I need to buy a camera before my first trip to Italy. Would like one easy to use and no more than $400. Any suggestions,digital or film? Grazie

I have been happy with the Canon Elph Digital. Easy to use and carry.

Digital allows you to take all the pictures you want and select the ones you want to keep. I never take the large camera with all the lens.

You will see people in Europe lugging suitcase like camera bags along to take pictures. Too much hassle. Go simple and enjoy the trip while you are actually there instead of worrying about the pictures for when you are home.

I have a canon s230 digital and jsut took about 1500 pics on my last trip. i like the canon elf digitals cause they are so small!

I second the Canon s230. We just came back from Europe with outstanding digital photos.

#1 item stolen in italy---cameras---BE VERY careful with your new camera

I love my Canon S330! But don't forget the adapter for the recharger--I did.

Bob,

Just a reminder that not all digital cameras are small.

My Minolta digital is about the size of my 35mm..but I won't have to take any additional lenses or a flash.

Some of us still like the flexibility and enhanced image quality of the "full size" digitals.

Still, for most people the small digitals work just fine.

PS I just bought a 512meg card for my trip.

Hi
I have a Canon A60 with which I am quite happy.

It is fully automatic, but allows you to operate on manual if you wish. It has a 3:1 optical zoom.

I think the following links will help you:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34419868

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34413787

I also have a digital Elph that I am planning on taking. What type of adapter is needed for the recharger? Thanks

I'm sure this will get a good laugh, but I'm serious. I travel with disposable cameras ... 1 daytime, 1 flash, and 1 panoramic. They take great pictures and are of no value (over 1 roll of film) for getting stolen or lost. Been doing this for years.

I just purchased a Canon Digital A 70 powershot last week. This is my 1st D-cam and am very excited about taking it on our trip to Italy this August. I will
also take my trusty Canon Elph film camera for backup.

I just ordered the highly recommended
Maha C401 FS200DCW battery world charger
pack. I have included the link below
for any camera buffs who are in need of
an international type battery charger.
After reviewing several camera sites ,
most folks said it was the best.

http://www.thomas-distributing.com/mhc401fs.htm

Why worry about buying a camera? Just steal one!

Hi raerose,

Make sure that your charger is dual voltage. You will need a converter if it is not. It should say 110 - 240 V.

Adapter kits can be had at Radio Shack and places that sell travel supplies.

You can also find them at Walmart, etc. You need the European adapter plug . On my recharger I need a flat one (one that is flush with the side of the camera). If you can't find one like that (if you need it), you will also need an extender plug (US entry and exit plugs). Maybe this is more than you want to know, but we couldn't find one that was flush.

Oops, I meant flush with the side of the recharger (because the plugs flip out from the recharger).

jaja- I just returned from 3 weeks in Switzerland and Italy and I took both my digital (Nikon 995- on the large side but pretty hi-res) and my regular film camera (Olympus mid-line point-and-shoot)and I carried them both in the same camera bag which is just large enough to hold both, but small enough that it is not cumbersome to haul around on hikes or around town. I took 200 digitals and 200 film shots. Each type has its pros and cons and I wanted to see exactly the differences between them. Both cameras performed very well; the digital seemed to capture more crispness, and the film camera seemed to have more 'texture' on clouds and skies. Digital allows instant evaluation of the picture you just took and by the end of the trip it is kinda fun to review everything you took on the plane ride home. Point and shoots are very convenient and produce excellent images IF you get the film processed at a good lab- I do not recommend the 1-hour places you find in malls and grocery stores; take your film to the camera shop and have them send it out to a proper lab and wait the 2 extra days, it really is worth it. Disposable cameras are strictly for people who are not serious about good pictures. The images may look fine all by themselves, but if you did a side by side comparison of the same image taken with a disposable and a decent point-and-shoot, the difference is obvious. There's a reason good lenses cost what they do and the lenses on disposables are very cheap. Unless you are a serious gadget freak as I am, what I would do if I were Jaja is take that 400 dollars and buy as good a film camera as I could, and 400 bux will buy a FINE film camera, whereas the same money would buy a less capable digital camera. Take the film to a proper lab and have them also make a CDRom with digital copies of the images. This gives you the best of both worlds. The last consideration is that one 'great shot' that you might want to enlarge to 11 x 14 or bigger and hang on the wall. Film will do a much better job of this unless you are prepared to spend 5K or more for a super-duper-exceedingly-high-resolution digital camera. The Canon digital Elph is a great choice for a convenient digital, but its resolution will only make 4x6 prints max. Anything larger will plainly show pixelization. One last tip: for outdoor shots, shoot early mornings or late afternoons, the light is much more pleasing and you get more shadows and other interesting visuals.

Hi ya'll, it's me, plmn asking a camera question.

So it turns out mom has this Canon Power Shot S230 Digital Elph. When we get to Rome she will want me to show her how to use it. (I have not a clue.)
I hope she remembers the instruction book.

She says she has a charger and flash card, she thinks it has a 145 picture capacity. But she states she can not find the adapter for European current.

Today I bought a travel hair dryer and travel iron/steamer.

Is there one adapter that can be used for all three items? I don't want to carry a gazillion adapters if I don't have too.

PS. I read here that the biggest decent pictures are going to be 4X6. Should we expect any disposable cameras to be anywhere as decent for picture quality? You know, good enough to put in the family album, etc. Not hang in a gallery.

canon s410 with a 256 mb chip. you will be able to get 180+ high res. pictures on the chip.

Whatever camera you decide on, expect to spend $100+ on extras like battery charger or spare battery, bigger memory card, card reader, etc. If your total budget is $400, you can find plenty of excellent cameras in the $250-300 range and still have enough for the add-ons.

Just yesterday I got my Canon S500. My first digital camera. It's teeny tiny and takes great pictures. Go to dpreview.com and take a look at the reviews of various cameras. It will also tell you where you can buy them on-line. I ended up getting mine from buydig.com and it was $100 less than anything you'd find in the stores. No tax, no shipping.