Amature That Needs Help!!

[Love2Shoot]

Hello everyone, I just recently saw that a couple of fourms down there was a similar post to mine. I am 15 and I want a nice camera. I am leaning toward a small powershot like the SD500. My dad has a S1 IS from Canon also which is very nice I think. I want a camera that when I go to mabey a sports game or just around that I can keep in my pocket untill needed. But thats the problem. I dont know if I want a small or a large camera like my dads. Do you think i will get decent image quality out of a small pocket camera or should I just carry around a big one. And also, in a couple of months I am going on vacation and of course I will take my new camera but I dont want to have to haul it around with me and make my mom or dad hold it when i go on a ride. So to sum it up... do you think i'll get decent image quality out of a little canon. And please if you have any camera recommendations that are nice little cameras under $200 dollars or so can you please tell me. Thanks a bunch! :)

[Jon]

For sports you'd probably be better off with the S1; the lens is significantly longer, even though it doesn't have as many pixels. The longer lens outweighs the fewer pixels at the telephoto end. But for just "around", the SD500 or other small PowerShot would be a very convenient pocketable. Maybe you should think about splitting the difference and use your father's S1 for sports or when you think you'll need that long lens and the SD500 the rest of the time. Lots of us have a small camera for just carrying around in addition to our bigger, more special-use, ones.

[BullittMan]

I would agree with Jon. Get a smaller camera that you can carry around with you easily, and when you have a special occasion where you need an extra long zoom lense just, borrow your dad's S1. Many smaller compact cameras sport decent zooms, so depending upon the kinds of shots you think you will take, you may not even need the longer zoom of an S1 or the likes.

A good place to look is CNET.com. They have very comprehensive reviews of cameras, and you can easily narrow down what you want and need. They also give good recommendations for online places to buy whatever camera in particular you are looking at on the site.