help with picking out a new digital camera for up coming trip

[OUR 1ST DISNEY TRIP]

I want a new camera before out disney trip this fall. My first and only digital camera is a poloroid 2.0 megapixal. It only has 2x zoom. It also has a long delay before it snaps the pic this i hate. I always have a good pic when i aim but by the time it snaps the subject has moved or changed. All i know is that i want is more zoom and a faster snap. I dont plan on enlarging to big so i dont think i will need much more that a 5 mega pix. Any suggestions would be helpful. Oh and by the way i hope to stay under a budget of $175.00 Thanks in advance

 

[MissMagnolia]

Just ordered the Canon A620 7.1 megapixel with 4x optical zoom. It was $208.00 on digitalfotoclub.com. My DH read review after review after....you get the idea .
Our decision was partly based on a camera that we could get an underwater housing for (which we also ordered). The reviews are great and the camera has some awesome features to do some real creative stuff. It has the new DigiII technology that allows for faster photo taking. It also has a special feature called kids/pets that allows you to take pictures very quickly - because we all have been in the situation where you miss the perfect shot .

I already have an SLR-type 5 megapixel Olympus, but wanted more of a point and shoot/smaller size camera - especially at Disney.

Good luck!

 

[lizardqueen]

Check out the Nikon Coolpix L4. I just bought this camera about a month ago at Wal-Mart for $149. There is hardly any lag time when you take the picture and it has a nice zoom and other great features. The digi camera we had before had an awful lag time and the kids would move before the camera would get around to actually taking the pic, so that was a big feature for me to look at before buying a camera. I would absolutely recommend the L4 to anyone.

 

[Deebo]

What a coincidence -- I've been shopping for a digital camera for my upcoming trip. I am interested in a camera with decent megapix (5+) and a bit of 'zoom'. I've done lots of research on the web , and although I have not made my final pick yet, I'll share a few gems of wisdom that I've gathered:
1. Several sources suggested that if you are interested in zoom ability, you should get a minimum of 4x optical zoom (ignore the digital zoom statistic, as it is not all that meaningful)
2. A new(er) technology called Image Stabilizer (or AntiShake) is extremely helpful in overcoming the blurred pictures that are common because digitals are so darned small and lightweight that it is almost impossible to hold them steady. Add a decent sized zoom to the equation, and the IS technology becomes even more important in this respect. I tried out a camera at Target tonight to see how this worked. Took one pic with the IS enabled ,and another with it disabled, and by golly-- it really does make a HUGE difference. With that said, not all brands currently offer IS, and the ones that do tend to offer it only on their 'top of the line' models (naturally).

I have found that Panasonic has several cameras in their LUMIX line that offer IS and zoom. You might want to check out the DMC-LZ3 or DMC-LZ5. They might be a few dollars over your budget ( I think they run from $170-250) but in the long run you may find that you are much happier with the quality of the pics.

Happy shopping!

 

[ukcatfan]

I can not say anything bad about the Panasonics. They are great ultra zoom cameras. You should also look at the Canon ones. The S1IS, S2IS, and S3IS are their models. The S1 is discontinued and harder to find (but cheaper if you find one). Just stay away from Kodak.

You should check out the photography board. This question is often covered over there in extreme detail.

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

I wouldn't necessarily say stay away from Kodak.

Just make sure you read what the 'shutter lag' time is. If you want the kind where you can snap-snap-snap photos one right after another you'll have a hard time finding one under $175. But there are decent ones out there with a shorter lag time.

I do photography on the side, so I am spoiled by my Canon Digital SLR. But I also take my Kodak DXsomething-something (I forget the number!) that has a great zoom, which is a must have for Disney (it has a 10X OPTICAL zoom...don't be fooled by digital zoom. Basically digital zoom is crap and will only pixelate your photos). But I would suggest going to like a BestBuy and trying a bunch out.

 

[Ready to go in Ok]

I am in the same predicament, and have finally, finally decided on the Canon S3 IS. Searched forever on the internet, changed my mind a gazillion times, posted on the photography board, and went to Best Buy. Now that I have finally figured it out, I am so unmotivated to put the money in the bank and get it ordered. (I am a sock drawer saver, been saving for a couple of months.) Buying a new camera is complicated!

 

[ShelbyR]

FWIW, I had a Fuji Finepix before but bought the Canon A620 specifically to have it in time for our trip. We are very pleased with it: easy to use, great photos, and the battery life is amazing. Because it uses 4 AA batteries, it is heavier than some other models.

 

[MissMagnolia]

ShelbyR -
I ordered my A620 (it should arrive tomorrow) - have you tried any of the special options for pictures (vivid blue, color swap, etc.)? Also, have you noticed any problems with blurriness - since it doesn't have the image stabilizer? That was the only concern I had, but since the camera has the nice hand grip on the side and is a bit bigger that the Elph models I thought it wouldn't be much of a problem.

I wanted to make sure I got the camera for our trip in August (gives me some practice time with it) .

 

[Kirby]

I've had a Kodak C340 for about a year and it takes great pictures. I'm very satisfied with it. It has more features on it than I even begin to use. I'm just a point and shoot type of person.

 

[ShelbyR]

MissMagnolia--

I've used many of the scene modes but haven't done more than play with any of the color switching options yet. The only times I've had blurriness are (logically enough) with the modes that have a long exposure time--night time snapshot, for instance. Otherwise, as long as I hold the camera with both hands, it's been fine.

 

[PolyHereWeCome]

Bought the Kodak Easyshare 5.0 in early '05 and love it. It's been to 2 WDW trips, lots of soccer games, parties and recitals. Imagine by now the price is within your $175 range and it has a nice docking station to both recharge the battery and upload photos easily. There's also a printer for 4x6 photos, but we passed on that and bring to CVS or upload to winkflash.

 

[siestakeys04]

Well i bought me a kodak easy share from walmart for about 118 i did not want to spend alot of money it is good enough for me and i really like it. for what i do with it for vacation or school functions it does the job.

 

[DarlingDumbo]

I don't know how much you want to spend but I recently bought the Canon S2 IS camera and love it. I read a ton of reviews and its ranked the best in its class. IS is an image stabilizer so even if your shakey your picture isn't blurry. It's a 5mp camera and it have 10x optical zoom. PM me if you have anymore questions.

 

[eeyoreland]

A couple of you mentioned the Panasonic Lumix cameras. I have one and I can't say enough about the zoom! For those of you who mentioned it, do you actually own one? I'm looking for a little advice. Sometimes the pictures don't come out as sharp as I'd like them to. A little fuzzy. Any suggestions? I haven't played much with all the different settings because they "lose" me. Wish I could find a local digital camera class, but haven't. Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SleepingBeautyDreamr]

Just a little suggestion for digital camera users. Buy extra rechargeable batteries so you don't have to use alkaline batteries. Alkaline don't last very long in cameras but the rechargeable lithium batteries have a decent life to them and save you money in not having to constantly buy batteries.

 

[PigletFairy]

After reading a lot of the photography board, i went to the store to look at the cameras with my new found knowledge. I got a Panasonic Lumix FZ5. This was my choice due to the price (i got it for $208 ). I've had it less than a week and have only taken a couple of pictures but the IS is great. My doggies are getting used to the flash and smiling for the camera. Cannot wait to take it to Disney!

 

[ssleblanc]

I have two digitals but will take the smaller/fewer function one with my to WDW. But I love both of them.

My smaller point & shoot is a Canon A75 (they've had several upgrades since I bought it) and it takes great point & shoot pictures. It has a full auto-setting with lots of scenery modes (landscape/outdoor/night/action/etc) as well as a manual mode.

I also have a Canon S2 IS that I absolutely love. I really want a full digital SLR but haven't jumped into that yet. But with my S2 IS, I have attachments for to use other lenses on it (telephoto, macro, etc) as well as filters. I use lots of manual settings on it (it also has full auto). I consider it a "point & shoot / SLR hybrid" - it does a lot more than point & shoot and I can use the lens & filter attachments, but it can be a point & shoot. Because of my attachments and optional equipment, it is a pretty big camera bag and more than I want to deal with at WDW. I could disassemble everything and just bring the camera itself (it works without all of the attachments) but since my smaller Canon still takes great pictures and can fit into a small bag easier, I'm bringing it (and if something happens to it, I'd be a lot less heart broken).

I've been extremely happy with every Canon digital I've had.

 

[ParrotBill]

Thanks for the positive reports from some of you on Kodak cameras (I work for Kodak.)

Different cameras work out better for people depending on what they need most... no camera has great battery life + great zoom + easy to use + great picture quality + low price!

I actually own one Kodak camera for high quality picture and the two lens system for wide pictures, and all the advanced features it has. But battery life is not great. If you buy a Kodak, get an extra battery to charge and carry with you.

So we also own a Casio EXILM camera that uses an NP40 battery that has a vacation ready battery life of a week! That's with some flash use too. If you look at the Casios make sure you choose the ones with the NP40 battery, not the new slim versions that have a smaller battery.