Need help choosing camera

[dopey81]

My DD turns 8 in a few weeks. She wants a digital camera for her birthday. I am hoping to find one for less than 150, but still takes decent pictures. She wants it for our vacation to WDW in Dec. Any suggestions? TIA

[YEKCIM]

$150 is going to be a real limiting factor. Try this, to get started:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

You can see what is available in your price range, and then read reviews on the various cameras.

If you are buying online, use www.pricegrabber.com and www.resellerratings.com to find a good price *and* a reputable dealer.

Post back here if you have specific questions that the reviews do not make clear.

~YEKCIM

[manning]

Also try this site. Select by price catagory then find the cameras in your price range and click check price for each camera. It will list the stores and prices.

http://dpreview-cnet.com.com/4566-6501_9-0.html?part=dpreview-cnet&subj=dcameras&tag=comparepricesbox

[fitzperry]

We bought a Nikon Coolpix L4 (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/l4.html )for our 7yo dd's birthday last week. In fact, I posted almost exactly the same question here before our purchase. Our priorities were ease of use, at least 3mp, and some optical zoom. We found several models in the $130-$150 range to fit that bill.

We originally bought her a Kodak because the controls seemed like they would be easier for her to manage than the other models I considered. Then the day after her birthday we popped into a local camera shop that I hadn't checked out for this purchase because I didn't expect them to have anything in the price range, and they had the L4 for the same price as the Kodak ($139, if I remember correctly), plus free prints for a year. It really seems to be a much sturdier camera, and I have no doubt that the image quality will be superior to the Kodak. It also has a lot of fun shooting modes. We sprang for the 3 year extended warranty that will cover it if she drops it in the lake or smashes it on the sidewalk, which seems like a real possibility under the circumstances ;) .

The only downside I see as far as the L4 is concered is that there is no optical viewfinder. But I figure she wouldn't use it much anyway, and with the inaccuracy of optical viewfinders on compact cameras (what's that called?--parallax error?), I suspect she'd be frustrated that her prints wouldn't look like she expected anyway (at least that always bugged me, and she's pretty observant about such things).

[dopey81]

Thanks for the replies. After looking at the recomended websites and the local Wal Mart, I have decided to go with the Nikon L3. I found it for 145 with free shipping. :woohoo: