I’ve found Epinions to be very helpful in cases like this. As long as the item has a good number of reviews, it should give you a general idea of its pros, cons, and value/worth.
You might want to consider the Olympus Camedia Ultra Zoom models. I have an Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom that I love.
These cameras have a 10x optical zoom (plus 3 or 4x digital zoom, but digital zoom is a marketing device rather than a true feature…just take pictures with big files and then crop what you don’t want).
I would suggest that you actually hold an example of any camera that you are going to consider purchasing, even if you wind up buying over the internet. Try it out in the store for ease of use, and so forth.
Good Luck…there are lots of excellent choices to consider!
I’ve had a Kodak EasyShare CX4300 for a bit over a year, and it is a horrible, ill-begotten piece of machinery. I’ve heard that the later models (such as the one you mention) are much improved, though; I hope that’s the case, as I really have nothing good to say about the CX4300.
A couple caveats. More pixels does not mean better, particularly when you’re talking about small sensor consumer cameras. Making the physical photosites smaller by cramming more onto a sensor often ends up just making noisy, grainy images. A 3.1mp camera is more than adequate for prints up to 8x10 with good detail and no jaggies. 6mp is great if you have a huge APS size sensor but those cameras start at the $1k price range.
If you want high zoom ratio know the difference between optical and digital zoom. Optical zoom is useful but the higher the ratio from wide to telephoto the worse aberrations like distortion and chromatic banding can get. Digital zoom is meaningless so ignore it when choosing a camera. IMHO digital zoom should be labeled “make pictures worse.”
I suggest you get a camera that uses compact flash is the most cost effective memory. It is the most versatile as it’s virtually the only kind used in high end cameras. You’ll pay more per megabyte with any other type. Get the biggest memory card you can find. I suggest 256mb to start. I carry a couple of gigabytes on trips in case I can’t download to computer. None of the cameras on your list use CF.
With most digicams you probably will want to figure in the cost of a few sets of rechargables and a one hour charger.
I have a DSLR but my everyday camera is a Canon A75. Not spectacular but very versatile and does everything well. Image quality is excellent ISO 50. I can shoot at 400 but they are horribly grainy but that’s what I have the D100 for. The battery consumption is so low I often don’t even bother with rechargable batteries even though I have them. The 3x optical zoom is adequate for most work.
If my choice was limited to the cameras on your list I’d probably get the Fuji 3100 for it’s 6x zoom. I wouldn’t even consider buying a 5 or 6mp camera with a 1/2.7" or 1/1.8" sensor.
I just got a Kodak DX7440 yesterday and I’m lovin’ it so far! Of course I’m still on a bit of a high. The menu is very navigable - easy to figure out - and I like the EasyShare computer program. Don’t know much about it yet, so I’m not able to give a good review, but the website connected to that link (go to “Reviews & Info” at the top) gives very informative reviews. Good luck! Let us know what you decide on.
The best place to start looking at digical cameras is DPreview, DCResource, and Steve’s Digicams. These three sites will have the best hands on reviews of all the cameras on the market.
If you are looking for the best UltraZooms on the market you have to include the Canon S1 and the Panasonic FZ-20, both are garnering some of the best reviews these days.
Be sure to factor in rechargable batteries and a charger, plus at least one large memory card (512M to 1G) into your pricing. The cameras are fairly useless without them.
One thign no one has mentioned yet that has proved fairly valuable to me… a low-light focus-assist lamp.
when you’re shooting indoors in less than well lit conditions, a low-light focus assist light does marvelous things for your pictures. My Sony DSC-p51 has it, and while it’s only 2MP, it takes pretty decent shots, and I am generally happy with it (though like all gadget geeks I always want the next, better model).
Agree with everyone else about the digital zoom. It shouldn’t even be offered, as it does nothing to enhance your pictures.
As **Telemark ** mentioned, Steve’s Cameras is a great place for reviews and specs.
I just bought myself a Minolta Z10 ~ 3.2 MP with a X8 zoom. Enjoying it very much so far. On the down side, it’s bigger than many of the cameras out there today and so not able to just slip it in my pocket and go.
Washte brings up a good point.
Be sure to put the camera in you hand and think about using it over and over. For me, many of the new cameras a just too small. (I have big hands) So don’t just read the online reviews and decide. You need to hold the camera before you buy it.
I’ll second epinions, they’ve helped me with many a purchase.
I’ve bought two cameras from Kodak’s EasyShare series (CX4200 and CX6330, both ~$200 at purchase) and they’ve been quite good to me, though I would like a few more features. However, you can take a damn good picture with not too much effort. When the 6330 dies, I’ll look at the EasyShare series first.