Buying my first compact digital camera

[dcnoob]

well, now that you mentioned the difference it would make,

come to think of it, the budget is not really that tight, more like 150 GBP +/-30

from the first look I'm a bit concerned about its size

[chris-p]

Budgets are never +/- only +£30!

In that case I'd buy the Canon. The only reason I didn't mention it earlier is that I didn't want to go more than a fiver over your original budget.

An extra £50 would...

[dcnoob]

Originally Posted by chris-p

Budgets are never +/- only +£30!

In that case I'd buy the Canon. The only reason I didn't mention it earlier is that I didn't want to go more than a fiver over your original budget.

An extra £50 would...

the reason I said 150 is that the camera I buy, whichever one it maybe, might require some accessories, i.e. memory stick, tripod, carrying case or what not

what you said just got me thinking about how to balance between the camera and accessories. 200 GBP is the absolute max for a digital camera and accessories at the moment

the only thing I don't like about that canon is the fact it requires two AA batteries, and I heard AA batteries can't even last 2 hours for digital cameras

[matt wilson]

DC noob.......I know it's a minefield .But with Chris mentioning the Canon I didn't realise it's price .

I would go for that one personally.It's virtually the same as what I started out with .Another good thing with getting a Canon, again it's a personal thing, but the software that comes with their cameras for getting images to your pc and doing some editing is good as is the way images are stored in a catalogue.

These are all things to consider.

[matt wilson]

AA's in the canon will last you plenty of time .For not a lot of money you can get rechargeable batteries too.Also how many places sell AA's? loads .It's far easier to carry spare AA batteries than have to spend a fair amount on a spare specialist camera battery.

The Canon will come with a small memory card but a bigger one will not cost a fortune .Then the only other thing is a case which again won't cost a lot .

You may be surprised if you bargain and say you want these things with the camera and you have X amount to spend that you will strike a deal.

[dcnoob]

oh, it's likely the battery and/or camera technology has changed a lot since a few years ago

I remember one of my friends had a Sony DSC P32, a pair of AA only lasts a little over an hour.

[matt wilson]

Just checked out Chris's link.to Warehouse express.

A card of decent size £6.00 or £9.00 a canon case around £15.00 a battery charger and 4 batteries £15.00.

You could save money by not buying into the canon name for a case.

[chris-p]

Matt has already mentioned that battery useage is a lot better than it used to be. Also, buy a set of 4 AA rechargeables, have all 4 charged and if 2 go flat, you've got a second set and you can keep shooting. Edit: didn't realise but Matt's also already suiggested that!

I started out with a very similar camera to the SX120 as well (Powershot S3 IS) and was always very happy with it.

Again, Matt has already said that memory cards aren't expensive. Check out these 2GB cards for £5.99.

Cases also aren't expensive - WEx will do you a bundle of the camera and Canon's own case for £175 (link here). The Canon own case is only £15 and you will be able to get ones cheaper than that.

As for a tripod, it's not an essential item. You might want one later on but there is nothing wrong with resting your camera on a wall or the floor. You can even use a bean bag which costs pennies and they stabilise the camera really well.

I must admit I was surprised to see that the SX120 IS had fallen down to £160, it's a bit of a bargain as the RRP is still £250!

[chris-p]

Just looking around quickly and PixMania will do you the camera and an 8GB card for £163 (link here). That's even cheaper!

They're also a reputable site, I've bought from them before.

[dcnoob]

hmm, this is actually a good idea, and does not go over 200 GBP. I agree with you on the tripod,

At the moment I will need to have a think about which one to choose, but it's between the Ricoh and this Canon.

Thanks you for all the very valuable advice.

edit: didn't see the PixMania deal before hit reply, then it's certainly the canon.