One small digital camera for good pictures and small video

[matteni]

Hi all,
I was wondering what a good digital camera would be for me. I currently have a Sony MAVICA MVC-FD91 and am looking to sell it on Ebay for a new camera.

Things I am looking for:
- small size (think Canon PowerShot Elph)
- 2-3 megapixel
- Uses type II microdrive (I have one already)
- Good flash for indoor/low light
- Ability to take 30seconds or so of high (VCD quality at least) quality with sound.
- $500 budget

I really love my existing camera except it is too big and the floppy thing is a pain. That said I know I will miss the 14x optical zoom and the simple controls. Also - I have been watching these on Ebay and I can sell mine for 2/3rds of what I paid 3 years ago.

Any advice much appreciated...

------------------
Nick M

91' Red/Black with Many Mods
99' Honda Odyssey with Many Kids

[This message has been edited by matteni (edited 17 February 2003).]

 

[D'Ecosse]

Still with Sony, I have the 3.2 Megapixel Cybershot - more than enough resolution unless you are into high-res printing.
Here is the new Cybershot DSC-P9 which is a 4 megapixel version, list price $500, so probably much cheaper at the discount outlets. Its a nice combo of features & size for me - similarly to you I wanted something compact: too often the camera got left behind simply because of the pain of lugging it around.

Edit: one of those really long URL's that Prime's s/ware can't accommodate.
Go to http://www.sonystyle.com & look for the DSC-P9

[This message has been edited by D'Ecosse (edited 17 February 2003).]

 

[NSXPERT]

I have had nothing but good things to say about my Cannon S200 Digital Elph. I think the only limitations are the zoom size 2X, and the pixel count (2.0). If those are important you might want to consider the S330, It has 3X zoom, or the S230, It has 3.0 Mega Pixels.

As for movie mode I think it does a terrific job for as small as it is. The only problem is it only shoots for 12-15 seconds in VGA resolution.
This entire movie was shot on my Digital Elph:
http://www.nsxprime.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/007852.html

Cheers,
Aaron

 

[matteni]

Thanks for your input and thanks Aaron for the update on what you used.

I am leaning towards the Elph S230. Apperently the S230 is vastly improved with the addition of longer/higher res video and the image enhancement and editing on the camera.

I read a fantastic review here http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s230-review/index.html

Good site for reviews BTW.

------------------
Nick M

91' Red/Black with Many Mods
99' Honda Odyssey with Many Kids

 

[Macster]

Originally posted by matteni:
I am leaning towards the Elph S230.
[/B]

I have the S230 and highly recommend it. You can get the camera and 512Mb Compact flash for about $500. You can also take up to 3 minutes of video with it at 640x480 resolution.

 

[Paul65K]

Well I just went through this same evaluation. I already had a full featured 3 MP camera so I was really looking for a small compact camera that I can keep with me always.

After quite a bit of looking and research I chose the Minolta DimageX. It is a very unique camera that has the smallest footprint of any 2MP+ camera with 3X optical zoom. It uses a unique design with an internally moving lens mechanisim that takes pictures through a Prisim mechanisim much like a periscope on a submarine.

The features that I love about this camera are:
1. Uses SD Memory and as I have a Toshiba Notebook this can be inserted directly without any need for cables however, adapters are available for other types of computers. SD is also becoming a standard for most PDA's and now even some cell phones. In my case my PDA is a cell phone and I can directly insert the SD chip after taking pictures and view my pictures on the larger screen of the PDA if I haven't had a chance to download to the notebook.

2. It has 2MP capability, which is adequate for most pictures, as a matter of fact most printers can't print pictures at the 3MP resolution anyway.

3. Most importantly it fits EXACTLY in the small compartment of my center console (97 NSX-T). If you didn't know better you would think that this compartment of the center console was made exactly for this camera. This thing should be standard equipment on the NSX.

The good news is since I purchased this camera Minolta has released a Dimage Xi, which has all the features of the X but with 3.2 MP for you purists!

At least check it out, I think it takes pretty nice pictures, and it is at least 35% smaller and lighter than the ELF, which will only have 2X optical if you opt for the 3MP version.

my .02

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97 NSX-T Black/Tan
00 Mercedes 430CLK (Cab)
93 Cadillac Allante (Northstar) - For Sale
98 GMC Sierra
00 HD Dyna WideGlide
83 Cessna 303 (Crusader)

 

[matteni]

Originally posted by Paul65K:
...After quite a bit of looking and research I chose the Minolta DimageX. It is a very unique camera that has the smallest footprint of any 2MP+ camera with 3X optical zoom. It uses a unique design with an internally moving lens mechanisim that takes pictures through a Prisim mechanisim much like a periscope on a submarine...

Hi Paul - I will check it out.

Does it do movie mode with sound? How long will it record and to what resolution? I agree that for most people 3 MP is way overkill.

I just put my Sony FD-91 for sale on Ebay - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3339&item=2912656471&rd=1

I really hate to see it go - I love that camera except for the size.

------------------
Nick M

91' Red/Black with Many Mods
99' Honda Odyssey with Many Kids

 

[NSXPERT]

A small note on the movie modes of the cameras. The S200 Shoots at 20 FPS and the S230 Shoots at 15 FPS, I knew that I was going to try and do quick action shots with the camera so I opted for the shorter movie record times with the higher frame rate. I don't know if that makes any difference but I thought you might like to know.

Cheers,
Aaron

 

[Wadasan]

I just got the S230! Very happy with it. I video taped Joel in back of me on the last Ortega run. If I only knew how to put it on this forum?

[This message has been edited by Wadasan (edited 17 February 2003).]

 

[Paul65K]

DimageX does have the movie mode, I'm not sure though at what speed it records, but I can tell you that it is just fine for your purposes. The length of recording is dependant on the amount of memory that you have installed.

I have a 128MB SD card in mine that I bought at Costco for $45, and this is much more than enough memory for anything I have thrown at it so far.

I checked out all the Compact Digital cameras with special emphasis on the Canon ELF as it is certainly the market leader, but I found for my purposes the Minolta fit the bill the best.

Kinda like comparing the NSX to a Porsche, certainly many more people buy the Porsche, but in the end there is a very loyal, be it small, but loyal following of the NSX!

Yeah, that's it; the Monilta DimageX is the NSX of compact digital cameras, yeah that's it!

 

[NSX-00054]

This camera is going to be sweet:

http://www.pentax.com/products/cameras/camera_overview.cfm?productid=18263

PENTAX DEBUTS A HIGH-QUALITY ZOOM LENS DIGITAL CAMERA SO SMALL THAT IT FITS INTO A TIN OF ALTOIDS®

[This message has been edited by NSX-00054 (edited 21 February 2003).]

 

[matteni]

I did a lot of research and ended up with the Canon Elph S230 for:

- up to 3MP stills
- Excellent results in varied lighting
- Saves to longer video files with sound in .MPEG standard for direct burning to VCDs with Nero
- size
- Ability to pre-light for autofocus in low light (I always have night shots with low ambient light at B-day parties)
- stitching
- price

Thanks for all the advice - all the suggestions where great and it really is a matter of what is most important to you.

Best of all - I got it for $319 with no shipping/handling costs and it looks like I may get the same amount for my camera!

------------------
Nick M

91' Red/Black with Many Mods
99' Honda Odyssey with Many Kids

 

[Edwardo]

I was just looking at some specs on the s200 and it says that this camera is only able to do shots at 1024x768 resolution for the screen/web. (Does say you can do prints at 1600x1200)

Would I have to go with the s300 to have the ability to run 1600x1200?

 

[matteni]

I got the S230 (3 MP) which is different then the s200 or the s330 (2 MP)

The s230 has many feaures and benifits the other 2 do not. It saves up to Large
2048 x 1536 images.

See this review:
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s230-review/index.html

Good luck

------------------
Nick M

91' Red/Black with Many Mods
99' Honda Odyssey with Many Kids

 

[tmeekins]

Wow.. Great Minds Think Alike!

I too just bought an S230 about 2 weeks ago for my trip to Europe.

My old Kodak DC290 was just too big to lug around on vacation.

------------------
Tim Meekins
1997 Yellow NSX-T
http://tmeekins.com

 

[POWERED by HONDA]

The S230 is a good camera... that camera replaced the S200. I just sold my Canon S330. I'm waiting for it's replacement (higher than S230).

But the other two I'm considering are the Pentax Optio S, and the new Nikon Coolpix SQ that is coming out soon.

 

[SilverOne]

http://www.nsxprime.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/007808.html

this is the video i took with my cannon s230, great camera for what it offers, and love the compact size.

 

[Lud]

The 230 looks very good for what it is (small), but I wonder about the usefulness of that high a resolution.

I looked at the reviews and sample pictures and at full resolution you can REALLY see the limitations of the lens.

I think the highest useful resolution from that camera is around 1600x1200. Beyond that the only additional detail revealed is the fact that the lens isn't very crisp and the files are a lot bigger.

Just my opinion.

I have similar issues with my Canon S40, but not quite as severe. There always seems to be a tradeoff between compactness and quality when dealing with optics.

[This message has been edited by Lud (edited 20 February 2003).]

 

[POWERED by HONDA]

Check out the new Canon's.

I'm going to get the new S400 to replace my S330. (4mp. 3 minute movies. Same size as the S200 and S230).
http://www.powershot.com
http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/press_022703.html

 

[rrwildman]

There are certainly always tradeoffs with size. Having said that, I've always found size to be a major deal in the all-important "have it with you" factor so important in photography. No one camera has it all, just as in film cameras. Different cameras for different purposes. It's all about tradeoffs.

Having clicked way over 2000 shots with an S330, I am really impressed. Its newer siblings should be best-of-class as well. The usability/ergonomics/interface design is just superb. As of the 330 model, this family also offers a good range of control features including different AF modes, AF lock, spot/multi-segment metering, exposure lock, and easily used exposure comp. Great design and feature set, and very easy to use in real life conditions. In shootout tests I've seen, the optical/image quality also stacks up well against the competition in the category. In that size/form factor, I haven't seen anything as well-engineered as these Canons.

Richard