Another Camera Advice Thread.

[Rage99]

My friend is looking for a good digital point and shoot camera for her upcoming vacation on the 18th of this month. Her spending limit is $300 and that includes accessories (only extra thing she will need is just another memory stick most likely)

I would do research but I was curious what you camera guru's had to say.

She probably will mostly be taking pictures of her and her friends, but it wouldn't hurt to have a decent optical zoom for any landscape shots.
Are there any certain models that fit in this criteria or are there any brands that you praise?

 

[pj-schmidt]

I'd recommend the Canon SD400
5megapixels
compact - easy to carry
very nice pictures and video
3x zoom lens

$276 delivered
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=162537

Here's a comprehensive review:
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd400-review/index.shtml

It comes with a 16MB memory card which will hold 5 hi-resolution pictures.
Here's a good 512MB (210+ pictures) memory card:
$32 delivered (save more with a MIR)
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=82032

I have a friend that owns one of these, and it produces pictures that are often nearly as good as my $1600 digital SLR setup.

Hope this helps.

 

[misan-thrope]

If compactness are not an issue, and she doesn't mind used, a Canon A80 is a incredibly buy. The flip screen is a very nice feature.

 

[darktiger]

I love canons, but I recommend the Panasonic DMC-LZ2, just because it is under $250 and has a image stability system....

 

[ScYcS]

Canon A610, Fuji F10, Casio Z120 or the Panasonic LZ2 would be my picks in that price range.