Help me pick a camera for christmas.

[760-MPH]

Really tired of going through the 50-100$ digital cameras that just don't have the quality i am looking for - need some help/direction as i don't have a clue where to begin - why not start here?

Background
Just had our first child and she is taking pics like crazy - don't have a photo printer so we have been sending them to shutterfly/snapfish and when they return you can really tell it was with a cheap camera. This will be the sole purpose of the camera (holidays/birthday/everyday pics of the kid).

Should i stick with digital point and shoot camera if so can you recommend one? or should i upgrade to a SLR as there appear to be a bunch on black friday ads for $500.

Budget - 300$ but willing to go up to $500 if it's worth it.

Also if anyone has a recommendation on a photo printer - i think with ink and photo paper it's probably cheaper to continue to buy on shutterfly with the coupons always on slickdeals. will listen to comments though.

thanks. :beer:

 

[sunburned]

I've always had Canon point and shoot cameras and they have never let me down. Rocking a 10MP SD770IS from a few years ago and the pictures it takes are very clear.

 

[Camaro_94]

I almost bought a 2 month old used D3000 with 2 lenses, 4gb memory cars, tripod, and a few other accessories that came with it for $400.

 

[Mustanger]

+2 on the Canon point & shoots...look at the $149-$179 SD1300/1400IS specs or some other Canons...they take great pics & they last fine.

 

[CobraBob]

I've had both Canons and Panasonics and IMO the Panasonic has better color/truer color and a superior zoom. I just bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 a couple of months ago and absolutely love it. My second Lumix DMC camera. $257.82 shipped at B&H Photo.

* - 12.1 Megapixels
* - Leica 12x Optical Zoom Lens
* - True 25mm Wide Angle
* - 3" LCD
* - GPS Geotagging
* - High Speed Autofocus
* - Optical Image Stabilization
* - Intelligent Scene Detection
* - High Sensitivity (ISO 6400)
* - HD Video Recording (AVCHD Lite)

This camera gets very high reviews. The 12X optical zoom is a great feature to have.

 

[sunburned]

Damn, that Panasonic looks nice. The only thing I don't like is the physical size, but I guess I could put up with that for how capable it is.

 

[Blk03CobraVenom]

+1 on the Panasonic Lumix. I had a similar model but it was 2 years old. Fantastic quality and ease of use for a great price.:banana: Unfortunately, I lost it on a trip to Jamaica. :nonono: Am going to get myself the same one CobraBob linked. I was eyeing it in BestBuy last week. You may find better deals on Tigerdirect.com or Newegg.com as well.

 

[Tabres]

Canon S95.

 

[HYBRED]

When my neighbor had his first kid, he took a memory card into the store and took photos with every camera they had on display and compared them at home. I'm not sure what he ended up buying, but I thought that was a great idea for comparing quality. Personally, we had a Canon SD790 (retail around $250 IIRC) and it was awesome. We used it and my Canon 40D during power tour, and for the most part when it comes to general shots at the shows you can't tell which camera took the pictures.

 

[venom_inc]

I used to sell cameras at Best Buy and I can defiantly recommend one to you.

Are you really willing to lug around a bulky SLR camera which most people never use to full potential? If so, spend the money and get a Cannon. Nikon is good too. You will also end up having to buy separate lenses as you will find out the standard lens is meh.

If you want to stick with a compact camera, I ABSOLUTLY recommend Sony over any other brand. The Carl Zeis lenses are fantastic. I have a 5 year old 7.2 MP Sony camera which outshoots most non-Sony cameras today. Don't waste your money on crazy megapixles because you'll never need them. Just don't go below 7. When I get home I'll check specific models out for you if you would like. Do yourself a favor and buy Sony.

 

[DVan8504]

My only beef with Sony is their proprietary memory card format. It's not a huge deal I guess, but I've come into contact with more than one device that didn't accept Sony memory cards.

That said, I recommend Canon and Nikons.

 

[venom_inc]

My only beef with Sony is their proprietary memory card format. It's not a huge deal I guess, but I've had come into contact with more than one device that didn't accept Sony memory cards.

That said, I recommend Canon and Nikons.

Well, I agree that the memory stick input isn't available one a few laptops but I have seen them on most desktops. If you don't want to keep the cord connected, you could always just get an adapter for any system.
As far as printers go, I have personally never seen a photo printer without a memory stick input.

 

[DVan8504]

Well, I agree that the memory stick input isn't available one a few laptops but I have seen them on most desktops. If you don't want to keep the cord connected, you could always just get an adapter for any system.
As far as printers go, I have personally never seen a photo printer without a memory stick input.

The OP may never run into this issue, but I just wanted him to be aware of it. Most people don't consider these things. I'm surprised to hear you've seen a lot of desktops that have a slot for the Sony memory card btw. I've only ever seen them on Sony Vaios.

 

[lobra97]

I shot these this past weekend with a Nikon P90, not an SLR but i believe a step down from it. was around $350 a year ago. I think they came out pretty good, think i'm ready to sell and step my game up though...wife was like, "oh great more money" lol

http://www.svtperformance.com/forum...596-drove-gruene-tx-brought-camera-along.html

 

[tj4891]

I just got the Sony nex5 and love it, its the size of a point and shoot but feature of a slr and point and shoot in one recommend looking into them, they have the nex3 and nex5 best of both world plus it does HD movie all in one. Good luck hope this helps α NEX Cameras | Sony | Sony Style USA

 

[760-MPH]

Thanks everyone. Really appreciate the feedback. i guess point and shoot cameras have come a long way since i last purchased one. A lot of people are recommending the Nikon L110 to me but as you mentioned seems kind of bulky for my wife to throw in her purse. Any negatives on this model?

i really really like the lumix - thanks again.