Digital camera suggestions better than average

I carry a DSLR when I travel now - a Nikon D300. But for pocket cameras, I really love my Canon SD 800IS. The newer Canons have a very solid image stabilization system which really does make help with image clarity, especially at low light. Battery lasts hundreds of images.

There are also some very good offerings from Olympus including a series that is water and drop resistant. My brother in law took one to Mexico recently and the pictures both on land and under water snorkeling were impressive. The only downside to Olympus is their proprietary memory cards.

Whatever brand you choose, get a model with a big bright screen, small size, image stabilization and face tracking for sharp focus portraits.

Pete

Thanks for the suggestion- the posts I found before were a couple of years old this looks much better.
My HP was just 3 years old and it was already behind the new technology

Have you been to digitalcamera-hq.com?

I got the Fuji extended zoom they rated as a best buy for $180 on Amazon.

I takes a fine photo for travelogue memories without the extra weight of a DSLR.

IMO you will get good pictures from any Canon or Nikon camera. For pocket size, which is how I travel, look for a long battery life (expect to get 300 photos per charge), some optical zoom (digital zoom isn't really zoom), and more than a 2" view screen (a big one really helps you view and share your pics on the road). Sony now has Carl Zeiss optics, I've heard good things about it but haven't tried it. I'm using an Olympus Stylus that is tiny and has 5x optical zoom, I bought it for the zoom and it's pretty good. I liked my Nikon better until my son lost it, but it was only 3x optical zoom and had a smaller view screen.

I received a Panasonic DMC-TZ3 Lumix for Christmas. It's great. It has a Leica lens and takes great pix. I carry two batteries and make sure they are charged up every evening. Used a 2GB chip, which was all I needed for three weeks.

Devra

An excellent compromise between SLs and PSs is the new Canon PowerShot A720 IS. Runs on two AA batteries. Excellent battery life with the lithium batteries -- better than 500+ shots depending on flash usage. Small enough to slip into a picket, has a viewfinder which I believe is critical to any camera, and override features than you can use or understand. I am not a big fan of very large capacity memory cards for fear of card failure. A couple of years I did have a card fail with a hundred pictures totally lost.

I use the Nikon D50 Digital SLR for heavier duty photography and the Canon Powershot SD1000 Digital Elph for snapshots and to carry with me in case a great unexpected photo presents itself. The Nikon is great but because of its size (and value) I don't like to carry it everywhere with me. The SD1000 (and all Powershots I've met) are great little cameras. They fit easily in a purse or pocket and have great image quality and battery life--plus a multitude of different settings to experiment with for those who like to play around with effects.

Adendum:

If you're looking for long lasting battery make sure you get something that takes a rechargable lithium-ion. With the higher quality images/higher number of megapixels available with digital cameras, even less expensive point and shoot cameras, they go through regular batteries like there's no tomorrow.

It isn't picture taking that kills batteries. It is running the LCD screen on your camera. That is why I posted earlier that having an optical viewfinder is critical. Turn off the view screen and batteries will last forever.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/518209-REG/Canon_2082B001_PowerShot_G9_Digital_Camera.html

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

http://www.dpreview.com/

Destiny, you should be able to find ample information at the above sites to find what you feel would be best for your needs.

There are a couple of problems I've found with using the view finder on the small new digital cameras instead of the LCD. One is that it is so small it's hard to get an accurate idea of what the final photo will look like. Also, the LCD is lined up exactly with what is being photographed where often the view finder is off just a little. I had a small digital that took regular alkaline batteries and even though I kept the LCD off all the time the batteries still didn't last that long--especially compared to the lithium ion which even when using the LCD for view finding and reviewing photos lasts three times as long.

First, you need a quality viewfinder and second, you have to know how to use. In today's Office Depot ad the Canon 720 IS is offered for $149 plus a free Epson Photo printer. That is an attractive deal.

Destiny,

Which Camera to buy will depend to some extent on how much flexibility you want, mostly in terms of wide angle and zoom range. As your present Camera is broken, you're starting from a "clean slate" to some extent, so can choose the model that best suits your photo style and the type of pictures you want to take during your travels.

I tend to group Cameras into three categories:

Compact P&S (ie: Canon SD-xxx - very easy to carry and take good photos but somewhat limited in some ways).

"Medium Size" Cameras (models such as the Canon A-xxx, G9 & S5-IS - these often have better zoom with image stabilization and some wide angle capability, but are a bit larger so can't really be considered "pocket size").

SLR's (these of course offer the best potential for great photos under a wide variety of conditions but are certainly not as easy to travel with, as other kit must be taken as well as the Camera - extra Lenses, Flash units, etc. - they also require some study to use)

continued from previous post....

My preference lately has been to travel with a dSLR and associated kit as well as a compact P&S (very convenient and less "risky" to pack along if going out at night). Packing the dSLR is most definitely a lot more trouble, but I really like the flexibility and capabilities. On those occasions where I just have the P&S Camera with me, I frequently miss having the dSLR; I feel quite "limited" and not able to get the shots that I want.

I suspect your purchase decision will be influenced by the type of photos you want to get. A good compromise might be something like the "monster zoom" models from Canon or Panasonic, as these will provide good range with image-stabilized zoom and possibly a wider range of manual controls as well. However, they're a bit bigger so not as easy to carry.

As mentioned in a previous post, check dpreview or steves-digicams for reviews of any models you're considering.

Good luck and happy travels!

For point and shoot digicams, I think it's very hard to beat the Canon S-series cameras. (Canon S4, Canon S5.) They have a remarkable optical zoom capability, a good digital zoom, image stabilization, etc.

My wife was sitting near the top in one endzone of a college football stadium and she was able to zoom in and get a decent shot of me in the opposite endzone. That speaks volumes of the zoom and the stabilization. You can see examples of this at http://www.metroplexhawkeyes.com/photos/indiana/kinnick.asp (I set this page up for some online friends who wanted to buy digital cameras a few months ago.)

I shoot DSLRs exclusively, but if I wanted a point/shoot camera I wouldn't bother looking at anything but a Canon S4 or S5.

And no, I don't work for Canon. hehehe

Id agreee with the Canon1000 pocket cams - I have one along with my bigger NikonD40 for those evening out or in the rain. I dont mine the extra weight of the bigger on since I love to use it - but its nice being able to lock it up away and have the handy small one. FOr those not into full photography extras - these small ones do indeed do a great job. The new Powershot 1000 or 750 are super small and sleek and good quality - and affordable!

These are what I am looking at:

Canon SD1100
Canon SD 890 IS
Canon SD 770 IS
Canon SD 790 IS

Canon SD1000D or 900 or 850 or 750

Anyone have experience with the above?

Recommended by someone:

"Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 (TZ is for travelzoom), it's main feature being a 10x optical zoom lens (starting at 28mm wideangle."

I recently purchased the Panasonic Lumix TZ3 and I love it. They are priced great right now as a new model is coming out in May I think. I got mine for $229. It has 10x optical zoom and is still compact. It has alot of great features! I had a Canon SD550 Elph before and while it was small, the picture quality was nothing to rave about.

Last summer I traveled with a digital point and shoot and film SLR. I was miserable. Neither really worked. I have since purchased the Canon Digital Rebel xti and while I've not traveled with it overseas, I have taken it to Quebec, family Christmas and California and been very happy with it. I'm still trying to resolve my lens issues, but it's so much better than last summer's frustration. BTW the battery lasts forever!

Speaking of batteries, I always buy a spare for my digital cameras so I start the day with 2 fully charged batteries. :)

I purchased my Canon G9 just before our trip to Italy in November. I love it! As far as point & shoot cameras go, it's a bit heavy, but it makes up for it in performance - easily.
I've been a Nikon person for a long time, tried a Fuji E900 for a year, and then went with the Canon G9. I prefer the Nikons macro capability, but as an overall package I know I made the right choice.
I like to travel light (carry on for 10 day European trips), so a dSLR is out of the question for me. Using the sites above, I recommend you check out reviews of the G9. I used my AAA discount at Circuit City (must get the coupon via email ahead of time) along with their sale to get a good deal on it.
Things I like include the ISO dial on the top of the camera and the external hot shoe for adding a real flash if desired.

For travelers who want a small camera : Today I learned that the Cannon PowerShot A630 digital camera was replaced by the Canon PowerShot A720 is.
It has 12 Megapixels. 6x optical zoom. 2 1/2 inch screen, and a viewfinder. Adjustable aperture and shutter speed. Price = 199 U.S. Dollars, at the photography store here. A higher priced Cannon PowerShot digital camera (A650 is) has a moveable screen. (I learned to be a good photographer, in the years 1980 - 1983), using good SLR cameras -photographic film. I liked a camera that has a zoom lens, for taking quick photographs of people in Korea and Thailand).

Ron,

While most travellers might not "need" more than a fixed Lens P&S model like the A630, that will depend on the type of images they want to capture on the trip.

Although some Cameras (like the A630) provide both a slightly better zoom range and a reasonably good selection of manual controls, it is still quite limited in some ways compared to an SLR. Each traveller has to decide which method works best for them. Many people are quite happy to use just a P&S, as it provides the images they want.

Although packing an SLR and associated kit is definitely a lot more trouble and certainly a higher cost photographic solution, I will continue to use one as my primary travel Camera in order to get the types of images that I want.

Cheers!

The problem with a bigger camera for us is that I end up having to carry it, and I can tell you that though I love getting better pictures and can see the difference, light weight and easy to store wins in the end.

I use the SLR on vacation in the States because we do more driving than walking.

Joana I was interested in your feedbacking on that camera I mentioned.

Thanks for all the good advice from everyone. I am going to have to make a decision Friday but there are so many choices ;-)

I have the Canon A720IS. It's 8MP, not 12 as previously posted.

It's a good little camera, takes two AA batteries and SD cards. It can handle the new high capacity cards. 2500 nimh batteries last for around 400+ photos, depending on your settings.

It has a nice stitch together panoramic mode, that I have yet to try. Takes nice quality video - looks perfect on my 32 inch tv. It can handle some movement in pictures (ISO to 1600) and has a ton of different modes for different situations.

Nice camera for the price point. Not as tiny as the SD series, but has a much better zoom lens.

As a long-time SLR user, I was skeptical at first when using digital P&S. However, having used a Canon 570 series for the past year, I can heartily endorse such cameras for MOST photo situations. Normal lighting and average movement are well-captured at high resolution. Whatever additional zooming I need to do I use Photoshop.

One thing though - lag time (between first and second shot, between flash uses) is a real problem when following the action with a P&S. These usually have a programmed mode for speed or action, but the size of the recording chip is not sufficient to allow for immediate recovery. If you get one of these cams, read the manual and learn to change settings quickly to accommodate the action. Although I use the viewfinder (which needs a diopter adjust) others photograph everything with the LCD. In the Canons one annoying feature is the thumbwheel on top (for changing modes) can be dislodged quite easily from the intended setting.