10 Popular Digital Cams Under US $500

Written by Gary Hendricks

Cameras - Sony-Ericsson

Tags: budget | Canon | Casio | digital cameras | Fuji | Kodak | Konica | Nikon | Olympus | Pentax | Sony

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Are you on a budget but still want to buy a good digital camera? Well, that's great because Gary Hendricks compiled a list of the top 10 digital cameras out there going at under US$300.

When choosing a value-for-money digital camera, remember that it should offer great features and excellent photo quality, all at a reasonable price. That said, let's have a look at that list of cameras. Here we go...

Nikon Coolpix 5200

The Nikon Coolpix 5200 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom has a 5.1 megapixel resolution and a 3x optical zoom. With its excellent picture quality, battery life and camera optics, this is one of the best-selling cameras out there. The body of the camera is also very well-designed - you'll find that it's very comfortable to hold it while shooting pictures.

Canon PowerShot A95

Another hot seller, the Canon PowerShot A95 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom is a 5 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom. Photo quality is excellent, with sharp and vivid colours. Overall, this is one of the best point-and-shoot digital cameras you can buy. Highly recommended.

Fuji FinePix E550

An interesting camera with 6.3 megapixels image resolution and a 4x optical zoom. The Fujifilm Finepix E550 6.3MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom has a nice, big 2 inch LCD screen, though the camera body itself is slightly bulky. Still, a good value given its price.

Sony CyberShot DSC-W1

The Sony Cybershot DSCW1 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom is one of the most popular digital cameras at the moment. It is compact and looks very stylish. With a 5.1 megapixel resolution, 3x optical zoom and a very generous 2.5 inch LCD, you'll be hard pressed to find a better camera in its price range.

Pentax Optio S5i

The Pentax Optio S5i comes with a 5 megapixel resolution and 3x optical zoom. Its capable of taking very good pictures and there's a surprising number of features packed into its small, compact body.

Olympus C-765

The Olympus C765 4MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom is a 4 megapixel camera with an amazing 10x optical zoom. There is a nice feature set, including a wealth of white balance settings. Very good camera to buy if you want to avoid the standard Canon or Sony models.

Kodak EasyShare DX7630

The Kodak EasyShare DX7630 6MP Digital Camera is a great camera with a 6.1 megapixel resolution and 3x optical zoom. The small, yet feature-packed body allows you to take great pictures and video too. It also runs on rechargeable batteries, making it one of the best point-and-shoot cameras out there.

Casio Exilim EX-Z50

With a 5 megapixel resolution and 3x optical zoom, the Casio Exilim EXZ50 5MP Digital Camera is one of the smallest digital cameras out there. I found that it's got a pretty big LCD screen, fast response time and decent battery life, Recommended for those who want a very small, compact camera that takes good pictures.

Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z1

This is a 3.3 megapixel resolution camera with a 10x optical zoom. The powerful optical zoom is a big plus - it's tough to find a camera with a 10x zoom in this price range. The Konica Minolta Dimage Z6 6MP Digital Camera with 12x Anti-Shake Zoom also runs on rechargeable batteries and shoots great looking pictures. I highly recommend it.

Conclusion

Ok, we've gone through many good-value digital cameras in the above list. Which one would I buy if I were in a camera shop? It'd be a tough choice between the Canon PowerShot S500, Kodak EasyShare DX7630 and Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z1. When you head out to buy your own camera, do bear in mind that digital camera prices are dropping everyday. So shop around, it should be easy to find a model that suits your needs and yet fits within your budget.