Click where for (legit) hot deals on digital cameras?

March 29, 2007 9:42 AM

Digital camera sought for as little of my hard-earned cash as is reasonable. Newest, bestest thing not necessary. Best place to find it?

When it comes to taking photos for photography's sake, I'm really a die-hard film camera kind of girl. However, I must admit that for the purpose of documenting the process of renovations on my new house, photos for insurance purposes, etc., the immediacy of a digital camera would be super-handy.

I'd like to spend under $100. I'm not expecting to find anything fancy at that price -- I'm just looking for a basically acceptable budget compact camera, as long as the thing has a rechargeable battery and USB.

I know that there are sites on the intarwebs that aggregate hot deals, such as liquidating of stock before next year's model comes in, special discounts, etc. But which sites are better and more reliable? I get a lot of noise when searching, and so, Dear AskMeFites, I figure one of you will steer me right.

posted by desuetude to shopping (13 comments total)

Are you sure you need a new camera? You might be able to get a used one pretty cheap from someone who is upgrading to the newest, bestest thing.
posted by grouse at 9:49 AM on March 29, 2007

Ditto used. The Canon Digital ELPH line gets upgraded something like every thirteen seconds, so there are tons of used models on the market. They perform well and are very compact. Check Craigslist and eBay.
posted by deadfather at 10:09 AM on March 29, 2007

Try posting a wanted ad on craigslist, outlining what you want and for what price. It's free and once they contact you you can look up reviews for the model. Even if it doesn't pan out you've lost nothing but a bit of time.

My own preferences in a camera would be optical zoom if at all possible (digital zoom is sucky) and a pretty compact size. It definitely doesn't need high mexapixels unless you're going to be making large prints.
posted by 6550 at 10:13 AM on March 29, 2007

get a used Powershot, 4 megapixels are more than enough
posted by matteo at 10:21 AM on March 29, 2007

The deals site I like best is called dealspl.us.

It's a mix of digg and any other deals site, so the good deals make it to the front page. Whatever, just go there and click on the camera section, and you'll see the best current deals from all the different stores.

Good luck.
posted by claytonius maximus at 10:25 AM on March 29, 2007

What matteo said.

Though I did see at Walgreen's the other day--I kid you not--a cheap-cellphone-quality digital camera/keychain for ten dollars.
posted by roll truck roll at 10:58 AM on March 29, 2007

I second the Powershot line. I have the S50 for three-four years and it is banging.
posted by phaedon at 11:08 AM on March 29, 2007

Buy a refurbished camera. They come with warranties.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:10 AM on March 29, 2007

I was hoping that one of my friends would want to upgrade and sell me their old one. This hasn't happened.

Not opposed to used, but the sheer volume and scam-potential of eBay scares me off. (Can't check eBay from work, so matteo, I'll have to wait until tonight to check your link.)

Haven't had much luck looking in the for sale listings on Craigslist here in Philly, though I did just e-mail one person. Call me antsy, but posting an add makes me, well, antsy about investing lots of time waiting for someone to be selling what I'm buying. I'll do it, but I'm not holding my breath.
posted by desuetude at 11:10 AM on March 29, 2007

That $10 Walgreens camera is junk. I bought one and tried it out, then would up getting my money back. It's completely worthless. Save yourself the trouble.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:12 AM on March 29, 2007

For new, dealcam.com - play around with the pricing and component categories on the left. However, I agree that for what you are looking to spend, used is better.
posted by noahv at 12:05 PM on March 29, 2007

If you're accustomed to a film camera, you might want to scout eBay for a used Olympus e-10.

Only 4mp, but that 59mm lens front and f2 glass are really, really nice.

Got mine for $330 2 years ago; quite pleased.
posted by baylink at 7:38 PM on March 29, 2007

I wrote a post about a camera site I was happy with over at my blog. DCResource.com. Excellent, impartial reviews.
posted by Wild_Eep at 7:29 AM on March 30, 2007