Looking for "small" digital camera

I'm looking for a small digital camera, at least 2mp, with an LCD screen on
the back, maybe with a 2x or 3x optical zoom, that takes decent photos. I
already have a DSLR, and don't expect this thing to be comparable, but it
would be nice to have a camera with me all the time.

Oh, yeah, I'd love it to be "really" small, pocket size, and if I can get it
for $150 or less that would be great.

Any and all suggestions welcome, and if you don't think it's possible to
find anything like this tell me that, too.

Thanks.

Sheldon

 

Just a week or so ago I bought a Nikon Coolpix 4100 for $160 plus $6.80
shipping from BuyDig.com. I just looked and they seem to have sold out of
'em (it's a recently discontinued model) but you might still be able to find
one elsewhere at a similar price.

Fantastic little camera for the money. It's not quite the smallest camera
I've got but it's still pretty darn small, very pocketable, 4 megapixels and
a 3x optical zoom (35-105mm equiv.), uses an SD card and two AA alkalines or
NiMHs, has an optical viewfinder as well as the LCD monitor. Basically a
point-and-shoot of course, but it has a surprising number of shooting modes,
and also an AF assist light. I'm very happy with its image quality. I don't
think you can do better for an inexpensive pocketable camera if you can
still find one at anywhere near that price.

N.

 

[ . . . ]

Oops, my mistake, I bought it from ButterflyPhoto.com and they still list
them for sale, but the price is now $168 + $6.80 shipping. Still a terrific
buy IMO.

N.

 

Pentax Optio S. If it's not "small" enough for you, NOTHING ever will
be! 3.2 megapixels, 200 "film speed," 35-105 (equiv.) zoom, really
good LCD screen - a truly capable shirt-pocket-size digicam for "carry
everywhere" use.

Save on gas! Shop the http://stores.ebay.com/INTERNET-GUN-SHOW

 

Look at the Kodak cx7300, or the 7330. They should be close to your
parameters.

 

Check out the search at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp
.... Under the Format pulldown select Compact or Ultra Compact and go
from there ...

 

Nice camera, right size, but a bit more than I want to spend.

 

Thanks for the site. All the cameras are over my price range, with the
exception of one, and that one has no optical zoom at all.
I may be pissing into the wind on this one. eBay?

 

What does it cost..............about $159.99? <g>
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD_ID=1433604&cid=25608&fp=F


I use a Sony P-73 that came with a free Epson printer and after rebates they
both cost me under $169.99 plus tax from COMPUSA. All I need to do is sell
that printer for $50 and it meets your price range.
And this Sony is much smaller than my old Kodak DC-3200. lol

 

Forgot to mention that the Pentax Optio S was reconditioned.
My Sony was new.

 

Actually, good prices at Overstock.com

 

What is your budget? - for $300 you could get the Nikon Coolpix 3700 or
the Fuji F440 including a sizeable media card

 

Try eBay and see. But watch out for the shipping charges, which are fair
with some eBay sellers, horrendous with others.

I still say the Nikon Coolpix 4100 is probably your best bet in a new
camera, from one of the better priced online sellers. Since it's been
replaced by the 4600 (which actually appears to be inferior in features
though it's higher priced), I doubt the 4100 will be available brand new for
very long.

I also have the Minolta DiMAGE Xt and Xg cameras and the Pentax Optio S4i,
all of which are somewhat more compact (flatter) than the Coolpix 4100, and
I love 'em all. But I doubt you'll find any of those *new* for under $170
like that 4100. Used or "reconditioned" on eBay is a possibility, of course.
Used could be a good idea depending on condition and reliability of the
seller. "Reconditioned" I'd be inclined to avoid, unless from a very
reliable seller like Cameta who does sometimes sell such cameras on eBay.

N.

 

I'm aware of shipping charges on eBay. :-(

I've seen it heavily discounted

What's your opinion of the Optio? It certainly is small, and I've found it
reconditioned on overstock.com. I'm not afraid of reconditioned stuff.
Yes, I've seen some pretty shoddy reconditioning, but they do come with a
factory warranty, and I've got a few reconditioned devices that have been
great, and still are. I figure if there was something inherently wrong with
it it's fixed now.

 

Trying to keep it around $150. Remember, I already have a DSLR with a
gaggle of lenses, so I'm looking for a decent toy, more or less.

 

:-( is right. But some are very fair. The worst offenders seem to be a few
who sell reconditioned cameras.

Yep, thus my recommendation. I like buying digital camera models after
they've been discontinued, when they are often available at extremely
attractive prices.

I love it. It's the smallest camera I own and works great, very nice image
quality and loads of shooting modes, some of which are of doubtful use but
others are nice to have. For example there's a 3D mode. One reviewer
dismissed that as a gimmick, but I happen to have a long interest in stereo
photography and it's actually the chief reason I bought the S4i. It works
well enough that I later bought an Optio 750Z which has the same feature,
but is a larger and generally more capable camera.

The S4i has most of the usual shortcomings of ultracompact point-and-shoots.
The LCD monitor is larger than most other ultracompacts and is
anti-reflection coated, but still hard to see in certain angles of direct
sunlight. It provides plenty of information. It will show aperture and
shutter speed (though you have no direct control over these it's still nice
to know what the camera is doing), which none of my other ultracompacts will
do. There's even a real-time histogram if you want it. The optical
viewfinder shows only 80% or so of the actual image area, like virtually all
other compact cameras' viewfinders. There are the usual controls for white
balance, exposure compensation, flash mode etc.

Maybe so. If you can get a good S4i or S5i at a good price, I think you'll
be very pleased with it. As you say, it certainly is small. It's about as
small as a camera can get and not have your fingers get in each others' way,
I believe. I bought a little $4 leather card case in Wal-Mart which fits
like it was made for the camera. My comments above are regarding my S4i,
obviously. I'm not familiar with the earlier Optio S models and don't know
offhand what the differences are.

N.

 

Thanks for the help. I just ordered a refurbished earlier model Optio
(figure if there's a problem with em this one is fixed) at a good price.
I'll play with it and see how much I use it. If it gets a lot of use I may
throw it on eBay and get a better model. It it gets no use I'll throw it on
eBay. Like I said, I've already got a D70 so this is more of a "toy" for
me. But, if I can also get decent photos out of it I think it will be fun
to have. Missed a photo op yesterday and don't want that to happen again,
and for a second camera 4mp should be good enough.

By the way, most of these models on eBay get bid up to around the same
prices you can get anywhere, or more, at about $20 shipping instead of the
$5 everybody else charges.

 

Sure. Four megapixels is plenty for sharp 8 x 10s or letter-sized prints at
the very least. Good luck with the Optio when you get it.

That depends. As I mentioned earlier, some eBay sellers are very fair on
shipping charges, others are too high and the worst ($20 or thereabouts)
seem to be mostly those selling "reconditioned" cameras. As to whether they
get bid up to the same price as from regular sellers, some do and some
don't. It's possible to get very good deals on eBay but it's somewhat
unpredictable. Mostly I buy only new stuff on eBay (sometimes used software,
when it doesn't matter if it's new or not), and for most of the things I buy
the same or similar sellers are selling identical stuff for some time, so
there's no reason to chase them pricewise. If I don't get what I want at the
price I want, I let it go and bid on the next one, and so on. I have gotten
very good prices (including shipping) on brand-new 35mm cameras on eBay in
the past, much better than I could have gotten from other dealers online or
anywhere. I have not had occasion to buy any digital cameras there so far.

N.