Reputable companies?

[robo_panda]

What brands make good digital cameras? I'm looking into either Fuji, Olympus, or Sony right now; any other suggestions? Oh and is having video out really a big deal?

[zrfraser]

They are all reputable companies, just depends on what you are looking for.

[robo_panda]

Alright thanks for the help. But just one last question, does a casual user need to have an A/V output on the camera?

[Photo-John]

The A/V output is for connecting your camera to a television set. That allows you to display a slideshow from the camera, on your TV. If that's important to you, then you'll need the A/V connectors. I've never used them.

Canon is selling more cameras that any other manufacturer in the world right now. And for professional cameras, Nikon and Canon are the top of the heap. For compact cameras, you should be also be considering Kodak, Casio, and Panasonic. Casio, in particular, makes excellent compact digital cameras, I think.

What kind of camera are you looking for and what kind of pictures do you want to take? If you tell us more we might be able to give you some more direction.

[robo_panda]

Well I'm just a casual user. So I might use it for the occasional picture or video capture of sports, or just take pictures for special occasions.