Digital Cameras

[Weezle]

Looking to buy a digital camera on ebay and have to admit to being 'a bit' clueless I'm only looking to spend around £150 - so don't go too over the top with the spec, but i would appreciate it if anyone could advise me on any specifications i should definitely be looking for/ looking to avoid.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Robbie G]

Try to get one with a pixel quality of 3 million or greater (this will ensure that any pictures you may wish to get developed will be of the standard of normal photos)

Try to get one with optical zoom, as this ensures that the picture quality does not worsen as you zoom in. (unlike digital zoom)

You may also wish to buy a bigger memory card as the cards which are included with the cameras, do not usually hold a great amount of pictures.

Hope that helps

 

[Hiney]

Just been through this with my Mother-in-Law.

She ended up buying a Nikon Coolpix 3200 for £140 - recommended as a best buy in Which? It's 3 megapixel

We also looked at the Sony DSCP43 which is a 4 megapixel and you can get it for just under £150.

Agree with all the other stuff.

 

[Scotty Mac]

make sure the one that you buy has a secure zoom button that will not fall out

 

[Westdene Seagull]

If you ( or your partner ) are not overly confident with technology then make sure you buy a camera that allows for photo / file recovery should you accidently erase them. Fuji definately and I think Sony erase permantely whilst others allow you to use third party applications or recovery services to recover deleted files.

 

[Weezle]

Thanks for all your help guys.

You recommend 3 megapixels saying that is normal photo quality - is it worth buying one with more than this then? I have seen some up to 6.6 megapixels?

Also i have heard some people moan about battery life? How long does the battery on these cameras tend to last and again is there anything in particular i should take into consideration when considering battery life length?

 

[chips and gravy]

I got a Nikon Coolpix 4800 earlier this year. Now retailing for a bit more than your budget at around £200 but well worth the extra expense. The pictures it takes are excellent and I got 3 editing software programmes with it including Panorama Maker which allows me to take several pictures that can be stitched together.

It comes with a rechargeable battery and charger - I bought an extra battery and found that these lasted me for a two week holiday without recharging and nearly 250 pictures. An extended memory card is a good idea too if you are planning to use it for holidays.

 

[Starry]

I have a Canon Powershot A95, its 5m pixels and works just great. It takes normal AA batteries which was partly why we got it, so if we get stuck somewhere with no battery you can buy AA batteries in any shop. Its really easy to use as well, and for someone as techno-dumb as me thats a good thing!

We have the A85 the earlier model which is 4m pixel and thats awesome as well.

 

[beorhthelm]

no point going above 3 Megapixels, you simply wont notice when doing prints of normal photo size (7x4 ?) or so. better to get a quality device with a decent physical zoom. The Nixon 3200 seems to be the best in the price range.

 

[On the Left Wing]

Just been through this with my Mother-in-Law.

She ended up buying a Nikon Coolpix 3200 for £140 - recommended as a best buy in Which? It's 3 megapixel

We also looked at the Sony DSCP43 which is a 4 megapixel and you can get it for just under £150.

Agree with all the other stuff.

Exactly what I am doing at the moment for Mrs OTLW for Xmas ... thanks for the recommendations Ian!

 

[Kneon Light]

Just bought the Fuji S5500 and and am very happy with it. Like most digital cameras it is worth buying a battery charger.
If you look at amazon they have reviews from people who have bought the cameras so you can see what people think of each one.

In terms of price ut is worth checking www.internetcamerasdirect.co.uk
very good service.