Digital Camera Requested

January 18, 2007 9:31 AM

Help me find a suitable digital camera for my sister.

My little sister wants to get into photography, and she's saved up $350 for a digital camera. She is all eager to buy the camera from a catalog, but I wanted to Ask Metafilter what the best one is on the price range. Here are the criteria:

- $350 to spend.
- Beginner photographer, so complex advanced features not required.
- High amount of optical zoom.
- More megapixels are nice, but not required.
- Portability is not paramount, but would be nice. She doesn't want anything huge, though.
- Large screen would be nice.
- Rechargeable battery (only low-end camera's use AAs, right?).
- We already have an SD memory card.
- It's be nice if it appeared just as a Mass-Storage Device on our XP computer, no fancy software.

So, what recommendations can you give us? What other factors should we be aware of?

(Note, I did read the other threads, but the newest one I could find was from 2005 - I imagine stuff has changed since then.)

posted by bkudria to technology (18 comments total)

Canon SD800, you can't go wrong
posted by matteo at 9:46 AM on January 18, 2007

This thread is from a month ago.
posted by vacapinta at 9:47 AM on January 18, 2007

Digital Photography Review
posted by matildaben at 10:07 AM on January 18, 2007

DP Review has had, does have, and will forever have better camera-buying advice than AskMe.
posted by mkultra at 10:24 AM on January 18, 2007

Second Canon SD800. Less zoom, but you'll find the wider angle lens (28mm vs. the usual 35 mm) really makes a difference for both indoor shots and landscapes.
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 10:32 AM on January 18, 2007

I second vacapinta's previously. I think you'll find the suggestions fit well with the specifications you're looking for.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 10:39 AM on January 18, 2007

If you want a super-zoom in the $350 range that is also compact, the Panasonic TZ1 looks like a good bet.

I've got the FZ7, which shares some of the same specs, but has a slightly longer zoom and is not in a compact format. It's a pretty good camera, but I'd also look at the Sony H5 and Canon S3 in the same "super-zoom" class.

But yeah. DP Review.

I would not fetishize high megapixel counts. After a certain point with consumer-grade cameras, jamming more pixels into the same sensor dimensions just increases image noise.
posted by adamrice at 10:42 AM on January 18, 2007

It's be nice if it appeared just as a Mass-Storage Device on our XP computer, no fancy software.

This is a nice feature. I have a Canon elph and it will not register on my corporate laptop. When I travel that is the computer to take so that I can stay in touch (I know, I should get a life). Since I can not install software, like Canon's drivers, my laptop will not recognize the Canon. It does recognize a Minolta camera. I now have to travel with a media card reader. It's small, but it's almost as big as the elph itself. I don't think DP Review has info on which cameras do this and which do not.
posted by caddis at 10:59 AM on January 18, 2007

caddis: I use something like this to read my SD cards directly. Its no bigger than my thumb.
posted by vacapinta at 11:12 AM on January 18, 2007

I second the Panasonic TZ1. It's a compact point-and-shoot, with a staggering 10x optical zoom. You will not find any other camera this small with that kind of zoom. The TZ1 also comes in a funky dark blue colour, which I have!
posted by exquisite_deluxe at 11:22 AM on January 18, 2007

I'll just mention a couple things:

Don't be so fast to dismiss the cameras that use AA batteries. They are most definitley not all low-end. Rechargable AA's have come a long way (check out the eneloops by Sanyo.) AA's would give your sister a readily available option should she ever be stuck with low juice and no spares. This opens up the posibilities of the long-zoomed Canons, (specifically the S2-S3) and the 6X zoom A700 or A710, which tend to get great reviews from users/reviewers.

Also, I recommend using the site www.imaging-resource.com for a little feature called the comparometer. Basically, this guy shoots the same images with different cameras and allows you to view them side by side. He also has individual reviews for each camera.

Finally, go to a store like Ritz camera with your sister to hold any cameras she might be interested in. It really is a good idea to get a sense of the ergonomics before you plunk down the cash, without the little security doohickies. Resist sales pressure and buy online.
posted by natness at 12:28 PM on January 18, 2007

Give me rechargable AAs any day of the week. My pretty old Sony DSC-S60 (nice camera, but sort of obsolete at this point) will take over 500 pictures on two of them, and I have four. ;)

Unfortunately, you're not going to find an ultracompact that uses AAs.

Do heed the advice about megapixels..more is not always better, since the sensors on the consumer cameras are so tiny. I know someone who has a DSC-N2 and likes it. It has a neat feature where you can touch something on the screen and it will focus on that, rather than deciding what to focus on all by itself. The only thing I don't like about it, which is common among ultracompacts, is that there's no actual viewfinder, only the LCD, so it's not really natural to take a picture in a way that stabilizes the camera to reduce vibration.

If she's going to be doing any low light shooting, a camera with image stabilization or vibration reduction is essential.

That said, I really like my DSC-S60 because it has lots of manual controls, although it never forces you to use them if you don't want to. Something along those lines is good for a beginner who might advance beyond point and shoot, as it begins to give you an idea about F stops and shutter speeds.

One thing I find constantly frustrating with my camera is that, having only a 3x zoom, it's nearly useless for taking photos of anything small that's beyond 20 feet away. It doesn't help that there's no depth of field, either, but that's just the price you pay for not carrying around a dSLR with its much larger sensor.
posted by wierdo at 1:12 PM on January 18, 2007

I posted this similar question back in April, which led me to the Canon PowerShot A620. I couldn't be happier. If your sis isn't stuck on wanting an SLR, which I'm guessing with a price limit of $350 she isn't, the A620 is a great camera. It's easy enough to use moments after opening it, but has enough advanced settings that she can learn to use as she gets more experience.

It takes both rechargeable NiMH batteries and regular alkaline, which I find super useful since I hate lugging the charger around with me. And I get amazing battery life with this camera. I visited the zoo shortly after I got it, walked around all day (about 6-7 hours) and took roughly 114 pictures. This was on Energizer e2 Titanium batteries (they're alkaline, but rated to last longer in tech devices like cameras). My batteries didn't give out once! I was amazed!

It takes beautiful shots, great color accuracy and an awesome macro mode as well. I highly recommend it. Oh and the price is right. For $350 she'll be able to get the camera and any accessories she needs.
posted by katyggls at 1:55 PM on January 18, 2007

I third the Canon 800. I have the IS (image stabilization) model, and I adore it.

The one bad thing about this camera is that it doesn't take great photos indoors with a flash. They are OK, just not great. Outdoors and for up-close stuff, though, it's amazingly good for the price.
posted by gemmy at 4:04 PM on January 18, 2007

All the Canon pocket cameras suffer this issue. Try taping some tissue over the flash to act as a diffuser. I am experimenting with this right now and it seems to be helping. You will lose some flash power though.
posted by caddis at 5:16 PM on January 18, 2007

I have this camera, Panasonic DMC-FZ7S and love it. 6MP, 12x optical zoom. But it isn't the most compact thing.
posted by fieldtrip at 8:54 PM on January 18, 2007

Thanks, caddis, great tip!
posted by gemmy at 4:50 AM on January 19, 2007

Interesting suggestion on the flash, i wonder if a little vaseline or a diffusing gel would also work.

I also just got this the Canon accessory flash, the HF-DC1, to compensate for the harsh flash effect, but haven't had a chance to try it out yet.
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 7:24 AM on January 19, 2007