Best digicam from $200-$250 ??

[Techx]

Hello, I need to purchase a new digital cam for the company i work for and am still lost after reading a ton of reviews. Can I get some opinions on what is the best camera for 200-250 us dollars (aiming more towards 200).
Minimum specs are 2.0MP, 2x zoom/2x Digital zoom.

Thank You.

 

[rustedborg]

Hello, I need to purchase a new digital cam for the company i work
for and am still lost after reading a ton of reviews. Can I get
some opinions on what is the best camera for 200-250 us dollars
(aiming more towards 200).
Minimum specs are 2.0MP, 2x zoom/2x Digital zoom.

Thank You.

At this price range, you pretty much get what you pay for (which isn't much). The only real recommendation I have for you is to stick with a major name brand like Canon, Nikon, Fuji or Olympus.

Also, forget about digital zoom. I cannot stress that enough. Unless you're purchasing a 5MP or larger camera, digital zoom will RUIN the image quality of your pictures. Digital zooms work by "cropping" the center portion of the image. If you on;y have a 2MP camera, 2x digital zoom will create a bad 1MP image. A 2x digital zoom on a 5MP camera makes essentially a 2.5MP image. I think you get the point. Long story short, OPTICAL zoom is what you should be concerned about (and as far as optical zoom is concerned you need AT LEAST 3x).

 

[Techx]

Hello, I need to purchase a new digital cam for the company i work
for and am still lost after reading a ton of reviews. Can I get
some opinions on what is the best camera for 200-250 us dollars
(aiming more towards 200).
Minimum specs are 2.0MP, 2x zoom/2x Digital zoom.

Thank You.

At this price range, you pretty much get what you pay for (which
isn't much). The only real recommendation I have for you is to
stick with a major name brand like Canon, Nikon, Fuji or Olympus.

Also, forget about digital zoom. I cannot stress that enough.
Unless you're purchasing a 5MP or larger camera, digital zoom will
RUIN the image quality of your pictures. Digital zooms work by
"cropping" the center portion of the image. If you on;y have a 2MP
camera, 2x digital zoom will create a bad 1MP image. A 2x digital
zoom on a 5MP camera makes essentially a 2.5MP image. I think you
get the point. Long story short, OPTICAL zoom is what you should be
concerned about (and as far as optical zoom is concerned you need
AT LEAST 3x).

cool thanks, i think i might go with canon a40.. has 3x optical zoom and a bunch of other cool features. I looked at a lot of other 2MP cams and they didnt interest me.. the nikon 2000 seemed like a contender until i saw it didnt have an optical viewfinder.. thanks

 

[harry]

Canon A40 is very well built. But you are really on a budget, consider the Fuji 2650 for $199, which includes a 3x optical, 2mp, rechargeable batteries, charger, and a 16 mb memory card.

Harry

Hello, I need to purchase a new digital cam for the company i work
for and am still lost after reading a ton of reviews. Can I get
some opinions on what is the best camera for 200-250 us dollars
(aiming more towards 200).
Minimum specs are 2.0MP, 2x zoom/2x Digital zoom.

Thank You.

At this price range, you pretty much get what you pay for (which
isn't much). The only real recommendation I have for you is to
stick with a major name brand like Canon, Nikon, Fuji or Olympus.

Also, forget about digital zoom. I cannot stress that enough.
Unless you're purchasing a 5MP or larger camera, digital zoom will
RUIN the image quality of your pictures. Digital zooms work by
"cropping" the center portion of the image. If you on;y have a 2MP
camera, 2x digital zoom will create a bad 1MP image. A 2x digital
zoom on a 5MP camera makes essentially a 2.5MP image. I think you
get the point. Long story short, OPTICAL zoom is what you should be
concerned about (and as far as optical zoom is concerned you need
AT LEAST 3x).

cool thanks, i think i might go with canon a40.. has 3x optical
zoom and a bunch of other cool features. I looked at a lot of other
2MP cams and they didnt interest me.. the nikon 2000 seemed like a
contender until i saw it didnt have an optical viewfinder.. thanks

--
Harry

 

[harycover]

CANON A40 without any doubt

Hello, I need to purchase a new digital cam for the company i work
for and am still lost after reading a ton of reviews. Can I get
some opinions on what is the best camera for 200-250 us dollars
(aiming more towards 200).
Minimum specs are 2.0MP, 2x zoom/2x Digital zoom.

Thank You.

 

[Dr. Don Sandell]

Hello, I need to purchase a new digital cam for the company i work
for and am still lost after reading a ton of reviews. Can I get
some opinions on what is the best camera for 200-250 us dollars
(aiming more towards 200).
Minimum specs are 2.0MP, 2x zoom/2x Digital zoom.

Thank You.

Your company it TOO CHEAP. Find a new employer or start your own business.

 

[Dr. Don Sandell]

Hello, I need to purchase a new digital cam for the company i work
for and am still lost after reading a ton of reviews. Can I get
some opinions on what is the best camera for 200-250 us dollars
(aiming more towards 200).
Minimum specs are 2.0MP, 2x zoom/2x Digital zoom.

Thank You.

Your company it TOO CHEAP. Find a new employer or start your own
business. LOL (added in the second post)

I read that again after I posted it, I was being a jerk.... I'm sorry. Look at the current biger names, Canon, Minolta, Fuji, Nikon, or perhaps some the smaller names in the market might be appropriate for your needs too. Check out this website as well as:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/
and
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

At your pricepoint there are several good choices, but it pays to see what's out there before you buy. It's much cheaper to research a few cameras online and then go touch them in person. then find a reputable dealer and use the camera around a store. Tell (the camera shop) what you want to do, and what to spend. Then listen. Then go to 4 other stores and see what they have to say. Every camera shop has thier own opinion about what is hot and what is not. If you can't find more than 2 camera shops chat more on here, and keep an open mind.

Or...keep chatting here and tell your employer that your doing research!

LOL

 

[Dr. Don Sandell]

And oh yeah, If your looking for the lowest price, shop online when it comes to write a check. If shopping online, check out:

http://www.bizrate.com/ and http://www.pricegrabber.com/home_catpage.php/catzero=7/ut=0cda2d2115c789a2 and then check them out here: http://www.resellerratings.com/

Good luck!

Don