[woj101]

Hi - I'm new to the forum, in search of help due to the vast amount of cameras and different reviews out there. I'm looking for a first-time digital camera, therefore I don't need to be able to take huge pictures and am presuming 3MP will do fine. The camera will probably only get periodic use so I'm setting a budget of £150, but within that I'd like advice on what is the best for my money in terms of zoom, battery efficieny, size, picture quality etc.

I know this is a really open-ended question and you guys must be sick of newbies and their cries for help, so to start you off I had been looking at the Sony p32 and p52 cos I read some good reviews, but when I research a bit deeper I hear bad things about battery life, zoom etc.

So come on, if you had to go out and buy the best digicam you could for a 10 year old kid, max. £150 ($250) what would you go for, and if you've got the time, why?

Thanks very much

[shuttertalk]

Hi woj101, and welcome!

I'm not quite familiar with the UK pricing structure, so maybe Rufus will be a better judge, but I'm assuming you're after a low-cost camera.

My experience has been that the Nikon point-and-shoot range is pretty good (eg. Coolpix 3100 or 4100). I started off with a similar one, which lasted me quite a while. I found that image quality and battery life was great.

My other recommendation would be a Canon A70 or A75 - these have excellent optics, use AA's which are pretty easy to get, and have good flexibility in terms of creative controls. I have recommended these ones many times over to people who are just starting out, as they take good pictures, and also allow you to "grow" with the camera.

Hope that helps... good luck in your search!

[adam]

I'm sorry that I can't help you much on personal experiences on many cameras, because I haven't owned that many, so what I know would be from reading reviews, features and maybe if friend has got one. I can share some links though, which you may or may not have already seen

Digital Cameras - CNET reviews then on the left a link to $100-$250 and theres cameras there within that price range and you can filter the results on the left.

For me, I like the Canon cameras, and also the Olympus ones (owned both and like very much), I've had no experience with Sony camera though, apart from playing around with friend's one

I'll keep looking around and tell you if I see something nice

[Rufus]

Sorry, just off to reheasals, but I'll try to address this later tonight, (God willing!).

[Rufus]

Hello.
Sorry I didnt get back last night....

Anyway, my suggestions FWIW are these, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Fuji. That's it. Now, that's really because I know of, (have experience of), these brands. Many others are probably great too.

So, here are my model suggestions;


Pentax Optio S
Canon PowerShot A75
Pentax Optio 30
Nikon Nikon Coolpix 3200
Fuji FinePix A340

Hope that helps!