Digital Camera Recommendations: $300 to $400

trigatch4

BuildAndEarn
Aug 23, 2006
2,557
79
0
East Coast
www.eurekadiary.com
I'm looking for a kick-ass digital camera in the max $300 to $400 range. Would love some recommendations not only on WHICH camera/model you might suggest but also where I could get the best deal.

Holler
 


I should add that I'm no photography buff and $300 to $400 isn't enough to get a camera worth doing anything fancy with... so if there are cameras in the $100 to $300 range with excellent quality that will do pretty much all the typical picture taker wants - I'm all ears.

AKA this is for the GF who will have it in her purse and so probably need a point and shoot anyways.
 
I literally just got home from Best Buy and was amazed at how cheap digital cameras are now. There is no reason you should spend over $200 on a point and shoot camera for your girlfriend. There are all kinds of nice ones (like 10 megapixels) and probably one in her favorite color for like under $150

Sorry I don't remember the model but my buddy bought a Kodak something or other that was 10mp with video and all that jazz for $120 (plus memory card)
 
I love my Panasonic Lumix TZ5 that I bought last year after a lot of searching for the ideal compact cam. The latest version - TZ7 (cnet review no dpreview yet it seems) is around £240 here, so nicely in your price range.

In my opinion it's size and ease of use combined with a decent optical zoom (+ great stabilisation & face recog) make it ideal, HD vids are a nice plus (although sound is shitty in noisy places, such as gigs... why can't they stick an external mic socket on compacts??!)

For that budget if you are looking at a DSLR I'd go second-hand (eBay) or spend a bit more... Panasonic's mini-DSLRs look very nice!
 
Just look at sites like slickdeals and fatwallet for a deal. When I bought my camera it was: Sony W220($179) - $20 price match - $30 coupon - $75 in rewards = $54.

I actually like the camera, its a decent point and shoot and has a very decent zoom.

Cameras have progressed so far, that you can pretty much get one of the cheapest options, and it'll be more powerful than most high level cameras from just a few years ago. And for point and shoot, it doesn't really matter if you have 16 megapixes or 5
 
lumix-fx35 or fx37 good cheap camera , comes with wide angle lens and shoots high def video
 
What jenzkc said, Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ is the best place to research digital camera purchases IMO.

I'm a Canon fan. Their PowerShot (Digital Ixus) line is usually pretty good, though there's been some hits and misses in the last year or so. The G10 would be really nice too, though it's not as compact and quite a bit heavier.

If you are getting a point and shoot a wide angle lense (28mm or less) is more important than more megapixels.
 
Olympus Digital camera's are definetly worth it, Olympus 3.3 Megapixel... It's very small, Stylish, Amount of features... this thing is in your range $...
 
I'm a Canon fan. Their PowerShot (Digital Ixus) line is usually pretty good, though there's been some hits and misses in the last year or so. The G10 would be really nice too, though it's not as compact and quite a bit heavier.

^^^
This

For point-and-shoot I use the Canon Ixus 960. It's packed with all shit you ever need.

However, for portraits and more serious stuff I use the Canon 5D Mk2.
 
Here's a great compromise between a point and click and a true SLR (nice Nikons and Canons): [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-EasyShare-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B00132MMVE/ref=dp_ob_title_ce"]Amazon.com: Kodak EasyShare Z1012 10.1MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom: Camera & Photo[/ame]


I actually have the older model and I love the picture quality. This model will be even better for about the same price I paid for my 8MP model a year ago.

I bet it would even fit in a purse.
 
If she wants a small, compact camera that fits in her purse and takes EXCELLENT photos I'd go with any of the Canon Powershot series (SD1200IS, SD 780IS, etc.

I've had several versions of these cameras when they first developed the Canon Powershot Elph and for the money you can't find a better camera.

41rVVIBxViL._AA280_.jpg

41qmIX7sZ4L._SL500_AA280_.jpg
 
Lots of canon lovers here and although I still recommend the Panasonic my last cam was a Powershot A something and was really good (for it's time) so doubt you'd go wrong with em. I prob would have got another Canon if they did a compact with a 28mm lens and at least 10x optical.