Help a noob buy a new digicam!

[echoes]

I currently own a Fuji Finepix 1300 that's a little out of date, to say the least. 1.2 MP, 2x digital zoom, etc. Full specs here.

-I'm going to use it mainly on vacations, photographing monuments and the occasional friend/family member smiling for the camera. In other words, I'm not photographing sports, wildlife or anything moving quickly.

-Must have an optical viewfinder. I took a look at a digicam that had just an LCD viewfinder and couldn't stand it.

-I don't want a camera with a built in mp3 player, foot massager p) or other such gimmicks. I don't need a camera that can take movie clips either, but I wouldn't mind it either.

I just want something simple to point and shoot at static objects and get a quality image. I don't anticipate printing these out on a full-sized sheet of paper but I never know if that might change (especially when and if I can use a nice color laser at school ) I'd like to stay under $300, and probably even lower.

I'm at a loss for how much MP/resolution/zoom etc. I should be looking for, so if anyone could point me in the right direction or make recommendations for specific cameras, I'd really appreciate it, thanks.

 

[Egg242]

Canon Powershot A60 fits all your description and is $200

The Canon Powershot A70 fits them all and has better quality, and is $300.

I have the A70 and can take all my point and shoot type pics plus I get to do alot of cool things with the functions.

If you want to know more just ask, its 9:00 and I have a poster to make and a 3 to 5 min speech to write for monday

 

[Alias]

Yeah I recomend Canon aswell. nice Point and Shoot cameras, and some have nicer features.

 

[echoes]

Thanks for your input. I see the A60 is 2.0 MP, 3x optical zoom, and the A70 is 3.2 MP, 3x optical zoom. I think 3x optical zoom should be adequate, but I'm a little unsure about MP...

What kind of images can you print on your A70? For example, would a 8.5x11 color image turn out decently? Also if you have some sample pics I'd love to see them. *Edit* I just saw the A70 gallery thread so I think I'm set with sample pics. It looks like the A70 would be a great camera... not too expensive, but also with enough features for me to get into photography a little more. Hmmm, now I need to decide if the A70 is worth the extra $100...

 

[jliechty]

Originally posted by echoes
Thanks for your input. I see the A60 is 2.0 MP, 3x optical zoom, and the A70 is 3.2 MP, 3x optical zoom. I think 3x optical zoom should be adequate, but I'm a little unsure about MP...

What kind of images can you print on your A70? For example, would a 8.5x11 color image turn out decently? Also if you have some sample pics I'd love to see them. *Edit* I just saw the A70 gallery thread so I think I'm set with sample pics. It looks like the A70 would be a great camera... not too expensive, but also with enough features for me to get into photography a little more. Hmmm, now I need to decide if the A70 is worth the extra $100...

If you're going to be making a full 8x10 print, the DPI of a 2MP camera would be about 150, while a 3.2MP camera would give you 200 DPI. Not quite ideal for ultra-high-quality prints at that size, but the latter will definitely be noticeable better than the former (unless you have poor eyesight, or just haven't seen a decent print before to compare).

 

[Egg242]

now I need to decide if the A70 is worth the extra $100...

Yes it is. Mine is great. Enough room for expansion yet easy for a beginner. 8x10 prints will look fine. Not the greatest, but no 3.2 is gonna give you better shots.