My son broke our digital camera. Help me pick a new one.

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

My son broke our digital camera.  Help me pick a new one.

Olympus C755 or C765?

[Jonas]

I'd stay away from Olympus. I had one and I thought it was great til I started using different Sony cameras. None of them disappointed and they just felt better to use. Also, the memory card Sony uses is accepted in a lot of places if you ever wish to print or whatever...

[Rerun]

[b.dfzo]

I'd go for the Nikon D50, but that's just me.  For around $500 or less (!!!) you can a camera worth approx. 100 times more than any Olympus.  And it's not just a digital camera, but an SLR.  Awesome!

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

Well, I'm looking to spend less than $500.  And we've had good experiences with Olympus cameras, digital and otherwise.

[b.dfzo]

I don't know...I've seen that Nikon going for $300 (link below) which is a steal for the quality.  And did I say it is a digital SLR?

http://www.geniuscameras.com/prodetails.asp?prodid=366760&start=1

[JScott]

I've got one of these and I love it. Think I spent about $400.

[JRauch]

  Your subject-line is a little bit confusing. Do you mean a new camera or a new son?

[b.dfzo]

Your subject-line is a little bit confusing. Do you mean a new camera or a new son?

That's hi-i-i-larious!  In the heat of the moment, you could, for a split second, decide you want to see if the warranty has a money back guarantee, or a good exchange policy.   You should have read it before you bought it!

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

How about this:  recommend a REALLY inexpensive camera for the kids, one that is point and click with a viewscreen on the back.

[endofposts]

You should probably go to Steves-Digicams.com and/or CNet.com to see reviews of cameras that fit your price range and specs (they have categories for both, making it easier to narrow your choices).  Think about how many megapixels you want, how big of a zoom, what types of capabilities (such as low light, where you're looking at maximum apeture and ISO sensitivity settings), and then once you've narrowed it down, read the reviews, and check out the sample shots.  Oh, and also check the specs on battery type and usage. 

Those sites will also give you a range of prices in various online stores.  Another possilbility for bargain-hunting is to look for camera models that are a year or two old (the Steve's Digicam site has archived reviews), which you can often get really cheap relative to their features, and they are often brand new, or at least reconditioned.  Once you've narrowed down your choice of models, you might also want to shop on E-Bay, where you can sometimes get bargains from reputable dealers, complete with guarantees.

I would go with either Nikon-Minolta, Pentax, or Canon, if possible.  Fuji also supposedly has some good digital cameras in the lower price range, though I was never impressed with their film cameras. 

Although, just to add, it seems as though you want the big zoom.  Olympus may be your best option for that 10x zoom, because no one else seems to have them at a cheap price range.  My sister has a 10X zoom Olympus, and it's not very impressive, but it's an older model.  Maybe they've improved since then.  Plus, if that's the brand you had previously, it saves you from having to learn a new menu system.