/johnny
There was just a Consumer Reports article about this, FWIW.
Thanks for posting this. I need one, too.
I’ve had a Canon 12Mp Power Shot A3100 IS for a couple years. Like it a lot. Don’t know if that model’s still available, but the Canon line is good. I’m sure they have something to fit your bill...
Spend another 20 or 40 bucks and get a Sony Cybershot, you will not be sorry.
Just about all of them now shoot video. Just about all of them will do an acceptable job under good conditions.
I have noticed the local Wal-Mart just about always has some digital P&S cameras on clearance and some of them are great deals. When I say great deals, I have got a couple of middle end P&S cameras which were just a bit out of date for as little as $25. One was a Nikon L-20 and the other a Nikon L-16.
I also bought a Sony MP-4, also for $25. It is a video camera and will also take individual shots. I actually bought two. I sent one to my Daughter for a Christmas present. They already had a high end video camera so they took it, still new in the box to their local Wal-Mart and returned it for $179. They about fell over when I told them I had actually paid only $25 for it.
Don’t be concerned about number of pixels. They all have enough.
Buy a name brand, as new as possible. If you have the chance look up the model on DP review.
I love my Canon equipment (always have)
The A2300 give you lots of pixels and is really geared to the point and shoot folks. And at about 120 bucks it is tough to beat
Can’t go wrong with a Canon camera
Sony Cybershot. Many models from $100 to $300 within the “Cybershot” series of cameras. I bought mine last year for a trip to the Rockies because it had the capability to shoot panoramic(wide open landscape) scenes.
Look to the Consumer Reports, CNET and other review sites for reliable info. I would.
Cybershots are inexpensive and easy to use. I have an 8mp on my DROID phone. It is more than I need and easy to share and print to my Kodak printer with the correct paper. Im just biased. Who needs more than 8mp unless you are a pro or blowing something up(that didn’t sound right). You know what I mean. ;0)
It’s a little outside your price break but I got my wife a Nikon Coolpix P300 for Christmas and it takes awesome pics even in low light. Movies are good too.
$348 at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004M8SVGG/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i06
It has been superceded by the P310 but P300 is still available at Amazon
We always had Sony before but this Nikon way outperforms any Sony we have ever had.
I am a big fan of the Sony Cybershot. I have a model HX9V.
16.2 megapixel and it takes HD video.
You mentioned night shots. It has this feature to shoot photos in very low light. It takes about ten rapid images, then the internal chip in it, processes then together somehow. While on a trip last fall to the Holy Land, I got amazing shots inside in very low light.
Also has a cool auto feature for panoramic shots. You click, then just move your camera from left to right across the scene you want. No need to line up anything. The camera’s internal GPS “stitches” the horizontal scene together seamlessly.
-PJ
I use the Canon SD4000 which is designed for low light situations. As an artist I shoot paintings in museums and the camera does a much better job delivering detail in dark areas. I got mine on sale for about $160.00
A good way to asses a product is to go to Amazon and read reviews.
Or Newegg.
I take along a Panasonic DMC-ZS5 on my morning runs. It is small enough to carry in some shirt pockets and has manual options for f stops & exposure (1/2000 to 60 sec.) It has a LEICA lens with good macro capability. It is versatile enough that I use it for everything. It’s a few years old & probably outdated.
A used one at a good pawn shop, maybe?