Best Canon for around $300?

[peterm1]

My friend is looking to buy a digital camera for about $300 as a gift for her sister, and is looking for recommendations. She doesn't need the most advanced features, but rather something that is easy to use and download photos.

Any recommendations in the Canon (or any other) line of products?

Thanks,

Peter M

[PatV]

I have an A70 and I love it, extremely nice point and shoot pics with more advanced settings you can grow with.

$300 dollars, and the easy way to download photos is with a $20 dollar card reader. The card reader hooks up via a USB port and you see it in My Computer. That wasy you dont have to directly connect the camera, you just take the CF card out and put it in the card reader.

So you simply go to the card reader icon, open the folder and copy the pics from the CF card right into a folder etc. Very easy to do.

[Spirit]

I LOVE my A70. I have serious G3 envy, but I know I made the right decision in buying my A70. I played with quite a few in the same price range (price was my issue) and I'm so happy with what I bought.

As for the reader, I got mine for free (bonus with the camera). A couple times I put the card in and got "corrupt files". Apperently it's very common with a sandisc, so if you buy a reader, do not get a sandisc.

I also find it much easier to just insert a plug into the side of my camera, rather than remove the card completely and inserting the card into another device, then REinserting the card into the camera every time I want to download. The only time I use my sandisc card reader is if I'm at a friends (don't have to install the twain drivers for the camera). Plus the corrupt file thing scares me. It happened twice in 2 weeks, and not once when I plugged my pc directly into my camera.

BTW, I assume you're speaking in USD.

[stoneylonesome]

Spirit don't ever have camera envy! I agree the A70 is one great camera for the money. I started with the A40 and moved up to the G3, while the G3 is a very good camera there are things I miss about the A40 most important is the fact that I could just slip it in my pocket, The G3 is a little to big for that, Remember the Camera is just a tool. And from what've I seen of some of your pictures that you, Spirit have posted you have mastered it quite will, you seem to have a natural instinct for composition. Keep up the good work, I Found the PNY card reader that I use when I'm away from my home computer works great.

[cA70]

Kodak camera's arent that good, so they focoused on the easy to use market. Really easy to work the camera, but the pictures arn't as good of quality as the Canon's. I found out the stoped making there own lenses because they just wern't good enough and started to buy other ones. My point is that they even have this little concole that you sit your camera in and it will re-charge the bats and when you want to download the pictures just press 1 button. walla!

Thats the ease of use.

For quality u can't beat the canon, well u might but its dam good. The camera is easy to use once u sit down and have a go. The turn dial at the top makes it easy to get a good picture and easy to swap between. Most other cameras have that and are though menu's. There not over crowded, like others which have 100's of preset menu's. I mean how does an pitcute of a house differ from a picture of a car? Enough for another menu item?

My view is the A70 can be used with just the auto or turn the dial below the auto to be daring, and if they turn out they like photography and wana do a bit mnore stich it to above the auto and let loose.

Can't beat it for the quality and the price.

Zoombroswer makes it really easy to deal with images on the camera and on the computer and inbetween

[billh101]

I have the A70 as well. I had wanted a G3, but went for the A70 instead, mostly for the $$$ savings, although the relatively small size is nice. I think Canon has the nicest looking image quality around for digital cameras. Get a good set of rechargeable batteries and the battery life will be very good. I've never hooked the camera up to my computer. I got a $15 card reader so I can just take the card out of the computer, stick it in there, and it shows up just like a floppy disk would. It's very simple. I already had an image editing program from my scanner (also a Canon) so I didn't have to load any software. It's a very nice little camera for the price.
Bill

[larpo]

A70... 'nuff said

[Spirit]

stoneylonesome wrote:
Spirit don't ever have camera envy! I agree the A70 is one great camera for the money. I started with the A40 and moved up to the G3, while the G3 is a very good camera there are things I miss about the A40 most important is the fact that I could just slip it in my pocket, The G3 is a little to big for that, Remember the Camera is just a tool. And from what've I seen of some of your pictures that you, Spirit have posted you have mastered it quite will, you seem to have a natural instinct for composition. Keep up the good work, I Found the PNY card reader that I use when I'm away from my home computer works great.

Aww, thanks! It took me a while to learn all the tricks of the camera (DOF, how shutter works with combination with aperture, etc), but once I learned all that, I rarely use automatic now. I find the A70 is an AMAZING little camera, but for point and shoot? Eeehhh... It works GREAT for landscape and macro, but if I were to take a picture of, say a kitten playing, I found that the auto mode would focus on something in the foreground (or background), making the kitten slightly blurry. That drove me nuts for a while, before I discovered P mode (set my focus to where I want it and leave everything else automatic). The fact that I knew NOTHING about digicams when I bought mine, and spent hours learning how to use it to improve my pic quality, your compliment is greatly appreciated. :)

Peter: On a serious note, take some time to LEARN about your camera and how it works, and give yourself some photo exercises to do to familiarize yourself with your new "tool". If what you want is a straight automatic point and shoot, you can use any cheapie camera (although the A70 will more than likely give you a better picture as it has a really great lens). However, the A70 will also give you the power to use manual settings if auto isn't working for you (remember that fully auto won't always giive you the picture you want).

In my own personal opinion, there is no better camera out there for the money, than the A70. It does take a little knowledge as it's not a 100% point and shoot (although it can be and it works very well also), but it takes amazing pics and it's very upgradable.

If a P&S is what you want, buy the A70. If you want partial manual controls, buy the A70. If you want full manual controls, buy the A70. Whatever you're looking for in a camera, you really can not lose. :)

Yeah, did I mention I love my A70? ;)

[stoneylonesome]

The learning never stops: this is my 3rd digi-cam used a Canon slr film before that and every day I discover something new. This forum has been a great help. I too have had a problem in the focus but it will work out.
As someone else said the faster you get off of full auto the better your pictures will be. I to found that I use the 'P' mode the most, 2nd is 'TV' gotta get the DOF. Your work is good keep it up and be an isperation to the rest of us... ;)

oops! did I say Tv I meant Av. See still learning, I strongly believe in K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) can't figure out why they didn't call it Ss for shutter speed and Fs for 'F' stop

[Spirit]

stoneylonesome wrote:
oops! did I say Tv I meant Av. See still learning, I strongly believe in K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) can't figure out why they didn't call it Ss for shutter speed and Fs for 'F' stop


TV = Shutter Priority (Time Value)

AV = Aperture Value

Think of TV this way. A fast shutter speed, as opposed to a slow shutter speed (high vs low)... or in other words, the length of time it takes for the shutter to click.

[stoneylonesome]

Spirit wrote:
stoneylonesome wrote:
oops! did I say Tv I meant Av. See still learning, I strongly believe in K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) can't figure out why they didn't call it Ss for shutter speed and Fs for 'F' stop


TV = Shutter Priority (Time Value)

AV = Aperture Value

Think of TV this way. A fast shutter speed, as opposed to a slow shutter speed (high vs low)... or in other words, the length of time it takes for the shutter to click.
Thanks for the tip. See this forum is great. How about
Tv= Travel very (fast) ? ;)

[newbiepcuser]

I've seen Canon S230 on good day for 299 to 320.

Keep checking these sites.

techbargains.com, bensbargains.net, also the fatwallet.com forums are good.


Its usually from Dell bargain speacial.