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Actually, I just looked at Wal-Marts website and the next generation Olympus of my model is $119.84

Check it out here if you want.

It's a great little camera, batteries last long too.

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Jimmy,

It looks like you are getting plenty of good advice. My personal camera is a Kodak easy share but I can’t remember the exact model and I’m not at home. My wife can use it and feels comfortable with its large view screen (I use the view finder). I have been very please at all types of photos that I have taken. The photos that I have enlarged have been beautiful. The model that I have has a quality glass lens and 10X optical zoom. Below is a link to a comparable camera in your price range. Camera example

A note on optical vs. digital zoom.   Optical zoom magnifies the object in the lens directly through lens movement. When you do this you maintain high resolution in your photo. Digital zoom is not really a zoom at all. Digital zoom enlarges the object in the lens by stretching it to make it appear larger. If you just stretch a portion of the photo to look larger you will be lowering the resolution.

Take your time and choose the best camera for you. Make sure that it feels good and has the features you desire. Go to a couple of stores and feel the cameras and make sure they feel right to you. After all this is still an investment that you will most likely have for a number of years. Don’t be like my brother in-law who had to have the big name brand ultra thin and light camera. He has been very unhappy with it because the only decent photos it takes are portraits. Any thing else looks like an Instamatic photo (unclear and far away).

Best of luck,

Philip

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aka konacat

If you think my playing is bad you should hear me sing!
Practice breeds confidence and confidence breeds competence. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in practice.

[QUOTE=fmorelli] My advice would be to buy a camera from a camera company (Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Olympus, et cetera).

[/QUOTE]

The advice I've always been given is that because they are mainly electronic devices then look to the electronics companies for the best CCDs and controls. So say the Panasonic produces the electronics and marries it to a Leica lens gives you the best of both worlds. Because you can make a great optical system doesn't mean that you make good electronics.

Colin

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I just recently bought a Fuji FinePix S9100 and am happy with it so far. It will do point and shoot photos but it also gives you many more options. I'm still in the learning curve of how to use it correctly. However, if your looking for small...this one isn't. It is a lot of camera for the price so give it look.

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Don Atwood
Arlington, VA

Out of price range, but I just bought the Nikon D40x- no more "miss the shot" shutter lag and 10 megapixel resolution. All of my film stuff was Nikon F2 Photomic and F2S. So, I'm spoiled and loyal.mt

I have a Olympus E-500, with a couple lens'. Out of the price range you
mentioned, but welllll worth the $$. I need to buy a nice macro lens for it
but that's gonna set me back another $400....

Here are a couple shots...

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

and one slightly bigger for more detail (still about 1/3rd of orginal size..)

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

I'll second the reccomendation to go to
dpreview.com

There you can compare all types of cameras to see which works best for you.

Also, if you shop online you should be able to get more camera for less money so you may want to consider that as well.

I'm not sure what all you plan to use this camera for, but one of the main gripes that I hear from people that have digital point & Shoot cameras (non-SLR), is that they don't take pictures fast enough (long lag time). So if you plan to take a lot of pictures of things in motion, this would definitely be something to look for. The bad thing is that manufacturers don't list the shutter lag time because it's generally pretty slow. There was a camera in Sunday's paper (I wish I could remember the brand), but it actually stated in the sale about how good it's shutter lag is.

Myself, I'm a Canon fan, but I would say that if you stick with any of the major brands, you should be ok. (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, etc.)

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

I'm a Canon fan too. Our family point and shoot is a Canon A 430, I think, about $110 on closeout last year. It's our vacation camera and the kids take it to camp. I generally like Canon's user interface design, whether it's scanners, cameras or copiers. They just know how to design buttons and menus so they're decipherable. There are two things I like about my old Coolpix that are essential for me. First is an easily defeated flash, since most all of my build shots are done with a tripod with room lighting. The other is an easily-accessed white balance menu, to balance out the color of the light source, necessary for accurate color rendition in varied lighting since the camera doesn't know what's white in a scene. It also gives near-macro closeups with the standard lens. I haven't found a camera with all these abilities in its price range. I just wish it were faster.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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