Technology Need advice on buying a new digital camera

[THEV1LL4N]

Okay, so im going away on holiday in about 2 weeks and my Kodak Easyshare MD1063 camera is playing up and has become faulty.

I would like to buy a new camera preferably by an electronic specialist (Sony, Samsung, Panasonic etc) rather than a photo specialist (such as Kodak, Fuji-film etc).

These are the ones i have come up with and i get points rewarded back from Sainsbury's or Boots (so it kinda works out like money off discount):

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC W350 14.1 Megapixel Digital Camera Black - Compact cameras - Photography & camcorders - Technology - Sainsbury’s

A little pricey, since my budget is around £100. otherwise great specs.


Samsung PL80 12 Megapixel Digital Camera Black - Compact cameras - Photography & camcorders - Technology - Sainsbury’s

^^Good price, more than 10MP, has 5x optical zoom and ISO rating of 3200 according to the description.


Sony Cyber-shot S2000 10.1 Megapixel Digital Camera Black - Compact cameras - Photography & camcorders - Technology - Sainsbury’s

Even cheaper than the Samsung PL80 above, but has 10MP, and only 3x optical zoom, although the ISO rating is the same.


Samsung ES65 10.2 Megapixel Digital Camera with Zoom Black - Compact cameras - Photography & camcorders - Technology - Sainsbury’s

Same price as the Sony Cyber-shot S2000 above, and has slighly inferior specs, this Samsung ES65 has an ISO rating of 1600 in comparison to 3200 of the first 3 cameras, but is a good price.


Play.com (UK) : Samsung ST50 / 12.2 Megapixel / 3x Optical Zoom / 2.7" LCD / Digital Camera / Blue : Electronics - Free Delivery

£100, free delivery - no reward points back on this. Nice design. more than the required 12MP, optical zoom is only 3x, ISO rating is 3200.

• Please bare in mind that my budget is around £100, and if i can get something for less its a bonus.
• 10MP is good enough, I dont see why i'd need a 12MP+ camera just yet, 10MP is good enough if displaying on a HD screen (i dont have any HD monitors, televisions yet by the way).
• Optical zoom, 3x is good, would prefer 5x optical zoom.
• I prefer dark colours such as blacks, greys, navy blues; no pinks, reds, yellows etc for gadgets
• Good battery life
• Good light sensitivity (ISO Ratings)
• Ease of use on PC - i.e. plug n play, no software installation to be required.

Is 4x optical zoom noticeably better than 3x and noticeably inferior to 5x?

I would like you ask for your kind advice and input which will be much appreciated.

Thank you in advance.


Edit: My mum came up with a good idea, buying it Duty Free (Tax free from the airport):

I found this - Check the specs:
http://www.dixonstravel.co.uk/index....view&section=imaging&group=11&pro_id=7001292

£115, 14MP, 4x optical zoom, ISO rating = 3200, looks nice, slim, lightweight etc. Is a memory card included with this?

Specs - http://www.sony.co.uk/product/dsc-w-series/dsc-w320/tab/technicalspecs

 

[masta247]

Don't buy one from Sony in this price range. Don't get fooled by megapixels. You don't need more than 7-8 (which is still considered an overkill by some professional photographers).
I really advise you do go for Canon. They make the most awesome digital cameras if it comes to mid-range. You'll be satisfied even if their cameras don't look that great. And it's not about technical parameters. Their old 3mpx cameras take better pictures than some new 10mpx shooters. Plain and simple - Canon = unbeatable picture quality and setting options in their price ranges.

Really especially this offer is amazing:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Power...?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1277151078&sr=1-15

I can't believe that they have it for 129 pounds actually. It'll take better pictures than most shooters from competition for <250 pounds.

If you don't really like Canons then go for Panasonics. Typically slightly inferior but considered to be 2nd after Canon.

 

[Bobby Sands]

turn off the god damn flash. thats the only advice i can give.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

Is there anything a little more compact. I need a camera more for general use rather than photography skills or taking the best quality pictures. I want something good enough with a great image, again for general use as i mainly use the one (normal) mode.

the canon one looks good, but not so much aesthetically.

 

[masta247]

Canons don't look great but they take best pictures. Ultra-compact cameras are inferior overall but you might look at their Ixus line.

This one almost fits in your budget:
Canon Digital IXUS 95 IS Digital Camera - Silver 2.5: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

And if you reaaally don't want Canons then this one would do:
Panasonic Lumix FS10 Digital Camera - Black 2.7 inch: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

In my grading if the Canon I posted earlier would be 10/10 then this Ixus and Panasonic would do about 6.5/10 and 6/10 respectively but still it's probably unbeatable if it comes to ultraportables in this price range.
Sample shots from Ixus 95 IS:
http://www.cameras.co.uk/camera-reviews/photos.cfm?photo=Canon-Ixus-95-is&title=Canon IXUS 95 IS
And a review:
http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/eq...tcameras/24114/2/canon-ixus-95-is-review.html

While it's not as good as its "bigger brothers" it should be enough for your needs and I believe the best choice in this size and price range.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

thanks masta, i will look into these. but how would you rate the ones i posted?

you see, after experiencing problems with my Kodak one, i really want something reliable and hence why im adamant on getting something by sony, samsung or panasonic if i can. with
sony at least if i experience any problems, there is a store in the town city centre where i can take it for them to have a look at or book in for a repair if required.

my main purpose and perhaps only purpose will be to take photos on occassions, not so much for other things, so i would need to take pictures quickly and not mess about with settings etc.

however, im hoping to go and see the colloseum and the leaning tower of pizza, so now that you mention that i wouldnt mind getting one that i capable of taking crisp images with good contrast and clarity. but arent the ones i posted well capable of doing that anyway?

thanks man.

 

[masta247]

Ah they will take pictures but of way inferior quality I've never heard of a faulty Canon camera and Panasonics are known for quality too.

Stay away from these Samsungs
The only reasonable camera that you posted was Sony DSC W350 which is more expensive than both cameras that I posted.
Considering that Canon is much cheaper and Canon is known for making cameras that are slightly superior to Sony if it comes to overall quality and way superior if it comes to price/quality ratio I definitely recommend that Canon. If you absolutely prefer Sony though then it's not bad, actually it's a pretty good camera but I wouldn't pay as much considering there's also that Canon which is cheaper.
To be fair though Sony offers things like a slightly bigger display, 14mpx vs.10mpx (not that it matters much) etc.
Between these two it's whether you are willing to pay more for Sony for whatever reasons you might have.

To put it in an easier way:
If I had both in the same price and same conditions and were given a choice to pick one of these I'd have a tough choice. If one of them was cheaper I'd get the cheaper one. In this case Canon is cheaper.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

hmm, this is close.

Did you see my edit with the SONY W320 camera? it looks pretty good from the specs and i can get that tax free, and hopefully further discount if my aunt can get some staff discount since she works at heathrow airport.

but i'll keep my options open. just dont really want anything chunky. i liked how i could put the Kodak one in my pocket like a phone.

p.s. where did you see the Canon PowerShot SX110 IS Digital Camera for £129? The cheapest i can find is from http://www.thegadgetspot.co.uk/cano...d2659dbd7aea6d3d40f01e1ab9d7e6&fm_src=froogle but i dont know whether i can trust this site or if its brand new, boxed with everything included).

 

[THEV1LL4N]

got anything a bit smaller? any panasonic recommendations, something compact? thanks.

edit: the lumix one is good, any others, perhaps slightly cheaper and still very good.
It is £99, £107 after delivery: http://www.buyacamera.co.uk/xsearch.asp?searchtype=Name&searchfor=PANASONICLUMIXFS10&pt=f

do you think they ship with all contents, accessories and box? im not too sure about these websites.


the Panasonic FS11 is for £134 on http://www.dixonstravel.co.uk/index....view&section=imaging&group=11&pro_id=7001268, looks like it just has 14MP instead. maybe if i can get further discount on top?? Good choice?

 

[masta247]

That Panasonic FS 11 is similar to the Canon that I posted (Ixus 95 IS). Canon has a very slight edge in picture quality but Panasonic has slightly superior features. I think it's better to buy FS10 since there's very little difference between them. Canon Ixus will also fit in your pocket and Ixus 95 IS is still the best choice imo if it comes to price/picture quality ratio.
W320 is inferior than all mentioned above but is not that bad. Just lower-end - most of all there's no image stabilization on W320 (Image stabilization makes taking pictures easier and is very important if you don't want to see blur too often on your pictures). All other cameras mentioned have Image stabilization.

However getting any of them should get you satisfying picture quality for your needs as we've disqualified all "bad" models.
My opinion would be (considering price as a factor too):

1. Canon Ixus 95 IS
2. Panasonic FS 10
3. Panasonic FS 11 (because I don't think that extra megapixels are worth that much money)
...
Sony W350 (because it's expensive for its value)
Sony W320 (because it doesn't have any image stabilization)

p.s. where did you see the Canon PowerShot SX110 IS Digital Camera for £129? The cheapest i can find is from http://www.thegadgetspot.co.uk/canon...fm_src=froogle but i dont know whether i can trust this site or if its brand new, boxed with everything included).

There was a shop on Amazon selling it for 129 but now it doesn't show up anymore. However come to think of it you want a pocket camera and SX110 is rather big and bulky. It won't even fit in your pocket. Analyzing your needs I think that ultraportable cameras that we're discussing should offer good enough picture quality while they're much, much smaller and slim. They take nice and sharp pictures too, not as great as SX110 but good enough while being much smaller and they will probably suit your needs more.

 

[Casey]

the leaning tower of pizza

lmfao.

 

[Rukas]

Rather than an expensive digital camera get a cheaper digital SLR.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

lmfao.

oh damn, i meant pisa. pizza was on my mind since i had that for dinner haha!! thanks for pointing that out!!!

 

[THEV1LL4N]

lmfao.

oh damn, i meant pisa. pizza was on my mind since i had that for dinner haha!! thanks for pointing that out!!!

 

[masta247]

Rather than an expensive digital camera get a cheaper digital SLR.

Yeah that's what I also suggested - a Canon camera which is a semi-SLR but Sandeep wants a small and slim camera.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

^^ dont those SLRs still cost around the same price but are bigger in size/weight?

Edit: Got any semi-SLRs in mind?

 

[masta247]

^^ dont those SLRs still cost around the same price but are bigger in size/weight?

Edit: Got any semi-SLRs in mind?

That Canon sx 110 is a small semi-SLR. Yeah they're just larger but most of all offer more options/settings which then offers possibilities for better pictures.
However unless you're into photography or are willing to spend some time to learn about settings and switch them each time you'll want to take a photo I doubt you'd need one for your needs - I'm almost sure you'll stick to auto mode which is what these ultra-compacts are made for.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

^^ yes thats right, i wouldnt be switching between different modes too often.

on my kodak, there were 7 modes. i used general picture taking mode 9 times out of 10. close up mode very rarely, and video mode very rarely. ISO, SCN and the others never.

 

[Shadows]

I'm never buying a digital camera. what for?

There are great cameras in phones coming out very soon.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

@shadows: for the rest of the family too, not just for me. what about when im not around and people want to take pictures too?