digital camera suggestions???
 

Yes, I know this is suppose to be travel...however we ARE traveling to Europe in Nov. (go each year once or twice) and would like suggestions of your favorite digital camera for around $200 or less. I know they are dropping in price compared to when they first came out...
I had in mind 3 to 3.5 pixels, more optical zoom than digital zoom, good lens, and Olympus, Canon, Sony,Kodak are all good I hear... but I am still illerate about digital cameras...and oh, I'd like one that is SMALL and SIMPLE. (:>)
Any suggestions will be helpful,,and THANKS!

Hello mari3.

I can't answer you directly on this. However til the experts post back there are many threads on this issue. Too many to link them all here. I put the keywords in the search box and came up with quite a few.

Have fun with them til you hear back directly :)

I'd like to know too. Prints I have been sent from digital cameras have faded. Is this normal?

Hi cig,

Do you know if the prints were printed out on a home puter or at the photo development places?

No, I don't ??

If the prints were printed on normal paper and with a normal ink-jet printer they WILL fade pretty fast, I've heard after 2-5 years they start to deteriorate. But that is why it's so handy to have a CD with all your pictures... even if you go completely bananas with taking pictures you'd be hard pressed to fill more than 10 CD's (with a 3MP camera) with pictures. That way you can just print out the pictures again...
Though keep in mind that CD's ALSO fades unfortunately, they live about 10-15 years, especially CD-R live a lot shorter than pressed CDs. But if you want your print-outs to last I've read that Epsons Durabrite Inks do last a lot longer than regular ink. So that might be a solution.

About the topic :)
Completely ignore digital zoom since it's not a zoom at all it's simply cutting your picture. Take your camera, turn OFF digital zoom, use camera :)
Optical zoom on the other hand often comes in handy, though if you want a small package you usually have to settle for 2-3x optical zoom.
Personally I like Canon's range... I've got a A70 myself which I'm happy with, so if that isn't too big I would look at the A75 or A80. If you want them even smaller you should look at the S500 or S410 but they are bit more expensive..

Cobos

WE have a Sony and love it. The only thing I would suggest is to get an extra memory stick so you can take more pictures without downloading.
Cheers,
Jan

I have a Nikon Coolpics 2.1 mp. It was $200 a year ago. The pics come out great for viewing online, I have not seen prints yet. I bought a large memory stick and used the second highest resolution allowing me some 250+ pictures. I only ended up taking 110.

Nikon 4300 can be forund for $229. No need to look any further

For small and simple I'd suggest a Cannon Elph. I think you can probably get a 3mp one for your price range.

They are sometimes less expensive if you get them online (unless you get a sale at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc). If you do buy on line be sure it's a reputable company, there are some really sleezy ones. B&H in New York is very good (though not the absolute cheapest).

Digital prints do fade in direct sunlight faster than prints from film. I have one in my office that is quite faded after less than two years, but it gets direct sun in a very sunny window, and it's not framed. I have a photo printed from film right next to it and the differencein fading is striking. HOWEVER,I have several framed photos in my home, in rooms with average light that are four years old and not at all faded. Photos in a photo album also do not fade. And once you get used to viewing and showing them on a computer that may become your preferred way to store and show them, and then of course fading is not an issue.

Hi mari,

I suggest getting an older 2MP with as much optical zoom as possible, unless you are planning on making prints of 8x10 or larger.

Yu will find that these cameras have lots of features that will appear intimidating. Don't bother with them. Just set the camera on "Auto".

Some places for prices and reviews:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/

If you could perhaps stretch your budget a bit, the Canon Powershot S60 is a fantastic little camera.

It has 5 megapixels, but best of all it has a zoom range that starts at 28mm. This is a moderate wide angle which you'll find to be a necessity in Europe.

Most of these cameras feature some sort of digital zoom...you don't have to activate it. Just leave it switched off and stick to the optical zoom.

Get the highest megapixel camera you can afford. You may want something larger than a 5x7 print, and you may want to crop a shot.

Lastly, you can leave the camera in full-auto mode if that is your choice. But do consider learning how to adjust your ISO (speed) setting, and figuring out how to turn your flash on & off.

These two very simple controls...and recognizing when to use them...can make the difference between a poor/mediocre shot and a very good/excellant one.

>...figuring out how to turn your flash on & off.<

Very important in museums, etc where flash is not permitted.

We just got back from a trip to Europe, our first real workout with our Canon Powershot A70, and we are THRILLED with our photos. I just got the prints back from Ofoto.com, and the colors are so rich, the pictures so crisp and clear... I'm really happy. The A70 is easy to use and I think we spent around $260 for it last winter... can't really remember, though.

I agree about the A70...also the A80 and I believe they now have an A85...great litte cameras.

Don't forget that you'll need a few memory cards.

I bought a Pentax Optio S4 this spring and have used it on three trips including Italy. The pictures are amazing. It is 4 megapixels and about the size of a credit card. I bought it because I hate lugging cameras around. I got a case that attaches to my belt and I carry it everywhere on trips. They run about $240. Highly recommend it-has all the features. Great software package comes with it (ADCsee).

I absolutely love my new Konica Minolta Dimage XG. Fits in a shirt pocket and weighs less than 4 oz. Its 3MP and has a 3X optical zoom which is unique because it doesn't extend outside the camera body. The list price is $299, but you can find it on the web (zdnet.com or bizrate.com) for about $225. For a little less (under $200) you can buy the XT model, which is the same size, has the same 3MP and 3X zoom, but has a few less features.

Yes, that Pentax Optio is a great camera!!! We use it for backpacking a lot and love the small size, but has so many features.

Ms. Go loves the simplicity of her Canon A80, and it takes outstanding pix. I like the form factor of my Canon Digital Elph...it fits very comfortably in the front pocket of any pants I have. Both are well worth the price, IMO.

Cobos - could you please expand on your 'zoom' issue ie: optical vs other. I also have an A70 and couldn't figure out why the zoom doesn't seem to work the way our regular camera did. I know I sound totally not technical but that's because I'm not. Going to Europe in a month and would sure like to understand this!

Go to google and search the site "Steve's Digicam", it is the best site for camera info

Peels4, since you've got the A70 just as me I can do that :) Turn on the A70 camera, make sure it's in photography mode, not viewing mode. Press menu and the first list of settings you get called the "Rec menu" the 3 third option down is digital zoom. Make sure it's at OFF (it only got 2 options, ON and OFF). That's the digital zoom
The optical zoom is controlled by the sliding switch (that goes left and right) which is situated around the taking-picture-button (my english is failing me :) Move the slider to one side and you zoom in the other side it zooms out. If it does zoom you can hear the lens moving as well as see the lens moving and the effect is immediate on the LCD display.

Hope that answers your question.

[ Technical answer, the digital zoom simply blows up parts of your picture so it looks zoomed, but the fact is that you get less actual pixels of data with the digital zoom turned on than without. ]

I think that for traveling you want the smallest camera you can get that gives you good image quality. That's why I agree with Travelermebe about the Konica Minolta Dimage XG. You might be interested in Walter Mossberg's comparison of tiny digitals:

http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20040915.html

He also rated the previous version of the Dimage X tops at:
http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/solution-20040218.html

I actually have the very first version of this camera, which I've been using for two years now, and love it. So if the new one is a bit rich for your budget, see if you can find one of the earlier discontinued models for sale at a discount.

THANKS everyone VERY MUCH! I am learning more all the time and I don't believe it is as complicated as thought.
We lived overseas for 5 years in the mid 70's...traveled a lot and still do...so have taken "most" of the pictures I will ever need, or rather have a lot of pictures. Still going new places however,,,but am cutting back on lots of pictures, and the digital seem a perfect way to "edit' them out, on the spot. (My trusty old Canon point and shoot lost the ring around the tip of the camera last week in Glacier Park, and I couldn't find it...which prompted me to "tackle" a new digital one.) It's just not necessary for us, at this stage to spend a huge ammount on a new digital camera....
You have all given me some GREAT ideas .Thanks again!