"Best" pocket digital

WildTimes · 10-04-2006, 03:18 PM

I have a lot of full-size equipment and two digital Cuddeback Deer Cams, but I'm a novice with "pocket" digitals. Was wondering if anyone had experience -- good or bad -- with smaller cameras in the $100-$300 or so range? Some of the keys for me are auto red-eye reduction, strong fill flash, a high-quality lens and decent optical zoom. I probably am leaning toward Nikon, though Sony and other quality recommendations would be considered. Any advice/experiences appreciated.

Crys · 10-05-2006, 10:41 AM

I've got a Canon 5-something-or-other that I bought through our classifieds here on the site. It's got very effective auto-focus and zoom (though the zoom tends to drain the batteries very quickly) and I've had luck with it at a much wider range of distances than I expected, from very close-up flower pictures to landscapes. It also does short videos, though I haven't tried that feature so I can't speak to its quality. All the photos I've posted in this forum and in my livejournal photo gallery were taken with it. Not all the photos in my portfolio at http://www.crysodenkirk.com/gallery.php were, but all of the most recent pics were. It's got a much better picture quality than you would normally expect from a smaller camera.

I haven't used any of the low-end Olympus cameras in several years, but I know at the time they were not nearly as good as their competitors of the same price.

**MrKhay** · 06-06-2007, 01:18 PM

I enjoy my Canon G3. 4 mega pixels, 14x optical and digital combined zoom, with a video feature. There is also a portrait feature, auto, flash, day/night, assorted television features...as you can connect the camera to your television, and watch the video, or set the camera so you can watch whatever is going on in the room on your television.
I like it. It sort of reminds me of the analog Canon AE-1.
I'm glad I have it.

MichelleC · 08-08-2007, 01:53 PM

This is probably way too late for the OP but if anyone else comes along wondering...

I spent a lot of time researching before buying a pocket camera. I have a Canon 10D for the "good shots" but wanted something I could have with me at all times for snapshots of the kids. I ended up going with the Canon A710IS. You can see a review of it at:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0612/06...10isreview.asp

By the way, I totally recommend dpreview for anyone camera shopping.

It's been a great purse camera. The only thing I haven't liked is it's bright daylight color capability. I've been taking park photos for my directory and that tends to be around 11am which is a horrible time for photos. I've noticed that the color seems to be really off on the photos with the sky not looking natural. Other than that, though, I'm quite happy with the camera. The shutter lag is negligible, which is good for chasing toddlers. It also has some manual controls and a viewfinder, which is a must have for me. It takes pretty nice video for a still camera, too. So well recommended.

Michelle

**keith** · 08-19-2007, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crys

I've got a Canon 5-something-or-other that I bought through our classifieds here on the site. It's got very effective auto-focus and zoom (though the zoom tends to drain the batteries very quickly) and I've had luck with it at a much wider range of distances than I expected, from very close-up flower pictures to landscapes. It also does short videos, though I haven't tried that feature so I can't speak to its quality. All the photos I've posted in this forum and in my livejournal photo gallery were taken with it. Not all the photos in my portfolio at http://www.crysodenkirk.com/gallery.php were, but all of the most recent pics were. It's got a much better picture quality than you would normally expect from a smaller camera.

I haven't used any of the low-end Olympus cameras in several years, but I know at the time they were not nearly as good as their competitors of the same price.

Great to hear a classifieds Success Story. I'd forgotten about this.

One camera to avoid: Kodak Easy Share cameras. I've owned four (couldn't resist the prices and features). Three are defunct after one was sent for repairs two or three times. The other is on it's last legs.

Regards,
Keith

**MrKhay** · 08-19-2007, 03:42 PM

Canons have always been my first choice in photography equipment. I started with a Canon EX Auto SLR. Nothing really flashy...simple to use, but the features were limited to shutter speed, and aperture adjustment. I headed overseas where I found a great deal on another Canon camera, the EF Black Body SLR. Lots more features, including a flash boot. Higher shutter speeds allowed me to get photos of aircraft being launched off the catapults, and catching the arresting gear, without the blur effect. From the EF, I went to the Canon AE-1, also an SLR, and the last SLR I bought. Lotsa great features, including power winder capabilities, and auto aperture settings. I have a variety of lenses to go with it. Zooms, telephoto, and macro.I could do almost anything with that camera, including double exposures, and portraits.
I made the jump to digital photography with a Canon A-10. Very basic digital. Really easy to use, and it took some great photographs. It just lacked the features I wanted.
The Canon G-3 is my current camera. I can use this camera as a video camera, but the length of the video is severely limited by the heat produced in the video mode. I can shoot stills with the Automatic mode, or using the portrait selection. There is a zoom built in, but does not zoom in the video setting. There is a small microphone built in to capture audio in the video setting. I can connect it to my television, which enables viewing the contents of a flash card on the television.
Another plus, it has a remote control.
View specs at the link:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong3/