I would really like to get a quality point and shoot. I am seriously considering a Panasonic LX3. However, it's a spendy camera (read: a little out of my price range but I could save up if I can't find anything else that's suitable). It is also a little heavy. Does anyone have a recommendation on a camera that is lighter and less expensive than Panasonic LX3 but still a quality camera?

It depends on what you are going to use the pictures for. If you are just going to make small prints or use on your pc anything is fine. If you are trying to sell them you should consider a pro am cam. Let us know what your intended use is for. 1.3 mp cell phone pic

This was a disposable camera that has been reduced in quality for the internet

Nikon d40 when we used to live in our car.


Canon d20



All of these have had the quality drastically reduced
Nikon d80





Ali

Edited by barefootnavigator on 02/22/2009 13:35:04 MST.

Ali e,
You asked about my intended uses. I'm just a hobbyist and so I'll be using them for personal use but I do appreciate nicely done photos. I have been using my DSLR but I'm trying really hard to lighten my load and so I'm down sizing my camera stuff as well.

In that case any digital camera for about $150 will work fine. Quality will depend more on using it than what type of camera you have. I have photos published monthy from my Canon g9 but for 90% of what I use it for it is way overkill. Any camera with at least 3mp and a decent procesor will be fine. If it is water resistant or proof and very small you will be more likely to bring it. I also shoot video for resale with my g9 but it is larger than I prefer. I am thinking about switching to my cell phone for the summer. even a bad picture is worth a thousand words. You can still get great film cameras dirt cheap and I will go head to head with the best digital pro cameras in the world with my film point and shoot. Ali

Elizabeth

A friend of mine recently purchased a Panasonic Lumix FX37
10.1MP with 2.5" Display, 5x Optical, Image Stabilization and a really nice 25mm Wide-Angle Leica Lens for less then $200. Its small enougt to always bring it along and takes 300 pictures between charges. I've seen the pictures he's taken and was impressed with the camera and am thinking of buying one for myself.

Roger

Edited by FastWalker on 02/22/2009 13:51:21 MST.

Do you no the weight Roger?? Seems like a great camera.

Edited by Creachen on 02/22/2009 14:12:23 MST.

Thanks Roger. I agree, this looks like a really nice camera. I just did a side-by-side comparison of ultra compacts at dpreview.com (which was very helpful). By the way the weight is listed as 5.2 oz including batteries at dpreview.com. If you check google shopping there's a hit or two for this camera selling for $179.

Elizabeth, I've been using the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5, 9.0 megapixals, 10X zoom (28 -280mm), 3" display, 8.5oz. with battery, $219.00 (6 months ago). The Leica 10X zoom is what sold me. It gives you such a wide range of shooting options (28-280mm), with such little weight gain. IMO well worth the investment.

overall highest rated camera under $200 from reliable sources:
Canon a590is
amazon, $110

Edited by mikeinfhaz on 02/22/2009 16:17:19 MST.

I recently deleted my Pana FX36 folder , this is a shot at I had uploaded to Photobucket. The FX36 is a shorter zoom version of the FX37 (less tele
When I tested that one most of the pictures were taken at the widest end. I love the 24-25mm angle of view.
Franco
).

I just went through looking for a new digital camera. One thing that I wanted was RAW mode (unprocessed image data better for processing on a PC).
The cameras that looked good to me that weren't too expensive:
shorter zoom range (5 to 8 oz):
Canon A590 (~$100)
Panasonic FX-150
Longer zooms:
Panasonic FZ28
Olympus SP-565 (or older SP570 or newer $$ SP590)
I chose the Olympus SP-565 because I liked the details of how it operates better (after reading manuals). Has a nice panoramic mode.

Some of the Panasonic models without RAW mode seemed nice:
FX35, FX37, and some of the 'travel' cameras with medium long zoom lens.

Have fun with whatever you get.
--Walter

General question regarding cameras with lithium ion batteries (as opposed to AA batteries).
Can you recharge these through the USB connector from your PC?

Cheers

depends on the camera, my olympus stylus 1050sw can't, it drains the battery while hooked up to the USB.

Can you recharge any cameras from a USB port? This would be a big advantage for me.

> Can you recharge these through the USB connector from your PC?

I have been advised that the answer is generally no.

Cheers

Recently bought a Cannon PowerShot SD1200IS camera for under $200. 5.1 oz with battery. 10mp. Has a REAL view finder. Uses standard SD cards.

I wanted to replace my Sony Cybershot, which does not have a view finder and weighs 6.6 oz and uses expensive Sony proprietary cards.

Regarding charging. The Sony has a charging/USB base. So I assumed these cameras charge on USB, just like by Blackberry.

I charged the new Cannon battery in the included charger. Then hooked it to the powered USB hub on my computer system, to test the downloading and other functions. The next morning when I got to the trail head, the battery was dead. I figured the USB drained it, which irritated me, since the Sony charges on USB. When I got home, I saw the Sony charger had a 110V cable and USB (I forgot)... so generally, no you cannot charge with USB. But... so far I am thrilled with the weight and small size of the Cannon.

Right, it takes mains current to charge any digicam I've ever used. To emphasize the point, they always loudly advise ensuring the battery is "FULLY CHARGED" prior to a firmware update when hooked up to a PC, because evil things could happen if power were lost during the process.

I suspect the reality is a digicam potentially draws far more current than devices such as ipods that can be charged via USB and thus, have batteries sufficiently large to render it impractical. Either that or they're too cost-conscious to include the needed circuitry to perform the trick.

Rick

Fortunately my Canon A95 has an external power input socket. No, this won't recharge the batteries (4*AA), but at least I can and do power the camera from the mains while downloading pics. Yes, as noted, the USB connection eats power!

Looks like two battery packs (swap over) and a solar charger are the answer. It may have to be a custom solar charger system though, as I haven't found any good light portable ones so far. And it will depend on whether the battery pack is 3.7 V or 7.4 V too.

Cheers

Not the cheapest or lightest - but as the proud owner of this camera, bought after seeing the stunning results from this camera and brilliant HD videos I can only suggest, leave something else behind and sell something....it is amazing and well worth every penny/once!!!

I just got the LX3. Much smaller than it looks!