Digital Camera - best for around £100 - £130?

[unreality]

Hey. I'm looking to order a digital camera tonight or tomorrow, it must be availble to be delivered before Xmas. I want at least 4 megapixels and 3.0 optical zoom, with a good lens. I'd prefer if it took AA batteries, but this isn't very important. I'd also prefer an actual viewfinder on the camera - but again it isn't vital.

I'm looking at the Canon Powershot A450 (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://astore.amazon.co.uk/thedvdforums-21/detail/B000EW98JI/203-7320838-0946305) and the Canon Powershot A430 (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://astore.amazon.co.uk/thedvdforums-21/detail/B000EQBUVI/203-7320838-0946305) right now.

I'm also looking at the A530 which is very similar to the A540 (Around £100) but this is 5MP - which is OK with me - but it also has a smaller LCD screen and I'm wondering whether the £25 reduction is worth it. And Amazon can't deliver it before Xmas, neither can Pixmania unless its purchased with a battery charger that adds around £20 on.

I've looked at all the reviews on Steve's Digicams and Amazon but a lot of the tech specs don't mean much to me. My big question is this - is the A540 worth £45 more than the A430? Is it better except for megapixels/screen?

Sorry for all the questions. I was looking for a Nikon really as my sis has one and it always impresses me, but I hear Canon Powershot are good too.

Phew, long post, thanks for reading! :thumbs:

[Alan b]

Moving to Photography Forum

[unreality]

Thanks for moving, didn't see this forum. Think I'll just take the plunge and go for the A540!

[superleeds123]

Get a Fuji F30....awesome camera.

[jprlaw]

i just bought a f30 for a present. 147 from Cameras2U.com (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click?p(20266)a(60823)g(634508))

[ben.bayliss]

Resurrecting this slightly!

My lady would like a camera for her birthday. Looking to spend £125 including camera, 512MB memory card (pennies now, I know) and a small case.

So far I've stumbled across these:

Olympus F-170 £82
Olympus F-180 £110
Olympus F-190 £100
Fuji Finepix F460 £90

The F-170/180 and Fuji are top of the list so far, and I do admit to leaning towards Olympus generally due to past experiences.

Have I missed any other good ones? Needs to be sleek for obvious handbag storage(!), so no chunky suggestions please. :)

Ta,
B

[superleeds123]

Resurrecting this slightly!


Have I missed any other good ones? Needs to be sleek for obvious handbag storage(!), so no chunky suggestions please. :)

Ta,
B

YES :doh: Fuji F30....the only option !!

[ben.bayliss]

Does look nice, but is quite a bit over budget (why is that always the case!?), especially factoring in a case and memory card.

[superleeds123]

You could get it with a 1gb card for about £150 delivered from 7DayShop (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=530&gid=6083&id=30372) - worth that little more in my opinion.

[rwniel]

For someone who doesn't need all the manual controls of the F30, consider an F20 instead. It's £99.99 from Argos (http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5606021.htm). There would then be room in your budget for a carry case and xd memory card. This case from 7DayShop (http://www.thedvdforums.com/jump2.php?url=http://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=530&gid=6083&id=30372&p=http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=102097) looks like it should fit this camera (- the camera dimensions are 9.35cm x 5.67cm x 2.66cm).

The battery life isn't as great compared to the F30 so if you plan to be out an about a lot you may wish to consider a spare one - a compatible one from EuroBatteries (http://www.eurobatteries.com/sitepages/description1.asp?id=2355&cat=Digital%20Camera) costs £8.97 plus delivery (£11.92 in total).

Robert

[iceking]

Does the F30 automatically select the correct ISO number or do you have to set it manually?

[rwniel]

The F30 has an 'auto' mode, however this model does have a tendency to increase the ISO a bit more than is often necessary. So you are better to set it at a specific value yourself and then have the shutter speed/aperture vary as required (or experiment with scene position mode). This is one area where the F31fd has been tweaked a bit.

Robert

[iceking]

The F30 has an 'auto' mode, however this model does have a tendency to increase the ISO a bit more than is often necessary. So you are better to set it at a specific value yourself and then have the shutter speed/aperture vary as required (or experiment with scene position mode). This is one area where the F31fd has been tweaked a bit.

Robert

Thanks. I am also tempted by the F31 for the face detection, does this work well and reduce red eye?

Also does it select a better ISO mode / the correct type of flash?

[rwniel]

Check out this video of the Fuji F31fd (http://labs.pcw.co.uk/2007/01/video_review_fu.html) - a large part of it demonstrates the face detection function and its limitations. Red eye is going to be a problem with either model to some degree due to the closeness of the flash to the lens ( - and due to their compact nature).

One of the interesting features for those taking lots of flash photographs is the 'natural light+flash' mode (one of its scene modes) - this is present on both the f30 and f31fd. Basically it'll take two photos, one just with natural light and the other with flash so you can then judge which one you like best.

My impression is that the f31fd seems to have tweaked some of the defaults compared to the f30 - the F30 appears more prone to overexposing (mostly in bright, contrasty situations). Note, if you're looking for more of an auto camera you may wish to wait for a little while and consider the f40fd; this is an update to the F20 and adds face detection. Being new, it's going to be quite a bit more expensive and naturally more of an unknown quantity. The f30/f31fd have been out longer so therefore the quirks are well known.

Robert