a new camera??

[Digitalwave]

The Nikon Coolpix line rocks me.

[OldUser1]

The Nikon Coolpix line rocks me.

:stupid:
I have the Coolpix 4300. Great camera.

-Kenyon

[iXer]

If I wanted to buy a new camera and this would be my only camera, I would chose the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3. The Z1 and Z2 were good, but this one really goes to another level with the image stabilizer. You should be able to find it for $400 but you need a memory card to go with it I guess..

I have a Casio QV-R41 for those occasions where other cameras are bulky and slow. This bugger starts and snaps a picture in a second, it's the fastest I've seen yet. The only drawback is that the optics could've been a little sharper around the edges, on the other hand it's very easy to use and did I say fast?

/Mattias

[natorious]

canon a80 is the best camera in that price range hands down.. its actually quite a bit cheaper than 400...

[E30ownerwithanopinion]

cannon S500 or what ever the elph 5megapixel one is

[Jordan]

IJordan has a Sony and it went through his Jetta crash and still works.

mmmhmm my digital camera was in my center console when i flew off the cliff. I found it on the roof buried in broken glass and tools. Other then alot of scratches on the case it was no worse for the wear.

[CobraKai]

The Nikon Coolpix line rocks me.

Word...my 4500 owns.

[Jand3rson]

IJordan has a Sony and it went through his Jetta crash and still works.

mmmhmm my digital camera was in my center console when i flew off the cliff. I found it on the roof buried in broken glass and tools. Other then alot of scratches on the case it was no worse for the wear.

Yeah, I've dropped my Sony a few times and it hit pretty hard, no noticeable damage at all.

I have to say I'm probably a little biased since I've never used anything BUT Sony digicams, but I've always been pleased with them.

[randomtask37]

IJordan has a Sony and it went through his Jetta crash and still works.

mmmhmm my digital camera was in my center console when i flew off the cliff. I found it on the roof buried in broken glass and tools. Other then alot of scratches on the case it was no worse for the wear.

haha, thats just like my old cell phone.

it was a beast. it survived my wreck. it was found about 65 feet from my car in a creek turned on. when it came out it worked perfectly fine, although it did have a large gash in the top of it. i used it up until today when i got a new phone.

[Werksmini]

I have a Pentax Optio S, its nice to have in that it fits in an altioids box. It takes good pictures as well at 3.2 MP. Just dont expect to be taking amazing night pictures, the exposure will only go up to 1 second. Thats my only real complaint. I got it for 350 or so, i dont really remember.

[george graves]

All of the cheap digi cameras are good for point and click - not much more. I spent $250 on a sony recently - I got it cause it takes video as well as takes a good quick pic.

I'm sure in a few years $500 will get you a sick digital, SLR style camera...

[318driver]

Since i really love the way that all of tjs pictures come out and all i think im gonna have to go with the coolpix line. Thanks guys

[mgold]

I'm in a dilemna myself. I have an Olympus D460 (1.3MP) and that's been fine for most pics, but I really want something better. I have a BFA in Fine Arts Photography and a lot of film equipment I haven't used in a while (I have become a digital convert). I've been eyeing the Canon Digital Rebel and the Nikon D70, both are 6MP SLR's. But they are pricey ($1000-1200). I have the money coming soon, but I'm thinking about getting a PowerBook instead (my little iMac just doesn't cut it anymore). Now a friend can get me a used Nikon D1 for about $400. That might be a good solution for now (if I can convince my wife to let me free up the cash for it) as I should be able to use my manual focus Nikon lenses and flash until I can scrape the cash together to get some good Autofocus lenses and a matching flash or upgrade to a new camera.

As for a camera in the $400 range I would suggest looking for one with the following features:
1. A good optical zoom, none of this digital zoom nonsense. 3x or better.

2. A hot shoe option is nice to have as on camera flashes tend to cause red-eye (lets face it red-eye reduction doesn't work when your trying to capture a candid moment).

3. Optical viewfinder, this is just a personal preference for me. Some digital viewfinders (like on many Fuji cameras) don't work well in low-light. Sometimes its nice to see what your shooting.

4. Easy to use controls/interface. This is what ld me to the Olympus over the Fuji FinePix 1400.

5. 3 Megapixel or better. If you ever want to print 8x10's its probably a good idea. 3MP is minimum for those. 6MP should hold up to 20x30. But remember, the more MP the more hard drive space it will take up.

6. Test drive it before you buy it. I can't stress how important that is. Go down to a good camera shop and try out the cameras you are considering. How does it feel in your hands? Do you find it easy to use the controls? How do the images look? There are a lot of great resources online to check out, I recommend you do that before you buy.