Cheap small digital camera - what should i get?

[GregR1]

i think i need to score myself a small digital cam to keep with me when i go on my bike rides. the main sony that i have is just way too bulky to carry with the bike - which also means that i can tolerate a lower quality small cam since it'll be used primarily for snapshots.

i'm thinking $100 max, doesn't need any fancy features at all, and don't need crazy high pixel counts (2 megapix would be enough, shooting in 1600x1200 or smaller). only kicker is that it's gotta be SMALL so that i can stuff it into my jacket pocket, and it has to have a USB connector so that i can just transfer the files over (treat camera as a MSD from the PC perspective)

care to recommend makes / models? could be older stuff, though not ancient since i'd want to be able to use current cheap memory cards (CF, SD, MemStick)

[ORBrit]

I have a Canon SD300 and an SD450 - both from the Digital Elph series.
They are pretty small and fit in a jean pocket.
The older SD200 (3.38 x 2.10 x 0.83) inand SD100 (3.3 x 2.2 x 0.94 in)are 3.2 Megapixel cameras but still about the same size.

Not sure if you can still buy ther SD100 or SD200 new but there's tons on ebay used.

[inspiron]

I've got a Casio Exlim (7 MPix) which is about the size of a box of cigarettes.

Keep in mind that a 2 MPix camera will usually be good in bright sunlight, but as soon as it's a bit cloudy or shortly after sundown you won't get much of a picture anymore.

Why not just pick up a new camera-phone? My Sony-Ericsson has a 2 Mpix camera integrated ...

[Clint]

Any 3mp+ Canon will do nicely. They're a dime a dozen on ebay. Just buy from a respectable seller.

[Ext1jdh]

Got the old lady a Nikon S6 about a year ago.
Feel free to look at Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ. There's a nice buying guide with side-by-side search function.

[Clint]

That was nice of you to buy your grandmother a camera, Joe.

[Deno]

When I went camera shopping last year, most of the salespeople at the various stores I went to said that Canon and Sony created the best quality pictures. I ended up with a Sony and am very happy with it. I agree with the comments above that you could get one on ebay for a good deal cheaper than a new one, and still be happy with it. The things that wuold concern me though, is the battery and the picture storage space. You may end up having to buy a new battery and a memory card.

[Clint]

The good news is that memory cards are dirt cheap. I just bought an 8GB Sandisk Extreme III for my 20D for $60 after MIR. You can get 4GB Sandisk Ultra IIs for $35 with no rebate. For a camera shooting say 6Mp jpegs, that's about 200 photos per GB. Batteries from aftermarket vendors are also getting cheaper, and some of them outperform OEM stuff.

[Ext1jdh]

Originally Posted by RowdyRed94

That was nice of you to buy your grandmother a camera, Joe.

Yeah, she seemed to like it

As for memory cards, check out MicroCenter. They have unbranded SD cards as low as $15 for 2 gigs.

[GregR1]

actually, i would LOVE to get an 8G CF card - would work great in my sony dsc-r1 (which by the way i LOVE quite thoroughly) along with the 2G memstick.

ya, i think i'll poke through canon stuff on ebay. i used to have the canon A40 which was pretty good but i hated the bulk of it (and sometimes it was just too slow to focus). one thing i definitely want to avoid is bulky AA batteries.

i'll poke through that dpreview.com site as well. hopefully they recommend a $100 camera somewhere!

[Clint]

I don't think I'd buy a camera that goes for $100 new. I'd much rather have a two-year-old $500 camera for the same money.

I'll keep an eye out for good deals on CF. I'd never buy no-name junk, though. Speed is important, and you don't want to lose a bunch of photos for a few bucks.

[Ext1jdh]

TigerDirect has a Norcent (no name brand) 10 MP digicam. Norcent DC-1020 10.1 Megapixel 3x Optical Zoom 4x Digital Zoom 2.4" LCD Digital Camera at TigerDirect.com

$109

[Clint]

Nooooooooooo!

Megapixels mean nothing with a camera like that. You're way better off with a good 4mp camera like the Powershot G3 than with a cheapo. Also, digital zoom is worthless. Don't even consider that. All it is is in-camera cropping, which is usually poor quality.

[Ext1jdh]

Hey, i never said it was any good...

[Clint]

LOL. You're so helpful.

[Ext1jdh]

One does what one can

[Louis]

You have to lineup MP with the sensor size. A 10MP camera with a tiny sensor is worth crap (I know, I know, it's not Thursday yet)...

[Charles Bilconish]

Don't know the model numbers but Fuji makes cameras with excellent color rendition and are relatively small. Like you said you don't need all the bells and whistles. There are some Fuji f10's on ebay for about 145.00 that are 6.3megpix, metal bodies and rugged.

[Ext1jdh]

I dunno about Fuji. I've got an S7000 and the color always seems washed out to me.

[GregR1]

ya, i know about pixel counts and sensor sizes (which is why i love the giant sensor on my R1). that's why i'm perfectly happy with a sub 4Mpix camera as long as the colours are mostly accurate and noise isn't insane.

i'll check used canon and fuji cams on ebay.

what are the main memory cards to stick with? i'm only used to CF and MS. how's SD? is there different levels within each family?