Best camera for under £300? [Archive] - Forums @ The Digital Fix

kirok1

15-07-2005, 18:36

Have a Casio Qvr-40, decent enough machine for a simple shot like me. Sister has a Sony cybershot 5Mp.
Anyone recommend me a decent camera with 6Mp+ for less than £300 :thinking: ?

Preferably small - the casio is ideal. Also metal casing rather than plastic if possible.
I know I could trawl through the ads etc, but I'd still end up with someone else finding something better.
Hope you can help...

rwniel

15-07-2005, 20:27

Providing it's not too bulky for you, one option would be the Canon Powershot S70 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons70/). It has an all metal body and 7.1MP sensor (- the same one that's in Sony's 'P150') with a relatively wide angle lens for a compact camera (- 28mm to 100mm/3.6x optical zoom).

Image quality is noticably better than the Ixos 700 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd500/) as the smaller sensor and camera overall inevitably introduces some more compromises. But would otherwise be a suggestion in your price range if you want something smaller.

Another suggestion would be the Fuji F810 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/FujifilmF810/) (or F10 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf10zoom/) for it's higher ISO range) or the considerably cheaper E550 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilme550/) if you're willing to overlook the 'plastic body' aspect. Image quality is broadly similar on both models.

The latter would probably be my recommendation and then use the saving on accessories - spare batteries & charger (- it uses 'AA' size), case and memory cards. Plus consider the additional lens 'extenders' which can be used to increase the zoom range (furthering this camera's flexibility and future 'expandability'). This model can be bought for £159 inc. delivery from Amazon UK (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump.php?url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002XNT76/thedvdforums-21). But you need to weigh up what's the most suitable for your individual needs as there is no such thing as a single 'best camera'.

Robert