<p>what's the best camera to use when in college? there are so many digital cameras out there that i don't know where to start. </p>
<p>i'm thinking about getting the nikon coolpix s6 digital camera or perhaps the black EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z5 by CASIO, but that's going to be release at the end of may....so i don't know how the ratings will be.</p>
<p>i usually use kodak, but i want something new and different.</p>
<p>Is the Casio the one with an amazingly large LCD screen, but no viewfinder (not that many people use it anyway)? I love the size of that screen, but I heard it's REALLY easy to break.</p>
<p>I've used a Sony Cybershot (Sony might be good with electronics, but they're not anything special in terms of digicams) and now a Canon Powershot SD450 (which I absolutely positively love).</p>
<p>If you can afford it go with the Nikon. Nikon is THE camera company. Their products are far superior to most others.</p>
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but they're not anything special in terms of digicams
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Yea, right. Sony Cybershoot are cool. We are not talking about professional cameras which cost over $700. </p>
<p>I'd say for college better to buy something thin/ultra-portable, that's what I'll buy, look at some cameras from Sony, <a href="http://www.sony.com%5B/url%5D">www.sony.com</a></p>
<p>get the Casio Exilim EX-S500</p>
<p>i have it and it's awesome. Very thin and portable. Get a 1GB SD mem card and you have high-quality video recording capacity for 30 mins or about 600-800 pics. Picture quality is probably not as good as Sony or Nikon, but it takes a good eye to notice the difference.</p>
<p>The Nikon Coolpix takes a really long time between photos...</p>
<p>haha I would get a Nikon D50 but Im a DSLR whore</p>
<p>I'm thinking of going with a Canon SD-550.</p>
<p>Go with the Canon A Series. The most recent one is the A530. I have the A510 and it is great--quality is good, size is decent. It runs off AA batteries, which is a big plus.</p>
<p>I would get something cheap and small. I have a Sony Cybershot and it works great. Also, I'm not worried about breaking it so I'm more likely to bring it out since it only cost about $200 CDN. The picture quality is great as well unless you're planning on printing giant posters. The most important thing is probaly how it shoots in low-light settings (such as at parties) since you'll be using it a lot then and you can really notice the quality of the camera in low light situations.</p>
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It runs off AA batteries, which is a big plus.
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</p>
<p>I'm going to second this - everyone has AA batteries lying around...if you're on a trip, you can go to a gas station and buy some, etc.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-T1. It's one of those little 5.1 megapixel ones with the slide-y thing that covers the lens, and it has a huge screen. It's really handy to have around, really easy to take nice pictures. I like it--it's kind of expensive for a point and shoot camera though, but it's nice. My mom has a Canon Powershot that I've used. 5 megapixels too I think. It's also really nice and easy to use. Those are my official recommendations.</p>
<p>Oh, and whoever said that cameras with batteries are nice is wrong...you probably won't want to go out and buy batteries in college. Definitely try to get something you can plug in and recharge.</p>
<p>Canon period.</p>
<p>I have had a Nikon Coolpix camera for almost two years, and I love it. I got rechargeable batteries and a charger with it, so I always have batteries, or it can use 2 regular AA, if I need to. It takes great pictures, and I love the size. It is small enough that I can slip it in my pocket or purse, but not so small I lose it or have trouble holding it. In fact, the shape makes it easy to hold with one hand. I recommend it highly. I checked out the Canon Powershot before buying the Nikon, but the Canon was bulkier and heavier, so I chose the Nikon.</p>
<p>I would not want to have an expensive camera to worry about at college. The little $99 Kodak takes fine pictures and if you lose it--no biggie.</p>
<p>I have Sony Cubershot. Great quality at 7.2 megapixels, and it's pretty small and compact (one of the ones with the smaller 2.1 in screens)</p>
<p>Geniusriki, the Canons have rechargable batteries but they ALSO take AA's.</p>
<p>It's useful in an emergency, if you forget to charge your batteries, forget to take the extra battery pack with you, etc etc etc.</p>
<p>I have a sony, and trust me - there have been times when I wished I had the extra battery.</p>
<p>Sony Cybershot DSC-W50 has really good photos and is very portable. Software isn't that great and only has 3x optical, which I find isn't enough.</p>
<p>Canon A700 also has good photos, good software, and comes with 6x optical which you might want depending on your needs. The size is a little bigger and the price a little more. Also a tad bigger than the sony.</p>
<p>If you check out dpreview.com they give you their reviews on the camera and sample photos which I find very useful.</p>
<p>Ohhh, I see, I see. Convenient feature then. I guess the little Sonys are too small for that. Some of my friends have digital cameras that can only take AA batteries (you can't plug them in to recharge), which is kind of a pain, so I guess that was my point.</p>