# buying digital camera



## babydays (3 Jun 2006)

About to buy a digital camera. 

Looking for :
at least 6 megapixels for photo clarity
optical zoom
stabiliser would be nice

have seen the sony cyber-shot DSCW30 for E211 from pixmania.


Is this a good price for a good camera?

Advice appreciated!


----------



## DrMoriarty (4 Jun 2006)

It looks not bad, though you should consider buying extra memory in one of their 'bundles'. Have you tried doing a ? There are dozens of previous threads along this line...


----------



## ontour (4 Jun 2006)

in NYC is a great place to buy cameras, seem to have one roughly equivalent to what you are looking at for 143 euro


----------



## Goll (4 Jun 2006)

Have a look at Bermingham Cameras' Website as well. They sometimes have good deals, and their "A stock" prices are also attractive:
http://www.berminghamcameras.ie/store/index.php?target=categories&category_id=228


----------



## babydays (6 Jun 2006)

thanks for the replies. After having checked out lots of on-line review sites etc I went for the Sony. I was getting dizzy from all the possibilities. It seems like a good deal.

The Bermingham camera shop website was off-line when I checked.

Reviews will follow!


----------



## bankrupt (17 Dec 2006)

I want to get a camera as a gift for someone, what would people recommend as a good point and shoot these days?  <€200 range.  

It would need to be readily available in Dublin before Christmas.  I am aware of dpreview.com etc. but there is just so much choice in this price range that I don't know where to start.

Thanks.


----------



## jmayo (17 Dec 2006)

I have heard some not so good things about pixmania so beware.
Conn's camera on Wexford street have a very good reputation amongst the more serious amateur photographers.
For more expensive items and if you had more time I would advise buying from Germany, much cheaper than Ireland.
Try Dixons Currys and see if there prices are any better in comparison to high street shops.


----------



## bankrupt (17 Dec 2006)

Thanks jmayo, I'm looking for specific make/model recomendations for a cheap(ish) digital point and shoot.  I'm just not familiar with these types of camera at all.


----------



## DrMoriarty (18 Dec 2006)

Well, the good news is that the Sony you linked to above seems to have dropped to just over €200.  

To be honest, though, for that price I'd recommend the very similarly featured , bundled with stuff you're going to need.

The prices are keener still on [broken link removed] (consider also the three Fuji Finepix models at the top of that list... I bought my daughter the  recently, and it's a delight to use.)

One disadvantage of the Sony cameras (apart from being over-priced) is that you're tied into expensive proprietary memory sticks and inbuilt lithium batteries. Olympus and Fuji cameras use xD cards — again very [broken link removed] on 7dayshop — and standard AA-sized rechargeables (so you can bung in a pair of ordinary alkalines in an emergency).


----------



## bankrupt (18 Dec 2006)

Thanks DrM.  

While wandering around town today I came across a Fuji A500 with 256MB card and a charger for €180.  Is this considered a reasonable deal by people?


----------



## C2H5OH (18 Dec 2006)

Bankrupt,
 Have you tried argos.   I know that they had the next model up the A600 for 134 euro last week. It was half price ( well half their original price).  I think the a500 was around 110 ( but not sure).
there was also an offer in the catalogue of a half price accessory kit of a case, charger, batteries and a small tripod for around 30 euro.
7dayshop.com offers great value on cards and rechargeable batteries.

 you can check the price on Argos 01 2161616.  Not sure if the lines are not working or just extremely busy at the moment. 
the a500 is cat no 5605053
 the a600 is 5605273
 They also had a number of other cameras on offer. You have to take their reductions with a pinch of salt but the price on the A600 is very competitive if you need to buy in a store.


----------



## bankrupt (18 Dec 2006)

Many thanks C2H5OH, I'll give them a go and report back.


----------



## C2H5OH (18 Dec 2006)

The A600 is in stock in Jervis  397 and ilac 394  liffey valley 687.  it is 134 euro . The A500 is 119 euro.  the phones are working but busy.


----------



## DrMoriarty (18 Dec 2006)

I'd say buy the camera in Argos (just for ease of return, if you were ever to have a problem with it...) and then order 7dayshop's Inov8 Compact Overnight Battery Charger for AA Batteries + 4x AA 2500mAh Rechargeables (£6.99) and the 1Gb xD card I linked to above.


----------



## bankrupt (19 Dec 2006)

DrMoriarty said:


> I'd say buy the camera in Argos (just for ease of return, if you were ever to have a problem with it...) and then order 7dayshop's Inov8 Compact Overnight Battery Charger for AA Batteries + 4x AA 2500mAh Rechargeables (£6.99) and the 1Gb xD card I linked to above.


 
Great idea DrM, that's exactly what I'll do, I don't mind if the charger and card don't arrive before the 25th.

Thanks again and Happy Christmas.


----------



## DrMoriarty (19 Dec 2006)

Happy snapping!


----------



## collieb (20 Dec 2006)

Hi, was doing a search on the argos website for the Fuji A600 and cant find it - even says the cat no given above cannot be found!  Are they all out of stock?


----------



## Satanta (20 Dec 2006)

collieb said:


> was doing a search on the argos website....


The Argos website is just very poor. Either phone them or call into one of the shops. The website is very seldom up to date with current stock and if it did have details on the product, I'm still not sure I'd trust what it was saying.


----------



## C2H5OH (20 Dec 2006)

the argos.ie site does not list any electrical items. You can only check stock/reserve for electrical items via the 01 2161616 telephone.You also need the store no which are available on the .ie website. 
You can check the specs on the .co.uk site.
The 01 2161616 is very busy as you would expect so you may not be able to get through. Late at night / very early might be the best time.


----------



## joanmul (20 Dec 2006)

DrMoriarty said:


> I'd say buy the camera in Argos (just for ease of return, if you were ever to have a problem with it...) and then order 7dayshop's Inov8 Compact Overnight Battery Charger for AA Batteries + 4x AA 2500mAh Rechargeables (£6.99) and the 1Gb xD card I linked to above.


 
I don't think the rechareable batteries are a good idea at all. I have a camera with a lithium battery and my daughter has one with double AA's. She is forever borrowing mine as her batteries die before she has finished taking photos - she does take a lot. But the point is mine doesn't need to be recharged for a good while. The cameras with double aa batteries may be cheaper but , in my opinion, you're getting what you pay for and may regret it later.


----------



## DrMoriarty (20 Dec 2006)

Much depends what type/what rating rechargeables she's using, and how heavy the drain on them is (large LCD size/zooming a lot/shooting in low light are the main culprits).

I use 2700mAh NiMH batteries and they last for ages. But I always have a couple of spares in my jacket pocket. If your Lithium battery suddenly dies, you have to be near a mains outlet (and have your charger with you); with AAs you can pop in a pair of ordinary alkalines...

Check out what they say at the [broken link removed]!


----------



## bankrupt (23 Dec 2006)

C2H5OH & DrM - I purchased the A600 from Argos in the end and will also order the xD card and charger online.  Thanks again for your help.  One question C2H5OH, where did you find the Argos offer?  I was looking in their catalogue and it was not mentioned, nor in a "Christmas special" pamphlet in store.


----------



## C2H5OH (23 Dec 2006)

Bankrupt,
 I had noticed on  [broken link removed]
that Argos had reduced some fuji cameras in the UK. I noticed that it had been reduced in the UK to half price(?). At the time  it wasn't reduced in Ireland.  It was subsequently reduced in  an Irish Argos leaflet(   maybe 2 weeks ago).
 Argos seem to reduce items in the UK, but are a little slower to reduce them in Ireland. For example, the fuji S 5600 is currently on sale in Argos UK for 112 sterling( say 170 euro) but hard to find. Argos Ireland was selling this for around 300 euro last week , and have now reduced it to 230.


----------



## DrMoriarty (23 Dec 2006)

C2H5OH said:


> ...Argos had reduced some fuji cameras in the UK. I noticed that it had been reduced in the UK to half price(?). At the time it wasn't reduced in Ireland. [...] Argos seem to reduce items in the UK, but are a little slower to reduce them in Ireland.


What a rip-off!


----------



## bankrupt (24 Dec 2006)

DrMoriarty said:


> What a rip-off!


 
Perhaps! but for C2H5OH I would have paid over the odds, thanks again!


----------



## joanboot (9 Jul 2009)

I wanted to buy a Nikon D40 and checked a price comparison site in the UK.
This camera costs £246.29 in Argos in the UK and when I checked it here in Argos, it cost €379.99. That is some exchange rate!!!!!


----------

