sony w5, canon a95 and the others

[tamere]

hi,
some times ago, I wanted to buy a camera and I choosed the canon a95 and sony w1 which now is the w5. I gave up this idea but now, I want to buy one.
do you think those cameras are still the best choice? are there some better cameras today which could be better? even if they are a little more expansive.
thanks

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
max 300$

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
not too big...

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
5


* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
standard

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
very important : 9

Do you care for manual controls?
would like some

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
I would say everything

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
may happen

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
yes

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
not much but may happen

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
no

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
sony w5 and canon a95

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)

[PhilR.]

hi,
some times ago, I wanted to buy a camera and I choosed the canon a95 and sony w1 which now is the w5. I gave up this idea but now, I want to buy one.
do you think those cameras are still the best choice? are there some better cameras today which could be better? even if they are a little more expansive.


I think that the A95 provides the most amount of performance for the money, in the under $300 bracket. There are better cameras, but they are not "a little more expansive". Given your list of needs, I would not hesitate to recommend that you put the A95 at the top of your shopping list.

PhilR.

[tamere]

thanks for your answer. I spent some times trying to find something better but couldn't find something really interessant. there was the fuji F10 but it lacks manual controls.
just for curiosity... which cameras are you talking about when you say
There are better cameras, but they are not "a little more expansive" ?

thanks.

[jessie25]

I second that recommendation.

If you're looking for something a little smaller physically, the Canon A520 is also a great choice. It doesn't have the rotating LCD, but it's got a 4x optical zoom lens and 4 megapixels, only uses 2 AA batteries, and is smaller and weighs less.

[tamere]

hi,
I will check the a520 but I think I will go for the A95.
thanks for your help.