~D~ needs a camera!

~D~ · 6 Nov 2008 at 11:51

This is my first foray into the Photography forum, so hi all

After relying on my phone (SE C902) camera for taking pictures I'm considering getting a real camera - just the digital snapshot variety though.

However I have no clue what is good and what is not. I want something with emphasis on portability and picture quality (in that order), megapixels don't matter too much to me as I won't be printing anything big (or anything at all thinking about it).

I've found a list online here. Does this accurately depict the current market? If so I'm currently liking the Canon IXUS 85.

I want my camera to pretty much replace the usage of my phone, so just nights out and people etc - but I also want to get into some amateur photography - though not enough to warrant me buying a bridge or SLR camera.

My budget is about £200, but if there is something that more that fits my needs below that price then I'd (naturally) rather go for that.

Thanks

TwoSaints · 6 Nov 2008 at 13:56

The Canon would be a good choice if you are hoping to try out some more advanced aspects of photography without getting the bridge/SLR.

I believe you can upgrade the firmware on Canon compacts, to give you a lot more flexibility.

The IXUS range is always well reccomended from what I've seen, though I've not tried one myself.

~D~ · 7 Nov 2008 at 23:42

I've been doing lots of research and I've come up with the following short-list, what are your opinions? Am I on the right lines here?

Panasonic FX37
Sony DCS-W-300
Fuji Finepix F60
Canon IXUS 85
Sony DCS T-300

I'm also considering asking for one for Christmas instead, are there any other possible candidates coming out by then?

Stephen7372 · 9 Nov 2008 at 16:20

Canon ixsus 980

~D~ · 10 Nov 2008 at 00:10

A bit outside my budget range unfortunately. Does my shortlist not impress then?

A.N.Other · 10 Nov 2008 at 00:27

The F100D get's some good user reviews on this forum. Can't comment myself. http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17881418&highlight=avril

I've had some experience with samsung nv cameras and the image quality I've seen is great, although the controls are a bit fiddly. That table you linked seems to put everything in pretty much the right order.

What I would say is that it probably doesn't matter massively what you get. Go to a retail park of somewhere that has loads of different shops and try them all out. They all handle differently and some have tortured user interfaces and controls. You can;t tell online and it's daft not to pick the one that suits you the best.