Buying first digicam, suggestions please

[Sasage]

Hey Guys,

I am looking for:

Budget
What budget have you allocated for buying this camera?
$500 at most

Size
Preferably ability to put in pocket or cargo pant pocket.

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
Sky is the limit

Image Quality- 9 Very important....why spend the money and take the time only to have shitty product

Do you care for manual controls?
I would like manual controls so that I can one day progress to a SLR. I would like it to have the option of fully automatic.

General Usage

Generally, cityscapes, citylife, odds and ends, family, portraits, light action

Capable of printing 8X10 at most

Outdoors/Indoors

Some action

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? Hear good things about Canon and Nikon and Fuji

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

A520,A510(Not a big fan of slow flash recycle),S60(haven't tested working model),Powershot S1 IS(on the larger side), A95(haven't tested)

I'm open to any suggestions, thanks.

[timmciglobal]

SD500?

Digic 2, great movie mode, nice pictures...

Tim

[jessie25]

He wants 3.2 megapixels, the SD500 might be overkill. Plus, there's no manual controls on the SD500.

I own the Canon A520 and am very happy with it. The flash recycle takes a few seconds in low light but it's not really a big deal. I haven't missed any shots or really noticed it. Good general all-around usage camera, and it's got full manual controls which is rare for a camera in its range. Excellent image quality, AF-assist lamp, 4x optical zoom, uses AA batteries with great battery life on a set of NiMH rechargeables, and the LCD is bright and gains up in low light. Overall I'm very happy with mine.

[Sasage]

I changed my MP choice to whichever 3.2-8MP doesn't really matter as long as I can get a few 8X10 prints now and then.

As for the SD500, I have heard some stories about LCD cracking form just being in a pant pocket.

[jessie25]

You can make very decent (200dpi) prints at 8x10 with 4 megapixels. 5 megapixels might give you a bit more cropping leeway. Probably no need to invest in 7 megapixels or above unless you're looking for professional-quality prints.

Simple math: divide each dimension of picture resolution by the number of inches you wish to print to determine the maximum dots per inch. 150 and above is pretty good. 300 and above is good if you're looking to print on a professional press. 600 and above is for top-of-the-line quality but it won't make much of a practical difference for most people.

So, for example, a camera like the A520 which has a maximum photo size of 2272 x 1704 can make an 8x10 print as follows:

2272/10" = 227.2
1704/8" = 213

So you can print at upwards of 200 dots per inch at 8x10.

Etcetera.

[Sasage]

What about the Fuji E550 or the F810?