What camera in $250-325 range?

[MattH1121]

Ok I'm new to this all, although my brother is not. He is a wedding filmer/photographer as well as a Digital Media Teacher. So with that being said, I'm looking for a digital camera as close to performance of SLR (probably not real close:D ) in my price range. I would actually like manual settings, because my brother teaches me new things, and I like to experiment with various exposures, shutter speeds, etc. I would like this camera to be smaller than an SLR obviously (but could be as large as the S2). Video doesn't really matter, I just want to be able to take pictures that make people say wow!


Budget

I want to keep it to $250-$325

Size

Smaller is always better for convenience, but it can be a little larger than normal if that means getting better performance.

Features

I would like at least 5mp. Manual settings, doesn't need to be crazy in the video department. Optical zoom would ideally be as high as possible, but then again, the budget will limit this. Image quality is a must. 9-10 on a 10 point scale.





General Usage

I will be using this for nature shots, personal photos with friends, family, etc. Will be taking lots of offroading pictures with it. Scenic shots, etc. No sports really.

I would like to make decent size prints, but not poster size obviously.

I will be doing indoor/outdoor low light and high light conditions all about the same. This needs to be a do-all which is why I want the manual settings.

Miscellaneous

I've always liked Canon, but that's all I have experience with. Open to suggestions.

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Not Necessary

[JTL]

Ok I'm new to this all, although my brother is not. He is a wedding filmer/photographer as well as a Digital Media Teacher. So with that being said, I'm looking for a digital camera as close to performance of SLR (probably not real close:D ) in my price range. I would actually like manual settings, because my brother teaches me new things, and I like to experiment with various exposures, shutter speeds, etc. I would like this camera to be smaller than an SLR obviously (but could be as large as the S2). Video doesn't really matter, I just want to be able to take pictures that make people say wow!


Budget

I want to keep it to $250-$325

Size

Smaller is always better for convenience, but it can be a little larger than normal if that means getting better performance.

Features

I would like at least 5mp. Manual settings, doesn't need to be crazy in the video department. Optical zoom would ideally be as high as possible, but then again, the budget will limit this. Image quality is a must. 9-10 on a 10 point scale.





General Usage

I will be using this for nature shots, personal photos with friends, family, etc. Will be taking lots of offroading pictures with it. Scenic shots, etc. No sports really.

I would like to make decent size prints, but not poster size obviously.

I will be doing indoor/outdoor low light and high light conditions all about the same. This needs to be a do-all which is why I want the manual settings.

Miscellaneous

I've always liked Canon, but that's all I have experience with. Open to suggestions.

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Not NecessarySince you're already comfortable with Canon, might I suggest the A610. It is simply the best $250. camera available today. And by saving a few bucks on your budget, it leaves you some room for your accessories (memory card, rechageable batteries and charger...and maybe even a wide angle converter for your scenic shots or tele converter for nature shots). You can't go wrong with it...:)

As far as taking pictures that "make people say wow"...that has everything to do with the photographer and little to do with the camera. If your technique/skill is good, you can "wow" people with a disposable camera...if your technique/skill is lacking, even a 1Ds Mark II will not help you...;)

[MattH1121]

Thanks for the advice. Would I benefit at all going to the A620? I have a friend who can get it for me for about $300 through pricematching at Sears.

[JTL]

Thanks for the advice. Would I benefit at all going to the A620? I have a friend who can get it for me for about $300 through pricematching at Sears.If you plan to print big or do a lot of cropping, the 7MP of the 620 will come in handy. Another feature (albeit a nominally useful one) that the A620 has is that you can use the included Remote Capture application to control the camera via a PC...

$300. is a good price...the cheapest I've ever seen it for is $320...just leave room in your budget for good batteries and charger (like the Maha or Energizer) and at least a 512MB SD card...

Here's an interesting post pointing out the differences between the two cameras: http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?p=80518#post80518

[Beanboy]

I second the A6x0. Heavy on the photo quality and manual options which seem to be two of your big requirements.

-B

[MattH1121]

I second the A6x0. Heavy on the photo quality and manual options which seem to be two of your big requirements.

-B

Yep, I've been reading reviews, looking over past posts on here, and looking at photo samples, and I can't really make up my mind to go A610 or A620. Both seem to produce great images when they are in normal lighting conditions. The noise issue on the 620 worries me, but I think the samples show the 620 producing much cleaner crisper images until getting in the upper ISOs which I don't have a comparison for the 610 (couldn't find any taken on the 610 at ISO 100+).

[MattH1121]

So I've realized maybe the S2 might be the better bet. Although it's more expenisve, I will be shooting a lot of scenic, nature shots. The 12x zoom would be better, but would it be better to try to save money and go with the A610 or !620 and get the teleconverter, or would it still not be as effective as the S2's 12x optical? THe S2 won't fit in my pocket, but I'm willing to sacrifice the size.

[JTL]

So I've realized maybe the S2 might be the better bet. Although it's more expenisve, I will be shooting a lot of scenic, nature shots. The 12x zoom would be better, but would it be better to try to save money and go with the A610 or !620 and get the teleconverter, or would it still not be as effective as the S2's 12x optical? THe S2 won't fit in my pocket, but I'm willing to sacrifice the size.Well, the A6x0 with a tele converter is certainly a viable opition. With a 1.5 tele converter that would give you 210mm and with a 1.7 conveter that would give you a 238mm zoom. Now, the S2 without a converter is 432mm...but the S2 with a 1.5 tele converter is 648mm and with a 1.7 converter is 734mm. That's a lot of optical zoom power for not a lot of money! Something to think about...if you think you'll need it...