Digital Camera for $200 and below

[dynomike27]

What's a good digital camera for $200 and/or, below.

Please don't go "off topic", even though this is an "off topic" forum.

Thanks :)

[ux4484]

tons o' choices these days.

Look for something that has the biggest OPTICAL zoom as well as good digital zoom, gives you much more flexibility. Olympus doesn't make the C-700 anymore, but they can be had many places for about that amount it has 10 X optical, it's an excellent lens. If your looking to unify media (i.e. CF,SD, etc) that will limit your choices. Go with at least 2mega pixel, and if it ain't got a preview window.....don't buy it.

Remember when you get it that digital photography is more than a tad diff from conventional. Don't be looking to get those spontaneous shots (especially indoors) on the fly like with your point and shoot 35mm. Also CCD's are poor shooters in low light (even with a flash) so make sure to get a model that lets you change exposure times/shutter speed to compensate.

Using the flash: most digi's do the "pre-flash" flash to sample the subject/lighting before the main flash (with is much like red-eye reduction in conventional), make sure to tell your subjects 'bout this or you'll get megabytes of folks with "squints" and "one eye's".

The lower the light level=the bigger delay in taking shots in auto mode, don't move before you hear the beep, the delay with some models is over 1 second.

I still take my conventional on vacation....as Wal-Mart/Sams Club offers 2.0 megapixel prints (download) of your pics for 99cents (regardless of the num of pics per roll) per roll.