As posted elsethread, The Scream is looking for a digital camera under $200.

Canon is what I recommend most: their cameras have that nifty "Panoramic Stitch Mode" that allows you to take great (what else?) PANORAMIC shots. I am especially enamored of the flip-out viewfinder that is on some of the cameras (the G1-6, e.g., the A80, A85, A90. A95, and the Powershot Pro 1, I think), as it allows you to get overhead and underneath shots without climbing or crawling.

PHOTO OF VIEWFINDER:


They also have built-in modes available on some models, such as Sepia, B/W, enhanced color, muted color, and more. Of course, you can change the ISO speed, shutter speed, and F-stop on all the models I've seen, which is not to say that the cheapest models have these features.

You need to consider important things like what kind of memory comes with the camera. A 16 MB card is next to useless, unless you're just shooting 640x480 for the web (which is all some people need, but not me). If you're going to print, you can do a decent 8"x10" with only 2 megapixels, but I think you need at least 3.2. And again, if you're not doing fancy printing, 3.2 megapixels is more than ample resolution for 99% of people.

Another thing to consider is the power source. Don't buy something that takes A batteries unless you are going to use rechargeables. Does the camera have an AV adapter, so you can charge its battery? That's a good thing, but not mandatory. I myself would not buy a camera that didn't allow me to recharge the battery, but that's just me.

A good place to start is eBay: look for a reputable dealer with high customer satisfaction. Be sure check out the packages: you can often get amazing deals that include extra memory, a card reader, tripods, camera case, and more. But be sure to notice the shipping costs: they fluctuate wildly. You can avoid paying sales tax at eBay and other online dealers. Check out MySimon.com, Amazon (free shipping), and then PriceGrabber.com for comparison shopping.

Besides Canon, I recommend Olympus cameras, too. Both brands have pretty high customer satisfaction and ratings. But only Canon has those flip-out viewfinders.

Once you get an idea of a few models that interest you, go to DPReview.com (Digital Photography Review) and do comparison charts. You can also go to Cnet.com for recommendations.

I have owned a Canon G1, an A85, and a Powershot Pro 1. All have been wonderful (and all have the swing-out viewfinder). I've also owned two FujiFilm digital cameras, and liked them both. I had a Kodak and sent it back: just like the goldish film, the colors sucked. (We only use FujiFilm in our SLR.)

List #1 at eBay: filtered for Canon + Buy Now + New/Never Opened + U.S. Only + 3.0-3.9 Megapixels + Sorted by Lowest Price First. (Compare shipping costs on preferred models.)

List #1 at eBay: filtered for Olympus + Buy Now + New/Never Opened + U.S. Only + 3.0-3.9 Megapixels + Sorted by Lowest Price First. (Compare shipping costs on preferred models.)

A85 for under $200 (Highly recommended)

And another

A95: brand new.

Hope that helps a little. You can find extra memory pretty darn cheap these days, and you'll need it with most cameras.

Thank you Tana

That helps alot. It never occured to me to shop through ebay, I've been looking on Amazon.

Excellent advice, Tana. I relied heavily on DPReview when I was shopping, and have been very happy with the Canon A95.

Thanks, Blondie!

Whoopsies, Scream, one other bit of cautionary advice: make SURE you are not buying a refurbished camera! I see that one of the cameras I linked is refurbished. Bah!

The digital camera I have now is such a piece of crap. I bought it off Amazon, the deal was that it's a $200 camera on sale for $50, in reality I paid 5 times more for a $10 camera.

I just bought one, so a few things to consider if (like me) you want a point and shoot and you don't want anything technical:

1) how fast between when you press the button and the picture takes (if you want to get friends in candid shots, or animals outside, it should be pretty fast)

2) how fast between pictures? My camera now is great outdoors, but indoors (dark) it can take up to 4 seconds between pictures for the camera to reset and refocus.

3) Is the zoom digital or optical? Often it is a little bit of both- the first 2x is optical, and after that it's digital, or something like that. The digital part is just the camera enlarging a picture it already has, and does not improve the quality. Digital zoom will result in grainy pictures, so the optical zoom is the important part.

That's all I can think of at the moment. If you have a great camera store near you it pays to go in and talk to the people who work there. It's possible to do this and then go look a cheaper deal on the model you want on the internet, although I don't think it's right to do this. If you go the camera store route it's more expensive, but I think the advice is part of the price. (You also have a chance to actually test out cameras and get a good answer to questions 1 and 2.) For DIY research CNET is a great source.

Also, I think these days most cameras are being sold with useless memory, with the expectation that you will buy your own memory card. My camera I think came with enough internal memory to hold 8 pictures- obviously I had to buy a memory card. Something to think about with a $200 budget.

So what did you end up buying, Tamar?

Go Canon!

FB who still prefers her canon G1 over the shiny DSLR.

Hey, now!
Thanks to posts above, I have learned two new features of my already awesome Canon A85.

I'm wondering if Tana really needs 3 cameras and if she wants to paret with one at a reasonable price,

About a year ago I bought a digital camera on eBay. I had researched cameras on the various sites that Tana mentioned, sites that had no vested interest in selling me a camera, just in giving me information. I was about cross-eyed with doing research. The choice had come down to the Canon EOS Rebel or the camera I ultimately bought.

The seller acknowledged that it was 'slightly used', but when it arrived, I couldn't see that it had been used at all. It was definitely not refurbished. I got a steal--well, at least a very good deal--and have been happy with it ever since. Camera came with a 64mb card, a 512mb card, a card reader, and some filters, all included in the price. The only negative, after a year, is the macro function; it's unwieldy to use and the pics are usually unsatisfactory.

Before I bid on the camera, I read and was satisfied with all of the seller's feedback. I emailed the seller and asked questions, lots of questions. He answered in what seemed to me to be a straightforward, honest way--no evasions, no jargon, just said why he was selling this complicated camera. He said, "I already have a simple digital that's good enough. This fancy one was given to me, and I'm just a grandpa taking grandkid snapshots--I don't have the energy to learn how to use this thing."

The camera is the Konika Minolta Dimage A1. It's more camera than The Scream is looking for, but it has most of the features I wanted, including a pioneering anti-shake device. A year ago, it was the only digital on the market that had that feature. It's 5mp, 7X optical zoom, has burst mode, etc etc etc etc--I still haven't learned all the etcs. The photos are incredible.

It's crucial to do the footwork before plunking down the bucks. Tana, you helped me, back then (on another food site), and I can't think of a better resource than you.

I paid over $600 for a Sony Mavica about 5 years ago. It's a piece of crap now. Actually it took very good pictures, it just died on me one day.

I like my SLR Olympus 28-120, if I could find a digital camera that can take the same quality pictures at the same speed for the same bucks I'd be happy. I know I'll save on film development with a digital. But for photos that I don't share online I prefer it.

I still have my dad's old Yashica manual SLR. He was a photographer in Korea and when we moved to the States, he splurged big time (for us back then) on it. I have the old lenses, as well some I bought on my own.

Thank you for that good advice: I couldn't get enough for it, anyway, and I love it. It went to Italy with me.

The L-Series lens is amazing (or so I have heard from other people who actually know what they're talking about). They have it on the Olympus C-8080, too, I think, which is what my ex-husband uses for his photography.

It is an especially good camera for capturing intense colors. I really do love this camera, even if I think the people in Canon's corporate headquarters are soulless Borgs.

Tana, you say, "[M]ake SURE you are not buying a refurbished camera!"

I'm assuming that by "refurbished" you mean factory rebuilt. If someone buys a camera that's DOA and returns it for replacement, it goes back to the factory. The technicians there replace the faulty component (or repair whatever has gone wrong), and then they test the hell out of it before putting it back on the market as a factory refurb. It is probably as good as if not better than a just-off-the-production-line model.

I've bought a number of factory refurbished electronic devices and have been thorougly satisfied. But that's just a point-of-view.

I take your point.

I have a Sony DSC S75 that I bought while vacationing in San Francisco 4 years ago; the boys at Cable Car Camera gave me a sick deal on it and threw in a bunch of extras for free. Not a shabby unit at all; has a Zeiss lens and, like Tana's Canon, handles intense colors beautifully.



At some point I'd like to upgrade to a Nikon D-SLR so I can use the Nikkor lenses I bought to use with my trusty ole Nikon FM.

one of my earliest G1 florals

sale of this covered at least 1/3 of my G1 cost.

That's another thing I love about my Canon Powershot Pro1--the macro gets 1.3" inches away from the subject! I do love a good macro function.

The Nikon Coolpix 4800 has 400 megapixels and an awesome 8x OPTICAL zoom, equivalent to 35 - 300 mm in a 35mm film camera.. Around $350 on eBay.

I did make it home safely. It cost me a small fortune. I'll be eating price-reduced veggies and drinking water with meals for quite a while.

Thanks for your inquiry.

Several months ago I bought the Nikon Coolpix 5400 (5 megapixel, 8X optical zoom) new. There was a special rebate deal going on, so I was able to get it for around $250 net. Still trying to figure out all of the settings, etc. but I'm generally happy with it.

I bought a Olympus C-750 UZ about 6 months( ~£150) ago and have been very happy with it. It has a 10x optical lens which I think is very important and also some other good functions, especially the macrofunction. Great for point and shoot.



This model is getting old, but I would recommend getting a camera with a good optical lens.

And the store would be?? People used to do this sort of thing with Nakamichi sound stuff. What's happened to them?

i live by dpreview - there's great professional and devoted amateur info.......which is how i found my beloved digital camera. i wanted to spend up to 500$ with battery etc included and ended up with a panasonic lumix. besides all the desired excellent attributes, it's got a huge screen, is very beautiful to look at (in black) and......has a leica lens. being an old leica fan, i was thrilled. it's a wonderful camera and there is also a slightly bigger version that would be great to have for more intensive photography but the smaller one is just that - small. so, fun to carry around everywhere.

My digital camera, a dinosaur at this point, is a Leica. I still love it. I believe that somebody else manufactured them for Leica at the time (Fuji?), but there are Leica components in it.

I would like to replace it with a smaller one at some point. Tell us more about yours, djk. I'm an old Leica fan too.

Thanks, thanks. One of the things I like about my Leica is that it looks so cool, I must admit. I'll check this out.

I am very interested in the anti-shake feature.

Now Panasonic's site says the FX9 is due in August. Meanwhile the FX8K seems to be $300.00 at J&R.

Anyone has any experience with the Canon EOS 20D? I really don't know much about cameras, digital or otherwise. Photography just seems like a fun subject to take on as a new hobby. Yes, so I am a dillettante, and one who wants a better toy.

A friend with a fancy photography degree has mentioned this one as a possibility. Anyone has it? How do you like it?

My little pocket one is the Sony DSC T1. A couple years old now but is still working just fine, I will keep using it when I want to be somewhat discrete with my activities.

50mm prime+macro filter test image

100mm macro lens sans filters test image

same as above, but with macro filter attachment (dof issues)

canon macro 100mm. not in macro mode.