Need digital camera advice.

[Frosty The Batman]

I have never even looked into them before. I want one that takes the pic when I take it. My almost father in laws takes about 2-3 seconds. I also really only want that and a good flash. Somewhere between $200-$250 would be nice.

Thanks for any advice.

[iowaholdem]

http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/

There's a really good starting ground for you. You'll need to decide if you want to go for cost, megapixels, sleek body, screen size, features, etc. That site will help break it down for you. Once you get some ideas in your head, come back and we'll help you look!

Also, in the forum there's a Buying Suggestions/Questions section that would be great to check out.

EDIT: Also, http://www.buydig.com (http://www.buydig.com/) has amazingly low prices on digital cameras and memory. They're also very fast and reliable. So once you get a camera picked out, that'll be a great place to pull the trigger.

[anadune]

I also use www.dpreview.com to do my research on digital cameras. Their reviews (when a camera is reviewed, not all get reviews) are really in depth and I've found them extremely helpful. Personally I really like Canon cameras, though that is all that I've used. Currently I've got the SD 400 which takes good pictures at a fast rate, though it is out dated now.

[puternerd]

Here's an article over at Gizmodo (which mentions CAG in a xbox 360 article) about the new nikons that are fast and inexpensive (s200).

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/digital-cameras/nikon-s200-and-s500-cams-start-up-and-shoot-in-an-instant-237995.php

[speedy1961]

Also once you find a model that you are interested in, you can ask me to scan the weekly ads I post for best price between Best Buy, Circuit City and Target.

[the3rdkey]

Remember more megapixels does not equal a better picture. It depends on the size of the sensor.

[Rihan]

I have never even looked into them before. I want one that takes the pic when I take it. My almost father in laws takes about 2-3 seconds. I also really only want that and a good flash. Somewhere between $200-$250 would be nice.

Thanks for any advice.

http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-EasyShare-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B000H91K7Q/sr=8-1/qid=1172071702/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0241418-9192040?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

[vherub]

Here are some handy websites comparing camera lags:

http://www.cameras.co.uk/html/shutter-lag-comparisons.cfm

http://www.impulseadventure.com/photo/shutter-lag.html

[Graystone]

Remember more megapixels does not equal a better picture. It depends on the size of the sensor.

Thats what she said.

Canon makes awesome cameras. For $200 you could get a A540 or better. Just look online at the pictures people take with canon's and its simply amazing. Nikon's consumer product line has been a little rough lately.

[spooie_redux]

I recommend looking into Canon as well. I have an A620 that was discontinued almost directly after it was released to pave the way for the next model. Regardless, it's awesome compared to the other point-n-click cameras I've used, and the Macro function for close-up pictures is great.

One piece of advice I'd give is that you not make any decisions based on "Digital Zoom". It's a pointless function that simply blows up and distorts what is already there in the picture. But you can do that on your computer regardless. A lot of companies will toss that in to make their camera appear better than it is. "Optical Zoom" is, however, a real feature.

Here is a picture I took, reduced to less than 1/2 the size I took it at...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y244/spooie_redux/DSgames.jpg

[Frosty The Batman]

Wow thanks for all the help and great links. I saw that Kodak one on another thread and kinda liked it. My 3 choices are:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000H91K7Q/ref=nosim/cheapassgam08-20
http://www.cameras.co.uk/camera-reviews/sony-dsc-s600.cfm
http://www.cameras.co.uk/camera-reviews/canon-powershot-a430.cfm

I think I like the sony the most so far. I'm pretty bad at this as I'm sure you can tell. I just wanna make sure to grab the right one. It'll mainly be used outside and sometimes at shows. Outside will be for action shots and shows will be kinda dimmly lit.

[waxHead]

I just bought the Sony H2 for my girlfriend for Valentine's day. It's an incredible camera, and it's only $40-$50 more than your price range:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyh2/

It takes pictures extremely quickly for a digital (dpreview.com says 1.3 seconds), has a great flash, and only uses two AA batteries. It also comes with two rechargeable AA batteries (Sony brand), a battery charger, and a lens cap, which you won't necessarily get with other digi-cams. I'm very impressed with it, particularly for the price, thought you might be interested. Good luck, whatever you decide!

EDIT:

Be sure to check out the "Conclusion" pages for any reviews on dpreview.com, they often give good insight into other high-performing cameras in the same price range ;)

[Rihan]

I It takes pictures extremely quickly for a digital (dpreview.com says 1.3 seconds),

Um, thats not quick at ALL. That Kodak I've been posting about on the boards and earlier in the thread, is .15 seconds. anything above 1 is absurd.

[h2dk]

Um, thats not quick at ALL. That Kodak I've been posting about on the boards and earlier in the thread, is .15 seconds. anything above 1 is absurd.
Dude, you must have misread your info...according to Stevesdigicams.com (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/c875.html)

Click to capture: <.6 seconds (wide, preview on -- i.e. no focus necessary)
Shot to shot: <1.5 seconds until buffier full (first 6 shots)
<5.6 seconds after buffer full

Where the Sony H2 does 7 shots at 1.3 seconds shot to shot

[Rihan]

Dude, you must have misread your info...according to Stevesdigicams.com (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/c875.html)

Click to capture: <.6 seconds (wide, preview on -- i.e. no focus necessary)
Shot to shot: <1.5 seconds until buffier full (first 6 shots)
<5.6 seconds after buffer full

Where the Sony H2 does 7 shots at 1.3 seconds shot to shot

http://www.cameras.co.uk/camera-reviews/kodak-easyshare-c875.cfm
.15 seconds

< .6 is the official specs from Kodak, however they are being conservative. Unless you are on some sort of manual mode, it takes MUCH less then that. I have messed around with the camera quite extensivly in store and its pretty much instantanious.

[XboxHardcore.com]

Go with CANON.

[Frosty The Batman]

Ok now I'm thinking the Canon SD600. I wanted something I could pick up at Best Buy or Circuit City, but I've seen some of these on ebay for around $200.00. Some even come with a few extras.

I still have a few days. Just waiting for tax money.

Thanks for all the help.

[bordjon]

I think Staples is having the SD600 on sale this week for 199.99 - not a bad price for a brick and mortar store.

I think Canons are good cameras. It's most likely what I'll be buying again when the need arises. I have owned polaroid, hp, nikon (boy do I miss my old coolpix 4500) and canon. My mom still has my old canon a40 2mp camera. I currently have a S45 and an original 300d digital rebel - both have been and are still great cams for me.

[XboxHardcore.com]

I wouldn't buy a camera on eBay. I would buy it a big name retailer because you know if it is defective you can take it back and get a new one.

[Kendro]

Ok now I'm thinking the Canon SD600. I wanted something I could pick up at Best Buy or Circuit City, but I've seen some of these on ebay for around $200.00. Some even come with a few extras.

I still have a few days. Just waiting for tax money.

Thanks for all the help.
The Canon SD series are EXCELLENT cameras. I have the SD400 myself which is 5 megapixels and has a 2 inch screen as opposed to the SD600's 6 megapixels and 2.5 inch screen. It is very small and very compact "point and shoot" camera so unless you are a pro who likes to tweak every setting, this is a great camera for a casual user. There are a number of preset settings that you can select for different situations (if you are shooting indoors, shooting at night, etc.). I recommend buying one from Newegg, an extremely reliable site that has it for $242 shipped.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16830120044

Edit - As mentioned above, Staples has it online for $200.

[ofacto]

STAPLES has the Canon A620 + printer bundle on clearance for $199. Combine that with a Staples coupon off ebay or from your mail for even more savings. I just got one today for around $180 (plus tax) with coupon. I'm planning on ebaying the printer to reduce the price even further.

The item number is 664365, go to the store directly and they can show which stores in your area still have them in stock.

They also have the Canon A530 on clearance for $99 item number 635733.