Digital Camera

[Bigfife]

I am looking at buying a digital camera. I just want something for taking fishing and friend pictures. I want something durable, compact, and atleast 3 megapixels. I want to keep it under $250.

[beer batter]

A couple other features to note would be the zoom capability and the power consumption (how long does a charged battery last). We just had a Fuji camera pitter out on us while still under warranty. It had a 5x zoom, 4mega pixel, with very low battery consumption. Cost was around $230 which would suit you perfectly. It was the perfect camera for us.

Problem is they don't make that model any longer and the new model only has 3x zoom which didn't cut it. If the 3x zoom is sufficient you'll have lots of options for good cameras in your price range.

I've been seeing Panasonic brand cameras that have lots of the higher end features for around $100 less that similar models of other brands. Don't know anything about a Panasonic camera, maybe someone can give a review on it and others. I'm still looking for a new one myself.

Good Luck.

[WCS]

I purchased a Canon A410 just for fishing this past winter. It is a 3.2 megapixel and was about $125. It runs on AA batteries, which I consider a big plus. The camera fits nicely in a pocket in my fishing vest and carrying 2 extra AA batteries is no big deal. I feel that for an inexpensive camera it takes pretty good pictures. At work, I use a Canon A520 (about $150). It is a 4 megapixel with more bells and whisles. I am very happy with that camera as well. Also runs on AA batteries, but the frame is a bit bigger. I went with the A410 for fishing because it fit into my vest pocket. The A520 would not.

[Swimmer]

If you want to go cheap consider Radio Shack. For $79 bucks (w/$50 rebate) you can get a boat camera with 5 megapixels and about the size of a pack of cards. I think it only has a 2x and 4x digital zoom, but for 80 bucks what more can you ask for in a fishing camera? It has lithium ion battery that seems to last and comes with charger.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

---

I purchased a Canon A410 just for fishing this past winter.

---

I have 2 of them, great camera.

[buzzsaw]

For anybody interested in what CNET has to say about the higher end Pro grade bodies, here is a link.

http://msn-cnet.com.com/Digital_cameras/4521-6530_7-5021301-7.html?tag=subnav

Canon looks to have some bragging rights.