Amateur operator. Fuji Fine Pix S800 or Sony Cybershot H9B.

Looking for the most versatile camera. Or do you recommend different camera for under $400.

Martina,

Both of these cameras are very versatile. The Sony H9 will probably work better in low light situations, but the Fuji A800 is more compact and will travel better. There are a lot of cameras available under $400, so you might want to go through DCHQ's Gift Guide to find just the right camera for you. Good luck and happy shooting.

Andrew

Thanks!

You're welcome. Come back with any other questions.

Andrew

Whew..

So many options. My Sony H2 is in the shop. I've owned it for a year now (still under warranty) and the AF stopped working.

I googled it and it seems the the H2 has a problem with this, the Auto Focus just quits and (sometimes) it can be repaired.

This is disappointing, since the camera is among the very fastest in shutter lag and start up time. I miss it, but I also learned there the H2 has a problem with shutter buttons just popping off and disappearing! Mine hasn't done this, but it makes me question Sony Digicams for build quality. So now what do I do...I'm a writer/ photographer for a local newspaper and I need a camera right away. My H2 won't be back from the shop until after the holidays and even then, I'm not sure I can depend on it to continue to operate. I went to Best Buy and looked at at least ten of the cameras they have on display. I didn't like any of them, including the canons, the olympus or fujifilms. I didn't even bother with the Nikons, since they're prohibitely expensive and complicated. The Kodak Z812 IS wasn't too bad, but the pics were grainy. The Sony H3 took nice photos, and was reasonably fast shutter and startup, but it has the same shutter button and AF mechanisms and I fear they too will fail.

I'm just about ready to just go back to my old Nikon N80 and (shudder) wait for my prints to come back from Rite Aid.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a very good Point and Shoot, with at least 10X zoom, very fast shutter and reasonable start up times. One that has decent battery life and is not prone to mechanical failure?

I'm listening..

thanks -

Scott - Milton, Wa.

Scott,

You might try the Canon A570 IS. I have had great luck with Canon's, and think they are very user friendly. If you don't want to move to a dSLR, this might be the way to go.

Andrew

Thanks Andrew,

I'll check the Canon A570 out. Right now, I've borrowed a Kodak Z712 and so far, it's fairly quick for start up and initial shot speeds, but the pic quality is not as good as my H2. I may just wait until the next generation of prosumer cameras come out.

That is, if the H2 comes back fixed, and doesn't falter before then.

scott

Good luck to you, and happy shooting!

Andrew