Good Point and Shoot for under $300?

I love my little Olympus SP-310. I has lots of nice features, including a "huge" (2"x2.5") screen, and it takes great pictures. I paid around $200 for it, maybe slightly less. I use lithium batteries (on my last big trip, 1 set lasted almost a week), but it can use regular AAs if necessary.

I like the reviews at dcresource.com -- I've relied on them for years. Here's a link to his favorite cameras under $400, and both the Canon SD870 and 850 are on his list.

http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/

I used a Kodak Z712 IS on our last trip. But it's not a pocket camera, it's an ultra-zoom point-and-shoot (12x optical zoom), which I found helpful for zooming in on details of large buildings, etc. It also eats through AA alkaline batteries at a ridiculous rate, but it does much better with lithium CRV3s.

Love my Canon Elph. Very compact and easy to use. Comes with very small battery charger. You would only need a plug adaptor for it. Takes both great pictures and video clips.

Stephanie,

I'm presently using an SD-870 IS for travels, and so far it's worked really well. I took a few short videos with it while in Verona earlier this year, and was surprised at the quality!

Of course, all P&S Cameras have "limitations" and for that reason I also pack along a dSLR along with a few extra lenses. This allows me the flexibility to take photos under a variety of shooting conditions.

You might have a look at This comprehensive review of the SD-870. There's a review for the SD-850 IS on the same web site (and other Cameras too - I didn't check to see if they had reviewed the other models you mentioned).

Be sure to take at least one spare battery and of course adequate memory cards.

Good luck and happy travels!

Hi Stephanie, I have a Canon Powershot SD750. I love it. I can't remember how much I paid, but it was under $200 in Bestbuys, I think.
I'm a bit of a camera nut, I also have a Canon EOS 20D, but for ease of use and great results, I'm really happy with the Powershot. Nice big screen, decent battery life (and it is easily recharged on different voltages), and very compact, fits in a pocket.
Now I sound like a camera salesperson!

I've had several Canons and liked all of them. On our trip to Italy we collectively had a Nikon (mine), a Kodak, and an old Canon (all point and shoot), and I personally liked the pictures from the Canon the best.

When I pick out a new point and shoot,I'm interested in the battery life, whether it can use standard AA's in a pinch, whether I can see the LCD screen in bright light, how it feels to me when I hold it, and whether it fits in my pocket. Now I have a Canon A590IS, the first one I've used with image stabilization. I like it.

Check the Graffiti Wall. There is link to photography in Europe and they talk a lot about cameras.

Pam

I have a 7mp polaroid that takes really great photos. I was surprised actaully. It is small enough to fit in a pocket. I just bought a Canon SX100 and I love it! It is more of an advanced point & shoot. It has manual and automatic settings and a 10x optical zoom. It is bigger, would only fit in a large pocket, but alot smaller than my Canon DSLR. I really wanted something that had a good zoom so I could get some architectural detail, without lugging my big camera and risk it getting snatched. The new canon was about $250.

i just bought the sony cybershot dsc-w120 (black) for my upcoming europe trip in a month. this camera is really small, has a carl zeiss 4x zoom (almost all in it's class have a 3x) and 15mb of onboard memory. while the onboard memory is hardly anything, it could get someone by in a pinch. i bought it on amazon for $173.

I also wanted to add that both of my camera run on AA batteries. That is one of my big requirements.

We have the Canon SD1000 and it is fantastic. Small, cheap and takes great photos.

I have a Canon (my second one) PS A590. The first one last 4 years and I loved it. I just bought the second one this summer. It was $179 and it fits into my pocket. Takes wonderful photos.

Last year I bought my first digital camera, a Canon A570IS (IS stands for Image Stabilizer, which supposedly helps steadiness). I took it with me during a 40-day hiking trek across Spain on the Camino Frances trail. It was easy to use, and I only needed one 2GB SD card (I took about a thousand pictures).

I bought it because of the good reviews on Amazon. Key features for me were ease of use (I'm not a photographer, so I was content with point and shoot), lightness, and that it ran on AA batteries. I brought some Energizer Lithum batteries with me, and I think one pair would've lasted the whole 55 days I was in Europe, although I changed them after 30 days just to be safe.

With the camera's USB cable I was able to download my pictures to my Mac iBook. I burned a CD and took it to a local chain supermarket, where I popped it into their photo computer, picked the shots I wanted to get printed out, and viola, I had a photo album.

Amazon lists a newer model called the A580 (didn't have the IS tag, though), and there's also an A590IS. Both retail for around $150 or so.

By the way, I used an M-Rock Yosemite case, and it was excellent. The camera fit nice and snug, and it never slipped out. The case came with a weather cover, and held two extra batteries and a spare SD card with no problem. It also had a neck strap and a couple of other ways to attach it to, say, a backpack. Very handy.

I took a look at the features of both the canon 870 and the Olympus that you are considering and the Canon has one feature that would sell me... the lens on the Canon is a true wide angle, and will be very helpful to get all of an object in the picture. Purchase a second battery and take the battery charger along on your trip and you are good to go.

I have always had good luck with any Canon or Nikon product. They take great pictures.

One thing that was noticably lacking on my last Nikon was a better zoom option (only 3x optical zoom).

I bought an Olympus with 5x optical zoom and really noticed the difference. I'm not sure I like the quality of pictures as much, but it's close enough that I have to think about it.

If I were buying a camera today, I would buy a Sony. Costco has a model with 5x optical zoom for under $300 that also has the Carl Zeiss optics for great pictures.

Features I shop for: Optical zoom, large display, battery life (how many pics from one charge), smallest possible size, image stabilization.

Other nice features: Museum mode (and other mode options), facefinder focusing, video option.

I like to change the wrist strap for the neck strap that comes with some thumb drives. It's about the same thickness as the wrist strap but enables me to tuck the camera down my shirt or jacket when I'm not using it.

Bring plenty of memory. I'll delete pictures as I go but still bring home better than 500 pictures for a month long trip. I love not having to ration my picture taking, carry spent film around or budget for film and processing.

check out the Canon sx100is. Just got it for my next trip, been using the Canon S2IS which was great but the new one is amazing about $250 small compact but has 8mp and 10 opticial zoom. Check out the reviews on Amazon its an a amazing little camera, only have one downfall flash takes 5 seconds to warm up but its one you manually pop up so if your visiting places where you can not use a flash its good because you know it won't go off.

I really like my new Olympus Stylus 1010, which is just under $300. It has lots of neat features and was easy to use and convenient. I liked it so much that I took 1700 pics in 3 weeks last spring in Holland and France. Our experience? Take an extra memory card if you think you'll shoot a ton of pics (it's easy to do with a new camera) and an extra battery...there were a few times when I had used up the battery before the end of the day. Good luck.

Stephanie,
I have a Canon SD-850. I love it. On a recent trip to Greece, took some great pictures with it. I also used it to do a few short video clips and was really surprised at how well they turned out.

Jeff

I had the same running out of battery power as Denny--my camera died at the Trevi Fountain. NOT good! I have a Canon SD1000 Elph that takes very good pics and I bought for about $200 off of amazon last year.

The only real problem I had is that pictures taken with a flash don't turn out as well as those without, so some of my night shots are pretty dark.

I would really suggest making a trip to your local Best Buy or similar and playing around with the different models. I was considering several different cameras based on research online, but once I actually had them in my hands, the Canon was FAR superior.

Mine is a digital - Nikon (cool-pix) red. I love it - it can take video and with a memory card of 4G - I don't think I'll miss an opportunity to capture the wonderful sights I will see on my 21 day 6 country tour (I have 2 cards just in case). It also runs on AA batteries - I was lucky to get it on sale and then use my discount at the retailer I work for -Normal price 139.99 before tax, I paid 113.00 total.
I leave tomorrow, can't wait to use it. Oh and it has a big viewing screen - larger than normal.

Comsumer Reports Buying Guide list Canon A640 the top digital camera it sells for $300. They list Canon A630 third, which I have. The A630 is a great camera and takes great pictures it sells for $200.00. The 2nd place camera is Canon A710IS which sells for $270.00.

^Actually, all of those run cheaper now. I have the Canon A720IS, and it runs around $180 (Canadian). Most Canon cameras have had a substantial drop in the last year.

I love my 720IS - very light, takes 2 batteries, 6X optical zoom, and has a great video mode. It's great being able to capture some church bells, a busker, or whatever takes your fancy.

Things that I would consider important... the type of cards that it takes (I have a lot of SD cards, and they're easy to buy), how many batteries, the size of the optical zoom, and the shooting modes. Mine can operate as a basic point and shoot, but I can also take charge.

Something to remember is to keep room in your budget for a decent charger that you can take with you, nimh batteries, AND memory cards. That can easily add another $100 on to the budget.

Several years ago, I asked a friend who is a professional photographer if he could recommend a digital camera for travelling, etc. He brought out his own Canon Powershot, which several people here have suggested, and explained how great it was. We have been very happy with ours, as have several of our other friends. Easy to use and very versatile. The Powershot also makes mini videos!

My husband just got back from Rome and Siena visiting our daughter and as much as I love a good photograph, the videos he made of the open market at Campo dei Fiori, the many gelaterias they frequented, etc. really captured the energy of life in Italy and its vibrant culture. My husband would email the videos to me at home almost daily and boy, they were simply amazing. I could hear the church bells ringing in Siena while his camera panned the beautiful campo where the Palio horse race was held. How cool is that?

So you might want to consider the Canon Powershot and take some great videos along with photographs of your trip. Buon viaggio!

Another vote for the Canon PowerShot series of compact cameras. Inexpensive, versatile, they take great pictures (and passable videos). Many different models to choose from.

I have a cannon "sure shot" I think 350. It is about 3 years old and I love it. The pictures come out very crisp. The same model is a little less bulky now. But my model is not that huge. I think I paid about $150. The batteries last a long while too.

Canon PowerShot series...I used the A700 for two Europe trips...about 2500 pics total between the two trips...uses AA batteries...took lots of batteries and kept 2-4 extras in my day bag every day...too complicated and time consuming to try and recharge batteries...two biggie memory cards...my next Canon will also have image stabilization...Ahhh, Venice, Florence, Rome..yes, your camera is very important...visual images bombard you in these places. Have a wonderful trip!