Desperately need help...

[flipmatrix]

PLEASE HELP! For some reason I can't seem to find help anywhere about this.

I want to buy my girlfriend a digital camera. I have one of my own, but I'm not exactly a professional. I have narrowed down the choices to the following. They're all roughly the same price (300CHF/250USD). I'm looking for: a nice form factor (attractive/slim), SD card memory, good battery life (if possible), decent display size, sound on movies...

ACER CR-5130

BENQ DC-E43

BENQ DC-C62

CANON POWERSHOT A400

CANON POWERSHOT A510

FUJIFILM FINEPIX A345

FUJIFILM FINEPIX A350

HP PHOTOSMART M22

HP PHOTOSMART 635

HP PHOTOSMART M407

HP PHOTOSMART M417

HP PHOTOSMART M507

HP PHOTOSMART M517

HP PHOTOSMART R707

KODAK EASYSHARE CX7330

KODAK EASYSHARE CX7430

MINOLTA DIMAGE Z10

NIKON COOLPIX 4600

PENTAX OPTIO 50

SONY CYBER-SHOT S40

SONY CYBER-SHOT S60

SAMSUNG DIGIMAX A4

I know this list is rather exhaustive, but I would really appreciate any advice - even if you recommend 5 cameras!...

THANK YOU

[ByteTheBullet]

These sites are a great place to start...

http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Hope this helps...


ByteTheBullet (-:

[Moppie]

Cut your list down to these:

CANON POWERSHOT A400

CANON POWERSHOT A510

FUJIFILM FINEPIX A345

FUJIFILM FINEPIX A350

MINOLTA DIMAGE Z10

NIKON COOLPIX 4600

PENTAX OPTIO 50


Everything else is a gimick.
From those I think you will find that the Canon's and the Fuji's take the best photos will still being fast from shot to shot.
The others will still take great photos, but may be a little slower shot to shot, however, they may have some nice styling that you prefer over the Canon.
Also, have a look at an Olympus, if theres one in your price range, Iv seen one produce some very nice photos.

[Moppie]

I don't know, Steves and DP are possibly the two best and well known sites on the net, and as long as you learn to read between the lines are a great source of information.
I say read between the lines because DP especialy tends to give very nice pretty reviews to even really bad cameras. They seem reluctant to upset any manufactors, and so are very subtle about mentioning bad points, while making big of a cameras often few small points.
It pays to read several reviews, to get a feel for thier writing style.

DC review is a cool site though, having a variety of differnt reviews linked on one page does make getting a more informed opion much easier.

[Moppie]

I really don't like it when you reply to a post, and then the poster deletes it.

Its very rude.
Very very rude.

[Belmondo]

Reply was deleted by moderator.

Sorry for the inconvenience. We're going through an educational process here, and some people just learn faster than others.

[Dan__H]

We're going through an educational process here, and some people just learn faster than others.

YES WE ARE, we educate you to allow better service for the users who come to this forum for assistance.
Look at what Moppie wrote and I quote: "DC review is a cool site though, having a variety of different reviews linked on one page does make getting a more informed opinion much easier."

So what have I done wrong?

I urge you to be civil and fair, and not just be so light on the trigger.

Dan.

[Moppie]

Reply was deleted by moderator.



Fair enough :)

[KevC]

I would say the Canon A510. It has nice functions, pretty pocketable, uses only 2AA batteries, has a fully manual mode. Also the lens is 4x, and it's of good quality :)

[R1 Kid]

I personally have the Cannon A510 for when I don't want to break out all my gear. Its a fun little camera with a suprising amount of flexibility. My one biggest piece of advice is to find one that uses AA size batteries. Especially for people that may not pay attention to things like if the batteries are recharged. I know my wife can't even use a battery charger so if it is dead then it is dead and she won't use it. But with the 510 all she has to do is reach in the drawer (or stop at the store) and pull out 2 fresh batteries and she's off. I also know from experience that there is nothing more frustrating then picking up your camera when your little one is doing something cute or your at a birthday party/event and your battery meter is flashing, then goes dead. Sometimes you just can't afford to wait an hour while your battery recharges.

(* Actually she can use a charger, and does. I was just making a point*)