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Anonymous
I want to get a camera for my girlfriend for christmas (she wants to get a new camera and learn how to use photoshop). I work at Wal-Mart and every year we are given a 20% discount on one purchase.

Neither of us are professionals but I like to buy the best devices for my money. I'm really not knowledgeable on camera purchases at all, as I don't even own one myself. So all advice is appreciated.

My budget is around $300, but I could be persuaded to invest a little more if it's worth it.

Criteria:

- She wants a small camera, the kind you can stick in your pocket. I could convince her the larger ones are superior, but she'd prefer a small one.

- She doesn't care about whether or not it has a viewfinder.

- Battery life would be a good thing.

The three small cameras that appealed to her in Wal-Mart's limited selection were:
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>> Anonymous
canon a series
>> Anonymous
>>101151
If it's a girl, look and feel of the camera is more important than image quality, so it's wise to get her one of those cameras she already approved of. My vote goes to Sony, as Kodaks usually suck, and 12-megapixel Kodaks suck the most.
>> Butterfly !xlgRMYva6s
sony or samsung make the best looking ones.
>> thefamilyman !!rTVzm2BgTOa
I like the Fuji Z series, i got my gf's sister a Z5fd little wile back.
>> Anonymous
>>101157

haha you're porkin your gf's sister
>> OPFOR !8vKpfCqy8A
>>101151
Nikon 5D
>> Anonymous
>>101158
...
>> Anonymous
Canon SD850IS
>> Anonymous
>>101163

OP here, is the 850 better than the 870?
>> Anonymous
>>101165
If you don't need an optical viewfinder, go for the 870. Wider lens = good
>> Anonymous
What's the primary differences between the "Digital ELPH" series and the A series?
>> Anonymous
>>101176
ELPH = stylish pocketable point-and-shoots
A-series = budget medium-sized point-and-shoots
>> Anonymous
>>101176
also, A-series have slightly more manual controls
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>101176
A-series are for photographers to use as their pocket camera.

ELPHs are for girlfriends to use as their pocket camera.
>> Anonymous
>>101176
Size, and interface (no wheel for selecting modes on elphs). Typically the ELPHs have a larger screen which may lead to larger power consumption. Both are good, but the compact ELPH is more convenient for quick snapshots at parties/get togethers/etc. I like the interface on the A-series though, quick to take pictures, scroll through, and also delete.
>> else !L6xabslN96
i hope all of you realise that this discussion on the technical aspects of the cameras is a waste of time cuz:

a) OP's girlfriend is not a professional.
b) OP's girlfriend is a girl.

just make sure to get the stylish looking one that's easy to use. im partial to sony in this regard. canon's interfaces could be much simpler than they are.
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
>>101183
Ricoh GR-Ds or Canon G9s are for photographers to use as pocket cameras. The A-series is hardly up to snuff.
>> Anonymous
>>101212
I dunno about the second GR-D, but the first was an epic failure.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>101212
Sure they are. I use my A95 as my pocket camera all the time. And if the current G-series cameras are the same size as the G1 I used to have, they're kinda on the wrong side of the bulkiness line to make good pocket cameras when I'm not wearing my bigass winter coat.
>> Anonymous
girls want something skinny that they can fit into their ridiculously tiny, tight pants pockets (inb4vagoo). this (as a guy who has spent weeks helping out his girlfriend pick out the right green camera) should be your number one priority.

so get her whatever's skinniest and looks the best with her purse.

get her a canon elph or something by fujifilm or a casio exilim, if wal-mart carries it. they're more or less the best bang for the considerable buck, though remember you're paying a hefty premium to fit all those electronics into a slim and stylish package.

and try not to spend 300 bucks. digital point and shoots are more or less disposable, and she'll either be replacing it in 2 years or she'll have moved on to other fleeting interests.
>> Anonymous
>>101212
The Canon A-series is to those as a Canonet is to a Leica. The latter is obviously better and designed more for photographers and less for consumers, but much more expensive. The G-series is too large for non-large pockets, but it still wouldn't be that hard to carry around, by the way. I saw the G9 a couple days ago; compared to the G2 (my experience with the series) thinner and wider.

Also, this has to be the most sexist thread I've ever read on /p/. Women (with the exception of Butterfly) want good cameras and care about image quality as much as men do.

And this is just plain damned incongruous:

>so get her whatever's skinniest and looks the best with her purse.

Womens' pants pockets are so small because the assumption is they'll carry stuff like cameras in said purse. Most women I know carry purses large enough to carry a small DSLR with a prime attached, and most even own one large enough to carry a pro body with a zoom or two in it detached from the camera.
>> Anonymous
>>101223

the steeply photographically inclined female wants exactly the same thing as a male, yes.

but i doubt we're talking about the next great photographer. most girls (and guys) that want a camera want something that's small, looks good (so they don't look like a photofag, thus making them self-conscious) and takes decent flash photos. i'm willing to bet that op's girlfriend wants the same thing.

and you get something that's small enough to fit in her pocket so that if she doesn't feel like carrying a purse that night to the bar or a party or wherever, she can still take her camera. jesus, man. common sense.
>> Anonymous
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>>101183
Troll much
The ELPH has just almost as much as the A series and a lot more than almost every budget camera.
Also ELHPs are good if you're left handed because they are flat in the front except for the lens. I don't see how you can call an ELPH a girlfriend camera. If you said a Cybershot or Casio I could understand.

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeCanonCamera ModelCanon PowerShot SD1000Maximum Lens Aperturef/2.8Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution180 dpiVertical Resolution180 dpiImage Created2007:10:13 14:23:49RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceManualScene Capture TypeStandardExposure Time1/250 secF-Numberf/8.0ISO Speed Rating200Lens Aperturef/8.0Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length5.80 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width1024Image Height768
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>101233
The ELPHs offer basically no manual exposure controls.
The PowerShot A-series cameras I have encountered all give you full manual controls.

If someone's not planning to take the effort to learn the technical side of photography and is just going to leave the thing on full-Auto the whole time (maybe switching scene modes or turning on the stupid special effects like sepia or selective-desaturation), the ELPH will be smaller, probably cheaper, and give you the same image quality as the A-series. If you want to set any of the exposure settings yourself, on the other hand, you're going to need an A-series.

From the description the OP gave, it didn't sound much like his girlfriend would mind the loss of manual controls.
>> Anonymous
they have the powershot ones that came out for christmas... that'd be pretty nice... if im not mistaken they come in pink.
>> Anonymous
>>101223Women (with the exception of Butterfly)

I thought she was a guy...
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>101469
That particular waveform has not officially been collapsed. So she's a trap, quantum-mechanically speaking, until someone observes her.