Hi everyone,
So i'm heading off on some more travels and thought I'd get myself a shiny new compact digital camera and would love some recommendations. There's a couple of things I'd like:
- uses SD/SDHC cards.
- available to buy in Australia
- around AU$400 (US$350)... willing to go up a bit if its worth it
- be able to record movies with sound at 30fps at good resolution

It would also be very nice if it had a bigger than 3x Optical zoom.... I'm fine with going slightly larger than the very compact digital cameras you can get now.

One of the cameras I've been looking at is the Lumix TZ3. Anyone got any thoughts on that one?

Thanks heaps

Anyone?

Anything in the canon SD series will make you happy.

I just got the Canon SD800 for my mom. It's an awesome camera for only ~$225USD (off of amazon.com).

Thanks Crazzy88ss.... I will have a look at that range of camera. Would you recommend any compact with a higher optical zoom?

I was just cruising the forums in search of getting my macbook to run exe files ,when I saw this post. I work in a camera shop and I couldn't help but make some recommendations.

Firstly, the TZ3 is a nice all around camera, however its main drawback is the shutter speed and recovery time after taking a photo. Not good for any sort of burst shooting, even with high speed SD cards.

As mentioned above, just about any Canon is going to give you terrific photos, especially any running on the Digic III processor, which gives you crazy (for a compact) shutter speed and great battery life. Also, Canon cameras are going to give you incredibly vibrant photos, and easy to use menu for saturation and sharpness etc. Some you might want to check out would be the Powershot TX100 which is nice, however does not have a viewfinder. The LCD screen is next to useless in high light situations. The biggest difference between the TX100 and the PowerShot A720 IS is 10x optical zoom on the former and 6x on the A720 IS, but the 720 has a viewfinder on it. I own the 720 IS and it is a powerhouse.

If you were looking for a camera with a Lithium Ion rechargable battary, try almost anything in the Canon SD series, just be warned that the zoom won't approach the TX100 or A720.

If you're doing alot of lowlight photography, the FugiPix S700 (I think) has a higher ISO than most, but the battary life is not going to be as great as a Canon with the Digic III.

For a little bit more, and not as compact, you could try the Canon S5 IS which features 12x optical zoom, more features than you'll know what to do with, and stereo sound recording. The stereo isnt much, as the mics are placed roughly an inch apart, and the difference between it and mono sound is negligable. It's going to be a little bit more than the others and it takes a monsterous 4 battaries. It is just about the nicest Canon (save for the G9) thats not a Digital SLR

Besides that, all I could recommend would be to stay away from Kodak, as the quality of pictures is terrible, and you'll most likely have battary issues with it.

If you're looking at purching from Amazon, I would suggest getting their product service plan or whatever it's called, if you plan on keeping this camera for more than 2 years. The first thing to wear out will be the LCD screen or the zoom lens, and once that happens, it's about $150 (US) to get anyone to look at the thing. For a small fee you can get a new camera once your current one wears out. I had an old Canon 500 series camera, the zoom lens wore out after 3 and a half years, and I got the A720 as the replacement. Pretty sweet deal.

I hope this was helpful to you!
Cheers,
Jiggler

If you want anything over 4x optical zoom, I wouldn't classify it as "compact."

Again, take a look at the Canon's. This would be the like the Powershot G7 or G9.

The Fugipix S700 is pretty good; I've worked with it a bit and was fairly happy with it. One thing it offers is 10x optical zoom while the canons max out at 6x, I think.

Wow! Thanks for the long reply Irish_Jiggler. I'm glad you just stumbled on this thread

I will definitely have a look at the two Canon's you mentioned, however, I did a quick google and couldn't find anything on the Powershot TX100... google came up blank... could you link me to some information about it?

I haven't really looked at the Fuji cameras, mainly because they don't use SD... but I will have a look at the one you mentioned.

Unfortunately I won't be buying from Amazon, I'm in Australia and will find some overpriced shop here

Thanks again

And thanks again to you crazzy88ss for your comments!

the Fuji S700 takes both XD and SD

I apologize, I combined two product numbers. It's the SX 100 IS and the TX1. The SX is the camera I was making reference to, while the TX1 is a camcorder that can record in 720p (I think, havent checked it out for a while) HD, all while taking 7.1 MP pictures with a 10x zoom lens! The biggest drawback is with a 4gig card, you'll get approx. 17 minutes of video. However you can take nice 30fps in 640X480 or 320X240 standerd def which will extend the record time considerably. Also, a nice feature is the ability to take pictures while recording video. Its going to be a little bit more than you were looking to spend, and it's HD recording time is horrendous, but its the only product I know of that is a dedicated camcorder and camera. The fuji does take XD and SD cards, which is why I mentioned it! Thanks Crazy88, I should have mentioned that.

I apologize again for the wrong product numbers!

Food for thought,
Jiggler