Digital Camera Suggestions

I plan to use part of my tax refund to buy a digital camera. It's about damn time.

I don't want to spend much more than $300. Does anyone have any suggestions?

A self-timer is required, and I'd like something that will take high-quality pictures (though not professional... I know those cost a LOT).

What have you all had success with? What should I avoid?

i have an old canon digital elph which i love. even though the technology has surpassed it beyond all doubt, it still takes better pictures than most cameras i work with here at work, or friends' newer cameras i might use at art show openings.

i think the digital elph might be pretty expensive (and i know it goes up to 5.?? megapixels now), but mine (a 2.1 megapixel) might be a good find at eBay or a thrifstore, pawn shop, somethingorother.

talk to Cherry... she's got mad knowledge...

there're also some good threads within the Photography group...

but you should be able to find some very decent deals for under $300 - probably not the best cameras on the market, but very competent.

you can compare almost every digicam on the market here:Digital Photography Review

i've got a nikon 4300 that i really like but i think that might be higher than your price range. Maybe ask Siv she's always makin really sweet photos... she might have some insite.

Most digital cameras above $100 bucks have a self-timer. As far as quality goes, the more megapixels a camera has, the better quality the picture will be (in theory).

I've got an Olympus Camedia that has 2.0 megapixels. While it's not really professional quality, it works well for my purposes. Mine's well below the bar anymore, since I just saw a HP that had 6.3 megapixels. That one's about $150 our of your price range though

You can probably find a 4-5 megapixel camera for about $300, if you're not looking for fancy zoom options. High optical zoom can add about $100-$150 to the average price, so if you'd be happy with 3X digital zoom, you could easily get one with 4 megapixels in your price range, and you might even have enough to get a bigger memory card (they usually come with 16mb, which is enough for about 30 high quality pics or 10 super high quality pics). Cards will range from between $40 to $100 (aproximately), depending obviously on the memory and make of the camera.

As far as brand goes, stick with a company that makes cameras and imaging equipment as their main product, like Canon, Olympus, and Fugi.

Thanks, everyone!

I just got a Nikon coolpix 3100 for xmas. I costs about $300 in the store or less online. It is really small and has all kinds of idiot settings, which I love.I would recommend it highly, small enough to fit in a pocket and easy to use.

I looked at it on line for about 6 months before I spent my xmas cash on it. I would recommend going to http://www.epinions.com or to http://www.nextag.com nexttag has a comparison chart where you can compare the features of the cameras you are considering.

i have a canon a70, and it's wonderful. 3.1 mp which i think is just about right for what you nee.

ps don't get a gateway, they're horrible horrible horrible

Gateway makes cameras?

Don't they just re-badge really cheap nasty shite?

i got this too..cant reccomend it enough....

300 dollars you can buy a good 35mm camera with high power zoom and than have it put on photo cd thats what im thinkin of doing or scan cuz I have one of those (scanner).

the digital olympus cameras look like good deal though.

Olympus 3.2-Megapixel 10x Optical/3x Digital Zoom Digital Camera
model: OLM C740UZ
i would look at that one but that is bout 450 thou.

[Edited on Jan 18, 2004 by fiendish]

300 dollars you can buy a good 35mm camera with high power zoom and than have it put on photo cd thats what im thinkin of doing or scan cuz i have on of those scanners.

the digital olympus cameras look like good deal though.

Olympus 3.2-Megapixel 10x Optical/3x Digital Zoom Digital Camera
model: OLM C740UZ

Good recommendations above, and please check out Steve's Digicams for reviews, specs, et al.

For $300 you shouldn't have any trouble finding a 3+ megapixel camera with some degree of zoom (usually digital, as optical zoom really drives the price up). My wife and I have a Sony Cybershot dsc-p32 that we find very intuitive, though I definitly agree with the above comments that the Canon a70 and the Olympus Camedia line are worth serious consideration. Have fun shopping!

Check out http://www.bhphotovideo.com They have great cameras for even better deals!

The Canon A60 is a pretty nifty little machine.........