[dexterq20]

Gonna buy a 4 megapixel digital camera soon, looking for something compact and that can take good action shots, along with short movies. Trying to keep it between $300 and $400. Here are my final 4 competitors:

Canon Powershot S410
Nikon Coolpix 4200
Pentax Optio S4i
Casio Ex-Z4U

Anybody have experience with any of these cameras? Any recommendations?

 

[The Kadvang]

Bump, me looking for a camera too.

 

[binary visions]

I don't have experience with the Canon S-series, but the G-series is a damn fine camera if you can get past the terrible boxy shape. A G3 can be had in your price range.

I tell everyone this and it's a big deal for me but maybe not for anyone else - find some sample shots from a Coolpix camera. They have some funky saturation/color hues. Probably just my anal tendancies, but I don't like it - they take fine pictures, but they aren't as natural looking as other cameras. You may not even notice it, or you may like it.

The Casio we have at work blows. The lens is terrible. I don't have it in front of me to tell you the model number, but it's the kind that has a swiveling lens attached to the body. Food for thought.

Avoid Kodak... I've never seen a Kodak camera with a quality lens.

http://www.dpreview.com - go look up your cameras. At the very least you can find shutter lag times and battery life, and sample pictures.

 

[caboverpete]

The Canon A80 is a good little 4 megapixel camera and can be had in your price range.

 

[pixelninja]

In the $300-400 range, you can pick up the Canon S500 which is 5 megapixel. I just ordered one from Broadway Photo for $379. Another place, Best Digital Deals has it for $359, but I don't know how reputable they are. They're currently backordered (even though their site says they have them in stock).

I looked at the Nikon too, but based on the digicams I've used (Canon G1, Nikon Coolpix 995) I like the Canon menu system MUCH better.

I don't know much about the Pentax, but the reviews that I've read about the Casio is that the image quality is poor.

 

[Big_Papa1080]

www.cnet.com they have reviews on all kinds of electronics.

 

[binary visions]

Oh, if you decide to order online, I'd check out:

http://www.mpsuperstore.com

They seem to reliably turn up in the top 5 best prices online for any camera I've searched on, and they're not bad to do business with. I've ordered two cameras from them. They will harass you about accessories ("Do you want an extra battery?" "No, just the camera." "Do you want a camera case?" "No, no accessories, just the camera" "Do you want...") but if you're firm with them about what you want they'll quit. Shipping is prompt, and they don't play any games.

Be careful shopping online. There are a lot of shady businesses. Ask them explicitly if you're getting the full retail box, with full manufacturer's warrenty. If the price is too good to be true, then something is amiss.

 

[DRB]

www.butterflyphoto.com and www.bhphotovideo.com are both excellent and reliable sources for online cameras and accessories.

Watch out for grey market cameras. Stuff that gets bought overseas and imported. The warranties are no good and sometimes the menus are in foreign languages.

 

[punkassean]

anybody have experiences with the Canon PowerShot S1 IS? I am looking at it opposed to a G3/G5 because of it's long lens (10x optical) and it's ability to shoot up to 60min of 640x480 video @ 30fps. (pretty darn good for a still camera!) It seems as though it would do the job of a digi cam and be a decent substitute for a video cam at the same time. It is only 3.2MP but that is pretty good for my purposes. It also has optional wide and telephoto lenses available for a few hundred dollars ea.