The Best Digital Camera For Under $200

Who has the time to shift through reams of product reviews, or spend a half a day driving around malls talking with salespeople? Half the time, you don't know what or who to believe, and all the tech talk seems to turn a simple purchase into a major event. If your looking to get the best digital camera available for under $200, you've come to the right place. There are a couple of good cameras (3 at most) to consider in this category. The remaining 90% of models in this category can be safely ignored.

Over last Christmas, I had to make the same type of purchase. I didn't have a lot of time, and the wife thought a digital camera for her parents would be a great idea. As much as I'm a lover of technology, I wasn't convinced this was a good idea. They've never owned a digital camera before, and don't even have a computer. Not exactly the early adopter type. I looked around a bit, and was pleasantly surprised, and lucky to actually find a help salesperson at my local big box electronics store.

They right away recommended the Canon PowerShot A570IS. The IS stands for image stabilization. "Perfect" I thought for newbie digital camera types. At the time it was priced around $180, but I've since seen it online for around $150. I like Canon cameras, and have owned several over the years. They generally take great pictures, are very reliable, and intuitive to use. It's been a perfect choice for them.

If your looking for something a little smaller in size the Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital Elph would be an excellent choice as well. I've recently seen it priced for about $170, and again you get the reliable Canon name. Image quality will pale somewhat compared to the A570IS, but miniaturization does come at a price.

There you go, that didn't hurt much now did it. Of course, there are plenty of other cameras in the under $200 range. Some are just as good as those mentioned above, but you'll have a hard time doing better than the A570IS or the SD1000.

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