Buying a camera

Hey all,

So I'm buying a camera (the one I got from Catch of the Day was DoA) and it was at least what seemed to be a decent entry level camera. (FinePix S2960 - the LCD was pure white, but the view finder worked).

My budget is fairly low - around the $150 mark, and I'd like to find something that is equal or better to what this one had: 14MP, 15x zoom decent size screen.

Anyone got any suggestions?

I don't mind pre-loved so long as it's only a year or 2 old and looks decent. I want something that looks robust and professionalish too, not some goofy little flat thing that the flash "pops" out of!

Thanks!

i'm really happy with my panasonic lumix ft3. its a little out of your budget though (about the $250 mark new) but its a solid camera and its put up with a bit of abuse from me.
i'm sure you could find the previous generation ft2 in your budget though.

I bought a 16.2mp Sony and am surprised at the quality of pics. Also does 3d pics and hd movies ao features. That one is within your budget.

Megapixels means shit, find something with a good lens.

So leica, fujinon, g series.

More important than Megapixels

Model is a dsc wx7 and it has a Carl Zeiss lens. Got an extra battery and 4gb card with it too.

Thanks guys, and for the advise Pete. I'll have a look at them. I might be able to stretch the budget a little... see how I go ;) End of the day I really just want to be able to take some decent pics of my family and our lives.

Actually I was wrong, I got the S3280 from catch for $139, which by all accounts doesn't seem a bad price at all. Pitty about the LCD. If only I was game enough to check for a loose connection. It has a Fujinon lens too. I might try to track down another one of these.

Can I get someone's opinion on it's specs before I go an "re-buy" please? :)
http://products.fujifilm.com.au/prod...sid=1&pid=1019

Actually, for just under $200, I can get the S4500, which seems like a better option.

Thoughts?

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/dig...pecifications/

I am on my second Panasonic Lumix FH-25, it's good too. Best cheap camera I've owned. It's a 16MP, 8x optical zoom job with 28mm wide angle (Carl Ziess?) lens. I bought the second one in May from some place in Sydney for 150. (The first one went for a swim) The biggest downside is you can't zoom when recording, which is just stupid.

Panasonic use Leica lenses

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by poita

Panasonic use Leica lenses

---

Ah yeah that's the one!

As Pete said, megapixels mean fk all.
Unless you're wanting to get your photos blown up and printed on billboard and walls etc, it don't mean crap.
For the price the Panasonic is great.
Easy to use, great photos and features are good too.

Well, I ended up going for the SL300 FujiFilm. Seems to have a decent lens (Fujinon) with 30x optical and it's a 14MP so keeps with the average there. For the price ($290) I think I've done alright!