Digital $400 camera

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Between Nikon and Canon. A coworker wants me to help him pick out a
digital camera under $400. I have a Canon A70 that is a few years old
that I am happy with that provides the basics. He doesn't need a DSLR,
and couldn't get one for $400 anyway (unless used).

What in the current crop of Canon and Nikon would provide him with the
same things I have in the A70 that I could direct him to. I've read
DPREVIEW and have come up with the equivalent in the Canon, but
especially wonder what the equivalent would be in Nikon, so I can give
him a choice.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Thanks for the suggestions. Those are good questions. I think his eyes
are bigger than his need. I originally purchased the A70 for my wife,
who really uses it only to take snapshots and pictures of students to
whom she teaches oil painting. She never gets off the portrait or
landscape settings. That may be about what my coworker wants to do. I am
not sure of his ability to go much beyond that. I tried, myself, to use
the other features of the A70 and found it much too hard to manuever
around the menus and settings, moving on to the Canon Digital Rebel for
my needs.

Alan Meyer wrote:
>>Between Nikon and Canon. A coworker wants me to help him
>>pick out a digital camera under $400. I have a Canon A70
>>that is a few years old that I am happy with that provides
>>the basics. He doesn't need a DSLR, and couldn't get one for
>>$400 anyway (unless used).
>>
>>What in the current crop of Canon and Nikon would provide
>>him with the same things I have in the A70 that I could
>>direct him to. I've read DPREVIEW and have come up with the
>>equivalent in the Canon, but especially wonder what the
>>equivalent would be in Nikon, so I can give him a choice.
>
>
> I have never owned a Nikon and can't advise you on
> equivalences. However I have two suggestions about choosing a
> camera:
>
> 1. Your friend should try to decide what features he wants
> before choosing a brand or model.
>
> I know this isn't easy if he's never owned a digital
> camera before, but if he can figure out what he needs,
> he may be able to find a quality camera for $200 or
> even $150 that meets his need - depending on what his
> need is.
>
> Things to consider are:
>
> Size of enlargements:
> 3 mp is plenty for 4x6, but marginal for 8x10.
> 4-5 mp will provide better results.
>
> Lens range:
> For heavy indoor use, a wide, wide angle is
> useful. For some other purposes a long zoom is
> desirable.
>
> Size and weight:
> If this is important to him, there are some very
> small pocket cameras he can get.
>
> 2. Don't limit yourself to Nikon and Canon.
>
> Both of those are excellent brands. But lots of other
> big name makers - Olympus, Fuji, Pentax, and even
> newcomers like Sony and Casio - also offer excellent
> cameras.
>
> Alan
>