Hi Cathy,

I've owned a Canon S20 and currently own a Nikon D100. I was once a photography major at university and still like to dabble in photography so I paid the big money for the high system <s>.

I could easily recommend both. That said they serve different markets.

Things to think about?

1.) Storage. What are you storing with in the camera? Compact disc? If so what size will you need? The higher resolution pics chew up space so a larger drive might be needed.

2.) Ease of in-camera review. Deleting pictures you don't want is a great feature particularly if you do not have much storage space.

3.) Software. The Canon line comes with simple Adobe software for editing. Nice touch. I'm not sure the Nikon line does this. On the high end units - software is an additional expense. Ask your dealer.

4.) Optical zoom is recommended over digital zoom. So if your camera has a zoom lens then great!

5.) I bought both cameras on Ebay - saved a bunch. Would do it again - just buy from a dealer and you're OK. A local dealer gave me one price over the counter but via Ebay, much lower - go figure.

6.) The technology gets cheaper by the minute! It's amazing how much the price is decreasing each year. So don't be depressed when the camera you buy is obsolete in 6 months or the price drops by 50%.

What's right for you? IMO, you should look at the Canon line. Pick a camera that has features you are happy with at the price point you want. You won't go wrong. The cameras are small and simple to use.

HTH.

- Val Matison


>I'm thinking about buying a digital camera and am interested in other people's recommendations. I want to stay in the mid-range ($200-$300) so I figured a 3 megapixel camera is probably what I'll end up with.
>
>If you have any strong opinions towards a specific camera or features I should have ... or strong opinions against a particular camera or feature ... please chime in!!
>
>TIA,
>Cathy