Best Digital Camera for a trip to Washington D.C.?

I want a point-and-shoot camera for Washington D.C. Keep in mind that there might be lots of dark nightime shots, and possibly bright daytime shots.

• Higher than 5 MP (Preferably 6+)
•Lower than 10 MP

•Higher than 3 Optical Zoom (Preferably 4+)
•I don’t care about Digital Zoom

•IMAGE STABILIZATION is one of the top priorities!!!

•High Quality Movie/Video Capture
I prefer:
-640 by 480 pixels
-30 fps
-If possible, microphone on the front and/or zooming in or out while taking a video, but this is a low priority

•Good daytime AND nightime shots

•Optical viewfinder doesn’t really matter to me much

**ASSUME THAT PRICE IS NOT A FACTOR**

Answer by wynner01
Pentax has internal stabilization and some of their point and shoot are very reasonably priced. The Optio is a good Choice. The Canon Powershot has 5 models and range from 4.0 to 10.1 megapixels. They are probably the best point and shoot cameras on the market. If you really want to pay a little more and learn to use a DSLR then the Pentax 100 has the Image stabilization and has oodles of options and if you get stuck can operate in automatic mode. It is around $ 700. It is 6.1 megapixels and would be my choice.

Answer by Pichi
I am thinking that for your needs, the Canon Powershot A710 IS would be just about perfect.

It features:
* 7.1-megapixel CCD delivering image dimensions as large as 3,072 x 2,304 pixels
* 2.5-inch color LCD monitor
* Real-image optical viewfinder
* Glass, 6x 5.8-34.8mm lens (equivalent to 35-210mm zoom on a 35mm camera)
* 4.0x digital zoom
* AiAF autofocus and a manual focus mode
* AF Assist light for low-light focusing
* Automatic, Program AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual exposure modes, as well as 10 preset Scene modes plus Stitch Assist
* Manually adjustable aperture setting ranging from f/2.8 to f/8.0, depending on lens zoom position and shutter speed
* Shutter speed range from 1/2,000 to 15 seconds, depending on aperture (Shutter times longer than 1 second only available in shutter-priority and manual exposure modes and some scene modes.)
* Built-in flash with three operating modes plus red-eye reduction
* SD/MMC memory storage
* Power supplied by two AA batteries or optional AC adapter
* Image stabilization
* Movie mode (with sound), up to 640 x 480 at 30 fps
* Sound caption recording
* Stitch-Assist mode for panoramic shots
* Continuous Shooting and a variable delay Self-Timer mode
* Creative Effects menu
* White balance (color) adjustment with seven modes
* ISO adjustment with six ISO equivalents and two Auto settings

Google it “Canon Powershot A710 IS review” and you will find several reviews of this camera to read through.

I have heard much good about this camera on a Canon forum I belong to.

Answer by fhotoace
All are good answers. Go to dpreview and do a feature search. You will get a good list of some of the cameras that will meet your expectations.

Stick to the manufacturers that make cameras (35mm and DSLR’s). The have the experience, R&D and track record to not only provide an outstanding product, but stand behind their products as well. Avoid companies who are known for their VCR’s, MP3 players and other electronics.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Venus after Sunset


Image by fs999
Pentax K20D • Pentax DA 10-17mm f:3.5-4.5
100iso 30" F3.5

A way to see Flickr in Black : Greasemonkey and Flickr in mostly Black…
You will see an other world!

My parents said they’ll buy me a camera for Christmas and gave me a £150 budget. Does anyone have any good suggestions?
I’d like a decent amount of MPs(10 would be nice- 8 would be okay and 7… meh…) and a good optical zoom would be good(if it has like, 10x optical zoom or something[I'm just throwing around random digits 'ere xD, I don't know much about realistic zooms xD] then then the MP can be pretty low) because the main reason I want one if because I want to edit them in Photoshop(’cause of copyright I can’t put edited images on a portfolio ’cause most of them aren’t mine) and it’s a lot easier to edit images in Photoshop when they aren’t all pixelated when you zoom in. Nothing REALLY high though because obviously it’d be a bit laggy- anything above 10 isn’t really ideal… I know I could adjust the settings but… yeah… okay, ignore that 10+ is cool. LOL.
IDK a lot about cameras, I wouldn’t buy one but I’m getting really advanced in Photoshop so I kind of want to start setting up a portfolio soon for editing images and stuff which if I get a head start now(14 years old) I might not need a part time job when I go to college or w.e.
SO YEAH.
Any camera experts out there willing to help me(baring in mind my budget- it obviously doesn’t have to be top of the line)? Oh, and it NEEDS to be rechargeable! If it’s not rechargeable it’s a complete deal breaker. Also, it needs to be from a respectable retailer(i.e not eBay, something like Amazon or Argos) ’cause my parents probably wouldn’t want to buy it from some random guy from eBay and I wouldn’t neither… LOL. Sorry if I seem a bit fussy… xD.
And also, are tripods generally all the same or are some really advanced… in some way? I guess if I don’t know I wouldn’t really care and me asking for a link to a posh tripod is a bit vain… but meh, never know. I’ll probably just buy a basic one though ’cause I only play to take pictures inside the house(I tend to edit products and stuff).
EMZ=]

Answer by Sagar Mahajan
Canon-Digital IXUS 85 IS
Price 125.04 £
10 mega pixel digital camera with a CCD sensor, 3x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom. 2.5-inch large LCD screen and a self-timer. other features like built in flash, auto flash, Image Stabilizer and red eye correction. capture upto 330 images in one battery recharge. added features like Stitch Assist, Face Detection, Sound recorder, Battery Life Indicator and Motion Detection Technology.

the best choice having all features, good picture clarity, good overall performance, good durability and is value for money product. go with it.
=====SM=====

Answer by Ace Ventura: Pet Photographer
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9218697&type=product&id=1218061796621

What do you think? Answer below!

Celestron 44320 Microscope Digital Kit MDK

• Biological microscope with powers from 40x to 600x
• Three prepared slides, rocks and honeybee wing
• Zoom eyepiece from 10x to 20x; 4x, 15x, 30x objective lenses
• Digital camera with imaging software included on CD-ROM
• Top and bottom electric illumination

Biological microscope with digital camera for viewing or imaging. 40x to 600x Power, 10x to 20x zoom eyepiece, objectives – 4x, 15x, 30x, top and bottom electric illumination, 3 prepared slides.

List Price: $ 82.95

Price: $ 49.00