Looking for a Quality, Quick Response Digital Camera for ~$250

I found olympus Stylus cameras are great. There is barely any recycle time on the photo taking. It has a rechargable battery, which lasts a long time,and great quality.

hi , i have just purchased myself a sony erickson w580i cell phone with a 3 megapixel camera, this cell phone takes the most professional photos, and because it is a phone you have it on you at all times and in an instance can be used, because of the work i do ( i run this guesthouse i make use of a cell/mobile phone, which is always in my pocket, just went for a drive to the beach and saw this unusual cloud and out came the phone.
i was at first going to buy a digital camera but decided its better to buy a decent phone that also has a decent camera,
if you send me your email address i will then send you a photo for you to check, heres mine ____@____.com

C.

Hi K.!
The delay between shots is one of the reasons I moved up to a Digital SLR. This is the one that looks like a regular camera that has removable lenses but saves to a memory card. I have no delay on it whatsoever. Unfortunately, they are higher than your budget. They have a Nikon D40 which is more reasonably priced and is excellent quality and features, but I think it's around $400.
If you definitely can't invest that much, what they said about the memory card is partly valid. Cameras themselves have slightly varying lagtimes. I read last year's Consumer Reports and it said the Kodaks were consistently faster, however, it was by a very small margin. Plus, I don't feel they are the highest quality cameras and I think that's more important.
Anyway, you can buy a higher speed memory card which will allow your photos to save to it faster so you can get to the get to the next photo faster. I believe I bought the SD brand for my small point & shoot Nikon but check at the store to see what's recommended. (I have found the Staples people and Circuit City people most knowledgeable in technology items like this). Personally I noticed only a small difference between the regular card and the high speed card, so maybe they have improved in the last 3 or 4 years since I had that camera.
Another tip I discovered using my mom's Olympus camera which works well taking a photo of my NOT stationary children: you can push the shutter release button part of the way to get the picture focused or get the kids in the right position, then press the button the rest of the way. The picture will take immediately with no delay.
Oh...another tip, if there's anyway to get one of those cameras with a rechargeable battery pack included, get that. Otherwise, you will be going through a lot of batteries. I didn't have a lot of success with the individual rechargeable batteries I added, but my battery pack that came with my Nikon works for a ton of photos.
Good luck deciding what you are going to get!

The biggest problem with digital cameras is the noticeable lag time between shots. Really the only way to get around that is to buy an SLR digital camera, because it is professional quality, but you can't get one for under $400. They're usually between $500-800 average. My friends into photography tell me they are the best for both action and still.

Of course, they have this new feature in the newer models that supposedly detects a smile and snaps when the camera senses it. But personally, I like candid shots, not necessarily "happy" shots all the time, so I think this would annoy me. I want the camera to take a picture when I push the button. You want to look for the highest mega pixels you can get, as well as a camera with "anti-shake" on it, since digital pictures can be blurry unless you plan on taking a tripod with you everywhere.

As to the Cybershots, my friend's mother came down to visit after her baby was born. She had a Cybershot, and we were both impressed by how quickly it responded. I would definitely consider one if I was on the market. We have a Samsung S730. I liked it, but the LCD screen is already messed up, and we've only had it since Christmas. We're watching for the SLRs to go down and will likely get one of those in the next few years. Though now my husband is talking about the new HD camcorders, which are tiny like a camera, use the same reader cards, and can also take still shots like a regular digital camera. Too many choices, darn it! ;-)

Everyone I know has the Kodak Easy Share. I have an Olympia now that my husband got for 25 years at his job. I think the cheaper Kodak Easy Share takes nicer pics. The quality of the pic is worth a lot more than the speed of the camera. My youngest daughter has the Kodak Easy Share and loves it. That is also what my neice uses and she has three little girls. If I were buying a new camera the Kodak Easy Share would be my top choice.

I have two cameras, both Canons. One is a bulkier version (Power Shot S2 IS - about three years old) and the other is a smaller fit-in-your-pocket camera (Power Shot SD600). Both take excellent pics with very little lagtime. The larger one has an awesome optical zoom and I can get great close-ups of my girls playing without having to be right in their faces. The smaller one is nice b/c it's more portable and the LCD screen is larger. I think one of the most important features to look for on a smaller camera is that it has a viewfinder in addition to the LCD screen. This allows you to see the "shot" when your outdoors and the LCD is hard to see.
Also, I'm not sure about what the salesperson told you about the quality of the memory card having an impact on the lagtime when taking pictures. I have never experienced that. I would think that the memory card is just that....memory. I wouldn't think it would have any impact on how quickly the camera captures a shot. But I'm not an expert. You may want to research that a bit more. Here's a link that I found that has some helpful tips on how to reduce lagtime. Memory cards are not mentioned.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/digital-photography1...

My larger camera takes AA batteries and the smaller one has very convenient rechargeable battery that comes right out of the camera and plugs directly into an electrical outlet. No cords or bulky charging platforms. And the battery stays charged for a long time, unlike my 1st digital (Kodak) which had to be recharged every 15 or so pictures. But that was a long time ago, maybe they have improved since then.

Hope this helps!

K.,

I bought a Canon Power Shot A8-something...and I invested in the High Capacity Card for just the reason you stated...to get the quicker shots. Let me tell you it works. Canon's are nice because they are user friendly. This is my 3rd one...2nd digital. I ordered my camera online and it was cheaper that way. Hope this helps!

I have had 3 Cybershots and love them--my current camera is one. However, there is some lagtime with the shutter--sometimes it's hard to get that expression, etc. I think most digital camerias in a decent price-range do that.
You can take several shots in a row though. There is even a burst mode that takes say 6 shots fast with each time you press the button--I haven't used it but read it in the manual. The batteries with these are Sony-only. You can't use AA but I haven't had a problem or had to buy another. It charges fast and the charge holds for a long time. I really recommend it and would buy another.

I own a canon power shot, its 7.1mp, 3X optical zoom, and comes with its own re-chargable battery. I bought it used for 1/2 the price from value pawn. At the time (dec 07')it was new at $395 I paid $139. Anyway, for me canon has been the best camera because its able to take faster pictures then most and the picture quailty is great. This weekend I attended my brother graduation and we couldnt get good shots from where we were, so instead of having to move closer and fight for a seat, I was able to get great pictures with the standard zoom, motion sensor, and the added digital zoom. Its like I was sitting in the front row. I would recommend buying some thing with a motion picture setting available for the times your kids are running and your not pictures. Good luck in the shopping!

I have had a Sony Cybershot for 3 years now and LOVE it. I think it is about 5 or so MPs, but it takes awesome pictures. It is the camera with the 35 mm lense so it isn't very small. However, prior to that I had a sony cybershot that was more compact. While this one is bigger and less compact, I love the quality of the pictures!!! The zoom is amazing on it too - I think mine is a 10x. Its a good choice in a camera!

K.,
I've been working with digital photo technology for years. The first one I had was a mere 2MP and when I bought it, it was top if the line! Now it seems that 8MP is the standard.

You are correct that they improve quickly, but you said you've been looking for over a year. Look at the bigger "picture" here (pun intended) As in what are you using the camera for. Will you be taking professional photos in a studio?

It sounds like to me that you just want to be able to take lots of pictures of your kiddos!

If that is the case then you don't need to spend $250 on a digital camera. The one I have was $99 when I bought it about 2 years ago. It's a 4MP camera with ability to zoom in and out and auto adjust light, etc etc.

Think about WHY you want to go digital. I take hundreds of pictures! HUNDREDS! My daughter is 9 months old and I think I have every silly face she knows how to make on camera. My camera is not the fastest, but it does a great job.

Why spend $250 on a camera that will be out dated in 6 mos. Spend $100 on a decent one and don't let your memory car get too full.

As your memory card fills up, it will take longer to snap between photos- as far as MPs go- the higher the MPs. the bigger you can blow up the picture - that is all it means.

If you've been looking for a year, you are over thinking it and you've missed out on a YEARs worth of great photos.

Also - one last thing to add...Print you pictures at Walgreens - they charge just $0.15 a print (for 4x6) and that is much cheaper than buying the photo paper, the ink and the time to cut out each photo and wait for it to dry, not to mention inkjet printers have ink that smears immediately at contact with water (and I know you know about sticky kid-o fingers) The prints look like a great 35mm shot and will last much longer without fading.

I hope this helps you. If you have more specific questions let me know.