Searching For A New Digital Camera

Posted on March 15th, 2007 by Ed Lau

Recently I’ve realized that since I can’t lug 10 pounds of camera equipment everywhere, sometimes I miss out on photo opportunities. While I would love to have my Canon 20D with my everywhere, sometimes that’s just not possible. While my Samsung D900 does have a 3-megapixel camera attached to it, let’s face it, camera phones are still nowhere near as good as even the most basic consumer-grade digital camera.

While I know plenty about DSLRs and lenses, I have nearly no knowledge whatsoever about small digital cameras and am open to suggestions. Personally, I would love to have a Sony since the size and design is about right but I had a small Sony before and the picture quality was horrendous. However, it does give me a good idea of the size and weight that I’m looking for.


This Sony T100 is about the right size. I’m not too concerned about megapixels since anything I do with this camera will probably just be for the blog. Anything 6.1 and up is probably fine. I’m also not picky about the zoom although a 3-5x would be nice. A nice big LCD on the back, a good quality lense and maybe stabilization would be a bigger priority. Brand is not important as long as everything else fits although I do prefer Canon since I work with all Canon equipment and am used to the menus. Nikon, Samsung, Panasonic, whatever is fine. Heck, if they’ve improved how Sony cameras work, I’d be on board with that too.

But of course, size is my biggest concern. It should fit in my pocket and should be no bigger than say, a deck of cards or so. Any suggestions?

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  1. Carl said on March 15th, 2007 at 8:21 pm

    I did research on this before buying a Canon Digital IXY 900 IS. I wanted something small, with plenty of manual settings, and good optical IS. This camera is called Digital Elph 800 IS or something in North America.

    Others I looked at were the FinePix Z5.. This one doesn’t have optical IS, but it has a really good sensor that allows high ISO without looking like crap, so ends up being good in low light as well.

    All Nikon cameras in this size/price range suck, so forget about them.

    Panasonic has a new camera in this range with optical IS, but it wasn’t out when I was looking, so I don’t know much about it.

    Honestly, just stick with the Canon… It just feels right ;)

    Reply
  2. Michael Kwan said on March 15th, 2007 at 9:25 pm

    My girlfriend’s brother has one of those slim Sony cameras and the picture quality isn’t great nor is the user interface. I’ve heard good things about the Panasonic Lumix line.

    FYI, most consumer point-and-shoots will have 3x optical zoom. No more, no less. A small handful may have 4x or 5x, but by and large, you’re looking at 3x.

    Reply
  3. Stephen said on March 15th, 2007 at 10:17 pm

    I have a Panasonic FX9. It has a “FOOD” mode. Nuff said ;)

    Reply
  4. Leo said on March 16th, 2007 at 1:21 am

    I’m very happy with my old Optio S (fits in an Altoids box). Great picture quality and easy to use in a compact size. Anything in the optio line is good for point and click uses. The new M series is nice too, and all priced under $300.
    http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/pentax-optio-m30_reviews.html

    Reply
  5. Gdog said on March 16th, 2007 at 7:04 am

    My first compact digital camera was a Canon S230 digital elph. I’ve so far experienced the S400 and now the SD400. The Canon’s size and picture quality (along with excellent, high fps video) is superb. Like Carl said, they just feel right.

    Reply
  6. Jonix said on March 16th, 2007 at 9:56 am

    I’ve an old fujitsu KX with 2.0 megapixel :(
    In the next days i must gain some corage and do an upgrade to a better digital camera. I liked your review and this one could be my next camera.

    Reply
  7. msdanielle said on March 16th, 2007 at 4:45 pm

    i agree. i think you should definitely go with Canon. i bought a powershot SD600 from walmart for $250 + 1gb memory for $50. here’s the link to the exact camera:
    http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=12913

    best benefits: it’s really compact, has a huge lcd screen, it’s easy to use, has 6 megapixels, and 3x optical zoon. i bought it really last minute a couple days before my trip to bali and when i came back everyone kept going on and on about how i take such great photos. ya right, i didn’t tell em i had a canon. ;) i wouldn’t go with sony, i hear they have problems with their lenses. but check dpreview.com, they prob have the best reviews. sorry for such a long comment

    Reply
  8. Leo said on March 17th, 2007 at 1:52 am

    Just looked at the M30 today at London Drugs, it comes in navy blue, mmmmm. It’s tiny, 7.1 megpix, a slew of features and takes great pics. Only $279. I’m thinking about getting it.

    Reply
  9. Tyler Ingram said on March 18th, 2007 at 10:48 am

    Well I just obtained a Canon EOS 350D, yea I know its not compact but I’ve been using the Canon A85 or something previously? Again not as compact but it is getting smaller.

    My little sister has one of those Sony Cybershots, I forget the exact model but its not much bigging than a credit card and has a good sized LCD screen (takes up pretty much the entire back of the camera) I friend at work has the model above and she loves it too.

    I’m more of a Canon fan though, Sony’s seem to like to use proprietary USB cables and I hate that.

    Reply

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