I've been toying with the idea of getting a new digicam since I haven't been a fan of mine ever since I got it (I guess it's about 4 or 5 years old now?!). And then I got sand in it on the weekend.

So...what digicam (brand and model) do you use? What are its strengths and weaknesses?

I'm undecided on what I want next. I've had two Canons and think they are great, but with those models I had, I was very disappointed with the night shots.

You had an ELPH right?

The ELPH's flash was just too small to fill a dark room. The new ELPH's are better in that you could use a slightly higher ISO to brighten the picture and the new improved noise reduction helps with the picture quality because high ISO's tended to be grainy. They also have optical image stabilization now in certain models that will prevent camera shake so your low light shots won't be as blurry.

I have to go shopping for a camera again since someone left my compact point and shoot Panasonic on top of a mountain on a camping trip. I'll probably be looking at the SD800is myself or something similar in a compact.

Yes, I've had two ELPHs. I lost the first one...probably in a taxi!! Come to think of it, I have used the newer ones, so I will have to see how the photos I took this weekend turned out. Their Night Portrait looked really good on the LCD screen.

I did some research a couple of weeks ago and I got interested in the Pentax and Sonys.

Fuji E510. Strength? Taking photos at 1" distance, and an otherwise simple to use interface. Weakness? crappy ISO400/really bad low-light photos, weak flash, video is 10fps 320x240.

Review (from way back).
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_e510-review/index.shtml
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/fuji_e510_pg5.html

Yes, I've had two ELPHs. I lost the first one...probably in a taxi!! Come to think of it, I have used the newer ones, so I will have to see how the photos I took this weekend turned out. Their Night Portrait looked really good on the LCD screen.

I did some research a couple of weeks ago and I got interested in the Pentax and Sonys.

Yeah, the new DIGIC processor on the ELPH's are supposed to be really good for noise reduction. Let me know what you find out. The ELPH is on my short list right now. I can't say that I've ever been a fan of PENTAX (cheap build) or SONY (stoopid memory stick).

I should find out what model my guy's is. I've been looking at the prices and the latest SD models are around $500 :( (However, if you get the SD900 from Costco, you get an extra battery and a free case).

I've hit up Steve's Digicams, and I like reading the reviews there.

Even though I was going to move away from the Canons, I am tempted to go back. I have so many accessories that I can re-use!

I work with a Canon 40D as my primary and 350D as my backup. On the p&s side I need to upgrade at some point as I am still running with an S30. For those of you wanting to get more information on cameras, the best site for the rundown is Dpreview.com

The best from Canon in the Powershot (ultra compact) series is the 950IS. The 870is suffers past ISO400 unless you feel like always running a third party tool such as Noise Ninja to remove some of the noise from your photos. The 950IS has excellent IQ for a P&S.

I actually got the Canon SD870. I was actually going to go for the SD850, but I went for prettier instead of cheaper.

I originally thought about the 950, but for the price difference wasn't worth it to me in the end.

I am planning to get Canon SD900, I read the reviews and they all seem pretty good. I have a Canon Powershot A560 which is working great but want to give my parents something this Christmas, so checking out between Cams and DigiCams.

Yeah I don't know what I will buy for my next p&s as I'm buying a Hensel lighting rig in the new year. It'll set me back a few grand so I don't really think I will care about getting a p&s till later in 2008.

One thing about p&s that I am liking is that they are adding more functionality and no longer playing the megapixel game.

I am planning to get Canon SD900, I read the reviews and they all seem pretty good. I have a Canon Powershot A560 which is working great but want to give my parents something this Christmas, so checking out between Cams and DigiCams.

Get the 850is on sale (I have this one). The optical image stabilization (the "is") is a real life saver on such a small camera. It can salvage some very unstable pictures (drinking over the holidays anyone?). The SD900 does not have this feature. Only the older 800is (lacks SDHC capability so no monster storage), the 870is (no optical viewfinder), and the new 950is have this.

The 850is should be a really good deal seeing as the 950is is the top dog with IS now. Mandatory price drops for old models of course. The 950is boasts a higher megapixel count (8.3 vs 8.0 so no big deal), but uses a longer focal range (35 - 140mm) while the 850is has a wider angle (28 - 105mm) which makes it much easier to sneak in a shot in cramped quarters and seems more appropriate for a camera this size. I'd take the wide angle any day on such a small camera. Also, the 850is is a bit quicker shot to shot, off to on etc so you don't miss those precious moments. The price for having to process that extra .3 of a megapixel I guess!

The SD850is can be found for around $300 now (http://www.shopping.com/xPO-Canon-Digital-ixus-950IS?linkin_id=3060563) I believe. I paid about $400 for it back in the Summer but I do love it to death.

I actually got the Canon SD870. I was actually going to go for the SD850, but I went for prettier instead of cheaper.

I originally thought about the 950, but for the price difference wasn't worth it to me in the end.

The body style is slimmer on the SD870is and the screen is a lot bigger because it lacks the viewfinder. Not a big deal and good performance all around. Battery life is a little less because of the larger screen of course. The Image Stabilization is definitely the best feature of the ELPHs. No more shakey pics from small cameras!

The body style is slimmer on the SD870is and the screen is a lot bigger because it lacks the viewfinder. Not a big deal and good performance all around. Battery life is a little less because of the larger screen of course. The Image Stabilization is definitely the best feature of the ELPHs. No more shakey pics from small cameras!

There were some very minor differences between the 850 and 870 which was why I was having such a hard time deciding between the two at first. The 870 has digital macro and wide angle zoom where the 850 does not.

I got my SD870 at Best Buy in the US for $350 with a 10% discount (you can often coupons on the 'net). At the time there was also a promotion through Best Buy. You could order online and pick it up at a store for a 10% discount. I'm not sure if that deal is going on.

The SD850 was $300 at the time I purchased my 870.

I accidentally turned on Slow Synchro mode and for the life of me couldn't figure out why my photos with turning out yellow and blurry. I'm glad that got sorted out!

I recently got the Kodak Easyshare Z1275. It is a 12 megapixel little camera with amazing features. If you know about photography, this little camera can act as an analog when you put in all manual. You can play with the ISO and it has different options for more or less resolution. Very good with low light conditions... I'm in love with my little camera, and it was $245, with 2 Gig memory card, and a bunch of stuff in a package.

Wait a sec... I have MACRO and the focal range on the 870is and 850is is the same (28 - 105mm) :confused:

I have a small one, I don't even remember what it is called. But I need to get a new one with really sharp image focus.

I would recommend the Canon 850IS as well.

I was looking around online, and I saw few days ago a camera that looks incredible! but is way too expensive! It´s a Canon DSLR, with 16 megapixels, and the price was 8 thousand dollars!... hopefully it´ll come down!

I'm not sure what the cut off is now for "professional" grade digital cameras but at one point I believe (and I could be wrong) it was generally accepted to be 8MP. That was when the average camera was around 2MP. Now I think the "bar" is above 12MP. The elite or professional cameras price usually doesn't come down as quickly as the ones that are in the mid or lower range.

Berlin, you're referring to the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III. I've had a chance to work with the camera and while it's a beautiful camera. However, bodies come and go, and if you can get a good camera body, you should put your focus on buying top notch glass. After a point MP doesn't mean anything as we photographers look for more functionality in the camera.

If you do want to go with a full frame camera, I would recommend the Canon 5D as the price has slightly dropped over the last few years. Not a tremendous amount, but I saw it for $2199.99. As for what Chuck said, the price doesn't really change THAT much at that level of camera.

I was looking around online, and I saw few days ago a camera that looks incredible! but is way too expensive! It´s a Canon DSLR, with 16 megapixels, and the price was 8 thousand dollars!... hopefully it´ll come down!

The best thing to do if you want a top of the line camera like that is to hunt around for a USED one. Granted, it will still be a few grand to buy that camera, but at least you don't have to absorb the depreciation. You can get it even cheaper when its replacement arrives as manufacturers tend to release top end DSLR's only once every couple years. Most of the time, the people that buy the most high end cameras don't have a clue how to use them, and they end up sitting around in closets, making them a phenomenal deal on Craigslist.

But like Chuck said, cameras of that caliber tend to sit in that price range for a long time, but they do influence the value of lower end models with better technology and features.

I'm still using a Nikon D50, which was about $900 at the time. You can pick it up used for around $300 now, most of them used a couple times only because either A) They couldn't figure it out or B) They caught the DSLR sickness and started to upgrade. The D50 is only 6.1 Megapixel, but like Splitfyre said, on DSLR's, the lenses matter and I've spent nearly three times the amount I spent on the body on lenses. I will probably spend more because as you get better at using the camera, you'll realize that in order to get the shots you want, you will need different lenses. You'll also discard lenses you grow out of or thougth you needed in favour of professional quality lenses. It's a bit of an addiction too.

So...what digicam (brand and model) do you use? What are its strengths and weaknesses?

I'm undecided on what I want next. I've had two Canons and think they are great, but with those models I had, I was very disappointed with the night shots.

I've used a few different cameras but I keep coming back to Canon. Their low end models aren't great in the least, but they also have some better cameras. :approve:

Thank you so much for the tips. When I started to look for a digital camera, few years ago, I fell in love with a Canon top of the line that back then was 8 thousand bucks and it had 11.2 MP. Now I have a Kodak Easyshare Z1275, with 12 MP and it was only 220 bucks.... Of course I would like a top of the line, but for now, this one is doing a great job!