My trip is two weeks away, and my 35mm camera just broke. There have been threads on good cameras, but the search function won't find them. I need to get something right away so that I can test it out before I leave. Can someone just quickly recap the advice on a good 35mm camera for someone with very limited photographic talent and a budget of up to $300?

Cindy: For our Germany trip in '97 and our Paris trip in '98, I took along our trusty Olympus Auto Zoom 100 which has a 35mm and zoom to 100mm and a collapsible tripod. In '99 we went back to Germany and I lugged our rebuilt Olympus OM-B manual/auto with a 28mm lense, 52mm lense and 70mm to 210 zoom lense, doubler, filters, flash and the aforementioned tripod. <BR> <BR>When we develop our photographs and put them in albums, I'm thinking that they aren't too bad, but guess what? The photos with the automatic camera were just as good, if not better! OK, I'm no artist with a camera, but I'm not that bad, either. The moral of the story? If you are not into bulky equipment and not inclined to take professional type photos, then I suggest a good automatic 35mm with a zoom lense and have at it. You'll probably end up with great pictures. <BR> <BR>Good luck.

You can get an Olympus Epic with 35-70 zoom for under $150 and it takes as pictures that are 98% as good as my big 35 mm cannon eos. It's small and you can carry it in your pocket!

The budget and time factor (unless you are already knowledgeable about photography) would indicate a low to medium priced point and shoot. I have not bought a new point and shoot in a while, but the ones mentioned above have good reputations. Since you don't have much time to decide, you may wish to also take a look at www.photo.net. Search its large archives for point and shoot. Make sure you get it within at least a few days of the trip so you can get used to the functions and run a roll or two through it and have them developed. You may wish to buy it locally, but you can stretch your budget a little by buying from a discounter like B&H Photo (bhphotovideo.com). They can rush shipments, but if the item is in stock, regular shipping will almost always get it to you within three days of your order.

I got (at the recommendation of my photojournalist friend) the Olympus Stylus Epic with Zoom. It was under $300 & the deluxe version comes with a panoramic switch. We got some really cool panoramic shots in Venice from the top of the Campanile!

Olympus Stylus Epic--love mine; recommended to a local friend and he was VERY happy with it during their summer in Europe. I got a fixed focal length/no zoom. I think it focuses closer (13") and is smaller and lighter than the models w/ zoom.

I am not a fan of the Olympus. If you are looking for a P&S camera(point and shoot) you can not do any better(in my opinion) than the Yashica. The Zeiss lens has great clarity, low distortion...the olympus has a little flashback into the lens. <BR> <BR>Side by side with my Nikon N70 and my friends N90 (using a fixed lens)...I think the photos are just as good from the Yashica...for a lot less bulk/weight/money. <BR> <BR>Careful buying ANY zoom that is too long- your picture quality will suffer! <BR> <BR> <BR>

You might want to take a look at the Cannon Rebel2000 w\a 28-80mm lens. It's light and easy to use. You can do everything from Point&Shoot to fully manual. What ever you decide I'd go w\wide angle over telephoto. Good luck and happy travels!!!

Thanks, all. I'm off to the camera store.

I have the Yashica T4 Super that kiersten mentioned, and it takes great pics. You have to be willing to sacrifice the zoom for a higher quality lens, though. If I were to get a zoom the Olympus Stylus Epic would be the one in that price range.