Best digital camera for $400 or less

[ironforge]

Subject says it all

would like to get at least 3megapixel..

this price does NOT count memory card, as I can buy that seperate.. $400 is for the cost of the camera only

I'm good with technical terms.. not so good with camera terms

please share any advice you have on the subject..

[Mike]

No one has any advice? I have an Olympus camera (Not sure of the model..I'll get it when I go home) it's very nice. Although it's under 3 megapixels.

Be sure to get a flash memory card reader, they are very cool.

[strangerstill]

Yes, I can recommend Olympus digital cameras, I have a C-1 Zoom, it's only 1.3 megapixels but it was very good value for someone just getting into digital photography. I guess what you're looking for in features is CCD size (megapixels), optical zoom (a must-have, digital zoom is useless), which and what capacity storage formats it supports, after that it depends what you want it for - look for light quality adjustment, shutter speed (for action shots!), movie support, sound rec/playback support. If you're buying from a shop, make sure they let you play with it and take pictures and upload them to a computer in the shop, what pictures look like on the LCD and what they look like on-screen is very different, the small size of the LCD can hide problems with the image quality.

[Richard Cranium]

Big question = Long winded answers

1. What size pics do you wish to print, generally ?
2. What size camera do ya want, pocket model for easiest carry ?
3. What subjects are you gonna shoot, wildlife, humans, portraits or landscapes.

The lowest end cameras can do portraits, wildlife demands the other end of the spectrum.


If you're gonna print 5x7" prints like most people, then extra megapixels are only good for one thing "artifical zoom"
You can use your photo software to crop the fluff out of a picture to zoom in on a subject that is out of range normally.

Can you wait till a deal "arrives" ?
If so, Dell sometimes prices the cameras pretty cheap, then adds discount coupons to sweeten the deal. I've gotten both cameras and memory cards from them waaaaay below wholesale.

I will offer ONE suggestion, my most portable camera with over 3mp is the Kodak DX-3900, I carry it on the Jet-Ski and use it to capture family photos also. It can be had for some $300 or so and uses CF memory and AA batteries.

As a rule of thumb, I shy away from Sony's offerings, mainly because of the high priced "memory stick"

I'll await your answers to the riddle before offering more suggeestions.