First time digi buyer for my g/f's bday

[cfarrelly9]

Which Camera should i buy?????

This short questionnaire will help the rest of us make good camera recommendations for you. Please answer each question carefully and succinctly.

The questions marked with a * are the most important.

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Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
£150 - 250 so $300 - 400
Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
would like a small ultracompact - style matters
Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? 6 min

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

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
8-9

Do you care for manual controls?
new user so i guess these will not be essential
General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Leisure shots, holidays, nightclubs, bars - low light quality will need to be good

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

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

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
yes

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Panasonic TZ1
Sony T9
Sony W50
Fuji F30
Casio Exlim EX-Z850
Casio Exlim EX - Z70

Thanks for any help provided.

[ben7337]

I am probably biased but I like the fuji f30.

[undefined]

I agree with Ben. If low-light without flash is important, you simply cannot beat the Fuji F30. Nothing comes close.

If flash photography is OK, you might want to look at the Canon Ixus / Elph / Ixy series. The SD630 is very stylish, sporting a 3" LCD screen, black back and silver front. It has a very solid construction, and will be very easy for your g/f to learn to use (insert memory card, charge battery, turn camera on, point and press button). The 3" LCD is very appealing, especially to those who are not used to digicams.

[cfarrelly9]

Has anyone heard of any problems or flaws with the Canon SD630???

[undefined]

Has anyone heard of any problems or flaws with the Canon SD630???

Images on the latest SD series, including the SD630, come off a bit soft to me. That being said, it is a personal preference issue and should not be considered a major issue.