs. but I don't think you can search by feature.

One manufacturer that offers IS in many of its cameras is Panasonic.

As for the question on camera annoyances, what annoys me about virtually every compact P+S digicam is noise. I have a Pentax 43 WR which I like except for the horrible noise at higher ISOs. This is very noticeable if you're trying to take photos indoors without using the flash. The new Fuji F10 seems to have made a bit of a breakthrough in the area of noise. See my other post on it in this forum.

Mutant_Fruit

Yeah, i've been looking at the noise ratio's a lot alright. That F10 has extremely low noise for the resolution it has. I've been seriously looking at getting it.

The only things putting me off it are the xD cards (pricey), the stupid hub you have to use to access the ports, and the price Other than that, it seems to be a very good camera.

EDIT: Just a FYI, heres a great site for reviews. They have some really detailed info on the cameras and picture quality: http://www.imaging-resource.com

Mac daddy

Citizen_Erased wrote:

The Canon IXUS 500 meets the criteria. My brother has one here , its an execellant camera - unless you require something proffesional that is.

They are discontinued why don't ask -

I have a Ixus 50 newer version of the 500 - Great camera - Sd Ram memory cards - re chargable battery,

Only draw back is the ixus 40 over in ireland is around 450 euro's mine the 50 over here 500+ I got mine via Dabs.co.uk with a Gig sdram card for 420 euro's
but well worth the money.

review

Mutant_Fruit

Ideally i'd have a camera with 4x or 5x zoom. I've been browsing a lot, and i've kind of narrowed down to the Pentax SV (5MP, 5x opt zoom) or the Kodak 730Z (5mp, 4x opt zoom).

I'm still open to other options, but i would really like a 4x or better zoom. I've also come to realise that for most usages, IS won't really have an impact on picture quality, so its at the bottom of the list of priorities now.

Marcopolo85

Mutant_Fruit wrote:

I have a Pentax Optio 230 digital camera at the moment, but i'm unhappy with it. I've had it for about a year, and it EATS batteries. I can get at most 25 pictures with flash before the AA's are wasted. This didn't happen when i originally bought the camera, but its rediculous having to carry around a dozen rechargeables whenever i go out.

So, i'm looking for a new camera which does the following, i'm not too sure whats recommended and whats not, so let me know what camera you think would suit me best.

3 megapixels or better.
Optical zoom better than 3x preferably.
Preferably uses compactflash cards, as i have over 512mb's of those cards.
Ability to take multiple picture rapidly, no long waits between photos (like mine does).
Long battery life... 25 photos or less just isn't cutting it. Preferably able to use AA's, as i have a lot of NiMH rechargeables with 2100mAh capacity. But if the supplied battery is good, the ability to use standard AA's can be ignored.

Costing no more than €250. Thats the limit.

Fuji s5500. Approx €350 delivered from www.pixmania.com or www.7dayshop.com. Use 2400 or 2700 mAH batteries. You'll get anything between 150 & 200 shots from it then.

lomb

get something with a manual focus. i have a hp 735 perfect in everyway except for the manual focus or lack of it. u need it at night or else u cant take in focus pictures in the dark. also u can buy very high capacity nimh battteries now if u want to stick with ur old camera.

the canons are the best u wont go to far wrong with one.