camera upgrade for mother (Coolpix 4600 -> ?)

[Houman]

Hi Everyone,

I had bought a Nikon Coolpix 4600 for my mother couple years ago, and it has served her well (still does), unfortunately the flash recharge is kinda slow upwards 20 seconds at times, and I'd like to get her a newer camera.

I am thinking of getting her a new digital camera, I think she'd prefer the ones that have the AA battery, but the proprietary ones _might_ be ok too.

She mainly uses the camera for indoor pictures (grouped photos), I was thinking of getting her the SD870 (wide angle), but that has the non AA battery type.

I know low light is an issue on all P&S, but I'd like to get one that does ok in low light... it seems in consumer report they recommend Sony DSC-W200 & SD1100 for low lights, while people here seem to recommend the older Fuji's.

Overall, I am a bit lost... I know that most new P&S are way better than her Cool Pix 4600. I was leaning toward the A590/A650/A720, mainly because they're Canon's and have AA battery. But I am open to any suggestions.

Thanks
Houman

[Houman]

Well based on different reviews on this site & forum search, I am leaning toward

A650 (for AA type camera) and SD870 for non AA.

[KCook]

For grouped photos with flash add the Sony H10.

Kelly Cook

[AndyfromVA]

The A650IS isn't bad in low light due to its large (1/1.7 inch) sensor. However, the Fuji F100fd is the best small point and shoot for low light photos.

[Houman]

Thank you for responses.

For people who have used the A series or any other newer Canon SD series, is it possible to set the camera to a 12mp for example, but set the output to be only 5 ? (like take the pic @ 12mp but then compress to 5mp before putting it on disk), I thought some Sony DigiCam does this.

I think if I ended up getting the A series, it would be mainly because of the AA usage.

Thanks
Houman

[KCook]

I don't know of any cameras that perform resizing within the camera. Of course you can just set any camera to a lower resolution in the first place. Though exactly 5Mp may not be available, for example you might have to settle for 4Mp. As a very general rule cameras with a dedicated rechargeable battery will have an advantage in flash performance over those using just 2 AA batteries.

Kelly

[Houman]

I said AA mainly because of the convenience factor, if not, she'd be using the NiMH rechargeable type batteries.

Too many choices ... ;)

[AndyfromVA]

All Canon Powershot A series cameras use 2 AA batteries except the A650IS, which uses 4. This results in faster flash recycling and longer battery life compared to the 2 AA battery cameras.

[KCook]

Color me clueless .... why do AAs have a better convenience factor than a dedicated rechargable? I've had both types of cameras, and in my experience it's the dedicated batts that are more convenient. Much more so.

Kelly

[Houman]

It's just a matter of preference (this is not for me but for my mother)...

One of the downside of proprietary batteries is that you might have to buy a 2nd one, and when one is in the camera you have to recharge the other, what if you have one in the camera and have to go someplace while the other one is discharged and it happens that you lose the power on your main one and you're sol and you can't take pictures.

It basically comes down to convenience, but to each their own.

Also I like this post:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&message=28244083

[KCook]

"One of the downside of proprietary batteries is that you might have to buy a 2nd one, and when one is in the camera you have to recharge the other, what if you have one in the camera and have to go someplace while the other one is discharged and it happens that you lose the power on your main one and you're sol and you can't take pictures."

That has not been my experience. I am still on the lone rechargable that was included with my camera. When I am expecting to need the camera for a session, I can simply pop the battery out to top it off with a quick recharge ahead of time. You can not do this with the NiMH AAs. As they can only be recharged after being exhausted. So with those things, you certainly DO need a second set of batteries. Thus I consider the dedicated rechargable more convenient.

Kelly

[AndyfromVA]

I use Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable AA's. I have two in the camera and two extra in the case as backup. Eneloops don't lose their charge when not being used (unlike regular NiMH rechargeables), so having the backup batteries constantly ready to go gives me a good sense of security.

[Houman]

Yeah I have heard lot of good things about Eneloop's... I think it will be a good combo w/ the A650 for her.

now on to choosing a DSLR for myself ;)

[Houman]

Just an update. I ended up getting her the A590IS.

The reasoning was that I thought A650IS would be overkill for someone who does not use the Manual settings, and A590IS has lot of features packed in. I also picked the Eneloop AA's. The only gripe about the A590IS is the 20fps video, but that's not noticeable that much. With a good battery charge, the shutter lag w/ flash isn't too bad.

-Houman