Canon's SD series is a solid performer, but the problem is, it's zoom is woefully lacking. I recommend the Panasonic ZS7 or ZS5 or the FH20. One thing about the FH20 though is that it's performance in low light is hit and miss. But it's still a great camera for the price.

Since it's right around Christmas, prices are pretty low across the board -- you could probably find the Canon SD1300 or Panasonic FH1/FH20 for under $150.

For something not too expensive and still good quality, take a look at some of Canon's lower-end models. The A3100 is a great camera. The A495 is solid too, and costs less than $100. Hope this helps.

When we say lithium-ion, that means it comes with its own battery. It needs to be recharged, unlike AA batteries.

That's a DSLR. Point and shoot lenses just aren't fast enough for sports and very low light. Some work better than others bt at that price point the Fh20 is probably the best you can do along w the Panasonic zs7z (iirc).

Not familiar with it, but based on what I looked up, I wouldn't expect much from it. Looks like any other sub-$100 camera -- not great, but if you're absolutely on a budget, it does take pictures. If I were you, I'd save an extra few dollars and get the Canon A490.

Digital cameras have an average lifespan of about 4-5 years, probably less than that if you use it regularly, and even less than that if you buy a $130 camera. If you spend extra on a good solid camera and take good care of it, it should last for a few years. Don't worry about it going obsolete -- it'll still take pictures in five years the same way that it does today, you just won't have all the latest features on the camera, which is fine.

Check out the Panasonic FH20; it has a solid zoom and is responsive.

Top three are the Panasonic FH20, the Canon SD1200IS and the Canon A1000IS. The FH20 has the largest lens of the three at 8x optical zoom, but it pays a penalty in that in low light, the performance is hit and miss depending on the lighting conditions. Word is, while the SD1200 is a nice design, the image quality dips as the ISO climbs.The A1000 actually works great and you can use AAs, which are available everywhere. But it has half the optical zoom as the FH20.

The W350 is a great choice, also take a look at the Panasonic FH20.

Very difficult to find a camera like this, and if you do, it's either on sale, or will be a piece of junk. Here's a list of the cameras fitting your description in our database (between 3x to 5x zoom, so make sure you're looking at one with 5x zoom):

digitalcamera-hq.com/search...  see three that you can get for under $100 right now: Fuji AX200; Samsung SL600 (available for $99 through Target, usually more like $130); and a refurbished Nikon S570 for $100 (goes for $150-170 new -- be very, very careful about buying refurbished cameras).

We don't generally get to review cameras in this price range -- manufacturers don't usually loan them out for review -- so I can't say for sure. In this case, I would go with the Samsung while it's on sale. They usually do a pretty good job of making cheap cameras with passable image quality.

Bottom line, though, is that you won't be getting a great camera. I wouldn't expect any to last more than 18 months, if that long, and indoor/low-light images will be blurry. My suggestion? Save another $50-60, and you'll have many more solid choices available to you.

Get the Panasonic FH20. But remember, the flash of any point and shoot is designed around small groups and portraits. So keep your expectations in line with what your camera is designed to do.

Doesn't exist. Your best bet would be to get a cheap digicam and then buy an underwater housing for it. Even so, this will run you at least $300 total.

Go with the Panasonic Fh20. It's a tad more at around $190. But with an 8x optical zoom and Leica lens and great low light performance, it's worth it. You won't find a comparable other camera at that price point.

At that price, spend about $30 more and get the Panasonic LH20. Very fast optical zoom lens. Great low light performance.

Just about any digital will give you nominal video quality. That's not the issue. The issue is the audio it's still poor quality due to cheap omnidirectional mica. And for that price point, the term quality really isn't there. Video will be VHS at best. You may want to look into the zi8 by modal. Camcorder in your range and has an external mic Jack for a better audio source. Iirc it does take stills.

Yep I gotcha this time. Basically, you get what you pay for. Under $150, you're going to have to wait for a while between shots. Up around $200, you'll start to notice much better performance, but there's still definitely a lag. You can mitigate this with a faster SD/SDHC memory card (the higher the "class" the faster the camera can save the picture to the card and the quicker it's ready to take the next shot). But you'll still have to wait at best 2-3 seconds between shots. If you really want near-instantaneous shooting, you'll have to go with a dSLR.

Basically, if you have to go under $150, the "least worst" option is something from the Canon A series. I haven't reviewed one yet, but the Canon A3000 looks good and fits this budget.

That's interesting, I'm looking around for a good camera for my sister who wants to put her jewelry on Etsy! She wants something simple and easy to use so I suggested the Samsung SL30.



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There is no free donut, and those carrot's on a stick which offers freebies online for your email address and the addresses of 10 of your friends are pure scams. However, you may want to check with your bank for a loyalty program. Banks like CitiBank offer "thank you" points which can then be turned in for products, services, etc.