camera recommendation?

Buy a new cellphone that does have a camera.

Given what you want to do with it, any point-and-shoot camera will work. Except for the manual focus, that is. If that's available, it would only be on the higher priced cameras and would add to the bulk. All of them will have screen preview, and that is through the lens.

Your best bet is to go any "big box" retailer and pick out a recognizable name-brand camera that feels right in your hand and fits your size requirement. Watch for sales. Expect to spend $60 to $100.

If you have to buy online, pick the cheapest Nikon or Canon.

The only feature you should look for is a camera that uses standard AA batteries.

There isn't a hell of lot of difference between name brand point and shoots in the lower price range.

Avoid the Walgreen's cameras you describe.

Another thought, though, is a disposable film camera. You can pick one up for around $10. If your intent is to have one for emergency use only, a disposable film camera would document an accident or vandalism. I keep on in my car and one in my wife's car.

--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

How would that fit in a shirt pocket?

Disposable digital cameras are also available.

--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

You don't make sense. You asked for a camera for emergency use only and mentioned your automobile. Why would you carry a camera in your shirt pocket all the time if it is only for emergencies? Keep it in the glove box.

The disposable digital and film cameras are small enough to put in your pants pocket, but maybe a bit bulky for a shirt pocket. \

Why don't you go to a store and look at them? Just about any drug store carries them.

--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

"RichDope"

** TTL view finder and manual focus on a low cost digital camera ??

Hope your pigs have all got parachutes.

.... Phil

_I_ didn't ask for anything. Do you never leave your car for more a few minutes? Do you go everywhere by car? Do you always know when an emergency is going to happen? Please lend me your crystal ball.

What good is a cheap camera if the image is unusable?

--
You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a Band-Aid? on it, because it's
Teflon coated.

I'm not sure the camera which meets those specifications exists. You're going to have to drop some as they won't be available or are too demanding of what's possible.

FU trimmed to alt.photography (cuz cross-posting is evil)

--
Charles E Hardwidge

Why?

Thanks, Rich

Perceived need fulfilment.

--
Charles E Hardwidge

There a very few cell phone cameras that are much use... slow to actually take the photo, and very wide angle lens with a small amount of digital zoom which degrades the image even further.

All but the newest top of the range digital P&S have quite a bit of image capture lag...

Nothing in this world comes free... apart from a nature.

All P&S - and some DSLR now - come with video capture ability.

• =A0 USB port

Why ? Just remove the memory card to read the data...

Not likely to come as standard unless you go for a few very new top end DSLR, or buy a WiFi SD card...

Wrong ! If your only gonna use it very rarely, you want MEGA good battery life... if you're very lucky you may get 12-18 months standby out of a top end MiNh battery...

Virtually unheard of on P&S... Why anyway as auto will be far more accurate and quicker...

Not on a P&S, you'll get about 10 feet max, if your lucky...

Digital zoom is useless. Optical zoom adds physical bulk.

You find TTL on P&S... ! If you do, then come back and tell us as a lot of people can't get by with using screens... had to get a DSLR for the wife to lug about before she could get ant results, and now 3 months later she's doing better than me with 30 years experience :o

Look at

or any of the other similar sites... go into a store and see what they say... I think you'll find you'll get the same response or sold a pup !

You get what you pay for...

Not true. Your advice is from cameras that existed almost a decade ago, not today.

Some notebooks don't have a built-in card-reader. But they usually all have USB ports.

I believe he's making a comment about how many shots per set of batteries, not the charge-retention life of the batteries themselves.

Not true. All the compact cameras of the 50+ models supported by CHDK have manual-focus override (and much much more).

There are many other brands and models that have manual focus as a standard feature well. (CHDK being a simple software add-on to the Canon line of Powershot cameras.)

Not true.

Not true. If a camera does not have a native RAW file saving format, then using digital-zoom can actually attain a little more detail than can be done by upsizing a JPG file alone on a PC. Because when digital-zoom used in-camera it is doing so from the RAW sensor data, not the resulting JPG file.

Millions of people get by using an LCD screen for framing and focusing though I find an EVF better (even better than any optical viewfinder), but an EVF adds more size to a camera. LCD's can also be used to frame and focus in situations where an optical viewfinder or EVF (electronic viewfinder) is of no help at all. Your comment sounds like personal bias or just plain bullshit. More likely, someone who is inept with using any camera.

Not true. He won't get the same response. If going into a store he'll be advised to buy whatever make and model of camera will make the most money for the salesman and the store. Not which one is best for him.

Not true. I know of lots of people that bought Leica M8's for thousands of dollars and they could produce images no better than a bubble-pack Barbie-Cam, as well as have the base-plate crack off when mounted on a tripod.

That's a whole lot of "not true"s affixed to your advice. Perhaps you should reconsider your ability at handing out any advice to anyone -- about anything.

There you go getting 'em all to jump thro yer hoops.

Analogue throw-away camera with film. Nothing is faster. Yesterday I tried to make a quick photo of my son but it takes ages before the camera actually takes a picture.

--
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
indicates you are not using the right tools...
nico@nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
--------------------------------------------------------------

.. should have been using a DSLR...

David

Upgrade to a cell phone with a camera. You'll quickly get tired of carrying a second 'toy' and start leaving it behind, and then when you need it, it will be sitting on the shelf, or table, where it does you no good.

Bwuahahahahahahahahaha!