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View Full Version : Just a routine "what camera should I buy", please and thank you. =]


pwisva
01-08-2006, 01:24 AM
Budget

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

Between $75-$150. I'm on a tighter budget, being a teen.

Size

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

Something relatively small that I take with me.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

3-6, but preferably 4 or 5.

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

3x-4x.

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

Pretty important, I guess...I would like good quality pictures.. 7 or 8?

Do you care for manual controls?

Features like this would be useful, but not necessary.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

Pictures for web, printing out 5x7 and smaller.

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

No.

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

Yes.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

No.

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

I prefer canon/nikon.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

No.

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

My sister's camera has Image Stabilization and Rotating LCD, so if it's possible to get within my budget, that would be great; I doubt it's possible though.

Thanks so much for any help. =]

insertnamehere
01-08-2006, 04:50 AM
If you're only printing 5x7, then you don't really need anything above 3 megapixels. This'll save on cost as there's not too much decent in your budget, but more megapixels = more $.

I don't think you'll get Image Stabilisation/Rotating Screen for under $150, especially in a compact.

The low light requirement will always be a problem on compacts, whatever the price.

Here are a few to consider:
Canon PowerShot SD200 Digital ELPH
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd200-review/
- 3.2MP
- Good image quality
- Small
- $150
- 3X zoom

Olympus Stylus Verve
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/olympus/stylus_verve-review/index.shtml
- 4MP
- Passable image quality
- Small and stylish (if you like it)
- $145
- 2X zoom

The others at this price bracket are a lot larger.

Hope this helps

Anthony