I'm looking to get a family gift - digi camera for Xmas. Time running out FAST. Based on your experiences, can anyone recommend me a camera that offers a high quality, high resolution output in the $400-$600 range. My wants: max res.of at least 1280X, decent+ battery life. Fancy features are not as important as a good quality picture, as I am no photographer, but can see us using the camera more liberally, deleting the 'so-so' photos. Thanks in advance for all your input, I will be ordering by Fri 12/17.

-- Chris Tracey (ctracey@home.com), December 16, 1999

Answers

Well, I don't have one, but the Epson 750 and 850Z look like pretty nice cameras, both with 3X zoom. From a couple of shots I've received via email, the 850Z is a pretty decent unit for the money. The 850Z is available for under $650 from a number of vendors that can be found at www.computershopper.com

If you're looking to go lowball, without an optical zoom lens, think about a Toshiba PDR-M1 if you can still find them. I have one, and only paid $350 for it last year. But, it's probably worth the extra money to get the zoom lens, the higher resolution sensor, and the added features. If you're looking for a mid range unit check out the Toshiba PDR-M3, 1280x1024 & a 3X zoom. You might also look at the PDR-M5, a really nice unit with 3X zoom, 2MP sensor, and the ability to take a picture every two seconds, so it's more like a conventional camera in that regard.

Good Luck - Have a Merry & A Happy!

-- Gerald Payne (gmp@francorp.francomm.com), December 16, 1999.

I think the best value and quality for the money right now is the Canon A50. I own one and have been very happy with it. Now the the new S10 is out, you can get prices of $320-$380 for the A50 from most websites. Add about $80 for the charger and special NIMH rechargeable battery. You get a 28-70 optical zoom, 1280x960 res., uncompressed mode, fast/sharp/low-distortion lens, and it's small and rugged enough to take everywhere.

-- Dennis Pereira (dpereira@ultranet.com), December 17, 1999.

I have both the Epson 750Z and 850Z. I have had the 750Z since March. I just got the 850Z today and it is still in the box at home. I have been very happy with the 750Z and intend to keep it even with the addition of the 850Z. The 750Z takes great pictures and would recommend it to anyone looking for a camera in it's price range. I would be happy to tell you more about it if you are interested.

-- Bob G. (rgreg88721@hotmail.com), December 17, 1999.

I too recently purchased a Canon A-50. Since the price has dropped significantly to the low $300's as a result of the introduction of Canon's newest model, the S-10, the A-50 is a great buy. I also acquired the AC adapter/ battery charger kit (DK110) with rechargable battery plus a USB Compact card reader to complete my system. Feel free to e-mail me regarding points of purchase & pricing.

-- JOHN R. LAURENCE (jrl67@hotmail.com), December 18, 1999.

A good mid range digital camera with loads of features is the new Kodak DC215 (Gold model). It is a great point&shoot snapshot camera that takes great pictures. It has a F4 to F16 2x zoom lens that takes sharp pictures. It is great on batteries, uses 4 alkaline or 4 NIMH rechargeable batteries. The DC215 (Gold model) comes with a 8MB compactflash card, serial and USB cables and a SanDisk USB compactflash card reader and 4 AA PhotoLite Alkaline batteries. It is a small compact digital camera that can easily fit in a coat pocket. The Kodak DC215 (Gold model) is worth a look.

-- Stephen Kovac (skovac@qualcomm.com), December 19, 1999.