My g/f wants a cute ultracompact camera. Recommendations?

[Mark Larson]

My g/f (and i) is looking for an ultracompact camera that can do most of the duties my A60 does - namely, take pictures with some manual control (exposure and aperture), shoot movies at a decent framerate, and be unobtrusive in the bargain. The A series is great in that it was inexpensive and had many features, but i've outgrown it and want something smaller and lighter now. I accept that that means less features and more cost, but i'm looking to keep it reasonable - i'm prepared to accept li-ion batteries and SD/xD cards, but not much else.

I'm looking for something with 3.2MP and above, 5oz or so weight, and 3x optical zoom.

Now for the sticking point: Price less than $250.

The Fujifilm F440 sounds good, but hasn't gotten good reviews. The Canon SD200 sounds great, but its a tad bit more at $270 or so at newegg. I'd love to get the SD200's weight and features at the F440's price - is there some other brand i should try? The Casio Exilim EX-Z40 (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=30-124-110&depa=7) sounds excellent, what do you all think about it? I've also looked at the Pentax Optio S (damn!), but can't find it for sale anywhere. Am i missing any brands/cameras? What's a good place to shop at? I could also go with a bundle deal involving the camera and a memory card or two.

[kimnicho]

hi Mark-
I just ordered the Canon SD200 + 256 SD card for $299 - 10% -$50 coupon off at Dell.com although I have been having lots of trouble with ordering from them lately but they did give me a $50 coupon so I was able to be "convinced" . I noticed that Dell Small Business has it on sale right now (camera only) for $254.

I was going to write a similar post asking if I should have purchased the Pentax Optio S50 instead since it's the same price but 5 vs. 3 megapixels. Also, it uses "AA" batteries or the very convenient CRV3s. The only thing is that it got very mixed reviews - cnet loved it but stevesdigicams said it had "below average image quality"....so I am very curious as to what others advise you/us :)

[speaklightly]

Mark-

Take a look at the Pentax S5i. It meets all of your requirements, except price. According tho www.priceline.com it is selling for $267.00. That is not far above your $250 price level and you are getting a full 5mp and a camera with a fantastic macro mode. I love mine.

Sarah Joyce

[almatic]

i love my pentax s4, its small and takes great pictures, the only down side is the fastest iso is 200, but i think the s4i and s5i have iso 400.

[John_Reed]

My g/f (and i) is looking for an ultracompact camera that can do most of the duties my A60 does - namely, take pictures with some manual control (exposure and aperture), shoot movies at a decent framerate, and be unobtrusive in the bargain. The A series is great in that it was inexpensive and had many features, but i've outgrown it and want something smaller and lighter now. I accept that that means less features and more cost, but i'm looking to keep it reasonable - i'm prepared to accept li-ion batteries and SD/xD cards, but not much else.

I'm looking for something with 3.2MP and above, 5oz or so weight, and 3x optical zoom.

Now for the sticking point: Price less than $250.

The Fujifilm F440 sounds good, but hasn't gotten good reviews. The Canon SD200 sounds great, but its a tad bit more at $270 or so at newegg. I'd love to get the SD200's weight and features at the F440's price - is there some other brand i should try? The Casio Exilim EX-Z40 (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=30-124-110&depa=7) sounds excellent, what do you all think about it? I've also looked at the Pentax Optio S (damn!), but can't find it for sale anywhere. Am i missing any brands/cameras? What's a good place to shop at? I could also go with a bundle deal involving the camera and a memory card or two.It's a "cute" little camera with a swivel lens, very fast, very compact. Specs are here. (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=584) The Web price listed there seems to be around $233 or so.

[speaklightly]

I apologize for the typo. At www.pricegrabber.com the price for the Pentax S5i is $268.

Sarah Joyce

[Thon]

Try the Olympus Stylus series. Basically they are all small and rather cute looking. Great as a carry around. And not to mention tough too, my 400 is covered in scratches and dropped a couple of times and still doing very well (weatherproof also so a bit of rain is fine).

The Stylus Verve (but only 2x zoom) is probably the cutest camera now in the market (many different colors too).

[Mark Larson]

I've been looking all over for the cameras you guys are recommending, and i like the SD200 the most, still. The SD300 is just a bit bigger, but not enough to notice, not as much difference as i thought. I positively fell in love with the SD20's size, but the lack of zoom pushed me away.

The Kyocera is damn thin, but its a tad bit too big in the other two dimensions.

Can anyone tell me where i can buy a Pentax Optio S? That seems like the best small camera around, and i've got an inexpensive case for it already ;). Pentax Optio S5i clocks in at $279.80 shipped, which may be a little too much for the little lady. The features are ok though - how much manual control does it have?

[speaklightly]

The Pentax S5i has all of the manual control you would ever desire. I own one and have found it to be a get all around digital camera with some fantastic macro or close-up capabilities. Your case for the Pentax S will fit the Pentax S5i by the way!

Sarah Joyce