best digital camera for under $200?

[elementskater15]

I just got back in the market for a new camera cause my vivicam 35 ($20 from walmart) aint cuttin it any more. It was good for the money, but thats not saying much. IDK anything about picking out a camera so if the camera geeks could help me out I'd be greatful, thanks

[Oz]

For something that's easy to use and takes damn good photo's, try something like this:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3600655

Buy a larger memory card for it (256mb should be enough for mainly photos)

My girlfriend got one last year and it's been great.

[Moppie]

Look for anything by Canon, Fuji or Olympus.
All have a long history in photography, all were starters in the digital market, and Canon and Fuji are both world leaders in digital imaging technology, with Canon leading the world in digital camera technology. Altough at this end of the market that dosn't have as much impact on the quality of the camera.

The Sonys are pretty good, but you are stuck with an expensive pripoirity memory format (Sony Memory Stick) where as the others all use SD cards, which are cheaper and easier to get, and more likely to be compatiable with other products, e.g. MP3 players, Cell phones etc.

[mike@af]

I love Canon Powershots.

[elementskater15]

thanks for the imput...i am going to shop around some..can somebody tell me what qualities make a good digital camera? I found a pretty sweet looking little deal on a camera similar to the Sanyo my girlfriend has...i Like the style of it with the rotating screent on the side... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...mpare123com-20
I've never heard of that brand before, but It looks like a good little camera, i want someting i can keep in my pocket that won't be so heavy it pulls my pants down when I walk. I'd like one that doubles as a webcam too, but most of them nowadays do that anyhow. I'd really like to find a camera somewhere other than Amazon and Ebay too...
Edit:I'm not as dumb as I put off...I know that isnt really a 12mp camera...more like 4-5, it just can expand theh pics to 12mp, I just like that stly camera becuase they ususally have a larger screen and are more compact, plus have more functions ususally.

[Moppie]

Ok you don't need more than 4-5mp at the most.
Anything more will slow down the functioning of the camera and make it frustrating to use.
Anything that extrapolates the orginal image to get something bigger has to be avoided, it does very bad things to the image quality.
A bigger LCD does not = a better picture.
The controls should be intuitave to you, that means going in to a shop and picking up a camera and trying it.
Digital cameras are a combination of precision digital engineering, and optical engineering.
Only buy from companies with a good history in both.
i.e. the ones I listed at the start.
There are lots of other manufactors, but they will have compromised somewhere through lack of experiance with the product type.

And, have a look at www.stevesdigicams.com fantastic site.

[Oz]

Things to look for when buying a digital camera are:
-Megapixels, as Moppie said, 4-5 is perfect for you
-Zoom - both optical and digital (optical is better)
-Ease of use - menu's are easy to navigate, buttons are easy to press
-If you're only going to use the LCD to take photo's, test how the LCD looks in strong sunlight
-Flash, a whiter colour is better than a yellowish one
-Connectivity - how easy is it to get on / off your computer
-Battery Life
-Warranty
-Size
-Actual build quality / engineering of the unit itself


I think that should cover it?

[Moppie]

Sounds like a good list if your buying a car.

The is a bit more to a camera though.

A lot of it depends on what you want to use it for, and how seriously you take photography.
In car terms you can get everything from a Kia Picasso aimed at the simple buyer who has no interest in cars but wants something that is easy to drive in rush hour traffic and matchs her handbag, to a Ferrari Enzo aimed at the guy with to much money and a total passion for having the absolute best.

If your looking for the Kia Picasso of cameras then it really dosn't matter what you buy, just make sure it looks pretty.
If your looking for the Enzo of cameras then you have a lot of resurch to do first, but its either going to be a Canon DSLR, or a Medium Format camera with a Digital back.

Everything in between is covered as well.
For example the Canon range has the SD/Ixus series which are aimed at the casual user with limited knowledge who just wants to be able to capture some nice memories of his grandmothers funeral.
Then there is the A series range, which are a nice small compact camera, with the most commonly used focal range (zoom) and a full suite of automatic and full manual modes.
They appeal to people who want a little more control, or almost full control at a really cheap price.
The S series, which offer the same functionality as the A series in a slightly larger camera with a very long zoom lens.
Then there is the SLR range, from the 350D/Reble and 30D which are aimed at the amature and proffesional users who are on a budget, but want all the functionality a high end SLR offers. Then the 5D and 1series are aimed at the proffesional market, but are also favourites of Amatures with a large budget. Very durable bodies, with exceptional image quality (with a good lens, they are as good as an SLR can get, nothing is better, only Nikon comes a little close).
However with an SLR you are buying into a complete system of lenses, flashs, etc, there is more to think about than just the body.


So in order to know what qualitys to look for in a camera, you need to know what you want to use it for first.

[elementskater15]

i bought a refurbished Canon Powershot and a 256mb memory card, I'll show you how it works as soon as it gets here

[elementskater15]

[img=http://img3.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/th.635c66319c.jpg]
It is a powershot A410 3.2mp with optical zoom....sweet deal...$90 memory card included