FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I'm thinking of getting my son (14) a digital camera. I'm looking for an easy-to-use P&S, nothing terribly expensive but reliable, good-quality pics.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is water at the bottom of the ocean

When asked that question well working a camera shop I would always recommend the Olympus Stylus series.

Pros:
Simple Interface
Not rugged but can take a fall
Weatherized not waterproof. So you can shoot in the rain/snow
Light weight
I don’t think they come with less then 3x optical lens
PictBridge if you have a compatible printer you can print pictures directly from the printer
Cons
Price (they start around $249)
Memory Format. You probably don’t have one lying around(xD 1gig card around $20)
Small easy to use

I touched on some of the things you want to consider above but they are
Price

Memory format. Do you need to buy a new one

Do you need or want a viewfinder most lower end P&S don’t have one
If you need a VF does it have a dioptic adjustment can be a pain if you wear glasses and you don’t have one

MP are over rated almost anything you buy now will be sufficient unless you look in the bargain bin think 5+

Do you feel comfortable using the camera. Button layout a pain in the butt.

Remember the difference between optic and digital zoom.

All that said you are looking for camera for your 14yr old so if you look for low end I have had experience with both the Kodak EasyShare and the Fuji FinePix and I would recommend the Kodak simply because of the ease of use. They have the selection wheel on the top which allows for simple mode change. Although the Fuji does have the same mechanism on the back its much harder to change well shooting on the fly.
As for the low end Panasonics and Samsung I would stay away. I have seen many brake. The saving grace for the Samsung is that they use quality lenses so you get a nice picture.


"No whammy, No whammy, No whammy, STOP!!"

1984-Michael Larsen On Press Your Luck

Canon A series.
They've got simple P&S settings, but they also have semi and full manual settings for if he wants to experiment.

Doesnt' have to be the brand new model either, last months camera will be just as good as the one they released yesterday and will probably be a few bucks cheaper. Check the clearance sections of BB and CC, even target might work. Don't grab the first thing you see though.

Also check reviews on dpreview.

Thats a lucky son, I'd rather have gotten cameras than boxes of bandaids for presents.

.

^_^

Votes For: Band-Aids

I have to agree with babel on this one. I absolutely love my A710 IS. The image stabilizer will really help out with the whole hand shake thing, which can be frustrating for anyone starting out taking pics. I used to take 1 good pic for every 30 blurry ones because of my shaky hands. That and I stubbornly won't use a tripod or the flash when I take pics of the fish .

---

Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients