Recommendations for $250-$350

[Tye7]

I'm looking for a camera that I can take everywhere and not be a huge burden. I'm a teenage guy, so I normally have pretty big pockets. I could probably go all the way up to a midsize like the A620 or E550. A SLR type won't work though. I would like something that takes pretty high quality images. How much quality does one sacrifice for the ultra-compacts? An ultra compact would definetely be more convenient.

I'm having a lot of trouble guaging levels of quality. It seems like most reviews are comparing quality to a specific class of camera. How does the quality of the ultra-compacts compare to the quality of the mid-sizes?

One thing that really annoys me is lag time. I need something responsive and quick.

Budget

$250-$350 (flexible)

Size

Anything that can fit in a large pocket. Smaller would be better.

Features

5 megapixels would probably be more than enough. I may want to occasionally blow stuff up to 8 x 10, but not much bigger than that.

10x zoom would be great and would probably come in handy a lot, but I don't necessarily need it. I can settle for 3x zoom if i have to.

Image quality is very important. 8-10 on the 1-10 scale.

Manual controls would be nice, but I'm lazy and i tend to never use them.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

All kinds of things. I plan on taking it everywhere with me and using it in all kinds of situations.

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

Possibly

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

Sometimes

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

Sometimes

Miscellaneous

I don't like Sony as much, but I'm open to suggestions.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

I've looked at the Finepix F10, Lumix FX9, Powershot A620, Finepix E550, Coolpix S4, and everything else under the sun.

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

All of these sound great, but i don't specifically need them

[Donato777]

Hi Tye7,
After carefully reading your post, I think you would be very happy with the Canon SD450. It is ultracompact and has received great reviews. It is strictly a point and shoot, but that seems to be what you're looking for. Forget about a 10x ultrazoom if you want something compact. The smallest UZ I know of is the one I have - the Panasonic FZ5, but you cannot really carry that in your jeans pocket either. Check out the SD450 - it is within your budget range. For a little more, you might also consider the SD550, but that is probably overkill for you, with its 7 megapixels. The F10 is a great little camera too, but it does not have a viewfinder (if that is important to you), and it is larger than the SD450. Ditto for the Panasonic FX series. The Canon A620 is a great camera too and of the models you mentioned, that would be my choice, but again, it is not really super compact. So you need to handle them and see which feels right in your hand, and what is more important to you - size or image quality. If it image quality, you cannot go wrong with either the SD450 or the A620.
Buydig.com has the SD450 for $281.59 + shipping.
http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?ref=dealtime&sku=CNPSSD450

or at 6ave.com with .06 shipping:
http://www.6ave.com/product.jsp?x=SD450KIT&zipz=11001

The Canon A620 for $336.00 + shipping:
http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CNPSA620

and the SD550 for $378.00:
http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CNPSSD550

or at 6ave.com: $380.00 w/ .06 shipping:
http://www.6ave.com/product.jsp?x=SD550KIT&zipz=11001

I have purchased cameras from buydig.com, beachcamera.com, and 6ave.com and they are all very reliable and have good prices. 6ave.com is an authorized dealer too. Let us know what you decide and all the best!

[Tye7]

Thanks a lot. Your information was very helpful.

I guess what im trying to decide now is the importance of the compact size.
If I'm going to lose quality, I may be willing to step it up to a larger size.

What is the image quality difference between the A620 and the SD450?

Setting viewfinder aside, how do the SD450, FX9, and F10 compare?
I've heard mixed reviews about the FX9.

[Donato777]

OK, well, personally I prefer a camera with an optical viewfinder, but the F10, and FX9 have both received fine reviews.
The F10 is a great little camera and image quality is excellent. Here are some reviews:
http://www.photoxels.com/fujifilm-f10-review.html
http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/camera/review/40/page_1.html
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_f10-review/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/fuji_f10.html
http://dpreview-cnet.com.com/Fujifilm_FinePix_F10/4014-6501_9-31289404.html?pbrpt=4580&tag=nav.rev
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf10zoom/

Actually, I realized that it would be much easier if you could find every review for each camera you are considering all in one place. Photoxels.com has a "Review Matrix," which lists every camera by manufacturer and the current reviews that are available. All you have to do is scroll down to the models you're interested in - except perhaps for the F10 since I've listed most of them already - and read the ones you want. Here is the link, which is valuable to bookmark for future reference:

http://www.photoxels.com/reviews-matrix.html

You can also go to dpreview.com and do a side-by-side comparison of features. Keep in mind, though, that the ratings given here reflect pcreview.com alone and not others. Here is the link and you can add or remove models as you will:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a620%2Ccanon_sd450%2Cfuji_finepixf10 %2Cpanasonic_dmcfx9&show=all

Isn't this fun?????? Please keep in touch now and let me know which way you're leaning. Members on these photography forums receive vicarious pleasure observing and helping others decide on a new camera purchase! LOL

[Tye7]

Thanks a lot! I'll be sure to check out these links to do some more research. Ultimately the decision will involve me going to the store and trying some out.
I'll keep in touch if i have any more questions.

[Donato777]

Have you made any progress towards a final purchase decision?

[Tye7]

Ok, I made a trip out to the local stores to test out some cameras. I've pretty much ruled out the A620 as too big. I really didn't care for the panasonic cameras very much.

The Fuji F10 looks like a nice camera. Its not as small as the others. I like its start up time. It feels like a nice solid package. Nothing about it wowed me, but if the image quality is there, then it could be a fine choice.

The SD450 is a lot like the F10. It is much smaller though. Nothing about it really wowed me either. I do like its compact size and solid feel though.

2 Cameras that I hadn't really considered much caught my eye at the store. The Kodak V550 and the Sony W7.

The V550 looks awesome. The LCD is nice and big and VERY high resolution. It seemed very responsive when it came to focusing and general functions. After looking at reviews online, it looks like the only major problem is battery life. I would be willing to buy a second battery.

The sony camera is a little thick. It shouldnt be a big deal though, im sure i could manage to fit it in my pocket. It seemed very responsive, including a wicked fast start up time. It seemed to have a little shutter lag though. After pushing down the button it would say "recording image" and it took a little too long for me... maybe im just spoiled. I really like the faster capturing times of some of the other cameras.

Right now im leaning towards the V550. I would love to know what the normal users think about it. I've already read most of the major reviews out there. Thx.

P.S. Circuit City has a great selection of cameras. Its a great place to go if you want to try out all the different models.

[Donato777]

Hi Tye,
I also considered this camera but ruled it out because of poor battery life. But users give it high marks and if you don't mind keeping an extra battery handy - maybe in a small case - then it would be a great choice. Before you take the plunge at Circuit City, do yourself a favor and check out the prices of this model at various online vendors and at eBay. I bet you'll get a much better deal rather than paying nearly full price at Circuit City. Like you, I go to Circuit City to handle cameras but I would never buy one from them because you generally pay more plus sales tax. Online, you bypass the tax and get a discount too. But before making an online purchase from any vendor, be sure to go to www.resellerratings.com and review the vendor's reputation and reliability scoring. Some vendors sell cameras at incredibly low prices, but when you check their ratings, they are scammers, so beware. Buydig.com, beachcamera.com, 6ave.com, B&Hphoto.com are very reliable. I have purchased from them before and everything went smoothly.

For example, you can get the Fuji F10 at 6ave.com for $282.00 + .06 shipping: http://6ave.com/product.jsp?x=FPF10; or the Kodak v550 at buydig.com for $297.00: http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=KDV550K; You may read user comments at amazon.com here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009RKKUY/103-5487625-4028609?v=glance&n=502394 but I would not purchase it from them since they charge $322.00. I bet Circuit City wants over $400!!!

I'll be eager to hear what you decide and please contact me if you need any more advice or just to discuss your progress. This is great fun!