I have $300 to spend, and I was wondering what is the best kind of camera I can get for this?
I was looking at the Canon Powershot SD450(5MP) and the Kodak EasyShare V550(5MP).

Since I have no experience with digital cameras, I was wondering if any of you guys can help.

Thanks in advance.

Pentax Optio S6 Ultra
Nikon Coolpix 7600
Konica - Minolta DiMAGE X1
Canon Powershot SD500/SD550 Digital Elph
Fujifilm FinePix F10
Olympus SP-310

would all fall into your price bracket if you shop around and all are fairly decent cameras by all accounts - all these prices are from adorama who are generally quite competitive.

When are you opening Phil?

always open :-)

I need a 105 mm circular polarizer and Lee filter holder...got them?

done ** quivers at the cost of said filter....**

Since we're on this camera talk...would you experienced photographers give some advice on this...would you say this to be a good beginner camera? :

Canon PowerShot 7.1-Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera ...link:CLICKY HERE.

I had a Canon IXUS as my first digital, I imagine it would have been fairly similar (except lower specs as this was 4 or 5 years ago) I found it to be an excellent choice. The only negative was that the controls on the back were a bit fiddly and not really intuitive, but the layout might have changed since then. If you look in my gallery and sort by date, all the shots before "Fern" were taken with this camera. I don't think 7.1 megapixels is really necessary for a beginner but as long as you aren't paying too much extra for it, why not...

here.

and shop around - that link you gave is way too expensive

Thanks!

You could always buy 15 Holga Cameras . . . =)

Holga Cameras ?!?

Phil got a line on any 77mm split nd glass?

** points Don in the direction of Adorama. **

Pierre: The Holga is a medium format (120 film) plastic camera that is used by two kinds of people: Those who are extremely cheap and those who like the artistic quality of the images from a holga. Within the next few weeks (mainly when I get the time) I'll scan some holga images and upload them . . . nice effects. I had to shoot with it for my photo class.

Mamiya 645 Pro-TL
Nikon D100,
Canon 20D
Canaon 5D
Olympus E20

Clayton: I can't believe you could buy these cams for 300$... ;-)

What are you talking about, The Mamiya 645 I have had for a while. The olympus I have had for 4 years. the d100 I"ve had for three years. I just picked up the 20D and 5D last month.

Hehe! No!, it was because lessthanadam said he has 300$ to spend and you spoke about very expansive cameras... ;-)

Ah I get it. But the question iss what kind of camera do you guys have. So I told him.

well i just joined you guys so i thought i'd post.i've sorta fell in love with restoring cameras
so those are the ones i usehere are my two favorites the nikkon n60 (classic but so mutch you can do with it) the next and my personal favorite is the cannon ae-1 yeah ancient(love it it reminds of those camera's you see in classic fliks but really good) it's just with the ae-1 there is so many limits unless you can find the best accesories for it!
well those are my tools of the trade look forward to sharing my work with ya'll!!!

I am also looking into purchasing a digital camera after Christmas. I was just wondering which type of cameras give you guys the quality in the pictures that you post on this web page. I have looked at a lot of pictures and the quality is superb. I was just wondering how good of a digital camera I would need to achieve the same level of quality. I am thinking about getting a Nikon, but I don't know which one.

Carbon: Nikon and Canon are both excellent. Many photographers on the site choose according to their old lenses. The question is how much money you can give...
For SLR cameras, one of the most interesting actually is the Canon Rebel XT (or Canon 350D in Europe)
For non SLR, the choice must be done with the money you want to put...
Personaly, I'm working with a Minolta Dimage A2

Well, I would like to try to spend around $300.00 or less, so whatever that can get me. How many megapixels do I need in a camera to achieve the same quality that you guys do?

To share photos on caedes.net, you don't need many MP. A size of 1600x1200 can be taken with a 2 MP camera.
So why do we need 5, 6 or 8 MP?
Two reasons:
1) If you like to print some enlargements
2) The quality of the cameras and the lenses increases with the number of MP
For 300 $, you can find many medium/good cameras, like:
Canon PowerShot SD400
Minolta Dimage Z20
Olympus C-50
Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W5
... (see also philcUK's list above)
The most important is to find a good camera, with a good OPTIC zoom....

I'd add a reason to Pierre's list above:

3) you can allow space around your subject when you shoot, then crop to give the most pleasing composition. This also allows for wildlife subjects which have a tendency to move when you press the shutter - if you're tightly cropped before you shoot they'll be at least partly out of shot. But like Pierre, for me the optic zoom is more important than squeezing another mega-pixel or two out of your budget.

Depending on the shots you're planning on taking I'd also consider the macro capability - my Dimage Z1 is only 3.2 Mp, but it focusses down to 4cm, which is great after a 35mm SLR which wouldn't get closer than a metre or so. It also has a 10x optic zoom (the main reason I bought it, 2 years ago) - I wouldn't trade it for a camera with double the pixels that only had a 3x zoom.

Hope this helps :-)

Yes! You're right about the 3), Simon.
But some 10x optic zooms are not very efficient. With a poor light, impossible to use a 380 mm zoom without stabilizer or tripod.

I was looking at a Canon Powershot A620-good, bad, ugly?

Have you checked the review on dpreview.com? Everyone here will tell you that should be your first stop.

You can read the Steves Digicam’s conclusions.
Seem to be a very good camera, but a little mor expensive than 300 $.
The A610 is very good too, but cheaper with 5 MP

I would suggest going to the website stevesdigicam.com He's great guy and he know his stuff about digitals. His pages will tell you everything you want to know, and if you want to know more, you can even email him. He was suggested to me by a guy at a camera store and it was a great thing to learn about digitals that way. He has a very professional site. Try it....OOOOOOOPs I just NOW noticed that Pierre told you the same sight..haha...well, go for it....

Thanks guys! I went out and bought it (my Christmas present to myself) after reading the dpreview and Steve's as well.
It's been good to me so far :) Quite easy to use, and very good to learn on. It cost me $700 AUD after I bought a case and memory stick.
Next up-tripod :) (hey, I'm not a millionaire...I need to recoup)

Congrats! Hope to see your new photos soon! Happy New Year :-)

get yourself a manfrotto tripod and head and scare yourself silly when you find out it costs you more than your camera! :-)

Seriously?? What's so special about it? Does it have an integrated automatic balancing system, titanium legs and a robot that takes the pictures for you depending on the style setting
1) Annie Lebovitz
2) Lord Lichfield...(RIP)
3) Drunken co-worker at office Christmas party...

What kind of tripod would you guys (and gals) recommend?

I think you can find a good tripod for ± 40 US$. Example

Soph - your not far off with your guess :-) my manfrotto's are solid carbon fibre and magnesium with a detachable monopod and spirit levels set at various points with a very trick ball head and steadicam style sprung balance. They are rock solid but very lightweight. But I do freely admit to suffering heavily from the Magpie Effect and I’m sure something far less ostentatious would have sufficed. Especially in light of the fact that all of that and its carrying case cost about the same as my Canon 20D & 350D camera bodies put together. ooooh look! Something sparkly!

** Runs toward the light....**

A good Christmas tree stand will run you 40 US. A good tripod will run you 10 times that. Unlike the 20D & 350D, it wil last a lifetime. Personal choice and flexibility so far is the the Gitzo Explorer.

Thanks Pierre and Darryl, that's a little more in my price range....though I think I'll need to save up for the Gitzo-though it's a nice price when I consider how much I get out of it.

Phil, how on earth do you afford this stuff? The Canon 20D and 350D are expensive enough!! Are YOU eating caviar for breakfast? :)
You must be the zen master of photography-or maybe you're secretly doing advertising for the big companies, subverting the 'little people' with your input. So that all the sucker beginners like me, who are just starting up as a hobby, think 'Oooh, he's a professional, Mummy I want one like he's got!!' So you get a freebie for every 'sell' you make :D

Could you explain, for a total novice like me (and I mean total, two terms of high school photography doesn't count) what the trick ball head does? Sprung balance? The rest I get, but those two.

Happy New Year everyone-you've been a great help!

if you get struck down by the Magpie Effect - anything becomes affordable and reasonable - it's all the regular stuff - like food - that you cant afford anymore after you make said purchases thats the big problem with this effect.

which is why I have weetabix and not beluga for breakfast :-)