Traveling abroad. looking for a cheap camera

[Aestas]

i have been looking at cameras on Best Buy, where i am planning to use a gift card. i need a cheap, general all around compact, because i will be going abroad soon. i'm a general newbie point and shoot picture taker.

all the different cameras are making my head spin...


Budget - less than $200. but even close to $200 is pushing it.... i guess around $150.. i'm cheap, i know.

Size - size doesn't really matter. small. i will be most likely be putting it in my bag

Features - i don't really know about megapixels. it seems most cameras have a lot of megapixels nowadays anyway.

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) - i think standard would be good enough. I am probably taking pictures of temples, landscape, sightseeing, and my friends.

* How important is “image quality” to you? not too sure... 6 to 8?

Do you care for manual controls? - no... i don't think i would know how to use them.

General Usage - traveling around. i definitely don't want AA battery cameras though. i will be abroad for 3 months and i just want a general all around camera. i am not sure what particular events i will be going to but most likely taking pictures outside and maybe inside with people.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? No. just 4 by 6 at the most. and putting pictures on my blog or facebook.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? - maybe. but its not necessary for the camera to be a great low light camera since i know less than $200 bucks won't get me a great camera anyway.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? - no.

Miscellaneous - Are there particular brands you like or hate?

i have a Fuji Finepix F30 (i think.. don't have it with me)... but its starting to crap out and pictures are not very clear. while i wanted to buy another Fuji finepix to save money on buying a new memory card, it seems like the Fuji Finepix Z10 isn't the best buy for the price.

my friend has a canon, and i think faces look particularly whitewashed in her pictures. not a big concern, but i'm afraid details might not show up well.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
i definitely have to buy from Best Buy - because i have a gift card i can use. I was looking at the Sony Cybershot DSC-W230 or Nikon Coolpix S220. i can't really tell a difference. i was looking at the cheaper canons... like A1000IS... but it looks kind of bulky and not very sleek. then the other cheapest canon powershot SD790 IS is at $200... just at the top of my budget.

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD) - special features i would like are image stabilization. i don't want a camera that takes too much time inbetween to take pictures or start up. i would like a good battery. and i prefer an optical zoom than digital.

[KCook]

The Canon A1100 uses AA batts. Curious that BB has so many cameras priced right at $199.99. And too bad that puts Canon out of your reach. Anyways, from the BB prices, staying below the $200 mark, I would suggest the Panasonic FS7 or Sony W230. There are a few reviews for these new models, but you will need to dig to find them.

Kelly Cook

[Aestas]

if i don't buy from Best Buy, what would you recommend?

[Aestas]

how about the olympus FE 3010?

[KCook]

Right now Amazon is showing a deal on last year's Canon SD1100 IS at $174.95. But otherwise everybody seems to be holding the line for full price on this year's Canons. BB is no worse than the others in that regard.

When it comes to low price cameras most makes are a mixed bag. A few decent cameras along with so-so cameras. Olympus does not escape this. There aren't any reviews of the Oly FE-3010 yet, so it has to be considered an unknown. Camera enthusiasts look for quality hardware, along with performance. These new FE-series designs are "plasticy" when it comes to look-and-feel. Of course this makes no difference in image quality. More a pride of ownership deal. Or a reflection of our male Tooltime syndrome :D . But Panasonic and Sony easily beat out Oly on this look-and-feel issue. One Oly that has had decent reviews is the FE-370. I would be more likely to get that one than the FE-3010.

Kelly

[SpecialK]

The Samsung L210 has some decent features, and is under $150. The lowest price around Xmas was actually at Best Buy, about $125. Charges thru a computer USB port. Only real drawback is the lack of a viewfinder which makes it difficult to track a moving subject when the image blanks out after a shot. Other than that, I liked it better than the popular SD1100.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-L210-Digital-Stabilized-Black/dp/B00147VLNS/ref=cm_cr-mr-title

[tizeye]

Generally speaking, there are not that many reviews of the base P&S cameras as there are so many of them. Dpreview did group reviews representative of of type (budget, enthusiast, etc) arounf the holidays. The three brands that consistenly stood out were Canon, Sony and Panasonic.

That said, probably the best deal out there May 11-31, is at Costco. The have a coupon special (I don't think they require the coupon anymore) on the Panasonic FS15 for $149 where most mailorder have at $179 up and has an MSRP on Panasonics site of $199. Best Buy doesn't carry it and only has one lesser model Panasonic P&S 'web only' on their web site for $159. Since Panasonics typically use Sony's sensors, Best Buy does carry the similar Sony W220 for $199.

http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/compact/fs25_fs15/index.html I couldn't find any 3rd party reviews on it. It is relatively new, introduced Jan 09.

You may want to think about applying that Best Buy gift certificate to other merchandise.

[mjsneddon]

I believe you can buy the Canon A1000 for $130 right now. Yes, it is a little more bulky than the their SD series and yes, it does not look as "sleek" as some models but your budget places certain limitations. But it is a very capable point and shoot camera. It is small, has plenty of resolution, has image stablization and a (small) optical view finder. Not bad for 130 bucks (and right now B&H is offering this with free shipping.)

Just a thought.

[cdifoto]

I'd go with a Canon SD series with wide angle if I was buying right now. I like my Fuji a lot but wide is good and most touristy stuff is in daylight or at least good indoor light anyway.

However, if the f30 wide is wide enough, take a look at the f60. It's actually pretty nice and plenty under budget. I have an f40 and an f60 and like them both very much.

[mjsneddon]

I agree that Canon's SD series cameras are quite nice. And I also agree that a wide angle field of view is the way to go. But I am doubting that you can get a Canon SD series camera with a field of view wider than that of a 35mm lens (equiv) for $200 or less.

I did see just this week in a Staples store, the SD 1100 (which has been discontinued) for $145.

[speaklightly]

Well staying under your $200.00 limit, the Kodak Z-1012 (12X Optical Zooom, full IS, 10mp, both full auto and full manual controls is hard to beat at $(US) 199.95.

Sarah Joyce

[gotocin]

Hi, i bought my camera at very decent price, which saves me a ton. You can check.