Ok I really need a new digital camera.

I have about $200 to spend, and I'm canadian.

Can someone reccomend a decent camera, or fill me in on the details?

like what should I look for? Megapixels..zoom..etc?

If you have no idea what you're looking for in a camera as far as the terminology or the technology, CNet's digital camera finder will fit the bill for even the most clueless, just as long as you know what you want to do with your new camera.

$200 CDN probably will get you a decent camera (with the USD being weaker than ever)... most likely a decent snap-and-shoot or a mid-range one. People usually (and wrongfully) aim for as many megapixels as their wallet would allow, but the better thing to aim for are the features and as mentioned in other threads, the lense sensor size. Basically, the larger the camera, the larger the lense, the more light it can capture, and thus, the more image data it can record accurately. (There's really more to it, such as the type of capture chip - CCD or CMOS technologies - but if you want, you can look into that sort of thing later.) Zoom is always a great thing to have, but be wary of the price tag, as more zoom usually means more moola out of your pocket. In today's day and age, you probably would want to aim for something at least capable of 4 megapixels, simply for resolution and quality purposes. There's also ISO range and all that other jazz, but I wouldn't worry much about that stuff if you're going for a snap-and-shoot, as most of those options will be automatically set for you.

Also, you have to take a look into how you're going to use the camera. The camera body itself is important. Are you going to stash it into your purse, throw it into your backpack, or smash it into your pocket? Maybe you should look into some durability or avoid bulky designs. Then again, maybe you would embrace a bulkier design for an exchange in value or sensor size.

Some cameras you could possibly look at are the Sony Cybershot and the Canon Powershot series for good values. I bought an Olympus C-765 a few years ago and it still takes great pictures, but the shot-to-shot timeframe and the 4 megapixel pictures can leave some more room to be desired. It's all about what you're willing to spend, because for the most part in the photography field, you get what you pay for. Read peer reviews and do your homework before settling on one, too. (This applies to any purchase, actually.)

I shall tell you what to look out for when buying a normal camera, in layman terms, I think that would give you a better understanding of what you need. Firstly, megapixels. Megapixel basically is just how large your image is. The larger, the better, and generally clearer. Size of lens will deterine how far back or how wide your view is, this is usually in mm. Lens brand, such as Carl Zeiss or any respectable brand. Startup speed, you would not want a camera that takes forever to startup and you cant get that perfect scene. That should do to get a simple point and shoot.

When looking for a camera based on megapixels, make sure to find out how many megapixels the imager is. I have seen cameras on eBay that are listed as much higher megapixels than the actual sensor because they use interpolation to get a larger picture. Interpolation is essentially just software enlargement of an image and doesn't give a higher quality picture.

I think majority of users would prefer one digital camera that can do it all: terrific zooming capability and high quality shots while delivering low digital noise (random color spots found largely in night shots and high contrast shots).

Case study:

My girlfriend was looking for something slim and simple for her work. After test driving many models she decided on Casio Exlim 7.1 megapixel with 3X optical zoom. This only cost $97 (discontinuing model). Great price and great specs! It has built in MPEG-4 encoder (first kind ever) that allows 1.5 hours of 640X480 HQ video with HDSD 4GB card. Wow...right?

She took it for her first case and took photos for her presentation. When she uploaded to her computer we were very surprised and disappointed. Colors were awful and contrast was not definitive at all! Majority of under lit photos came our like some pixelated 2D animation picture. Basically the night mode was so inferior that unless manually set it came out not looking like real people. You get what you pay for, I suppose.

So what's the moral of this story?

I believe for $200 you will get above an average digital camera that will meet your needs. But what it won't do is takes photos better than any point and shoot 35mm camera. However, instead of waiting for your 35mm photo to be developed and noticing the 'mistake' you can instantly play back your photo and take it again before the moment passes. $200 or so range digital cameras have better CCD or CMOS sensors that is far better than $100 range digital cameras. And since $200 range is the consumer target range tackled by manufactures you will find vast digital cameras to choose.

Judging by your handle you are a Canon fan? Canon, Sony, or Nikon are a sure thing. Other manufactures such as Casio, as my girlfriend puts it, is a calculator company LOL (not that I don't like Casio but her blunt observation cracks me up).

But looking at the trend now it looks like a $200 point and shoot digital camera is for everyday, daytime purpose. As long as you do not expect fantastic night shot along with day shot from one digital camera you'll be fine.

Now, which camera prints better photo and looks better on your computer is a whole another story and a topic

Actually, SureShot was from A game called Socom 2

Canadian or US dollars

I reccomend Pentax Optio Z10 Black


It costs $224.00. What do you think?

This post has been edited by FreedomOverdose: Today, 03:05 PM