Buying a Camera

[Huntin&Fishin]

I am looking for a great personal camera for under $200. It doesnt have to be made for professional photography, by I would like it to take extremely clear pictures. I also want to have it hand sized, not the ones with the zoom lens. I have been looking at the Sony Cyber shot, or Nikon S8200 16.1MP. Any thoughts or other suggestions?? Thanks for any input!

[pulsar_nx]

Here's what I'd do.

Look at some stores for ones in my price range and that feel good in the hands and are also easy to navigate to get what I want out of it. Then if I haven't bought it already, check amazon and google for reviews of my narrowed selection. And finally use the camera finder in Flickr to look at users photos.

Sorry I don't have any suggestions for models to look at.

[CapnJack]

Look at the Olympus XZ-1 on Amazon. 199.00 right now. This camera still sells for 400.00 on other sites. With the new model coming out this is a steal!

[MN Shutterbug]

Just don't let megapixels sway you. Anything over 6 MP in a point and shoot is a waste IMO. You can easily blow up a 6 MP image to a 12 X 18 with no problem. Other than that, any name brand camera in that price range will deliver crystal clear pics in the right hands. Also, do not judge a camera by viewing other people's pics. In the right hands, a $50 camera can take great pics and in the wrong hands, a $3000 camera is capable of lousy pics. But if you stick with Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic or Olympus, you should be fine. Just decide what features are most important to you and go from there.