Cameras???

[A31]

Hi. General, non-ThinkPad or laptop related question here! I am using a CyberShot DSC-W110 at the moment as my camera, and have done for about 2 and a half years. It's been pretty good and whilst still working, I have been having problems with the zoom sticking recently and the picture quality has gone down (lens got a bit damaged).

Can anybody on here recommend a good replacement for this camera? Looking at a bridge camera preferably as I enjoy photography and I have used a bridge camera recently whilst on holiday in the Isle of Wight. I was looking at the Fujifilm FinePix S2950 which has 18x optical zoom and 14.1 MP, this seems great for the not so grand sum of £116 from Amazon, and I have used one of these Fujifilm bridge cameras before and I liked it (not sure which one it was though). Only problem is that is literally stabbing me in the back is the fact that it use 4x AA batteries to power it. I've looked at other bridge cameras too (preferably about £100-£200 is good) including the Nikon CoolPix L120 and that uses AA batteries as well.

Are there any good bridge cameras out there for no more than £200 that use Lithium Ion batteries? Or anything that isn't AA or AAA?

Thanks.

[killer]

With cameras, like most things, you get what pay for. It is all very well having 14.1 MP but if the lens is sub-standard then you might just as well use a pin hole.
A camera with a fine lens will produce a better image than one with a poor lens, no matter how many MP the manufacturer claims.

Li-Ion batteries are expensive compared to alkaline batteries. The upside is that they are rechargeable, small, and light.

Perhaps you should try the second-hand market?

[RealBlackStuff]

http://forums.steves-digicams.com/what- ... amera.html

[Tasurinchi]

The link posted by RBS is IMHO one of the best you can find, together with this one: http://www.dpreview.com/

First rule is don't get fooled by the megapixels. A high MP doesn't mean a better photo quality. Checking the lens manufacturer (Carl Zeiss, Leica, Canon, Nikon) would be in my eyes a better strategy. It will also depend on what kind of photos you want to do. I would start checking both links above with their respective forums.

[A31]

I'm now looking at either the Nikon CoolPix L100 or the L120. These both look to be good cameras for reasonable price.

[Puppy]

The AA batteries are rather advantage, especially if you use 'Sanyo eneloop' ones. As for the superzooms, if you are about image quality you found most of them useless. I own Fuji S1500 (10 mpx on 1/2.33", 12x zoom) and it is so-so. But the new Fuji line S2xxx/S3xxx/S4xxx is really horrible because there is insane amount of megapixels on small 1/2.33" chip. Images produced by these cameras looks like oil paintings even on low ISO due aggressive noise reduction that lose all details on the picture (if you want Fuji, older S16xx and S18xx models are supposed to be a bit better). I think the Nikon L100/L120 will be pretty much the same. The only good superzooms are some expensive models like Fuji HS20, Panasonic FZ, Canon SX or Sony HX.

The question is do you really need a superzoom ? There are better cameras for the same price as low cost superzooms. For example Canon SX130 is not bad for the price.

[RealBlackStuff]

Check out Panasonic Lumix ZS3.
I bought a refurb'ed one for my daughter.
Great camera with 10.1MP and 12x optical zoom.

[killer]

Aha, it has a Leica lens. Leica are renowned for making incredibly good lenses.

[goofyGAguy]

The only good superzooms are some expensive models like Fuji HS20, Panasonic FZ, Canon SX or Sony HX.

I have owned the Canon SX110 IS for a couple years now. Very good camera. Eats batteries for breakfast though.