Digital Camera Purchasing Advice

Jonty

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Hi guys

Your advice, please :) I'm thinking about purchasing a digital camera but I have to confess I know very little about them. My budget is around £250, which I realise imposes limits on what's on offer. I simply want a good quality camera that takes good quality pictures. Ideally I'd like something around 4-5MP. I'm not too fussed about video capturing or other features which I know I'd rarely use.

I had a quick gander on Amazon before and the Kodak DX4530 and Olympus C-5000 stood out a little at £200 and £230 respectively. However, as I've said, I'm genuinely unsure about what I'm looking for.

Anyway, any suggestions welcome :) Thanks for your time.

Kind Regards
 

Ch3tan

I aer teh win!!
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The s50 and the s45 are amazing camera's. I was very very close to getting one instead of the g3, the extra features of the g3 made the choice for me, but I doubt you would be dissapointed if you could afford the s50
 

Rubric

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Depends really what you want it for.

If you want a point and click camera for special occasions and you are not likely to want an image above 10X8 then i would go for one of the 3 to 3.5mp cameras. Watch out for the zoom. Digital zoom is cack. Make sure you get at least a 3x optical zoom.


http://www.internetcamerasdirect.co.uk/Casio-Exilim-Z3-digital-camera-specs.htm nice has a macro ability.
or

That olympus you show there looks like a good buy with some nice features.

If you want it for anything more serious then your budget isnt going to fit.

Stretch it to £350 and get one of these to get you well off on a photographic hobby. http://www.internetcamerasdirect.co.uk/digital-camera-price-B-p3.htm
 

fatbusinessman

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Afraid any advice I give is going to be out of date (my last foray into the world of digital cameras was a good year or so ago) but in my experience Olympus has been a very good brand to go for, although perhaps Nikon's CoolPix range is better for a simple "point-and-shoot" camera (the one that seems to best fit your budget is this baby, which seems to have received pretty good reviews all round, although at £300 it's a little higher than the specified £250).

However, I think with digital cameras the best course of action is to head down to your local camera store and ask to play around with a couple of models (so to speak). Also ask them what they would recommend for £250.

Hope that helps,

Fatteh.

P.S. Kind Regards ;)
 

Sar

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I have the S40, and it's a superb camera. I've never regretted getting it, and I still don't see any reason whatsoever to upgrade - it still does me nearly 2 years on.

The S45/S50 are equally good, so I'd go for one of them if you can afford it.
 

Xavier

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I've kicked Gypsycurse to come share his expertise on this one, fingers crossed he'll be on some time this evening to post some suggestions - seeing as he's now professionally reviewing cameras in this bracket for Digital Camera Shopper, chances are it will be worth waiting for ;)
 

Tom

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Jonty it would be a very good investment to consider buying a book to teach you the basics of good photography (framing, composure, etc), that is, if you don't already know about that stuff. It will improve your shots and make the camera purchase worthwhile.
 

Xavier

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Checking www.warehouseexpress.co.uk they've now got the Powershot A70 at about £225.

Check here for the review and here for the link at warehouse express.

They also have the new A80 in stock, which is marginally more at £279, but offers 4.0 megapixels (as opposed to 3.2 on the A70) and a 9 point Ai Autofocus.

Xav
 

dysfunction

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Tom said:
Jonty it would be a very good investment to consider buying a book to teach you the basics of good photography (framing, composure, etc), that is, if you don't already know about that stuff. It will improve your shots and make the camera purchase worthwhile.


Do you have any photography book suggestions foir this type of thing?
 

Tom

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Not really, but a quick look on Amazon would find you a few. Technically, I know more about shooting for tv than I do stills photography.
 

Jonty

Fledgling Freddie
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Hi guys

Thanks for all your advice, I'll you know how I get on :)

Thanks once again
 

Scooba da Bass

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dysfunction said:
Do you have any photography book suggestions foir this type of thing?

This is probably the best book I've ever read about photography. Although not explicitly about digital techniques it will teach you everything about the basics. Another great book, despite not containing anything about DI, it will give you a great understanding of the way a camera works.
 

Whipped

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May I suggest that someone with some knowhow in this feild create a sticky with some options for good digital camera in certain price ranges.

ie.
£100-£200
Camera1 - Buy Link ; Camera Review
Camera2 - Buy Link ; Camera Review

£201-£300
Camera1 - Buy Link ; Camera Review
Camera2 - Buy Link ; Camera Review

Something like that.

I only say this as I'm also looking to buy a digi camera for around £200. Just need something for parties, etc. nothing fancy and a resource like the above would be very handy.
 

Ch3tan

I aer teh win!!
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Don't know if it will be within your budget, but as I am looking to buy a canon 300D I will be selling my canon powershot g3. Not sure what price I am looking at, need to trawl the net for prices. Its boxed with manuals in perfect condition and exactly one year old at the end of this month. If anyone here is intrested PM me.
 

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