Any clue of a decent quality, easy to use digital camera?

Fedral: The winner:

Canon Powershot 570


Good choice! I also bought the A570 for several reasons. a) anti-hsake, b) 7.1MP, c) 4X zoom lens, d) 2 double A batteries instead of 4, and e) price.

I also lug around the Olympus Stylus 800, all-weather with 8MP, because I love to make 11X14 prints. I also like this camera for its slimness that fits into a very small case that can be hung on my belt.

I used to lug around the Monica Minolta DiMage Z5 with anti-shake and 12Xs optical zoom. The two cameras I now carry around is the size of this one.

I also have some older cameras: 1) The OlympusC-3000 with 3.3MP, 2) The Olympus C-770 with a 10X optical zoom, and 4MP.

I still have a film camera, the Pentax ZX-7 with two lens, 28-80mm and 80-320mm. One of these days, I'm going to take this on the road to take some pictures. It's still a pretty good camera.

While in Uruguay early this year, a young kid stole my Canon A720IS while I had it in my case hung around my shoulder. SNAP! And it was gone. I will never carry my camera in a case hung around my shoulder again.

Understood that you're using AA Lithium, but there's still the issue of using rechargables. Once these batteries wear out you want to consider switching over to rechargable. They're kinder to the environment as you won't be very often putting batteries into the trash stream (once 5-7 yrs) and you'll have a great deal of money in the long run over AA Lithium

Thank you Ragman

BTW, I have a battery charger with the plugs that folds into the unit, and it's good for both 110 and 220 volts that I take on all my trips. It reduces the need to carry a huge supply of batteries - which ends up heavier and more space.

Any clue of a decent quality, easy to use digital camera?
I just got one of those self-contained plug-in chargers - Duracell NiMH. I also have the charger that came with my Sony camera, but that's a separate unit. The Sony charges both AA & AAA; the Duracell is for AA only, but I would imagine they also have one for AAAs. I think the Duracell is a great step upward in convenience.

I've been shopping for a new one as my Casio 10.1 was stolen. I found the Canon A570 at Beach Photo through Amazon at $195.50, and free freight if I add accessories including a SONY battery charger:

Shopping Cart Items
Sony BCG-34HE4 Super-Quick Worldwide Battery Charger with 4 AA NiMH Batteries- Sony Batteries
$22.95
- quantity: 1
SanDisk SDSDB-1024-A10 1 GB Secure Digital Card (Retail Package)- SanDisk
Seller's Price:$7.44
- quantity: 1
Shipped from: BlueProton
Canon PSC-65 Deluxe Soft Case for A550, A560, A570IS, A630, A640, A700 & A710IS Digital Cameras- Canon
$8.99
- quantity: 1
Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom- Canon
Seller's Price:$195.50

Total about $ 234.00 -- looks good? I can order it through the site and A2K will get credit. Craven can go have a Big Mac.

LW, Excellent unit with the package you listed for a very good price. Go for it!

Already ordered it -- I knew I could depend on you, c.i.

Any clue of a decent quality, easy to use digital camera?
You may have bought a lemon. I had a CoolPix and really liked it.

BTW - don't fall (as I once did) for the "lightweight" feature: once you get the batteries in, the weight ain't so light.

And if you believe that these cameras are truly pocket-sized you must be thinking of an L L Bean outdoorsman type of jacket. Put one in your jacket pocket and you'll be bent over like the Hunchback of Notre Dame (that is, if the pocket doesn't rip right off altogether).

All this being said, I love these little cameras, finding them easy to handle and with very good results.

Here's how I carry my two cameras.



I carry the Olympus in the left case with an extra memory card and spare batteries. The case measures 4.5"x2.5". The Canon A570 is carried in the right side case. It measures 5"x3.5", and I carry an extra memory card and spare batteries in the case. The two cameras give me enough flexibility for me to shoot most of what I want without the ability of a 35-315mm zoom, but at my age, I prefer the convenience and light-weight with much less bulk. I can hang both cameras from my neck. Also with the 7.1MP and 8MP, I can make enlargements of my pictures without losing clarity - which is almost like my "hidden" zoom.

I love my Casio 10.1 mp but for the ergonomics of handling the camera. The Canon has the shape I like and, thruthfully, once you get above 6 mp, unless you intend on blowing up images to 12 x 14, it's not a huge difference in resolution. I also found the Casio program and configuration rather difficult. I did like the built in rechargeable batteries and dock but for less money, I think the Canon is a good buy. It's also a pick of Consumer Report.

The Consumer Report's best buy was also my deal maker. I've been very happy with the 570.

Here's the 570 used with a monoscope at Wrigley Field.
I just wanted you to see the detail.