I am looking to buy a digital camera on Wednesday. I want to keep it under $300. I want atleast 3 megapixels and a fairly compact size. Durablility would be a plus also. Suggestions? I just threw my consumer reports in the garbage, so I don’t have anything to refer to.
Sony Cyber-Shot 
For under $200, you can get the camera and an extra 256 memory card. I and several others are very happy with this camera 
I’ve had the sony p-71 cyber-shot for 4 years. Solid as a rock and take good pics. Every fish pic I’ve ever posted here has been taken with that camera and I wouldn’t hesitate to suggest this camera or similar sony to anyone looking.
Mine is the Sony Cyber-shot 3.2 mega pixels and its been a very good camera. Paid 229.00 for it several years ago. Theres probably a new and improved version of it now I would imagine.
Thanks, Bill
I have a new Sony Cyber shot and it is fantastic. Highly recommend them.
Olympus!!!
Olympus Stylus 600 digital camera
Waterproof body too!
I’ve had the Sony Cybershot DSC72 for a few years and it’s been a great camera. Takes really nice pictures.
Any Canon camera, I just bought the A410 3.2 megapixel at WallyWorld for $119.
Great Camera.
Cannon Powershot S1 IS…great point and shoot camera, but also some more advanced featerurs. I believe it is 3.2 mp. Video..Image stabalizing…10x optical zoom (which is a HUGE deal to me)..and 32x digital zoom.
Great camera..I found it for a steal on ebay at 150..I think someone didn’t know what they were selling at the time. But now, they have made a newer one, so I think you could pick one up on ebay for under two bills..
I have 3 Sony cameras, a Mavica 92, a CyberShot U20, and a Cyber Shot P100. All of them are outstanding cameras. The P100 is a 5.1 MP Smart Zoom sweetheart. I don’t think you can find a nicer unit and I bought it on Ebay with all the chargers, cables, and Memory Stick for $208. I don’t think you can go wrong with a Sony. If you use Windows on your puter, you don’t need any software…they are completely compatible.
Joe raises a GREAT point about the sonys… you don’t need a camera dock or any extra software to download or access photos on the camera. You use a USB cable, plug the camera into any open USB port and PRESTO! You have access to any file on the camera.
I second the Olympus Stylus cameras for the type of camera you are looking for. Also no need for extra software. I have used some of the cheaper Canon’s and Sony’s and haven’t liked them (just my opinion), but Canon makes the some of the best midrange and highend cameras. Go to Best Buy and check them out.
I have an Olympus 5050. It is now nearly 4-5 years old. I think I bought it in 2000 or 2001. It is 5MP and has excellent battery life. I have been using it as my fishing camera for the last 1-2 years. Rain, waves, spray, cold etc…it has been through that and done that. Still works great. I have not dropped it tho and it has never been fully immersed in water. It is not shock proof and not waterproof. It is easy to transfer files…use the USB cable or take out the card and pop it into the card reader into the PC. No additional software needed. Nowadays, I prefer the convenience of just popping out the card cos I have a 1GB card and I only need to transfer images once in 3 months. Some people might not like keeping the images on the card for so long, but I have been doing this for the last 3-4 years and have never lost a single image in that camera. So I would recommend that you look at the Olympus line and see if anyone of them would fulfill your requirements. Not asking you to get the 5050 cos it would be considered a prosumer and would be more bulky that most consumer cameras now, but just give their compacts a look.
If I were to get another camera, I would want good battery life, some water resistance or water proofing, some shock proofing, quick start up, and some durability. Also, make sure that image quality is what you would want. Preferably, the LCD screen should be sunlight viewable so that you can see what you are taking. If you are going to be taking night shots, consider infra red focussing too. This might not be available for some cameras tho’ but it allows you to focus and take pictures in total darkness. That is all I can think of now. Go to dpreview.com and other camera review sites for more detailed info. Basically, the more homework you do, the more you will be satisfied with your purchase and the longer u will continue to use it. Oh…I think 4-5 MP should be more than sufficient resolution. And do not get interpolated MP. And ignore digital zoom too. Those are software enhancements and do not contribute to real image quality.
PS. Dun know how much you will use it, but I would recommend at least a 512MB card. A 1GB card would be best. But if you are just using for fishing, and are going to download the images after every trip, 256MB should be OK. But consider that if you go on long trips and have no computer access, and do not want to run out of card space, you would want 512MB or 1GB.
I went to Wally world last night and bought a camera with the intention of trying it out and returning it if I didn’t like it. I went with the Nikon CoolPix because it was very small and the features were pretty good. I took 15 pictures last night, put an SD card in today, and now it won’t turn on. I am going to quit screwing around and just buy a good one this time.
Ya need to get a SONY. All of my home electronics are SONY. VERY satisfied and they stand behind their products, I’ve only had to deal with them once and they replaced it no questions on warranty. You will like any Cyber Shot Camera.
Sony or Cannon.
Spend the money Dan as you will have it for a long time.
Ron
I have a sony W7 and love it! It has 7.2 Megapixels, probably more than you want to spend, but similar models of the Sony wouldn’t be. It takes great pictures and is very user friendly! Go with Sony
Could be the SD card is not compatible with the Nikon. Either the size of card is too small or too large, or brand conflicts. In any case, it does not bode well for the camera. Last I heard, the low end Nikons should be avoided if possible.
I wanted to revive this thread because I’m searching for a new camera.
I like the idea of Olympus being waterproof. That is what killed my current camera.
I found this review that scared me though.
For those that have this camera, how is the picture quality?
I don’t care about video capabilities.
Sully
Sully,
We have 2 cameras:
Both are, in my opinion, very good cameras. You know how many pics I take on the water…I tend to keep my cameras in a waterproof bag while in the boat, and try my best to keep them dry during use. I have yet to poop out a camera while taking these precautions. Now that it is getting colder, I tend to prefer the SD400 as I can keep it warm (in an inside pocket of my bibs) all day, preventing water from condensing on/in the camera.
Wow…that really trashes the camera. I checked on dpreview.com and they did not have a full review on it. But there were some user opinions that image quality was not so good. I guess whether that will be a deal breaker depends a lot on where you are going to be using the pictures. If you are just going to post them on the internet at medium resolution, then it might not matter. But if you really want nice images, then it might not be for you after all. Also, I noted that shutter lag is a concern. I do not know how bad is it, but I think shutter lag is something that you might not want if you are on the water. It could make the difference between a properly held fish and one in which the fish has flopped with a look of shock on the person’s face. Hehe. Buying a digital camera is not easy. Especially if you want to get one that will work for you for a long time. It takes a lot of time and effort reviewing all the reviews and also going to shops to test them out. What I used to do was to carry a memory card with me when I went to test cameras. I would pop in my memory card, take some photos with the camera while in the shop, and then review all the images from the memory card at home. Of course there are limitations to this method, but it is better than nothing. Good luck on your search!
I own 3 digital camera’s, 2 Canon and 1 Kodak. For the boat I’d buy one of the Olympus Stylus weatherproof cameras.
If you can swing it. I recommed a digital SLR. You wont ever go back to Point and Shoot again.
I bought the olympus shock and waterproof camera and i like it. Although Im not a professional joe-photo or anything the pics are reasonable, and the peace of mind that rain, rough rides and mishandling wont ruin it are worth it for me. Good luck with your search.
Don’t buy a Kodak 
C340! Bad news at best! Trust me! JJ
The camera I am replacing is a C300. It did not hold up to my abuse.
Sully
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