Best Digital Camera to get for DISNEY!

[suffolkprincess]

DH and I are getting our Christmas present early this year-- a digital camera!

I don't need a package deal with the little printer-- I am a big fan of snapfish and I have a good printer at home anyway with pictbridge, so its really easy to use. But we have never had a camera of our own before.

With the ones I have borrowed, I am always annoyed by how quiakly I can snap more shots.

So-- what's the best *reasonably priced* digital these days?

(Under $500)

 

[allyn]

you'll probably get a million replies suggesting a million different cameras. i'll get the ball rolling.

personally, i recommend canon cameras. my wife and i have owned six canon cameras (we keep upgrading) and i think they have the best features and image quality. specific models i'd suggest looking at are the SD600, the A700, and the S3 IS. they are all in the $290-420 range at amazon.com.

when buying a digital camera don't forget that you may need to purchase an additional battery. some cameras take a special (and expensive) battery and come with a charger, others take the standard AA batteries (you'll need to buy the rechargeable batteries and charger). you'll also need to buy an additional memory card since cameras come with uselessly small ones, and you'll need to buy enough to last for your whole vacation. this will probably be at least a 1GB card, maybe two. luckily memory cards have never been so cheap.

good luck.

 

[busymomma123]

I am wondering this too. Our digital camera broke a couple of weeks ago. So we will need to get a new one soon. We are leaving for Disney in 2 weeks. We got an older Olympus for Christmas. I never did like the thing really. It was never fast enough to take the picture. Seemed like the picture I got was just a second too late.

Hope you get some more feedback.

 

[allyn]

one of the things about the canon cameras i mentioned is that they are all very fast. canon calls this "digic II" processor. point-and-shoot digital cameras had a well-deserved rap for being really slow. the new canons are fast.

p.s. i don't have any financial interest in canon. i just think they make great cameras.

 

[TLC371]

We just got a Kodak Z650 and we love it! It takes awesome pictures and it is pretty easy to use.

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=8016&pq-locale=en_US

 

[poohguys]

My Dh has a cannon SLR that he loves, I think the new ones are over your range
(about $800). I mainly just wanted to add not to forget to make sure you have a big enough memory card! We have 1 GB.

 

[BostonTink85]

I second the Canon. I just purchased the PowerShot A610 (apparently last year's model but that doesn't bother me) for our upcoming trip. I got it for about $250. So far so good. Very little delay and very quick flash recovery time, unlike my previous Nikon Coolpix which took foreverrr.

Just a side note about Kodak digital cameras. I was looking for a new camera and the camera guy was helping me decide, I asked about Kodak and he said that they are just about as good as a disposable camera or something like that. Didn't speak very highly of them (picture-wise and wear/tear wise) So if you go to a camera store I'd ask what the worker's opinion is on the cameras that they sell because they are the ones around them every day.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

I too love Canons ... I currently own an A95 (purse camera) and a Digi-Rebel (SLR).

However I bought my DD a Panasonic Lumix last Christmas with the 12x optical zoom ... LOVE that zoom and it takes great photos. The Lumix was rated higher than the Canon S2 IS, so I bought it even though I LOVE Canons.

However Canon recently released the S3 IS which has (finally) a sports mode ... so that would be my recommendation!

 

[Dannielle_1]

I purchased my Canon Powershot A80 two years ago and love it. So I would agree with most others here with the Canon brand. If my camera died tomorrow (fyi - no signs of even coming close to that - its going strong), I'd get the latest Powershot.

This website, http://www.dcresource.com/ I used a lot while deciding on which camera to get. I felt it had great reviews giving you the details.

I think it helps to know what general features you want to help narrow down your choices.

- How much zoom
- How many megapixels
- Point & Shot vs. "fully loaded"
- Type of Batteries required
- General size (are you looking for a pocket camera, medium camera, large camera)
- etc.

Here is a good introduction site to help familiarize yourself with digital cameras, how they work and options they have available.
http://www.shortcourses.com/choosing/contents.htm

Here are two more review sites I found useful:
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/

I hope you find this information helpful. Like with almost anything, there are different cameras for different people depending on what you want/like.

One other suggestion is to go into the store and "test drive" different models and see how they feel.

Good luck. The options are so overwhelming it can make you !

 

[Not so Dumbo]

We brought our Kodak power shot with us last year and it was too slow to keep up with me, infact because it couldn't keep up it corrupted the memory card and we lost all of our pictures.

After we got back home we purchased the Canon S2 IS. It is a much better camera, although it takes time to learn all of the features. The only thing I don't like so far is I have to manually put up the flash to use it and also the Image Stabilizer is located in the flash, so pictures sometimes come out blurry if the flash isn't up. It's great for taking video and it will take the Energizer Lithium batteries, which I've found to last forever.

 

[Leah and Emily's mom]

My husband just bought me a new COOL PIX camera for my birthday. I absolutly love it for this reason--- it fits in my pocket ..... I can't wait for this years trip to Disney because my girls are finally to the age we can go bagless. Just remember with all the fancy gizmos that go with the camera is more stuff to pack around the world.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

I just got a Panasonic DMC FX01 today at Best Buy. It has an Image Stabilizer which was very important for us as we take shots with moving kids a lot. I got it for 297.00 after my coupon. It is small enough to fit in my Baggallinni Wallet bag along with my few other small items. Just what I wanted for my upcoming trip.

 

[alloyd1170]

I have two Sonys. One is T1 I believe and is one of those really thin ones that can fit in your pocket. I carry this with me all the time so I dont miss anything. I recently bought one (H1 model) that looks like an SLR but its automatic (and also has extra lens that can be added). This camera is for the good stuff-portraits, scenery, etc. I love this one as it has a 12x zoom. However, the trade off is bulk. I stuck with Sony since Ive gone with them for years, and already had the memory sticks. I wouldve gone with Cannon this time had it not been for that. Nikon and Kodak are also a good.

Some of the newer cameras now have a antishake mode (takes the blur out of the pics). If you can, get this. If you want something for quick candid type shots and that can be carried in your pocket, then go with one of the thin models. If youre looking for more options, go with one that has good zoom, stabilizers, and manual settings.

alison

 

[allyn]

I just got a Panasonic DMC FX01 today at Best Buy. It has an Image Stabilizer which was very important for us as we take shots with moving kids a lot.

hi mom2taylorandemily. unfortunately, image stabilization won't help at all for moving kids. image stabilization just helps you hold the camera steady, counteracting the movement of your hands. if you're taking pictures of buildings they will come out great. if the subject is moving (and there is not enough light for a fast shutter speed) it will still be blurry. but the background will be sharp.

 

[angelmav]

We too got a Kodak Z650 before our last trip and it takes Amazing pictures! Has some great features including an auto adjust, flash, really good zoom lens (in fact when zooming the pictures came out amazingly clear and I was able to get very clear pics in dark places on the auto setting (snow white, pirates of the carribean etc). The other thing I like about kodak is their online gallery which friends and family can share in and purchase their own copies of your pics, great for the grandparents, in fact you can even have your pics put on T-shirts, mugs, postcards etc as gifts or keepsakes straight from kodak and play around to see how the pics would look on what. Cant recommend it highly enough!

We just got a Kodak Z650 and we love it! It takes awesome pictures and it is pretty easy to use.

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=8016&pq-locale=en_US

 

[Zip-a-dee-dude-da]

exslim.........best on the market and small to boot

 

[audipolo]

I would have to say to go Sony. Their line this year is very competitive as far as price and they use Carl Zeiss optics which are quite superior to a lot of the competition out there. You can pick up a DSC-W50 for $250. It is just a small as a Canon Digital Elph and anywhere from $50-100 less than their comparable unit (depending on where you shop)!

 

[Jobie]

I like fuji's! If you are wanting one that can do everything that an SLR can do, but without the cost, go with the Fuji Fine Pix S-9000. Awesome camera. Also visit the thread that is linked under my sig for more info on cameras.

 

[badblackpug]

I love my Canon SD550 I got it for Christmas last year. It is small enough to fit in your pocket, but has a nice big screen on the back to view/take pictures!

I loved it so much I bought my Mom one, too!

 

[Happy Elf]

We got a Canon S2 IS in May and just love it! It was $400, but since the S3 came out the price may come down a bit! We took it to the zoo and it took fantasic pics and we will be taking it to Disney in September!
Janell