Digital camera advice

[Royce]

I've been watching some of the conversations about digital cameras but the more I read here and on various other web sites (photography sites, reviews, etc.) the more confused I get. I don't understand most of what is said in camera reviews on photography web sites. Also, if you read the customer reviews for various cameras at places like Amazon.com, one person will say "This is a GREAT camera" and the next person will say "This is a TERRIBLE camera. Don't waste your money".

My wife is looking to upgrade her present digital camera. The one she has is a Kodak (don't remember the specific model). Been a very good camera for us but she wants more megapixels and more zoom capability. Other than that she doesn't want a lot of "bells & whistles". Here are the basic "requirements":

Point & Shoot
Compact size but not one of the ULTRA compacts
Approx. 10 megapixels
10-12 X zoom
Fairly fast shutter lag (both in full auto focus and prefocused)
Fairly fast shot-to-shot speed
Fairly fast flash recycle
Prefer built-in flash; NOT a pop-up flash (but not a deal breaker)
$250 price range (give or take)
Used mostly for taking basic snapshots (vacation pictures, birthday parties, etc.)

Anyone have a recommendation for a camera that has worked well for them? Trust me, I won't understand a lot of technical stuff. I'm just looking for a "XXX has worked well for me" type of stuff.

Thanks.

Royce

[WarrenP]

Royce,

I am like you on understanding all there is to know about cameras. I use a Pentax waterproof camera for taking pictures of fish and surroundings and it works for me and I know that I do not use all that the camera can do for me, but, I just do not understand camera language!

My wife was the Public Information Coordinator for our local college and she wrote all the articles for 11 newspapers for the college plus took all the pictures of different college functions and I feel she takes great pictures and understands cameras better than me. She is not at home at the moment, but, I called her on her cell phone to ask her what she would recommend for your wife and to see what camera she uses. Even though she is retired from the college, she has purchased a camera like the one she used at the college and she really likes it and would recommend it for what your wife is looking for. She advises that your wife look at any of the Kodak Easy Share digital cameras and feels she will find one that meets her requirements plus price range. My wife has taken some great pictures with her Kodak Easy Share camera and always has it with her.

I am sure there will be many more suggestions, but, I know my wife is very satisfied with her Kodak Easy Share camera and has had it for at least 2-3 years with no problems. I would tell you which model she has, but, when I talked to her, her camera was in the trunk of her car and she was on the road. I hope this helps...

[Kerry Stratton]

I am a Nikon guy so my suggestions are biased. Here are two Nikon P&S cameras that I would buy.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Produc...LPIX-P500.html

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Produc...LPIX-L120.html

[FishnDave]

I have a Pentax Optio W-90. Its my "fishing camera", since it is waterproof, cold- and shock- resistant. Takes very good pictures and video.

My "other" camera I use a lot and really like is a Nikon Coolpix S-640. Takes excellent pics, plus video, easily fits in my pants pocket.

[Byron Zuehlsdorff]

My wife has a Nikon Coolpix L100 and loves it, Mine is a Coolpix P80, a little older but a geat camera. We went to a reputable camera shop and the youg man that helped us was very informative about several types of cameras, And, the best part, wasn't pushy about buying the more expensive. We told him our price range and he stayed in it and a little lower when showing us several types of cameras. I know that isn't always the case but we were very pleased with the service. It was an Inkles,(sp) shop in Salt Lake City UT.

[nighthawk]

Now I am a Pentaxian through and through but doing a search on compact super zooms for you I found this one:

http://www.tristatecamera.com/lookat...u=FUJFPJZ500SR

Fuji makes some really nice cameras and that is a great price on that one. If you want that high of optical zoom, which I totally agree with, along with the higher mega pixels then the bells and whistles come as part of the package. You might find that you like them once you start to experiment with the camera. Hey it's a digital so experimental shoot away. You don't have any film to burn up and no money wasted on prints!

[Marco]

Royce,
Mine is/are all Pentax W somthinorother. I personally LOVE them. They are compact, dependable, great macro imaging and reasonably priced. The negative is, NO viewfinder. I'm glad that in the pic below, the one in my pocket WAS in fact a "W" ( waterproof).



Mark