I want a compact digital camera that doesn't take blurry pics

[AndyD]

I'm now on my third Canon upgrade. And the one thing that puzzles me the most is that I can't take a clear picture without flash. The issues there...

1. A night picture with flash means I'm just getting a picture of what is in front of me pretty much. I want to be able to take a picture of something or someone with scenery. Or hell, take pictures of something in the dark - like say a concert.

2. day pictures in my apartment, meaning just sun light coming through, is sometimes not enough. I'll have to take 20 pics of something to finally get something in focus. If I take it with flash, the flash can easily mask the item I'm trying to take a picture of (stuff I sell on ebay)

Now granted, I'm a total novice but I really don't want to spend the time learning how to use my digital camera. I want something to be idiot proof - in this case for me. Is there such a camera? Anything below $400 is ok.

[Kami-]

Are you sure the problem isnt your unsteady hands?

If so, i'd recommend anything by Samsung or Fuji for a cheap digi cam... Canon or Nikon if your after a dSLR :p

[spacey]

Get a Canon point and shoot with Image Stabilization or some other vendor with a similar feature?

[crazzy88ss]

yea i've used plenty of cheap and expensive digital cameras and never had a many problems of not being able to get clear pictures...

For low light situations, a DSLR is really best. But you're budget is less than $400, so I dunno.

[Pink Floyd Veteran]

yeah I would say this is too much to ask.

There is no magic trick with photo. It's all a mather of light that enter your lens.

If you don't have enough light, then you can lower shutter speed, open up aperture, increase ISO sensitivity. Any change will likely change the result.

[shihchiun]

For #1, get a tripod, or learn to be very, very still. The less light is around means the shutter has to stay open longer. If it's open long enough, your movements will result in a blurry image.

For #2, again, get a tripod. Or, try using lamps to illuminate the object. You can get the lighting how you want it, then take the picture.

I have a Canon with Image Stabilization - it helps, but at a certain point it's just too dark/the camera is moving around too much.

[Shaddsi]

You could get a second hand Canon G9, they are close to dslr value in a P&S.

I have known a heap of people that have them and love them.

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Most of your problems can be solved with a DSLR camera. Since that's out of your price range, I recommend the Canon Powershot G9 (review). You can get the camera + 2GB memory for $399 on eBay (click here). It's the closest you can get to DSLR quality with a P&S camera. Check out the sample images in the review and see for yourself. :)

[giga Veteran]

1. A night picture with flash means I'm just getting a picture of what is in front of me pretty much. I want to be able to take a picture of something or someone with scenery. Or hell, take pictures of something in the dark - like say a concert.

get a tripod for night landscape.

for concerts, you're out of luck unless you invest in an slr with fast lens. tripod won't help you because you need a fast shutter speed to stop action.

2. day pictures in my apartment, meaning just sun light coming through, is sometimes not enough. I'll have to take 20 pics of something to finally get something in focus. If I take it with flash, the flash can easily mask the item I'm trying to take a picture of (stuff I sell on ebay)

tripod, IS, or external flash.

Now granted, I'm a total novice but I really don't want to spend the time learning how to use my digital camera. I want something to be idiot proof - in this case for me. Is there such a camera?

it's not hard to learn a few basics.

nighttime = low light. low light (without flash or tripod) = slow shutter speed to capture more light. slow shutter speed = blurry photos.

solution?

1. use a tripod to steady the camera while using a slow shutter speed.

2. use an external flash to get more light so you can use a faster shutter speed.

3. use a faster lens so you can capture more light and use a faster shutter speed.

4. image stabilization camera or lens to offset camera shake with shutter speeds

Anything below $400 is ok.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-EOS-Digital-Rebe...id=p3286.c0.m14 with http://cgi.ebay.com/Canon-EF-S-18-55mm-1-3...id=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D40-6-1-Megapixe...id=p3286.c0.m14 (best deal imo)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D40-Digital-SLR-...id=p3286.c0.m14

You can pick up the 18-55 kit lens for around $50-70 used.

[tareqsiraj]

Low light photography isn't as easy as you might be thinking. For your situation, as others have mentioned above, you either need to control the shutter speed, or use a tripod or stand very very still to get a good image. Since youre under budget for a good dslr, and before you spend $400 on a new camera, you might give chdk a try. Its a small program that adds many useful features (including controlling shutter speed) to your Canon P&S without touching the firmware. Note that it isn't officially supported by Canon, but according to the website, its pretty safe to try it since it wont be changing anything on the camera.

[o0moonman0o]

my suggest for u to reach ur goal is to take that 400 and go gamble it, then if u happen to win enough, buy a d3 :p