I need a new digital camera..

[draggar]

My POS HP R818 kicked the bucket (well, it's giving me this long error message and HP will only do anything if it is under warranty, which it is not).

So, I'm in the market for a new digital camera. Funds are low so I can't spend too much (I'd prefer under $200). I need something that can take fast shots, multishot is a must (I wish I could afford a DSLR camera).

My HP R818 has a horrible multishot (about 2-4 frames in 3-5 seconds, I need faster than that). If I could get 5-10 in less than a second I would be happy.

SD memory is almost a must, I have many SD cards (2GB, 4GB etc..) and I'd rather not spend money on new cards.

I am indifferent to brands, as long as it works, but my wife has a nice Olympus and I hear Canons are good. I've gone though 3 HP R818s and I think their quality has seriously gone downhill with digital cameras over the past few years (the C500 was an incredible camera, though).

I know my budget is going to force me to have to make compromises, so throw me your suggestions and I'll try to decide.

 

[Donald Aquilano]

Sony digital cameras have the best reputation. I'm sure that you can get one for under $200. If your willing to spend a up too $300 you should get the Cyber-shot T2 Digital Still Camera....IMO its best feature is the 4GB of internal memory which means you won't need any memory cards. If your not willing too bump up your budget here are some other models to consider......

Cyber-shot DSC-S730
Cyber-shot DSC-S750
Cyber-shot DSC-S780
Cyber-shot DSC-W120

 

[Devil Dog]

Was gonna say the Nikon D40 but that is a bit over your budget.

Just bought one and I love it.

 

[draggar]

I don't mind the cards, I have tons of them and my PCs have internal card readers and I have portable ones that are in my laptop bag but thank you for the suggestions. I'll keep those in mind.

I have a Sony camcorder and it is great. Sony has always made good cameras but they're expensive (you get what you pay for). I remember the Mavica 91, the first one to have removable media, it allowed you to use 1.44 floppies.

Edit: I'm also thinking the cards might have been causing it, it is powering on now with no cards, I put in an empty card and it works. (The cards did have in excess of 30,000 files on them). But I've slated these as "unreliable" Time to use my wife's old Olympus.

 

[gawnd]

Draggar - we were in the same position as you, tons of SD cards, so we wanted to stay with that memory format.

In your price range, the Panasonic Lumix is probably the best bet. We ended up going a little above that and got the Canon SD850 - think it cost us $249 or so. Great camera - we had an older Canon, and the new one is loads better. Much better low light shooting and image stabilization.

Looks like Amazon has it for $219 - great deal if you ask me.

 

[FuseFX]

I love my Eos 400D (DigiRebel XTi) -- but it will prolly touch about 1.5 grand for you. Have you seen DPReviews.com for the reviews and recommendations?

 

[draggar]

In your price range, the Panasonic Lumix is probably the best bet. We ended up going a little above that and got the Canon SD850 - think it cost us $249 or so. Great camera - we had an older Canon, and the new one is loads better. Much better low light shooting and image stabilization.

Looks like Amazon has it for $219 - great deal if you ask me.

$219 isn't too bad, I'll take a look at them.

I love my Eos 400D (DigiRebel XTi) -- but it will prolly touch about 1.5 grand for you. Have you seen DPReviews.com for the reviews and recommendations?

Hmm, I think that is just a tad out of my price range. Want to overpay for some of my domains? :lol:

If I was going to spend that much I would go out and get a very nice DSLR camera and a few good lenses.

The R818 was working later on, the cards definately had too many files on them (as I said, ~30,000). But, I am still listing the camera as "unreliable" as the flash seems to go within 4 months (as I said, this is my 2nd replacement) so it probabaly won't last though the end of the year.

 

[Varchar]

If you are serious in digital photography, don't get a point-and-shoot cams... definitely go after a DSLR. Either way, you should consider Canon.

 

[DNP]

Canon and only Canon!

 

[Theo]

Indeed, Canon produces sharp, vibrant pictures. But don't discount cheaper Sony, Panasonic or Fuji.

 

[Raider]

If your looking for a compact camera, the cybershot is the way to go. I have the DSC-W80 and it works flawless.

Was gonna say the Nikon D40 but that is a bit over your budget. Just bought one and I love it.

I have the D50, Both are great cameras, but I doubt Draggar wants to lug around a SLR.

 

[draggar]

If your looking for a compact camera, the cybershot is the way to go. I have the DSC-W80 and it works flawless.



I have the D50, Both are great cameras, but I doubt Draggar wants to lug around a SLR.

I hear that the cybershots are good cameras. But, I would be interested in a DSLR camera but right now they are too expensive for our budget. If I could find a known brand one (Canon, Olympus, Nikkon etc..) with a basic lens for under $300 that suits my needs I would seriously have a discussion with my wife about it.

In the meantime, I am also going to use my wife's Olympus SP-500UZ. It takes good pictures but I'm not crazy about the interface and burst shots are horrible with it. Instead of about 1 a second with my HP, I'm looking at 1 every 2-3 seconds.

 

[HarveyJ]

Was gonna say the Nikon D40 but that is a bit over your budget.

Just bought one and I love it.

You can get a D40 for about $200 on eBay.
I picked up a D40x with 2 extra lenses for just under $900 (that's actually a really good deal if you check the price of the lenses)

 

[000]

I'm also thinking the cards might have been causing it, it is powering on now with no cards, I put in an empty card and it works. (The cards did have in excess of 30,000 files on them). But I've slated these as "unreliable"

Have you formatted the high cycle cards recently? That may help.

 

[GAMEFINEST]

olympus... think thats how you spell it,

I have two of them, just got another one...love them