Digital Cameras below $300

[Calaber]

On another current thread, it has been suggested that it makes more sense to buy a decent digital camera for a few hundred bucks than trying to find a camera phone with the same level of photographic capability.

So, I'm off to Europe shortly and would like to upgrade our point and shoot, which is only about 8mp.

Looking yesterday, I found a few 12mp cameras below $300. Basically, Olympus, Pentax and Canon. Too many different models within each brand to list them, but I want one that comes with Lithium batteries rather than using rechargeable or disposalbe penlight batteries.

Comments and suggestions regarding make and model would be welcome. Is one particular brand clearly superior to the others? Any problems with certain brands I should be aware of?

And finally, is "duty free" shopping worthwhile for this sort of item these days?

[Grennan]

Well I picked up a new Digital Camera a few weeks back for under 200 bucks and it does me very well. Has red eye removal tools, face detection, 3 times optical zoom, has video with sound record a nice LCD screen and is 10 MP.

Its a Canon powershot A480. Picked it up as a spur of the moment purchase while in Officeworks for 160 bucks. Still uses AA batteries though so its not the slimmest of cameras but yeah it does me fine for shots of the car (new car when I get it...) and taken a few pics of my brothers gigs and stuff.

[Calaber]

Well I picked up a new Digital Camera a few weeks back for under 200 bucks and it does me very well. Has red eye removal tools, face detection, 3 times optical zoom, has video with sound record a nice LCD screen and is 10 MP.

Its a Canon powershot A480. Picked it up as a spur of the moment purchase while in Officeworks for 160 bucks.

Hi Grennan

Someone else who can't sleep eh?

I assume your camera takes disposable or rechargeable AA batteries - correct? I'm trying to avoid that type of camera because of battery life and the fac that we will be on an organised tour where recharging opportunities will be limited and photographic demands will be unlimited.

[Grennan]

Yeah it takes those shitty batteries It is defiantly possibly to find a decent camera for that price though.

And yes Im nocturnal. I finished work a few hours ago though so this is prime time for me

[Calaber]

Yeah it takes those shitty batteries It is defiantly possibly to find a decent camera for that price though.

And yes Im nocturnal. I finished work a few hours ago though so this is prime time for me

I just have too much time on my hands. Thanks for the advice.

[maginoodle]

if your worried about batteries, keep varta 15 min rechargeables in mind. i find them to be good. i took over 500 pics with one pair and as the name suggests it only takes 15 min to recharge.

[minux]

try and find a P & S that shoots raw.

[gopher]

i bought one of these Fujifilm FinePix F480 launched Coolest Gadgets last year for around $200.

comes with a lithium ion battery as well
saves heaps on buying batteries

[Calaber]

try and find a P & S that shoots raw.

Minux

What do you mean - I'm not familiar with that term?

[minux]

Minux

What do you mean - I'm not familiar with that term?

Raw image format - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[jakbob]

I'm not sure why you don't want AA batteries - I use rechargeable AA Batteries in my camera which work great but its nice to know that if they go flat somewhere I can't charge them I can easily buy a set of disposables at the nearest servo or corner store to get me out of trouble. If your camera has its own special rechargeable batteries and they go flat somewhere you can't charge them then you're screwed.
Just my 2 bob.

[VT97CALAIS]

I'd recommend the Canon Powershot A720is sure enough it uses AA's but rechargeable Eneloops last friggin ages ! 8megapixel with 6 x optical zoom! Its what I shoot with ppls.

Thats the camera to go for. however its a lil chunky though...

Cheers!

[Calaber]

I'm not sure why you don't want AA batteries - I use rechargeable AA Batteries in my camera which work great but its nice to know that if they go flat somewhere I can't charge them I can easily buy a set of disposables at the nearest servo or corner store to get me out of trouble. If your camera has its own special rechargeable batteries and they go flat somewhere you can't charge them then you're screwed.
Just my 2 bob.

Lithium batteries last longer than rechargeables, the camera is less bulky and from my experience in the UK a few years back, specialised camera batteries cost far more than they do out here. We will be travelling during the day by bus and I can imagine the camera will be getting a real work-out. AA's, rechargeable or not, would probably not see a day out without dying and we would not be able to recharge them until night. Yeah, we could carry spares, but why bother when a more convenient option is available for little extra cost?

[VS Omega]

Rechargeable AA batteries are Lithium...

Anyway I can suggest Flickr: Camera Finder it'll let you browse through photos actually taken with cameras you're interested in, you can then see for yourself how they compares etc.

I believe the quality of the sensor to be more important than amount of megapixels, but this also goes with how big you plan to print them... unless you want to blow the picture up to massive dimensions in real life of view them above high definition resolutions. In summation don't only look at the megapixels

[alien]

Rechargeable AA batteries are Lithium...

Really? isn't that funny, last time i checked at work most rechargeable AA batteries sold are either NiMH or NiCD type batteries. Rechargeable lithium AA batteries are hardly every sold.

[Calaber]

Rechargeable AA batteries are Lithium...

Anyway I can suggest Flickr: Camera Finder it'll let you browse through photos actually taken with cameras you're interested in, you can then see for yourself how they compares etc.

I believe the quality of the sensor to be more important than amount of megapixels, but this also goes with how big you plan to print them... unless you want to blow the picture up to massive dimensions in real life of view them above high definition resolutions. In summation don't only look at the megapixels

Whatever rechargeable AA's are, they don't last as well as specific Lithium batteries. I don't want a camera that operates off AA batteries, rechargeable or otherwise. It's that simple.

I'll check out the site you recommended. Many thanks

[Slippy_Trippy]

Panasonic Lumix are pretty good and around 300 I think.

[VS Omega]

Really? isn't that funny, last time i checked at work most rechargeable AA batteries sold are either NiMH or NiCD type batteries. Rechargeable lithium AA batteries are hardly every sold.

My bad, I was thinking of the wrong acronym (haven't got any batteries around and it was off the top of my head), for some reason I thought it was LiMH and LiCD, not NiMH and NiCD (confusing lithium with nickel). I admit my fault.

[Calaber]

Raw image format - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks for the tip Minux. I printed the reference out to read through properly. 8 pages! 'Fair bit to digest but I'll get through it before making a decision.

[jakbob]

and from my experience in the UK a few years back, specialised camera batteries cost far more than they do out here.

My point exactly

[Calaber]

My point exactly

I appreciate the point your making about the convenience of disposable batteries, but was thinking that a proper lithium battery, recharged each night when the opportunity would present itself, would last through the following day without problems, whereas AA's would need replacing at least once a day. If we didn't have some with us, the camera would be sitting in a bag, useless, until we stopped the next night. The battery to our Konika film camera carked it in the UK in 2000 and a replacement was 8 quid. At the time, the exchange rate was 37 pence to the dollar, so the bloody thing cost over $20, whereas it cost only 6 bucks out here. And that was for a generic camera battery, not a model specific one.

The other half has pretty much shit-canned the idea anyway - says our existing camera will do the job perfectly and she'd rather have the cash to spend over there.

[VS Omega]

Don't y'all think it's amazing how far we've come... it used to be a case of how much film/developing you could afford (or the raw materials to DIY), now with 2GB cards for less than $20 how many pictures we can take is determined by how much battery we have.

Camera's too - $200 back then would get you a crappy 2MP with a blurry low-res screen

[jakbob]

I appreciate the point your making about the convenience of disposable batteries, but was thinking that a proper lithium battery, recharged each night when the opportunity would present itself, would last through the following day without problems, whereas AA's would need replacing at least once a day. If we didn't have some with us, the camera would be sitting in a bag, useless, until we stopped the next night. The battery to our Konika film camera carked it in the UK in 2000 and a replacement was 8 quid. At the time, the exchange rate was 37 pence to the dollar, so the bloody thing cost over $20, whereas it cost only 6 bucks out here. And that was for a generic camera battery, not a model specific one.

The other half has pretty much shit-canned the idea anyway - says our existing camera will do the job perfectly and she'd rather have the cash to spend over there.

I do see your point, but a decent set of rechargeable AA batteries should last you the day even if you are going to hammer it. The price of anything over there doesn't surprise me. I lived in the Falkland Islands (overseas british territory) for a bit once, the exchange rate on the pound was similar. In the video store a vhs tape of the fast and the furious was 50 quid! Thats 120 bucks!
As for the 'other half' all I can say is keep your pimping hand strong!*

*I do not condone violence against women in any way.

[danja]

Calaber,

I wouldn't upgrade solely for the "more megapixels" factor. 8 MP is plenty for decent 6x4" prints unless you crop them heavily.

Also these days its the ancillary qualities like lens quality, battery life, image processing/correction abilities, etc which make a good camera, far more than the number of megapixels it can capture.

When you have a candidate in mind, it may be worth searching to see if it produces images you're happy with. Flickr has a good feature where you can find pictures taken with a particular camera:
Flickr: Camera Finder

I'd also put up my hand for Digital Camera Warehouse. Good prices, good service:
Digital Camera Warehouse Australia - Discount Digital Cameras shipped Australia Wide - Home