Expert: John Oliverio - 12/17/2005

Question
Hello there,

We are looking to buy our first digital camera. I am a "point and shoot" person, and I would like something small and lightweight that I could just put it in my purse or in a pocket. My spouse would like some manual features and zoom capabilities. We both plan to save some pictures on our computer, so we can send them to other people, but we would also like pictures of high enough quality that we save them in albums. The other other condition would be price. Somewhere in the $300-$500 is ideal. What kind of camera would you recommend to fit all our needs?

Thank you,
kb

Answer
KB,

 It's the manual features your spouse wants that really narrows your choice down.  There aren't that many cameras that will fit in pocket/purse that offer true manual.  My favorite would be the Canon PowerShot S80, though the price I've seen it sold for is about $50 more than you want to spend.  My next choice would also be a Canon....  either the PowerShot A610 or A620.  (They are the same but one has more pixels than the other.)  While a little larger than the S80, it has the added advantage of accepting accessory tele-photo lenses (your spouse should like that) and it has a very neat swing out LCD screen.

John