Recommendation for a compact digicam?

A friend, a very casual photographer, is about to end his holdout as
the last American to have nothing but a point and shoot film camera.
He asked me for recommendations for buying a digital camera.

The Panasonic DMC-FZ15 was the one I recommended most highly to him.
The 12-power zoom, the image stablilization, the ability to focus
manually, all make it ideal for the types of pictures I think he'd be
taking (his kids play sports, and he has a son graduating from college
next month - so he takes a bunch of pictures, at a fixed distance from
the action, often quite a ways away from the action).

However, he's not so sure he wants to go from a tiny camera that drops
into his wife's purse, to a massive camera requiring mastery of a
bunch of settings that he's never had to deal with.

What are some good compact cameras - essentially point and shoot
digitals - that I can recommend to him without embarrassing myself?
He probably should have at least a 3 or 4-power optical zoom. And
FWIW, this is the Rochester, NY area, so Kodak products would get
special preference (I know Kodak has some awesome digitals, I just
don't know much about their compact ones).

If your friend is willing to go with other brands, I would suggest a camera
from the Fujifilm A200 or A 300 series. They are very compact and they have
a decent optical zoom.

Paul Riemerman

wrote in message
...
A friend, a very casual photographer, is about to end his holdout as
the last American to have nothing but a point and shoot film camera.
He asked me for recommendations for buying a digital camera.

The Panasonic DMC-FZ15 was the one I recommended most highly to him.
The 12-power zoom, the image stablilization, the ability to focus
manually, all make it ideal for the types of pictures I think he'd be
taking (his kids play sports, and he has a son graduating from college
next month - so he takes a bunch of pictures, at a fixed distance from
the action, often quite a ways away from the action).

However, he's not so sure he wants to go from a tiny camera that drops
into his wife's purse, to a massive camera requiring mastery of a
bunch of settings that he's never had to deal with.

What are some good compact cameras - essentially point and shoot
digitals - that I can recommend to him without embarrassing myself?
He probably should have at least a 3 or 4-power optical zoom. And
FWIW, this is the Rochester, NY area, so Kodak products would get
special preference (I know Kodak has some awesome digitals, I just
don't know much about their compact ones).

If your friend is willing to go with other brands, I would suggest a camera
from the Fujifilm A200 or A 300 series. They are very compact and they have
a decent optical zoom.

Paul Riemerman

wrote in message
...
A friend, a very casual photographer, is about to end his holdout as
the last American to have nothing but a point and shoot film camera.
He asked me for recommendations for buying a digital camera.

The Panasonic DMC-FZ15 was the one I recommended most highly to him.
The 12-power zoom, the image stablilization, the ability to focus
manually, all make it ideal for the types of pictures I think he'd be
taking (his kids play sports, and he has a son graduating from college
next month - so he takes a bunch of pictures, at a fixed distance from
the action, often quite a ways away from the action).

However, he's not so sure he wants to go from a tiny camera that drops
into his wife's purse, to a massive camera requiring mastery of a
bunch of settings that he's never had to deal with.

What are some good compact cameras - essentially point and shoot
digitals - that I can recommend to him without embarrassing myself?
He probably should have at least a 3 or 4-power optical zoom. And
FWIW, this is the Rochester, NY area, so Kodak products would get
special preference (I know Kodak has some awesome digitals, I just
don't know much about their compact ones).

wrote:
[]
The Panasonic DMC-FZ15 was the one I recommended most highly to him.
The 12-power zoom, the image stablilization, the ability to focus
manually, all make it ideal for the types of pictures I think he'd be
taking (his kids play sports, and he has a son graduating from college
next month - so he takes a bunch of pictures, at a fixed distance from
the action, often quite a ways away from the action).
[]

Would the newe FZ5 be better for him - it may be a little smaller.

David

wrote:
[]
The Panasonic DMC-FZ15 was the one I recommended most highly to him.
The 12-power zoom, the image stablilization, the ability to focus
manually, all make it ideal for the types of pictures I think he'd be
taking (his kids play sports, and he has a son graduating from college
next month - so he takes a bunch of pictures, at a fixed distance from
the action, often quite a ways away from the action).
[]

Would the newe FZ5 be better for him - it may be a little smaller.

David

go with the FZ15! Its a lot easier to use and in the long run he won't
regret it.

wrote:
A friend, a very casual photographer, is about to end his holdout as
the last American to have nothing but a point and shoot film camera.
He asked me for recommendations for buying a digital camera.

The Panasonic DMC-FZ15 was the one I recommended most highly to him.
The 12-power zoom, the image stablilization, the ability to focus
manually, all make it ideal for the types of pictures I think he'd be
taking (his kids play sports, and he has a son graduating from college
next month - so he takes a bunch of pictures, at a fixed distance from
the action, often quite a ways away from the action).

However, he's not so sure he wants to go from a tiny camera that drops
into his wife's purse, to a massive camera requiring mastery of a
bunch of settings that he's never had to deal with.

What are some good compact cameras - essentially point and shoot
digitals - that I can recommend to him without embarrassing myself?
He probably should have at least a 3 or 4-power optical zoom. And
FWIW, this is the Rochester, NY area, so Kodak products would get
special preference (I know Kodak has some awesome digitals, I just
don't know much about their compact ones).

Kodak DX7590 or the newer Z740. If he wants something smaller, then
DX7440 (4x optical zoom) would do well.


--
Ron Hunter

Hi,

Just received this from Stan Kline.

The PowerShot SD500 (Digital IXUS 700/IXY Digital 600)
is the new flagship of Canon's ultra-compact 'Elph' range, and the
first to hit the 7 megapixel mark. It also features a new curvier
design, a DIGIC II processor, high performance movie mode and
several novel in-camera special effects. See how it...

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05...500_review.asp

There's also an earlier model the SD300.

Best,

Conrad


--
Conrad

Hi,

Just received this from Stan Kline.

The PowerShot SD500 (Digital IXUS 700/IXY Digital 600)
is the new flagship of Canon's ultra-compact 'Elph' range, and the
first to hit the 7 megapixel mark. It also features a new curvier
design, a DIGIC II processor, high performance movie mode and
several novel in-camera special effects. See how it...

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0504/05...500_review.asp

There's also an earlier model the SD300.

Best,

Conrad


--
Conrad

Hi Eldrid,

Not sure how much your friend is willing to pay, but you can get a great
camera for about $350-$400 dollars that will do everything your friend may
want to do, including manual settings, long lens, external flash options,
and a lot of other neat features he can explore. Of course it can be set to
work fully automatically, as well. You can check out the Kodak stuff at the
following site.

http://www.kodak.com/go/digitalcameras

Actually, I think the best thing to do is consider what he wants to spend,
think about what he wants to do with his images, how important the options
and features are to him, then visit local retailers to see the many models
etc. that might fit those needs. There are many. Try them first hand so he
can get a feel for those he likes. If he has or can borrow a memory card,
bring it along and take the same picture or scene with each of those that
meet his criteria and note which camera did which shot. He can then return
home to compare. Just make sure that when the pictures are taken they are of
the same thing in the same light and so on.

Regardless of what he buys he is going to love the fun of digital imaging.

Talk to you soon, Eldrid,

Ron Baird
Eastman Kodak Company

wrote in message
...
A friend, a very casual photographer, is about to end his holdout as
the last American to have nothing but a point and shoot film camera.
He asked me for recommendations for buying a digital camera.

The Panasonic DMC-FZ15 was the one I recommended most highly to him.
The 12-power zoom, the image stablilization, the ability to focus
manually, all make it ideal for the types of pictures I think he'd be
taking (his kids play sports, and he has a son graduating from college
next month - so he takes a bunch of pictures, at a fixed distance from
the action, often quite a ways away from the action).

However, he's not so sure he wants to go from a tiny camera that drops
into his wife's purse, to a massive camera requiring mastery of a
bunch of settings that he's never had to deal with.

What are some good compact cameras - essentially point and shoot
digitals - that I can recommend to him without embarrassing myself?
He probably should have at least a 3 or 4-power optical zoom. And
FWIW, this is the Rochester, NY area, so Kodak products would get
special preference (I know Kodak has some awesome digitals, I just
don't know much about their compact ones).