Looking for a good digital camera for around £100

[King Mustard]

My parents are going on a cruise in two weeks time and they're looking for a decent digital camera to take with them for around £100.

I myself have the Fujifilm FinePix Z3 and I am happy with it (and that is around the £100 mark these days).

Any suggestions?

[SmartWombat]

Go sale shopping !
You might be able to pick up a camera at a good price right now.

FinePix F480 is only £99 at Jessops right now.
Panasonic LZ6 is £119 (I like my LZ5, only big shortcoming is low light)

They claim to be the lowest price on the high street, so it's worthwhile challenging them and getting a competitive price if they're not the lowest

[King Mustard]

Go sale shopping !
You might be able to pick up a camera at a good price right now.

FinePix Z480 is only £99 at Jessops right now.
Panasonic LZ6 is £119 (I like my LZ5, only big shortcoming is low light)

They claim to be the lowest price on the high street, so it's worthwhile challenging them and getting a competitive price if they're not the lowest

I assume they're good cameras?

Better than the FinePix Z3?

[SmartWombat]

Z3 is a 2006 model camera.
Very slim, 5MP, 3x zoom, 0.37 second lag.

Oh, spotted a typo of Z480 instead of F480 - oops, sorry.
Not so slim, 8MP, 4x zoom, 0.37 second lag.
Wider angle means more chance to get groups of people in the shot.

LZ6
Again pocket-slim (not razor thin), 7MP, 6x zoom, 0.005 second lag (!)
Optical image stabiliser, so less camera shake.

[King Mustard]

Z3 is a 2006 model camera.
Very slim, 5MP, 3x zoom, 0.37 second lag.

Oh, spotted a typo of Z480 instead of F480 - oops, sorry.
Not so slim, 8MP, 4x zoom, 0.37 second lag.
Wider angle means more chance to get groups of people in the shot.

LZ6
Again pocket-slim (not razor thin), 7MP, 6x zoom, 0.005 second lag (!)
Optical image stabiliser, so less camera shake.

My dad went with the Panasonic LZ6 and although it was £120, you failed to mention the fact it comes with 2x non-rechargable batteries, no recharger, no carry case etc. so it was in fact rather expensive!

My FinePix Z3 came with a dock (also works as a charger, just plug it into a wall), uses a li-lithium battery, has a case etc. and can now be bought for £80.

Thank you for the suggestions and we bought a camera based on them, but you need to advise people in the bad areas too mate. Cheers though!

[SmartWombat]

Sorry about that.
I assumed you'd look at it and see what they put in the box.
Perhaps try handling both cameras (and any others taking your fancy).

I was torn between the wider angle of the 480 and its 8MP, versus the optical stabiliser of the LZ6.
Because the LZ6 takes standard AA batteries, if you run out of charge you can get a battery almost anywhere. Something I thought might be useful on a cruise, where they may not be able to get back to base for a recharge part way through the day.

I've been caught out with my Minolta P&S that use custom Li-Ion batteries because there is no alternative power. Same on my 1DS the day I forgot to recharge it before going out

I've found something interesting at Maplin, they sell the Uniross Hybrio rechargeable batteries. I've been trying them for 6 months and I think they really are well worth the extra few £.
They claim the charge lasts almost as well as alkaline batteries when the battery isn't in use, and I've been very impressed with how well they last. I can leave them charged for a month and still there seems to be no practical difference from batteries charged the day I use them.

I'm using an ordinary 4-cell AA charger, something you can pick up really cheap, and not the expensive Panasonic charger. I prefer to charge 4 batteries at a time outside the camera, rather than tie up the camera on the charger for hours.

I haven't tried the Lithium AA cells they're advertising on TV right now, but if they really do have 6x the life of ordinary AA (I am sceptical on that) then they would be excellent to drop in the camera bag for emergency.

I've been using the LZ5 for a year with no case, because it has the protective shutters over the lens and it goes in my pocket (not with keys and stuff that might scratch it) there seems no need for a case the way I use it.
I've even dropped it onto concrete twice (I would not recommend that!) and it still works, though I'm trying not to tempt fate by doing that a third time

I hope that the LZ6 does a good job for them on the cruise.

[King Mustard]

Sorry about that.
I assumed you'd look at it and see what they put in the box.
Perhaps try handling both cameras (and any others taking your fancy).

I was torn between the wider angle of the 480 and its 8MP, versus the optical stabiliser of the LZ6.
Because the LZ6 takes standard AA batteries, if you run out of charge you can get a battery almost anywhere. Something I thought might be useful on a cruise, where they may not be able to get back to base for a recharge part way through the day.

I've been caught out with my Minolta P&S that use custom Li-Ion batteries because there is no alternative power. Same on my 1DS the day I forgot to recharge it before going out

I've found something interesting at Maplin, they sell the Uniross Hybrio rechargeable batteries. I've been trying them for 6 months and I think they really are well worth the extra few £.
They claim the charge lasts almost as well as alkaline batteries when the battery isn't in use, and I've been very impressed with how well they last. I can leave them charged for a month and still there seems to be no practical difference from batteries charged the day I use them.

I'm using an ordinary 4-cell AA charger, something you can pick up really cheap, and not the expensive Panasonic charger. I prefer to charge 4 batteries at a time outside the camera, rather than tie up the camera on the charger for hours.

I haven't tried the Lithium AA cells they're advertising on TV right now, but if they really do have 6x the life of ordinary AA (I am sceptical on that) then they would be excellent to drop in the camera bag for emergency.

I've been using the LZ5 for a year with no case, because it has the protective shutters over the lens and it goes in my pocket (not with keys and stuff that might scratch it) there seems no need for a case the way I use it.
I've even dropped it onto concrete twice (I would not recommend that!) and it still works, though I'm trying not to tempt fate by doing that a third time

I hope that the LZ6 does a good job for them on the cruise.

Thank you for all your help, you've been fantastic.

[xxsjxx1]

www.bestbuy.com

canon sd1000 for 150 american (i think thats 75 pounds)

[King Mustard]

www.bestbuy.com

canon sd1000 for 150 american (i think thats 75 pounds)

It's over £110 here in the UK and either way, they bought the Panasonic LZ6.

I hope it's a good camera because I told them it was! :/