Recommendation for a digicam for casual user

[Lone Ranger]

Hey guys,

A friend asked me to recommend her a camera to buy for casual use i.e. personal pictures, group pictures, etc... Does anyone have any suggestion with regards to a good brand and model? I was thinking of Canon A420, A430, Ixus i Zoom and Panasonic FX01...

Also, anyone know of any upcoming IT fair or something? I figure that the deals there might be better... Someone please correct me if I am wrong... Thanks...

 

[zcwnfx]

i feel the deals are nicer becos maybe more freebies then?

hmmm..... depends on her requirements.... she wants style? compactness?

 

[Zaknafein]

yes, it depends what ur friend wants the camera for.
if ur friend tells u to recommend her a shoe, but she didnt tell u what the shoe is for, would u recommend a running shoe, a cross-country shoe, a pair of slippers, or high heels?

 

[LightStalker]

A700 is really nice.. you might want to check that out

 

[glennyong]

consider Nikon S4 and P series also..not really that bad...

 

[Lone Ranger]

zcwnfx & Zaknafein: I think for her, style and compactness will most probably take precedence over performance, so that's the reason why I didn't even think of the A700, which happens to be the camera I am using... Think she's looking more for something which can just take closeup shots, so there is no need for too many features, too high resolution or too powerful zoom... Think of a tourist, just taking pictures for fun, to remember the vacation, as opposed to a professional photographer, who needs the pictures to be clear and come out the way he wants...

 

[Astin]

The Panasonic Fx01 is quite good, just try to avoid using it for indoor / party/ etc...

 

[ortega]

Canon IXUS 800 IS

FujiFilm F30

 

[ExplorerZ]

fujifilm f30 - for high ISO
canon sd 700IS (NEW) - decent image quality
panasonic fx01 - 28mm wideness

 

[Zaknafein]

F30 also has 28mm right?

 

[Chew Siow Ming]

Hey guys,

A friend asked me to recommend her a camera to buy for casual use i.e. personal pictures, group pictures, etc... Does anyone have any suggestion with regards to a good brand and model? I was thinking of Canon A420, A430, Ixus i Zoom and Panasonic FX01...

Also, anyone know of any upcoming IT fair or something? I figure that the deals there might be better... Someone please correct me if I am wrong... Thanks...

Just my opinion... beside brands, features etc.. may be u shld also consider 2 points which i think is quite important especially if u r looking for a compact digicam:-
a. Battery (I would prefer AAA or AA, coz its easily available in any convenience shops, imagine... going for an outing, batteries flat, no worries, buy from 7-eleven)

b. Storage (CF card, SD card, XD <developed for fujifilm & Olympus> card MMC, memory stick <for Sony> ....etc etc, choose one that is popular, XD card & Sony memory stick prices are on the high side)

hope my suggestions help. Happy shopping

 

[ExplorerZ]

F30 also has 28mm right?

nope, F30 starts at 36mm (from dpreview spec)

 

[dr34mc4st3r]

i think F30 might be a good camera

 

[aaron80]

I will recommend the Fuji F30 or F11..

 

[XC Pictorial]

i like the design of S5 esp the red one

 

[Lone Ranger]

Hey guys,

Thanks for the replies, I'll let her know what you guys think...

Astin: Why is it that Panasonic FX01 shouldn't be used indoor/parties/etc? Cos that's where my friend will most probably use her camera too...

 

[davsmiths]

The New FX03.

DMC-FX3, a budget 6 megapixel model with a 3x (35-105mm) optically-stabilized zoom and high sensitivity (ISO 1600) mode - albeit one that works at a significantly reduced resolution. The FX3 also sports a 2.5-inch screen (with a slightly lower resolution than the more expensive models) and wide VGA movie mode.

She will love it.

 

[davsmiths]

or the

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50 & DMC-FX07
Panasonic has also announced a pair of successors to the popular FX01 in the shape of the DMC-FX50 and DMC-FX07. Both cameras feature 7.2 megapixel sensor, image stabilized 28-102mm equiv. wide angle 3.6x zoom (F2.8-5.6) and Venus III processor. The FX50 sports a 3-inch screen, the FX07 sticks with the 2.5-inch screen of its predecessor. Other new features include 'Intelligent ISO Control', which increases the ISO if necessary to increase the shutter speed if the camera detects motion in the frame.

 

[jdredd]

until i hear that panasonic have sorted out their noise control, the 2 P&S that i would recommend would prob still be the F30 and the IS 800.

 

[Lone Ranger]

davsmiths: Regarding the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX50 & DMC-FX07, I think she doesn't need up to 7 megapixels pictures... Probably 4-5 megapixels is enough already... As for FX03, I don't see it either on the Panasonic Global website or the Singapore version... Where did you get your information?

jdredd: Can you or anyone else here briefly explain noise and the need for noise control? I roughly know what it is but can't really put it in words to explain to my friend...

Her budget is probably max $500... So quite a few cameras mentioned above are out of the question, it seems...