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Thread ID: 89286 2008-04-26 06:52:00 New compact digital camera recommendations Jen (38) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
662756 2008-04-26 06:52:00 Hi all,

Well my Canon PowerShot A70 died (www.imagef1.net.nz) yesterday. The LCD display just shows the pink/purple stripy pattern both in live views and any photos taken. Older photos viewed on the the LCD screen look normal, so I guess the electronic CCD thingy is stuffed. :crying

Anyhow, I need a new camera. I've been looking all over the web and there are 100s of them! I would like others users comments on what brands are known for quality.

The camera needs to be as small as possible for portability (so no digital SLRs) and I have a very strong preference for AA batteries - no propriety $$ batteries.

The types of features I am looking for are:

Megapixels - not worried, all newish models are more than adequate
Optical zoom - prefer a minimum of 4x, preferably 5x
Battery - AA (alkaline and rechargeable)
Lens - good range, with preference to late 20's-low 30's mm than higher 30's (for wide-angles) for the low range.
Size: more compact/light the better
Price - under $500

I will consider a model that takes propriety batteries if the other features makes it outstanding, but as I like to travel off the beaten track, being able to fall back onto AA alkaline batteries is a major bonus.

So ... recommendations please. :)

Thanks.
Jen (38)
662757 2008-04-26 07:35:00 As an inexperienced but keen photographer, I can recommend Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ2/3 for ease of use and great photo quality.

About $450/500.
Lens: Leica,
Optical zoom - 10x
Optical image stabiliser - shaky hands, not a worry.
Movie/motion pictures.
Megapixels - 7
Battery - not AA, but re-chargable (charger included with camera). Takes about 270 3mb photos between charges.
I find the lack of a view finder is a disadvantage as the large LCD screen is sometimes difficult to see properly in bright sunshine.
Compact - fits into a pocket easily.
20 scene modes.
Oldferix (5581)
662758 2008-04-26 08:33:00 Sorry. bob_doe_nz (92)
662759 2008-04-26 09:01:00 Hard to go past a Canon A720IS specially with some of the special offers going at the moment. Aim to pay a tad over $300 tutaenui (1724)
662760 2008-04-26 09:19:00 Any Fujifilm camera right now is fantastic in terms of quality/features and price.

We got the S6000 I think it was for around $400 and its great. Works like a dream, uncomplicated interface and very light.
beeswax34 (63)
662761 2008-04-26 11:14:00 Any Olympus Camera is good. stu161204 (123)
662762 2008-04-26 11:34:00 There there..Here's a hug :)

The sony DSCW looks good but I recommend canon cameras.

Theres so many cameras I think it's best to go to a shop find brand that you like preferably Canon since you were using it before .You'll be use to the menu and features.

Find the models that are available and do a bit of research on it
Ninjabear (2948)
662763 2008-04-26 11:39:00 Thanks for the replies. :)


As an inexperienced but keen photographer, I can recommend Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ2/3 for ease of use and great photo quality.Apart from the battery, the DMC-TZ3 (www.steves-digicams.com) looks really nice. The wide focal length (35mm equiv: 28-280mm) looks perfect. Haven't been able to find out the costs of spare/replacement batteries yet, as I will certainly require a spare one when traveling.


Hard to go past a Canon A720IS specially with some of the special offers going at the moment. Aim to pay a tad over $300That is another nice looking camera. The Panasonic above seems to hold the edge with the focal length.


Any Fujifilm camera right now is fantastic in terms of quality/features and price.

We got the S6000 I think it was for around $400 and its great. Works like a dream, uncomplicated interface and very light.Light? The images I found for that camera show quite a large body, similar to a SLR. I'm really looking for a more compact camera.


Any Olympus Camera is good.Yeah, that brand seems to be getting good reviews.
Jen (38)
662764 2008-04-26 14:36:00 Ah, the body is big but its a very light camera. Do you want more of a rectangular shaped camera because then Sony make some really nice ones and not that expensive either. beeswax34 (63)
662765 2008-04-26 15:08:00 You will get a lot of advice here Jen including Bruce if he is around .

I bought a Canon Ixus 55 a couple of years ago to take to India and was extremely pleased with it . Slim, shirt pocket size, 3x zoom, large LCD screen, viewfinder, SD card, excellent quality photos, 6mp . Flash . . . . very so-so . Not up to much at all .

Today you'll get a similar camera 5-7x zoom . The only limitation you face is that all of these cameras (I've just done a search) seem to have proprietory batteries . Could be wrong, others will tell me :D

Canon are my preference but all of the big manufacturers produce good cameras .

IMHO the lens is critical . The more light you can capture and the better the quality, the greater the chance of a good pic . These are consumer cameras and the lens is a compromise - it has to be small because the camera is small = less light .

Anyway I like this site for browsing . cameras . co . uk/html/digital-camera-selector . cfm" target="_blank">www . cameras . co . uk
Winston001 (3612)
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