Need camera advice!

[firsttimemommy]

I have two "main" cameras: An Olympus Camedia C-720 as my digital camera and a Canon EOS rebel S as my film camera. If you are familiar with these, you know they are LARGE cameras, relatively speaking.

So I need something a lot smaller. It needs to fit easily in my diaper bag or large purse. I find I am never taking pictures now b/c I dont want to tote the large cameras anywhere and the disposable cameras just aren't the same quality wise.

So I dont know which way to go next - I guess my price range is under $300 total, but the lower the better without sacrifcing too much quality.

1. Do I need both types of cameras? OR should I just stick with digital format and look for the best quality?

2. If I go only digital, any suggestions as to what model/brand that won't break my wallet and is small? I would love to find a very small digital that gives me the quality of my Canon.

3. If I need a film camera too, any suggestions for a small one?


Finally - sorry if these are dumb questions - I am an amatuer for sure, but I do know that my Canon is so effortless when it comes to an awesome picture, so that is what i would like to have again.

Thanks!

Ronda
Proud Mommy to 2 adorable munchkins - 1/03 and 4/04

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes........that way you are a mile away and you have their shoes."

[ellies mom]

I think you can find very small camera that takes fairly good pictures, but I seriously doubt you can find one that takes them as good as your Canon. The issue is the size of the lens. The smaller lens just isn't going to be as good as a larger lens.

I would probably go in this direction. I had the older Olympus D-550 zoom and I really liked it.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1162

There are a ton of other Olympus "Fun and Easy" cameras one page back or at the link below.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1162

One advantage to going with the Olympus is that there is a better chance that it uses the same memory card. HTH

[firsttimemommy]

Thanks Veronica! It helps a TON!

So if the memory card compatibility wasn't an issue, would you still choose an Olympus? Are the HP's or Kodaks or Sony's any better?

Also, do I need to stick with 5 MP to get great quality or is there really a big difference between 5MP and 4MP (and 3MP for that matter)?

I was going to ebay my Canon Rebel and my Olympus Digital C720 when I decided on a replacement (or two) for them, but I think I will just keep the Canon - for those times when I want to do a special "shoot" and really want that unsurpassed quality - and just get a top quality digital for my "travel" camera. Does that sound like a good plan?


Ronda
Proud Mommy to 2 adorable munchkins - 1/03 and 4/04

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes........that way you are a mile away and you have their shoes."

[BillK]

I have the older version of this (mine's the Powershot S50):

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=10149

And it takes awesome shots - never had a spec of trouble with it and my wife always has it stuffed in the diaper bag.

My brother-in-law likes super small cameras and got this:

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=11158

and he loves it - it also takes fabulous pictures but it's just a tad too small for my taste (hard to hold steady due to the small size).

Let me know if you'd like some links to some of the pics I've taken with my Powershot S50

[ellies mom]

For the smaller "keep in my purse" camera, I really do like the Olympus. But this last time I went for the Canon S1 IS because I wanted the image stabilization that came with its long zoom.

If I was going to get a smaller camera without a long zoom lens, I would get 5MP. I would go for the most optical zoom I could get (about 3x, sometimes 5x) in the size range you are looking for. Ignore any mention of digital zoom, it is meaningless.

I would definately keep the Canon Rebel.

[firsttimemommy]

Thank you Bill and Veronica! I wrote down your suggestions and did some research and am going to do some price shopping now!

I appreciate the help so much!

Ronda
Proud Mommy to 2 adorable munchkins - 1/03 and 4/04

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes........that way you are a mile away and you have their shoes."

[kozachka]

I just copied my post last week about my new camera below. Since you want to spend $300 or less, you might want to use the older model Casio Exilim EX-Z55. It's 5MP rather than 7MP and is currently selling for $278-$349 vs. $330-$449 for Exilim Z750. From what I've heard 7MP cameras are in general faster than 5MP so maybe worth the extra $50. I would urge you to go to a store and play with various cameras. Bring your card and DC to see how you feel about the end results. I tried friend's Canon S500 and for me and my super-fast DS it was too slow.

My old post:
I just got a new digital camera and love it. It's Casio Exilim EX-750. It's has a 2.5" beautiful LCD screen and pocketable design. And there is almost no shutter speed delay, meaning you push the button and the picture is taken. Most importantly it produces beautiful images. I wanted to get a camera that I would not mind carry around so I've researched ultracompact cameras for almost two months. And the only other camera I wanted was Canon PowerShot SD500 ($371-$535).

Dell had a better deal (after coupons) for Exilim so I went with it. I ended up paying just over $480, including S&H and tax, for the camera and 1GB high-speed Ultra SD card, which would have cost me between $80-$120 by itself. You could buy just the camera for about $350 but make sure to check www.resellerratings.com before placing an order. I was gready and ordered my camcorder from a place with less than steller reputation (mpsuperstore.com), and after refusing to buy their ridiculously overpriced warranty or accessories in an upsell call next morning, have to deal with tracking my order, possibly cancelling it. B&H Photo has Exilim EX-750 for $380.70 shipped and Canon SD500 for $411.80. They have stellar reputation.

Check out CNET reviews for these two cameras:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Casio_Exilim_EX_Z750/4505-6501_7-31319589-2.html?tag=top

http://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_PowerShot_SD500/4505-6501_7-31288472.html?tag=topprods

ETA: You can also buy MACK extended warranty from B&H even if do NOT buy camera from them as long as you register it with MACK within 30 days of camera purchase. In my case it would have cost only $49.99 http://tinyurl.com/ddkua but I decided to use a credit card that extends manufacturer's original warranty by a year and take my chances.

Elena