Digital Camera Reviews/Suggestions

[Jeffrey Travis]

Wife wants something slim and in the $100-200 range, been checking the following -



Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4K 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)



Nikon Coolpix S550 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom



Looking for reviews on these or something similar you have used. Have read many reviews on amazon and other sites but looking to check within the ST family.



Thanks,



JT#14

 

[JerryW Gilliland]

Nothing beats the Canon Elph SD 1100 IS



On sale now for $199 at several places.

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

Got a Nikon Coolpix last year for my wife, and she likes it. Any of the digital cameras that have been around for a very long time like Nikon, Olympus & Canon are good choices. Not sure if Leica, which was one of the top cameras in its time, makes a digital camera. I did learn, when I got my Olympus 35mm digital SLR, that you need to store your pics on Gold CD's because they have a shelf life of 50 yrs.; whereas the regular CD's have a shelf life of abour 10 yrs.

 

[Dingo]

If that's one of the Panasonics with the Leica lens, get it.

 

[Bo Loo]

Personally, I like my optical zoom over megapixels. Every camera has good megapixels, but not every camera has good zoom capability.



Out of the cameras you listed, I'd go with the Panasonic. It's a nice combination of portability (can easily fit in a pocket/purse) and optical zoom. The only possible drawback is the proprietary battery. I didn't see that it can run on regular AA's, so you should buy a backup battery.



I've included a link to my camera...

 

[Nelson Atwell]

My Canon Powershot A2000IS is great. It is rather thin and I can put it in my jacket pocket easily. It takes great pictures and video with 10 Mega pixels and 6X optical zoom. It uses normal AA batteries, so it is convenient to use when traveling.

 

[Richard L]

I am not a big fan of Panasonic products, but you can't go wrong with either Nikon or Canon, when it comes to cameras.



Also, always pick higher Optical Zoom over Digital Zoom. Digital zoom makes the pictures too grainy.



...Rich

 

[Dingo]

I've got a Panasonic camera and a Panasonic camcorder, both with the Leica lenses and proprietary batteries, and I've never been dissatisfied with either in any way.

 

[Alex Marchenko]

Travis,



Check out this site, they have very thorough reviews on many cameras. Even some holiday gift guides - <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/" target="_blank">http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/</a>

 

[user 62394]

I have generally liked Canons. I would also echo Rich's comments about an optical zoom. That is much preferred over a digital zoom. Basically all that the digital zoom does is crop the picture -- you can do that on the computer later.



Rocks

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Basically all that the digital zoom does is crop the picture -- you can do that on the computer later.

Exactly. The 10 MP and 6X optical zoom allows you to crop and still not have a grainy photo.

 

[Rich Stern]

We've had Sony, Canon and Nikon over the years. All good products. I still use my Sony Mavica, now over ten years old, for simple stuff like eBay pictures. Our little 3 megapixel Canon developed some LCD problems after about five years of steady use, due to a known problem of exposure to hot conditions (glove box on a summer day). Canon fixed it under recall. They even paid shipping both ways. After five years! The wife uses a Nikon D50 for higher end photography. Takes great pictures.