Compact Digital Camera Review
is this a good digital camera?

I’m looking to buy a digital camera that is small and relatively cheap, like the Nikon S220:

the s230 is a little better

Compact Digital Camera Review

Compact Digital Camera Reviews – Before You Buy

There is a plethora of fine, solid quality compact digital cameras on the market today. And there are lots of camera models to choose from. So much so that it can be confusing for all but the most dedicated hobbyist. So which camera models are the cream of the crop? That depends a lot on what you intend to use the camera for, but we have listed a few models here that we think would make a fine purchase in most cases.

First of all, here are the features that we like to see in compact digital cameras. They are features that are most often appreciated by consumers in real world situations. Here is our list of required features:

* At least 3 megapixels
* Costs under $300
* Has at least a 3X optical zoom
* Can run on AA batteries
* Produces high quality, sharp photos

So with that criteria in mind, when you look over the compact digital camera field there are three models that meet or exceed these requirements and are often found on the top of most compact digital camera reviews by both consumer websites and consumers themselves. And here they are:

1. The Canon Powershot A510 is an incredible camera for the money. It comes in at the least expensive price point in our little group at $170. It’s a 3.2 megapixel camera which will do just fine for anything but the largest enlargements, and produces incredibly sharp and vivid photos. It sports a 4X optical zoom which provides a zoom range that is roughly equivalent to 35-140mm in 35mm. It also runs on AA batteries and can be expected to provide around 300 shots per set of batteries. And it has a movie mode w/sound which is a nice extra.

2. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W5 is a 5 megapixel camera that features an extra large LCD screen at 2.4 in. which can be very nice for those that can use a little more screen size. It’s optical zoom is adequate providing a 35mm focal length equivalent of 38-114mm. It also allows manual control of the exposure settings for those that like to go their own way. Another noteworthy mention is that this Sony manages power very efficiently and you can expect to get almost 400 shots before replacing the batteries in this unit. It costs $275.

3. The Kodak EasyShare Z700 is another fine compact digital camera with 4 megapixels that boasts an optical zoom of 5X which translates to an effective 35mm lens length of about 35-175mm. It also uses AA batteries and comes with it’s own charger, although it uses more power than the other two cameras listed here and can be expected to go through a set of batteries in around 200 shots. This Kodak model comes in around $240.

Any serious listing of compact digital camera reviews should include all three of these models and rate them highly overall. You choice should be based on what your individual needs and uses will be however, but all of them should provide years of solid, quality service.

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What Compact Digital Camera for a Child 8 years old?

My son is quite arty so I have decided to buy him a digital camera for Christmas. I am thinking about the Panasonic FS5 in red (fav col) as it has good reviews. I want to spend about £100 – 120.

People so often ask: “Which one is a good camera to buy?”
Here is my 10 cents on the subject:

Point & Shoot cameras are wonderfully handy because of their small size.
When light conditions are ideal, they even take really nice photos – all of them do.

However, they all DO have limitations – they don’t do very well in low light situations (i.e. noisy photos, hard to avoid blur, etc). The little onboard flash is very harsh at close range, and doesn’t reach very far.
Many of them have no manual functions, so you are limited to only very basic photos, you can’t compensate for unusual situations, or do many fun “tricks” and special effects.
P&S’s also suffer from frustrating shutterlag and many of them chew through batteries rather quickly.

However, if you’re ok with all those limitations, then go ahead and pick one, most of them (the same type and same price range) are rather similar. Personally I would pick either a Canon or a Nikon, and would certainly stay away from Kodak.

A higher end P&S will give you more manual options and better quality. Many of those even give you the option of adding a proper flash (which makes a big difference to your flash photos).

Don’t worry too much about megapixels…. there is a limit to how many pixels you can squash into a tiny P&S sensor before you actually LOSE quality rather than gain it.

Decide which features are important to you, and look for cameras that have that feature.
Then go compare a few models on www.dpreview.com .

The very best thing you can do for your success is to borrow some books and learn about basic photography. A bit of knowledge will make a much bigger difference to your photos than your choice of P&S camera can.

For what it’s worth – if I was in the market for a P&S camera right now, my choice would be a Canon Powershot SX10 IS http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=17630

However, for a young child, I understand that you might be reluctant to spend that much money. It would be a good idea, to just get a small, basic camera for starters. Should he really stick with it and show an eagerness to learn, then you can always upgrade some day.
By the way – do get him a few books from the library, hopefully he’ll enjoy actually learning about photography

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