DonG

[Barnacle Bill]

Didn't you go camera shopping a while back? What did you wind up getting? I'm thinking about getting a new one.

[Don G]

Bill, I did a lot of researching and couldn't make up my mind..Corker recommended a Panasonic Lumix FH20..I bought one and have been very pleased..Thumbs Up

[Barnacle Bill]

Thanks Don. There are so many to choose from its really impossible to come up with one. I will check that one out.

[Corker]

I still like mine a lot & you've seen the quality pix it shoots. There are many features to consider (in addition to price), but optical zoom is always at the top of my list. Don's & my cameras have an 8X zoom (ignore the "digital zoom" - you can always crop & enlarge images after you shoot them.) If I was making the purchase decision today, I'd give serious consideration to the Panasonic-DMC-ZS9. This model has a good set of features, including a 16X zoom (twice as powerful.) The only reason to pass on this longer zoom is image blur. When the lens is zoomed in for maximum enlargement, you have to hold the camera very steady.

[Corker]

At $100 with free shipping, here's another deal worth considering.

This is the latest variation of the same camera Don & I have.
Like the Model T, this deal appears to come in any color you want--so long as it is black!

With this camera (and the $150 camera in my previous post), you must provide your own SD memory chip. Any SD card should work, but low "class" numbers (1, 2, 4) mean slow recovery from shot to shot. Invest $25 in this Class 10 card

and you'll get top performance. Adding tax to these two items, you can have them sitting on your doorstep for about $125.

[Barnacle Bill]

Do those take special batteries?

[HeyCharlie]

BB, Target has a -- Canon Powershot SX 130IS- 12meg 12optical for Only 100$ Looks like a great deal to me.. hear there great cam's, But I am no camera guy

[Corker]

Do those take special batteries?

The Panasonic does and the Canon does not. It uses 2 standard AA batteries. I got a spare battery pack for my Panasonic and carry it on every fishing trip--but have never come close to using up the charge in the first one on a trip.

BB, Target has a -- Canon Powershot SX 130IS- 12meg 12optical for Only 100$ Looks like a great deal to me...

That is a good deal, but like the others you'll need to buy a SD chip to go with the camera. I've had a number of Canon film and digital cameras and have always liked the brand. I like the 12X zoom and don't much care about the image resolution difference (12 mpx vs. 14 mpx). When there's this much detail, you're comparing one excellent image with another excellent image. If the Panasonic's battery pack didn't perform so well, I'd lean in the direction of the AA batteries. The only thing I don't like about the Canon is its size. It weighs almost double the FH24 and is larger all the way around. This may not be an issue, but it sure is nice to be able to tuck my camera in a waterproof tackle box or my shirt pocket.

[Barnacle Bill]

Cannon has been around for a very long time and right now I like that one over the Panasonic. I have a cheap Nikon I use for fishing when I remember it so weight and size isn't a consideration. I despise having to use special battery packs for anything. I strongly suspect the Panasonic gives such good pictures due to the Leica lens. Leica also has been around for a long time and has always made top notch equipment, especially their lens.

[PanMan_VA]

I paid a little extra for the camera I take fishing since it also serves as the families general purpose camera. It is a Canon PowerShot SX210. 14x optical zoom and 14.1 megapixel resolution. It takes very good pictures but does have a special battery.