Hi Everyone!
I am looking for a digital cam.
it must be in the below 300 $ usd pricetag.
And I would like to use it to do light effects (long exposition shots)
The mpixels must be at least 4.
and I plan to do the other shots wihtout any tripods (image stabilisation...)

Thanks a lot for those who know all the models and can quickly find 1 or 2 good
matches..

IE: looking trough froogle / ebay is a real Pain when it comes to the
VAST amount of digital cams out there.. and how much crap there is as well on the market.

Cheers
Max

I did a couple searches over at dpreview.com (an excellent camera site) and came up with these cameras:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ1
Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS1
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3
Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX8
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5
Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01

Apparenly Panasonic and Konica Minolta are the only ones making cameras with your needs in mind! The above list is ordered from least to most megapixels (the ones at the top have 4, the ones at the bottom have 6).

Depending on how long of an exposure you need, these all fit your criteria. The one capable of the longest exposures from this list is Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3, having the ability to do 15 sec + Bulb (30 sec) exposures. Most of the rest of them are only capable of 8 sec.

Before buying any camera, read lots of reviews and customer opinions. The site I linked to above is an excellent place to start with that. Have fun!

Digital cameras...shudder...
Don't mind me...I still use an ancient Pentax...I still shoot black and white film...
Guess that makes me a relic, huh?

Im surprised you can still get B&W films developed digitalpharaoh, I still have a load of films in the fridge that ive still to develop from about 4 years ago

Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3 seems perfect..
I forgot to mention it must also have a battery pack..
alkalines are expensives ...
--> I own a green laser pointer... I know about batteries! lol

but this cam is the only one with my criterias



I wonder if anyone can find someting matching all of the above + that slight little detail about the battery pack .

thanks a lot again..
sorry for the slight detail I forgot about!

I have an FZ20. 5mp, Image Stablization, 8 sec max exposure, Manual Exposure, 12x zoom,pretty nice.
My only gripe is the noise.
ISO 400 is loaded with it.
Its capable of ISO 80-$400
319$ on amazon
and DPREVIEW is the bestreview site around

I agree that dpreview is awesome. I used a lot of camera sites in order to buy my Nikon 8700 a few weeks ago, and dpreview was by far the most useful.

My only critiques about my 8700 is that its slow and often leaves a orange color cast on indoor shots when flash is not used. Not a great camera for action shots, but perfect for everything else, imo.

I think I will go with the : Powershot SD450
---> here we go..
if anyone has something to say that could possibly make me change my mind.. speak now or never! lol

thanks again to all !! --> for the dpreviews.com as well !!
so battery pack - checked
manual shutter (here up to 15 secs) .. checked
5mpx checked!
--> 60fps (high framerate video) checked (and didnt even seen it)
--> I will get to analyse my golf shot with that.. right.. lol
+ night shot + pano stitcher....
This seems great.. + on the bay there is packages with 512 SD + tripod + case + cleaning kit for 260$ USD + ship...

Powershot SD450 Features:

* 5 Megapixel CCD sensor for up to 2560x1920 pixel images
* 3x optical 37-111mm f/2.8-4.9 zoom w/digital Macro
* Large 2.5" color LCD with Night Display function
* Ultra-compact and durable stainless steel body (3.4 x 2.2 x 1.04 in.)
* Advanced TTL AiAF 9-point autofocus system with focus-assist lamp
* Program AE automatic and Manual exposure modes
* Continuous 2fps shooting until memory is full
* Movie mode w/sound 30/15fps 640x480/320x240 unlimited length
* Fast Frame Rate Movie recording, 320x240 at 60fps
* Evaluative metering on focus point or Spot
* Exposure compensation: +/-2EV in 1/3-step increments
* White Balance: Auto, 5 presets or Custom
* Photo Effects: Low Sharpening, Vivid Color, Neutral, Sepia and B&W
* My Colors - customize your colors while shooting
* Shutter speeds of 15 seconds to 1/2000 second
* Auto noise reduction with 1.3 sec or longer shutter speeds
* Selectable ISO settings from 50 to 400
* Voice memo (up to 60 secs) can be attached to images
* Built-in microphone and speaker
* Lithium rechargeable battery and charger included
* Direct print and PictBridge Compliant
* High-speed USB 2.0 connectivity for PC and Mac
* Secure Digital (SD) card storage, 16MB supplied


-> http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/sd450.html

It depends if you just want the camera for snapshots(family photos, ETC)
or more serious, if youre gonna do more serious photography youll probably want more than 3x zoom and manual focus capability.

Thanks for the reply foot fungus..
(( btw: I have athletes foot.. so I LMAO when I read your nick!!))

so My 2 remaining conscerns are
- lack of manual setup ... altough this is not completely true..
seems like some reviewers are too lazy to go look trough all the menus..
you can still set manual focus...

and 2 :
seems like (based on the cnet review) that its REALLY NOT MADE to take low light pics...

well If anyone OWNS / works with that cam .. please update me ..

as for the other options... What other options ?
is there really a competitor for this cam.. ? (without going SLR and staying in the compac/ ultra compacs) ..
thanks a lot
-max