I need a new camera for work. I have about $425 total to spend on the camera and another $75 on accessories if needed. It needs to be rugged. It needs a good zoom lens. It needs good image stabilization. Needs to take good high contrast photos... like fire at night. I'd prefer an SD card. I'd prefer it run on AA batteries because I often find myself a ways away from an electrical plug. It'd be nice if it were easy to pack/carry/hike with, but that's not a deal breaker. Any suggestions?
I just bought this one: STYLUS TOUGH-6000 http://www.steves-digicams.com/2009_reviews/olympus_tough6000.html I've enjoyed using it so far and I dont know too much about digital cameras. It's taken excellent photos.
This fits your needs and canon has the best IS in the business. It uses a Li-ion battery, but at this price, you can afford a handful of spares. http://www.jr.com/canon/pe/CAN_D10/
Can anyone tell me in idiot terms what is the real world difference between this one and the Rebel XS?
Check out the sony alpha series. They run the gamut from reasonably priced to ultra high-end. The low-end models are within your budget and sony's image stabilization is first rate.
I've had 2 of the small Canon IS's, and I've been pretty disappointed with their ability to shoot night shots. My old Sony was much better with its night mode, though I had to hold still for about 10 seconds. (I tried changing settings on the Canon to get the same effect, but nothing worked quite the same)
Not to doubt that you did it, but holding still for 10 seconds when your shutter is open sounds impossible to me - I just don't see how you could produce a shot that isn't anything but "artistic" in quality. Maybe you have really steady hands or something.
I'm not too familiar with the higher end Canon digital cameras, for the money, I think this would be your best bet. It has an amazing 20x zoom, around $350 and uses double A batteries. I'll probably pick up this camera or the SX110 (10x zoom, $200) in the future. For the budget models, I've had issues with taking pictures at night as well. I had to manually adjust the iso to get the camera to take decent pictures at night. The only problem was that you had to manually adjust the iso every time you turned the camera on.
Thanks for the advice/info. After much consideration, I went with the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS. http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=18301 In my initial post, I forgot to add that it needs to take good video, which this one apparently does. Thanks again.
rimrocker, please post your own review on its ability to do all the things you wanted it to do when you get a chance. I am in line for a new camera in the near future..
