forsaken

LOL !

flitcroft

At 650 pixels wide you should be able to see a lot more detail than the pics BC posted above. This picture is closer to what black and white can and should look like out of a class-leading camera in this price range.

For a quick answer, buy the best Canon in your price range and size that you care to pay for. Your safest bets are Canon and Nikon and safe bets are Minolta and Olympus. If you don't have a great urge to experiment, just stick with the guys that make the best optics for the money. Note, Sony is not mentioned here. There is only one Sony I'd ever recommend and it's about twice this price range -- the F717, or whatever the latest model number is now.

oatnet

Yes, those photos do clearly demonstrate some of the problems with Sony's CCDs. In trying to balance between the bright flame and the normal background, the CCD has failed in both. The bright fire is a big anomolous blob (or flare), while the surrounding color and crispness are bled out of the photo.

Sorry BC - once you go canon you will never go back! I need to lend you my s500 for a week

Josiah! I didn't realize that you also were one of the Canon faithful, but given our shared gadget-junkie traits I should have expected you would come to the same conclusion.

S2KANDRE

damn BC those were good deals! too bad there over

B.C.

The deals are still good Link yourself to the other thread!

RedHead

I'm suprised that no one mentioned the comapct Sony T3 nor the Nikon D70.

B.C.

Because the reccomendations were for 200-300 ish---

RedHead

oops. I just saw that too.

B.C.

Bring your digicam to March 5th 2005. <Hint>

MrForgetable

also because the T3 is not available in the US