Point and shoot cameras

[JMsAquarium]

So I am looking for a point and shoot digital camera. It will be for my 11 years old kid. What I am looking for is a camera that can :

- sustain some abuse (as oops, I banged it a little, fell of my hands) if possible

- good image quality when printing both outdoor AND indoor pics.

- good image quality when printing large prints, like 8.5 x 11 paper.

- long battery life

- does not take forever to get ready between taking pictures

- Pocket sized if possible

 

Does the number of pixels matter, as in 6 vs 7 vs 8?

Does image stabilization matters?

 

I was looking at the Sony DSC-W series, Cannon Powershot series but have no clue of what to look for in a camera.

 

Price range give or take around $350.00

 

Thanks for any advise.

 

JM

[dzekunoi]

I never used Sonys but tried a few Powershots and they are really nice cameras.

 

With 6 mp you should be fine to print mentioned prints.

 

Image stabilization you need only when you take zoom pictures. Say when I use 12X zoom I really need it.

 

I got a Powershot (sorry, forgot model #, it's 5 mp one) for my 13 years old daughter and she is very happy with it.

[alan mcilvried]

My perspective on camera's for kids.

 

Go to www.dpreview.com for all of the comparisons, buying guides, etc. You should find the answer to every question you have there.

 

Ritz camera stores have been very helpful to me also. Ask them when a slow time is and go talk to the most knowledgable person there (ask who that is - you don't want to talk to the HS kids working the counter.)

 

I JUST got Nikon CoolPix 4 megapixel (maybe 5mp?) cameras for my kids (ages 13, 15, 17) for Christmas and they take VERY nice indoor and outdoor pictures. $99.00 at Ritz Camera. (For comparison, I have a Canon A530 which I paid about $300 for and a Sony Cybershot at work - same price range. The Nikon pictures are very good.

 

 

5 mega-pixels is more than enough for 8x10 photos. If you know you're going to blow something up bigger, use the "fine" setting on the camera.

 

Image stabilation is important particularly with long focal length lenses. Not really an issue with point and shoot cameras. One feature you will pick up in the more expensive point and shoot cameras is the ability to record SOUND on the video feature.

 

PERSONALLY, I don't think there's any reason to spend any more than $100 on an 11 year old unless you have some specific reason. By the time he/she is 15 the technology will have changed and you'll have a whole new world of choices. All of them will break if you drop them on the sidewalk and they don't work at all if you leave it lying out at a little leage game someone else steals it.

 

Make sure you know what kind of memory chip the camera takes. Some are proprietary.

 

Most important - Make sure you know what kind of batteries the camera takes. If it only takes a special type or it's a camera only rechargable, you're out of luck when it runs low in the middle of the vacation and you forgot the cord. I'd look for one that takes regular AA batteries. You can always get rechargable lithium AA batteries.

 

 

 

Alan

[rooroo]

I bought a Cannon Digital Elf, the first one they came out with, 4 years ago or so. The camera still works well, though the technology is outdated at this point. I've even dropped it a couple of times on pavement, but the body is metal so it takes the abuse. I haven't read reviews of newer models but if they've only improved on what I have, then its gotta be a great point and shoot.

 

I'm looking at getting a new one soon. I'm going between the Sony DSC and the Cannon Elfs again. I will probably go with the elf as I already have the memory it uses. Both are pocket sized.

 

Features you want to look for include the highest number optical zoom (not digital) you can get, might want macro, highest megapixel you can get for the money your willing to spend. Seems 7 megalpixels is pretty standard now... my old cannon is 3.2 megapixels. If I take photos at the highest quality and size setting I can get 5x7s clear out of it. Red-eye flash elimination is pretty standard now adays... most cameras you can buy a larger battery that will improve the battery life. I would recommend getting a camera that takes a standard memory card, like compact flash or memory stick, as those will be easier to find and cheaper. Also buy a lanyard or neck strap for it, that will keep your kid from dropping it so much.

 

Thats all I have to suggest.