which digital camera...?

[looobylooo]

hi,

im thinking of treating myself to a nice new small digital camera, and i was wondering if anyone can recommend one to me please as theres such a wide range out there to choose from.

im looking to spend no more than a �100 and would like

nothing tooooooo complicated
good picture quality
reasonably high pixels
a good optical zoom (aswell as digital zoom)
video record with sound
nice clear lcd screen
self timer

ive noticed some cameras use xd cards and others use sd cards and some use 2AA batteries and others use lithium ion rechargeables.
any help with these choices aswell would be greatly appreciated please.

ive seen an Olympus FE 330 in tesco which looks really good with all the features i think im looking for.

its reduced down to �90 from �129.

if anyone feels they could pass comment on this one, id appreciate it.

thanks very muchly :o)

[fo3nix]

1) You mention digital zoom. Forget it. It's a waste of time. Never, ever use it.

2) AA batteries or lithium. Well, the lithiums will last longer, which is their main feature. I personally like to use these batteries, but the down side is that they're often made specially for that camera (or a very select range). If you lose it, you could be in trouble if abroad or somewhere. With AA batteries, they won't last as long, but you can buy them everywhere. If you go this way, go for rechargeable AA batteries.

3) Personally, I'd go for this one:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Casio-EX-Z75-Digital-C amera-Optical/dp/B000MVWE8I/ref=br_lf_m_100017 6213_1_1_img?ie=UTF8&m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&s=electr onics&pf_rd_p=192703991&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd _t=1401&pf_rd_i=1000176213&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1 OLE&pf_rd_r=1MQXQDWD0QN3S91NJN2K

If you can stretch a little further, take a look at this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DMC-FX30EB-S -Digital-Camera-Antishake/dp/B000PKIQFG/ref=sr _1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1211361850&sr=1 -5

In short, Casio make great compact cameras. All Canons are good. Fuji make some good compacts too, that excel in low light conditions (think: restaurants). A lot of the Panasonics give good results, especially their more expensive ones. And stay away from Sony and brands like Vivitar.

4) XD vs SD. SD is wildly more popular, and XD is usually the format Fuji uses. Personally I'd alway

[fo3nix]

hmm.

Personally I'd always go for SD, simply because it's more popular.

[looobylooo]

thanks fo3nix for your great answer.

yeah, id seen the dearer panasonic camera before being advertised on tv and it looks very nice.

did you have a look at the olympus one attall i was interested in?

thanks for advice on the cards and the batteries too!

:o)

[trainerman]

Hi Looby

I bought a Koday C360 last year and it's excellent. 5X optical zoom (never use the digital zoom) 2" screen, video, fast (very fast) picture taking that captures the last 4 or the first 4 of a quick shoot (so that you can capture events with no set time to happen - eg. kids blowing out candles on a cake) also lots of settings for close-ups, action, back light, landscape, night shots, sepia, black & white etc. etc.. all for �99 on Amazon. Uses lithium rechargeable batteries that last for approx. 1.5 hours and recharge in about 12 hours. 5 million pixels gives great clarity for web or printing.

All-in-all an excellent buy.

[fo3nix]

About the Olympus.

I've never had or used an Olympus camera, but I'm told they're pretty good (though more of a secondary manufacturer, not a 'pro' manufacturer like Nikon or Canon).

I also can't find that model reviewed at the usual places.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions. asp?prodkey=oly_fe340

Steve's Digicams also has a review of the FE-340.

It seems pretty similar, so should be a good judge.

Though personally, the XD format turns me off, and I read that the LCD is poor in daylight conditions.

[Gromit]

I have just bought this and I am very please with it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-IXUS-70-Digital- Camera/dp/B000NUWJNS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=elec tronics&qid=1211372648&sr=1-2

It is easy to use and the results are very good. A view finder as well as the digital screen is very important on bright days.

[monty0703]

It's definitley worth paying out for good rechargeable batteries and a good charger such as Energiser 15min charger. Saves a lot of money on batteries and eco-friendly too!

[fo3nix]

mdoo98: well, they've had some issues over the years. A battery fiasco, and a sensor fiasco (that also affected other manufacturers, since they were using Sony's sensors).

Plus the fact that Sony is a really bad company in general, for many reasons.

[Giggsie]

hi I have just bought the casio and it is great little camera could not go wrong with one of them. Has all that I need.