Buying new digital camera soon; advice?

My wife and I are looking to buy a new digital camera soon. I've been surfing epinions a bit to try and weed out the good from the bad, but honestly there are so many different cameras out there that I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed. If the reviews are to be believed, basically every camera has an issue: one might chew through batteries like no tomorrow, another might take pictures with a slight blue tint to them, while another might not take SD Cards.

Surely, some of my fellow forum goers might have some good and bad experiences with different types of cameras. What type of digital camera would you recommend?

Here are a few things I'm looking for:

- Roughly $200-$350 Canadian
- SD Card compatible
- Easy to use software
- Optical Zoom

Of course, picture quality has to be good. Any suggestions?

I might as well be a plant I'm such a Canon whore. An SD400 should fit all your requirements, albeit right at the upper end of your budget. Don't forget accessories like another battery or two, camera bag, media (if you don't already have a spare card or two).

I enjoy my Canon SI S2. It has 12X optical zoom and image stabilzation (a must for me because I have shakey hands), and you really need the image stabilization with the "super zoom" cameras. Also helps in taking pictures at night. With the SI S3 about to come out this summer, prices are really droping. Dell offers some pretty good prices. check reviews for this camera; I love mine. Had it about a year.

I'm looking for new camera as well as my second Canon has died on me. Needless to say, I'm looking at other manufacturers. In the lead currently is the Fuji E900 for it's image and build quality, but I'm still scouring reviews.

Anyone else have some non Canon recommendations?

Canon S45 here

I'd recommend another super zoom camera with image stabilization! Look at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 (5MP, 12x optical zoom), Pansonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 (8MP 12x optical zoom) or Sony DSC-H1 (5MP, 12x optical zoom).

Excellent, in-depth reviews at http://www.steves-digicams.com

I have to weigh in on the Canon side as well. I've loved my G3 (are they up to G6 or 7?): stable, as customizable as I want to make it. My brother is a naturalist and has used a number of Canons in all kinds of conditions and swears by them, especially the software.
I got my wife the Elph 400 for Christmas ($300 US at the time) and we love it. Moreover, she can keep it in her purse or pocket and never be without it. Only downside is only 4 x optical zoom.

I found this website invaluable when researching my first digital camera: http://www.steves-digicams.com/
There was one other I used but can't remember the address. The linked site does a nice job of guiding you through a "what is important to you?" algorhythm.

[edit: Sorry Draco, didn't see the link you posted 12 hours before me]

The most comprehensive reviews I've found for digital cameras are at Digital Photography Review. I too have a Cannon S45 -- love it.

Jakobedlam wrote:

I have to weigh in on the Canon side as well. I've loved my G3

Hey, another G3 guy. I still carry mine as a rangefinder and fallback in my bag with my 10D. It's also handy that they share the same battery.

Revive!

I'm looking for a new digital camera as well, and the Canons I've looked at are nice, but I'm having a lot of trouble telling what sort of file format options I'll have. JPEG is fine, so long as it's an option - I want to be able to save uncompressed imagery.

Right now I'm looking at the SD630 or the G7 if I'm feeling like blowing some hard-earned cash. Any recommendations for or against either of these?

DrunkenSleipnir wrote:

Revive!

I'm looking for a new digital camera as well, and the Canons I've looked at are nice, but I'm having a lot of trouble telling what sort of file format options I'll have. JPEG is fine, so long as it's an option - I want to be able to save uncompressed imagery.

Right now I'm looking at the SD630 or the G7 if I'm feeling like blowing some hard-earned cash. Any recommendations for or against either of these?

I've got the G6 and it's a fantastic camera. The G7 loses the ability to shoot in RAW, but that's not a big deal for most. If you're really going to be using the camera, an entry-level DSLR isn't far off in price (and size) these days from the G7. My G6 takes absolutely fantastic pictures. We've had some blown up to 16x20, and they come out really crisp.

The G6 is a little more then I'm really looking to spend, honestly, although it looks like a great camera. I think $500 is the tippy-top of my budget, putting the G6 about $200+ over that mark.

I'm a little dismayed at how rare the ability to save RAW or TIF is. High and Low end cameras seem to allow this, but middle range ones don't. So odd

Well, I guess I have to give on the output format in the interest of cost. I decided to go with the Canon A630 - should suit my purposed well enough. If ever I really feel like taking the plunge into photography, I'll have to invest in a nice SLR - I can't believe how far they've come down in price.

shihonage wrote:

Canon S45 here :)

We just upgrade from the S45 to a G7. One thing to keep in mind for the G7 (as well as most new Canon point and shoots) is that they no longer support the RAW format. They only save JPG. If you don't care about this (as we didn't), it won't be a problem, but the super enthusiasts will miss not having RAW. I believe the DSLRs all still have RAW.

Wanted to pipe back in here and say I love the A630 - it's the nicest point-and-shoot I've ever owned. Buying (not included) NiMH batteries is a must, though.

In particular, shutter and aperture override is a really nice feature to have, although I'm not sure how 'point and click'-y a camera is if you have to bust out a tripod for the slower shutter speeds

Summary: Small enough to be easy to transport but fancy enough to feel useful.