for that price range, u might not choose from plenty of newer cameras on the market. There is this one canon though that sells for about that range. It's One of the new A series cameras and the model is A430. I've sold that camera to alotta people that don't wanna dish out more than $200. Just keep in mind you're going to need a memory card so u can store your pics. The cameras usually come with 16MB... which is hardly enough. BTW the A430 is a 4MP camera aka good enough for 4x6 and to share pics on the net. At the same time it takes 2 x AA batteries. Ofcourse if you've got the cash, SD series is the slickest camera out there. I myself owned an SD300 and now i'm a proud owner of an SD400. My next upgrade is the SD630, which features a 3" screen.

Saying all that, at the moment I use an HP707 (cuz i have to at work) but when i go out, the SD400 is my best friend.

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I got my Samsung Digimax UC-A 3 for $195 CDN. The only issue I've had with it is a little shutter lag (but it's a <$200 camera, so that's to be almost expected).



As much of a fashion accessory as a digital camera, the silver U-CA 3 is one piece of technology that when you've got it, you're definitely going to want to flaunt it. More akin to the size of a mobile, the super-slim U-CA 3 has a real 'wow' factor. It's sleek, stylish, sophisticated and, above all, small - without compromising on the latest digital camera technology.
Feature packed

For a tiny camera (102 x 52.8 x 31mm) weighing just 145g, the U-CA 3 boasts a range of features, as well as being designed to help you take excellent photographs. It offers the ultimate welcome when you switch on thanks to its AVATAR loading screen. Yes, you can personalise the loading screen by downloading your own pictures and favourite MP3 tunes. Alternatively, create your own 3D character to greet you when you switch on… and even customise its looks and features!

When the camera is switched on, the sophisticated function light illuminates with no les than seven colours, letting everyone know that the U-CA3 is ready for action!

The U-CA 3 also uses the latest Memory Stick Duo. Smaller and lighter than the original Memory Stick, the Duo can be used with a special adaptor with most Memory Stick devices.
Crystal Clear Pictures

Offering a high 3.2 mega pixel resolution to give crystal clear images, the U-CA 3 also provides up to a 9x zoom with its 3 x optical zoom and 3 x digital zoom. This is equivalent to 38mm - 114mm in 35mm format and means close-up, razor sharp pictures are achievable every time you press the shutter.
Easy to use

The colour TFT LCD screen and real image optical viewfinder help you to line up your subject for a shot. As with any digital cameras, you can delete unwanted images and re-shoot new ones in an instant! Depending on your creative mood, you can choose from a number of picture effects including normal, black and white, sunset and sepia.

The U-CA3 has a number of different modes, which can be used when taking still images - Auto, Night Scene, and Self-timer. There is even a Myset mode for saving your favourite settings.

You can increase sharpness, enhance colours and manually change the white balance on your images, as required. In addition, the U-CA 3 makes it easy to take better night or indoor shots using the special slow shutter speed function.
Video features

The U-CA 3 can also capture memories in motion, as it uses amazing new MPEG 4 technology. MPEG 4 is a very efficient method of compression, dramatically increasing the amount of movie that can be stored on a memory card, at a rate of up to 24 frames per second. On the UCA-3 the length of your video clip is only restricted by the amount of memory available.
Printing

The U-CA 3 uses PICT Bridge, a feature which allows you to link your cameras directly to a printer, via a USB cable, without the need to use a computer.

To recap, the superb features of the U-CA3 include:

* Stylish, small, silver design
* 3.2 mega pixel resolution
* 3 x optical zoom
* MPEG-4 Video format
* Memory Stick Duo
* Personalised welcome screen function
* Multi-coloured function light
* Unique colour adjustment support
* Voice memo & voice recording
* Five Flash modes (Auto, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync, Fill-in Flash, Flash off)
* Colour, white balance and sharpness options to customise your photographs
* Graphic User Interface (GUI) to navigate the menu system as swiftly and easily as possible
* One-touch playback
* LCD brightness auto adjustment functions
* Slow shutter speed function
* Optional Date and Time imprinting
* Recording still images (JPEG, EXIF and DPOF), Movie Clips as MOV (MPEG 4) and voice as WAV files
* Image play-back via TV (PAL / NTSC)
* PictBridge, direct camera to printer, printing system.

The new U-CA3 from Samsung Cameras is priced from under £280 and comes with case, PC/Mac compatible software and a 32MB card. It will be available from all good camera retailers from the end of September.

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"It's mercifully over. But a new phenomenon has taken hold. I recognize it: feelings. Now that they're back, even overcompensating, I never want to lose them again. Bitterness, anger, jealousy, sadness: They all make me happy."

I have the ViviCam 4345. Its a nice lil camera...4.0 megapixel, 3X optical zoom. My only complaint is that it uses batteries up a LOT!






I also own an old Praktica MTL3. It's pretty sexy, and I have some noice accessories for it too

eeeeeeeeeeeheeem....may i introduce the canon sd600

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life's too short~simply do!

May I introduce the Samsung Digimax AC-3 (note: the AC-4, the next model is already out)

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"It's mercifully over. But a new phenomenon has taken hold. I recognize it: feelings. Now that they're back, even overcompensating, I never want to lose them again. Bitterness, anger, jealousy, sadness: They all make me happy."

quote:

Originally posted by Sasha it all depends on where and what for is she gonna be using her camera. if it's for clubbing, then $200 camera is the best choice. no reason to spend more than that.

Thing is though... if you're going to be shooting in a club, you need it to be able to get decent low light pic's... and usually only more $$ camera's do that well... unless you're lucky (or go for something w/ fewer mega pixels') that might be a generation older (to save $$).

anyway, for my 2 cents worth, i've had a fuji & cannon... the fuji was less $$, not a bad camera, but a bit grainy and not as good at low light but not bad at all, i suggest cannon... but its more$$ (always depends on the models too)

quote:

Originally posted by goragunda Thing is though... if you're going to be shooting in a club, you need it to be able to get decent low light pic's... and usually only more $$ camera's do that well... unless you're lucky (or go for something w/ fewer mega pixels') that might be a generation older (to save $$). anyway, for my 2 cents worth, i've had a fuji & cannon... the fuji was less $$, not a bad camera, but a bit grainy and not as good at low light but not bad at all, i suggest cannon... but its more$$ (always depends on the models too)

a black powder cannon? ...............

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life's too short~simply do!

i've got an s400... i like it, is sort of small... but is about as heavy as a brick, so, i never take it clubbing... its the last thing i want smashing around in my pocket when im dancing.

Last edited by goragunda on May-21-2006 at 06:19

quote:

Originally posted by Rodrico Must fight temptation...polish...slow...ughhhh.

hey hey now.

thanks for all the input..

after doing some research, I've narrowed down my options to Nikon and Canon and last night I ended up buying the Nikon Coolpix L3



nothing fancy but with 5.1 mp and 3X optical zoom, it should work fine for my everyday usage.. and I like that it's compact

can't wait to play with it this weekend

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We love
we leave
we take
we give

release yourself ... it's a big sky!

Out of all of these replies, I'd pay attention to two in particular. The post comparing the two cameras is kind of useless. Chinaboy said it, what you need to look at is the quality of the lens, and the specs of the image sensor and processor. Megapixel count means squat. it's just a marketing tool.

Which brings me to my second point, and one Chinamon explained as well. For $200, you will get a camera that has neither good lens nor good sensor. I'd wait until you can get a better camera. Especially if you're looking for a point-and-shoot camera. You want to be able to get a model that can produce decent pictures, has great colour reproduction, and a strong optical, rather than digital, zoom. And you want a camera that can produce good images from a variety of environments, like from the inside of a club, to landscape pics, to the snaps of you and your friends. I'd wait until your budget was somewhere between 300-400, then post again.

I'd suggest looking at canon or fuji. Sony, IMO, is crap, unless you get some of their range-topper models, and even then they are consistently outperformed by canon. Plain and simple, they have better lenses.