Which Camera Should I buy??

[irit]

DIGITAL CAMERA SPECIFICATIONS


Budget

< $300

Size
I woud like the digital camera to be compact, as i will use it for travels.


Features
I would like at least 4MB
I would like at least 6x digital zoom, optical zoom = standard
Image quality is VERY important probably 9/10 importance
I would like the camera to be easy to use
I would also like the camera to have a LCD screen
Rechargeable batteries which are long life is also very important

General Usage

I will use the camera on my travels to Europe, but must be able to work in different light settings (day, night, indoor, low light and in between!)
I would also like the camera to be able to take a video and be fast enough to capture the video in real time

Miscellaneous

If it came with a 1GB memory card that would be great (i know its unrealistic though!!)

[coldrain]

Models to consider are the Canon PowerShot A520 and A610, the Sony Cybershot DSC-W5 and DSC-W7, and the Fuji FinePix F10 and Z1.

The Canons have the added bonus of having normal AA size batteries, you get NiMH rechargable batteries and a charger for around 25$ and when you are on your trip in Europe and you run out of battery power and can't charge them at the hotel, you can buy AA size alkaline batteries anywhere and you can go on to make photos. The Canons give you a really nice panorama option that helps you make a number of photos of a scene to make very wide panoramas.

With the Fuji ones you can make pictures without using flash in darker situations as the Sony's and Canons.

The Sonys are very nice but they use Sony's memory sticks which are a bit more expensive and only used by Sony. The Canons use the cheapest memory card type.

The Fuji's and Sonys have a 3x zoom lens. Digital zoom is not something to really want, it makes pictures not look good and it is better to zoom in and crop on your computer, afterwards. The Canons have a 4x zoom lens.

All these cameras are well put together, are fast to operate, have very good image quality and are compact enough to easily take with you on your trips and should suit your budget.

Will you take a laptop with you to store the pictures on? You will have to factor in the expense of a bigger memory card, the memory cards you get with cameras are very small, and you will need at least one that has a big capacity. 256mb would be the minimum to be comfortable shooting pictures. You will still need a computer or other device to store the photos on when the memory cards get full (this of course depends on the size of card, how long you are going and how many photo's you make).

[irit]

Thanks for your reply

i think the rechargeable batteries would be more appropriate (ie. not the AA ones) since i assume it lasts longer and i can charge it every night when i get back to where im staying.

Im going to check out the cameras you suggested, but what about the canon IXUS or Olympus Stylus verve - a few friends have reccommended these?

[coldrain]

i think the rechargeable batteries would be more appropriate (ie. not the AA ones) since i assume it lasts longer and i can charge it every night when i get back to where im staying.



AA is a size, not a type. AA is a standard, and you can get them as normal batteries, or as NiMH rechargable batteries with a charger. The fact that they are standard makes them cheaper if you want to get a second set, and makes them more flexible in the case that for some reason you can not or do not charge your batteries. Then you can put normal AA's in, it is just a plus at times.

The Olympus verve range are not the best in image quality. The IXUS range is a nice ultra compact range, they offer good quality as you can read in reviews here from Jeff Keller, but they are more expensive (ultra compacts are a bit more expensive than the compact ones i recommended above).
Whether you choose an ultra compact or a compact camera is entirely up to you, your budget and your requirements :)

The Ixus range and the Fuji Z1 are svery small, the Canon powershot A range, Sony DSC-W range are a little bit bigger and the Fuji F10 is the biggest of them, but it still is compact and easy to take along.