[pnj]

price of around $300.00 max
I would like a flip out screen
the ability to attatch different lenses if possible
no double AA batteries
physicly small in size

 

[gsweet]

right, so here we go...the low down on the digital camera market today. it's good for you, cuz the competition between brands is so high, especially in the price range you are talking about. as far as detachable lenses go... no way for 300 bucks. digital cameras that have the option for swapping lenses will run you minimally 600 for the body alone...and about 300 for a decent all around lens. but for that 300, you can shop around on line. it really depends on what you want, but make a list of the features you're lookiing for (long zoom range, higher megapixel count, etc.) and try and match some up. also take a look at professional reviews on line at some place like dpreview.com. they tend to do a pretty good job on it. but honestly, you can't go wrong with the major brands: canon, nikon, sony, panasonic, etc. i have a panasonic lumix dmc fz5 and, short of its low light performance when i turn the digital sensor sensitivity up, have been very impressed with it.

anywho, let me know what you're thinking of and take a look at that website...it should help.

cheers

 

[N8 v2.0]

It's more than you want to spend, but I am really liking my Nikon S6.

It is truly a pocket cam.

 

[pnj]

I realize I can't get real lenses that are interchangeable at that price. but some of the cameras have small clip on attatchments for lenses/filters. that is what I am refering to...

 

[gsweet]

yup, you can rock that. the attachments are limited to polorizing filters and increased zoom pieces i think.

 

[jacksonpt]

yup, you can rock that. the attachments are limited to polorizing filters and increased zoom pieces i think.

back when I was into this sort of thing, you could get macro lenses, fish-eyes, and wide angles. They weren't great, but if you knew how to use them they were often worth their relatively small price tags.

 

[binary visions]

back when I was into this sort of thing, you could get macro lenses, fish-eyes, and wide angles. They weren't great, but if you knew how to use them they were often worth their relatively small price tags.

My experience with add on lenses is that they generally give you a lot of distortion. Not bad if you only want to print 4x6 prints, but very noticable if you want wallpaper sized electronic images, big prints, or big crops.

I just bought a Canon A610 for my sister and it's a very nice little camera, and well under your budget. Is there a reason you don't want AA batteries? Buy a nice set of rechargables and they'll last forever, plus if you are ever in a tight spot and need some more battery life, just pop in some normal AAs and away you go.

May want to consider going into a place like Best Buy and handling some of these cameras. The fact of the matter is that most of the major manufacturers (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus) are giving you pretty good lenses with their cameras, so ergonomics will play a big role in how much you like the camera. I like Sony ergonomics a lot, but not everyone does. So pick up a few and try them. If you find a couple you like, you'll probably be able to get a lot of help in finalizing your choice.

 

[jacksonpt]

My experience with add on lenses is that they generally give you a lot of distortion. Not bad if you only want to print 4x6 prints, but very noticable if you want wallpaper sized electronic images, big prints, or big crops.

true... I made the assumption that he wouldn't be doing big prints with a $300 camera. However, if used right, you can get pretty darn good digital images... at least I used to from the marco lenses.

Not perfect pics, but pretty damn nice (IMO) considering the equipment and conditions. They are crops from a larger jpg that came off the camera.

 

[blue]

I love my Canon A620. It's small, has a flippable/twistable LCD, and you can pop different lenses on...I think I'm gonna get a wide angle and telephoto for it next week. Takes awesome pictures, plenty of manual controls. It DOES run on AAs, but the life is amazing. I'm still on the crappy ones that came with it (I got it about a week ago) and I've been using it quite heavily every day. One of the only downsides is the annoying as hell light meter...

 

[syadasti]

price of around $300.00 max
I would like a flip out screen
the ability to attatch different lenses if possible
no double AA batteries
physicly small in size

Z750 would fit most of those criteria. I don't own this subcompact, but I've used my friend's and its awesome for the money and size.

$255

So, if you want a camera that allows you true control in a very compact body, there can be no other choice, and if you rarely use flash you'll find little to complain about. In fact I'm going to stick my neck out here and - even with the underpowered flash - put my money on the Casio EX-Z750 as the best ultra-compact 7 megapixel on the market today for the serious photographer. Perfect? No. Very impressive? Certainly.

Z750 - Dave's Pick
Tiny and stylish, the Casio Exilim EX-Z750 is packed with features. But with its its 7.2-megapixel CCD and very fast shutter response it's also an impressive performer. Toss in full Manual exposure mode and its 31 preset scene modes (not to mention Auto) and there's little this subcompact can't do. The mix of features and good performance should appeal to both novices and more experienced photographers interested in a fun digital camera for snapshots. Features like the whiteboard and business card modes that straighten "note taking" shots as well as the voice recorder make the EX-Z750 an exceptionally useful business tool, truly offering the "Unexpected Extra" that Casio claims for its products. Several kid and vacation modes are also contribute to the Z750's utility, and its fast shutter response make it a natural for sports shooting or just keeping up with a young family. Its somewhat overaggressive noise processing tends to flatten out subtle detail somewhat, particularly at high ISO settings, but the effect isn't all that noticeable in prints, particularly at 5x7 and below. A great "take anywhere" camera, the Casio EX-Z750 Zoom is so tiny and versatile, you can slip it in a pocket and go, with the confidence that you'll get good images just about anywhere. I'd have been happier if some of the items on my "cons" list above weren't there, but the Z750's pleasing color, good resolution, excellent battery life, and unusual (but highly useful) special shooting modes led me to make it a "Dave's Pick."

Overall, the EX-Z750 gets my recommendation. A lot of people are trying to choose between the Z750 and the Canon SD500, and here are some things to consider. For an easy point-and-shoot camera that takes great pictures right out of the box, the SD500 is probably the best choice. If you want manual controls and the ability to tweak camera settings, choose the Z750. For low light shooting I preferred the SD500 due to its LCD that "gains up" in those conditions. The SD500 had a more powerful flash as well, though the Z750's Flash Assist feature makes up for its weaker flash. If battery life is paramount then the Z750 wins by a large margin. In terms of continuous shooting performance the SD500 wins easily, though it has no "fast shutter speed" or shutter priority mode like the Z750 does. Regardless of which of the two cameras you end up with, both are good choices. Take what you've learned in this review and the SD500 review and decide which is best for your needs.

Bottom line - Casio has put together another great digital package. It offers superb image quality, speedy performance and a large LCD packaged in a durable metal body that fits into most pockets or handbags. Just make sure you keep your indoor subjects close to ensure they are illuminated by the flash. The 7-megapixel Fine images have plenty of resolution to create photo-quality 13x19-inch or larger prints. With a street price of around $449, we feel it offers an excellent value for a camera in this class.

The good: Ultracompact design; big, bright 2.5-inch screen; satisfying set of manual controls; useful video modes; solid overall performance; commendable image quality.

The bad: Sluggish burst mode; can't charge battery or off-load photos [note: this is wrong, you can with a memory card reader] without using the dock.

The bottom line: The Casio Exilim EX-Z750 marries form and function with a great design and satisfying manual controls.

 

[pixelninja]

A friend of mine recently bought a Canon PowerShot A620. It has a swing-out lcd, 7 megapixel resolution, full manual control, the ability to add adapter lenses and can be had for well under $300. Butterfly Photo has it for $238.

 

[Mike B.]

I've got something that may fit the bill - I'll pm you to keep the spammy nature to a minimum

 

[syadasti]

A620 is a nice camera too but its an average size camera - about three times larger in volume and almost twice as heavy as the Z750.

Its a good idea to go to a Best Buy, Circuit City, etc to see/play with these cameras in person before you buy them off the Internet.

IMHO you should either get a small compact accepts its pitfalls or get a full sized DSLR. Whats the point of a slightly larger point and shoot camera if the image quality, adjustability, etc isn't significantly better than a pocketable compact?

 

[gsweet]

depending on what you're looking for, i'll be returning to the states relatively soon and i'm looking to unload a pretty much brand new panasonic dmc fz5 super zoom camera...it's not exactly one of those ultra slim compact digi cams, but that's because it has a really nice leica lens and a 12x zoom capability...image stabilization, etc...pretty much everything but the manual focus option. anyways, let me know if you're interested and i'll send you some pics i've taken here in NZ.

 

[blue]

Whats the point of a slightly larger point and shoot camera if the image quality, adjustability, etc isn't significantly better than a pocketable compact?

In my experience, the mid-range cameras that you speak of far outperform most, if not all subcompacts. I tried many different subcompacts, and they just weren't as good as the A620 when it came down to it. Whilst it's not as small as one of the, say, Elphs, it is small enough to put in a bigger pocket, and you can take some damn nice photos without breaking the bank with an SLR. I'd pickup a Rebel XT if I had the coin, but I don't, so the A620 will have to work. If you're trying to take good photos on a budget, I'd think it was the go-to camera.

 

[syadasti]

In my experience, the mid-range cameras that you speak of far outperform most, if not all subcompacts. I tried many different subcompacts, and they just weren't as good as the A620 when it came down to it. Whilst it's not as small as one of the, say, Elphs, it is small enough to put in a bigger pocket, and you can take some damn nice photos without breaking the bank with an SLR. I'd pickup a Rebel XT if I had the coin, but I don't, so the A620 will have to work. If you're trying to take good photos on a budget, I'd think it was the go-to camera.

Those publications I listed have far more experience than you or I with all types of cameras since they review them for a living.

Maybe you are talking ease of use of the cameras because I know various people in the photography biz (one that owns his own studio) and they usually have a compact (not subcompacts or an average sized A-series though) and their pro DSLR setups.

The more popular compacts I've seen are the Canon SD and the Fuji F10 (ISO 800 is good, 1600 is usable but noisy) for DSLR companions, though I haven't looked in a few years and subcompacts are getting a lot better.

My friend with the studio in NYC takes great shots with his Canon SD(forget which model) on rides, but he's a professional.

 

[pnj]

thanks for all the suggestions and links. I'm suprised no one mentioned the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-P200.(or maybe someone did and I overlooked it..) it looks pretty dang nice...no flip out though.

I helped my parents buy a camera over the weekend. it was their first digital and they had different needs then I. but I did hold many cameras in best buy.

as for distortion from add on lenses, distortion is good.

my current camera, a Fuji FinePix (2 megapixels and a few years old) takes two AA batteries. I can kill them in one day. My parents camera purchased over the weekend, killed the two AA batteries that came with it in 24 or so hours. that's not many pictures.

have rechargeable batteries gotten better in years? because the last time I used them, they didn't hold a charge as well and didn't seem to recharge too well either.

 

[gsweet]

increased battery life in cameras is something that all companies are striving towards. in most circumstances, the camera specific batteries (i.e. not AA) will last quite a while...i don't know about any others, but my panasonics will hang on for about 300 shots, then takes 2 hours to recharge. i'd say pick up a camera with its own specific battery, then buy a second one and charge them both before you go out for a long weekend's worth of photography.

 

[syadasti]

have rechargeable batteries gotten better in years? because the last time I used them, they didn't hold a charge as well and didn't seem to recharge too well either.

They have gotten much better to the point that even in subcompacts like the Z750 one battery is enough for a day shooting if that all you are doing - about 300 shots or so.

If you are on a trip or don't have the time or space for camera specific chargers, AA is the cheapest way to go plus you can use it lots of other devices. AA does make the camera a little bigger if you are talking compact cameras.

I haven't researched the latest in AA NiHh, but last I checked the 2300 mAh AA batteries were the best bang for the buck and the higher ratings were more for marketing (may have changed by now though?)

Maha, Energizer, Ansmann, Duracell, and other make some decent NiMh AA's

This place has great chargers, batteries, advice, links (you might be able to pricegrabber cheaper places, I haven't bought in awhile):

http://www.thomas-distributing.com

 

[Smelly]

I just got a Canon A540 and love it so far. I considered the 620, but wanted something smaller.
Might not be quite what you're looking for though, because it doesn't have a flip out screen and takes AA's. I'm curious as to why you don't want AA's? I wouldn't consider a camera that didn't use them. Like Binary said, just get a good set of rechargables (I got 4 Energizer rechargables and charger for $20 at the grocery store and they rock), and if I'm ever in a tight spot, well, AA's are available in every corner of the globe.
I spent months looking around online, and eventually found that the most productive way to research cameras was in the store. Go to your local camera store/Best Buy/whatever and play with all the cameras to find which one you like best.