I'm looking at investing in a point-and-shoot canon camera that takes GOOD pictures- not the typical grainy crap one can end up with from a point-and-shoot. I want a canon, and if it is under $300 that would be great.
Any suggestions on what to look for or the camera to get?
@stationary315 I had a canon g9 before my DSLR and loved it. It's a point and shoot from what they call the prosumer range. It has the regular auto features but also has manual features too - which was fantastic cos it made my transition to the DSLR a lot easier. I think the latest model is probably a g12 or g13. Just go to Flickr, search the model and see what kind of shots others are getting from the camera and it might help you decide...
my canon powershot SX130 IS takes excellent photos. here, the SX150 costs about $229 canadian or less and it's a tad improvement from the SX130. my SX130 has 12X zoom but the SX150 apparently has 15x zoom. it also takes great macros especially after i dropped it :-) but dropping your camera is not advisable. also my SX130 had aperture and shutter setting capabilities as well as manual setting and i've been using it months before i bought my dSLR. good luck with your hunt.
The Canon Powershot SX230HS is reportedly an excellent quality P&S camera. I looked up prices and they can be had for $250-$300. The brand new replacement for it is the SX260HS, it sounds great, but is a little more expensive at the moment. I've been using their predecessor, the SX200IS, for over 3 years now, and have been very happy with it, and apparently the later incarnations are even better. Small and light with great 14x zoom & macro range... also still works perfectly after being dropped a few times! :op
As for what to look for.... Try to find a camera that has a good range of manual settings, for maximum creative flexibility when you want to try new things. You may be so pleased with the auto settings that you'll never need the manual ones, but it's never a bad idea to get something that you can grow into.
I'd say go Canon G12.... I see Amazon has it on for $339! But I'm sure if you shop around you could get it under $300. Loving mine - 20 000 pics later!!! Compact enough to fit in a large pocket, bag or backpack but has most of the bells and whistles you'd require.
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As for what to look for.... Try to find a camera that has a good range of manual settings, for maximum creative flexibility when you want to try new things. You may be so pleased with the auto settings that you'll never need the manual ones, but it's never a bad idea to get something that you can grow into.
And very importantly, look for a camera that has a larger sensor. Huge megapixelage means squat if there's only a teeny tiny sensor to capture your image. There is a helpful article on sensor sizes here: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/sensor-size-explained-with-sample-photos-17813
A good place to read very thorough consumer-reports style camera reviews is here: http://www.dpreview.com/
Good luck and have fun! :)
Thank you thank you THANK you all!! Stop dropping your camera's, you goons(; I'll let you know what I find! Thanks do much for all the input!!