All of you did such a good job of advising me about which digital SLR to buy, I thought that I'd ask another question.

One of my collegues wants to buy a digital camera. He doesn't want anything fancy or sophisticated, only a simple point and shoot. He just wants to take some pictures, view most of them on his computer, and perhaps print a few, probably no bigger than 5X7. He is looking for something in the $250 to $400 price range. He wants a zoom, and overall, it should be simple to use.

What do you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

 

Hey Rob,

I'm going to offer the same camera for your friend as I did for you...the Casio Exilim that I got at Costco. 7.3 megapixel, under $400, and extremely easy to use. It boots up in less than 5 seconds, which is nice as well. The Exilim 6.2 received very high marks from PC Magazine when it was reviewed, and this is the newer, better in every way brother. Again, cigarette box sized and 2.5" LCD screen. Oh, and saw it in Hong Kong for $550, which (I think) is street value. I love a bargain...

 

My wife uses Sony Cyber-shot 7.2 Mega Pixels with 2" screen and she likes it a lot. It costs $399.00 at any elctronic stores. It is rectangular in shape and fits in your hand quite well and it is big enough not to misplace it or lose it. It is easy to use as well. Good hunting!

 

Hi Rob,

I have an Olympus 6.1 megapixel with a zoom that I'm very happy with. It can do lots of "tricks" but I pretty much leave it on auto.

The software is fairly easy, to use as well.

I think the price was around $500.00, but it could be less, I'm not sure as I got it as a gift.

 

I really like the Canon Powershot series. I've recommended them to at least five other people who have since purchased one.

The A95 is a good camera, and can be had for $256 from Beach Camera, which is right here in NJ. See http://www.beachcamera.com/Shop/Product.as...st=&Sku=CNPSA95

Here's a review... http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/a95.html

It's a 5 megapixel, but for someone who's not going to print more than a 5'x7', or even an 8'x11', I'd say it's a waste of money to pay for anything more advanced than this.

My sister-in-law uses this camera for professional brochures, and the pics look great. See www.mythsandmountains.com

Dave.

 

For 5x7's even a 3 megapixel camera should be sufficient, so this isn't the issue. I would pay particular attention to OPTICAL zoom and ignoring digital zoom, since you can do digital enhancement on your computer.

Also save enough money to buy at least a 128 megabyte memory card. With my Fuji, I can take over 400 pictures and still have room left on my card.

:thum bup:: thumbup:

Gerry

 

I would second the Canon Powershot series. We have the now discontinued A75, and it is a perfect camera for my spouse and kid's point-and-shoot needs. It's successor, the A95, has been among the highest rated in its class. Here's another review: DP Review of A95 The only down-side to this camera is that it's not wide enough (only 38mm) on the short end. For indoor shots especially, I prefer cameras that go down to at least 28mm.

Canon makes one such camera, the excellent S70, which costs a bit more than your budget, at a price of $424 at B&H Photo. B&H Photo Here's a review of that camera: D&P S70 Review

Finally, I would be very careful about where you buy photo gear, especially through the internet/mail order. Many that advertise in the back of photo rags are not to be trusted, with the exception of B&H and Adorama, who may be a bit higher price-wise, but cater to photo pros, and will almost always deliver what they promise. I have bought thousands of dollars of photo gear from these two dealers, and though they can be brusque (in the manner typical of New Yorkers), they know their stuff. Many of the others will engage in switch-and-bait and other unethical (if not criminal) behavior.

 

I agree. Oftentimes you are better off spending a little more and buying from a reliable, known resource. The slr that I recently bought was from B & H. I try to be very careful when buying over the internet.

 

^^^ True. I've used beachcamera a few times, and never had a problem. In the old days, I used to make the trip to Manhattan and go to 47th St. Photo.