yeah, like the chap from Manchester said; shop around ;)
Anyway... I couldn't tell you if it really is an upgrade from theHX5, but it sure seems to be, at a very good price, and if you order it now you'll probably have it before the weekend, where Amazon would probably deliver sometime next week... so right now, to me, seems like a great deal
no, it's not crap, it's a miracle of modern science... as are all the cameras mentioned by everyone in the thread up to now... it's just that what I advised was a researched opinion based on what you specified to be looking for... There's thousands of cameras out there, all great, from 20 euro to 50 thousand euro, some will even make you coffee in the morning... Go ahead and buy what you want (or what who's selling wants you to buy)... I've given you my opinion and advice, I do know a little bit about cameras and photography although I'm not a pro or even semi-pro... But get what you want, it's your money... I'm out.
Not sure how much it is at Argos, but it's a 2011 model.. so only because it's a year younger it's roughly the same price now as the HX5 while in reality a cheaper camera...This is why I said, don't look for a 2011 model and don't look for a 3 or 4 year old model either...
It's a bit smaller than the HX5 but it seems to have the same lens speciofications. As the lens is smaller though, I think the quality will also be slightly less. The sensor is a fraction smaller but has many more pixels which very likely make it a lower quality sensor... this translates as pictures of lesser quality... maximum video resolution is only 1280 x 720 where the HX5 does 1920 x 1080 with more frames per second and I'm sure of higher quality...
Anyway, I've now REALLY spent enough time on this... I've given my advice, take it or leave it.
But one could easily argue that the fact that Tesco is selling them for 99 pounds makes it a 99 pound camera. But that's semantics...the F70 is a discontinued almost 3 year old model, which is exactly why Tesco is selling them for half price and anyone selling them for more is ripping people off...
More to the point: After some nudging OP told us what he was looking for; a 200 to 250 euro camera for a 21 year old woman, camera not too large and probably a point and shoot of the best possible quality in the price range given. Right?
Anyway... I'd love to argue this until dawn, but I'm too tired, I'm going to bed, it was great fun, goodnight all!!
Anyway, sorry, didn't mean to be nasty or anything, but after having spent probably more than an hour trying to find out what it was OP wanted and then giving my best researched advice, I just couldn't let you get away with having the last word saying: "Oh but you can also get a camera for half that at Tesco's"... I hope you understand.. if not, well, again, sorry. Cheers!
Ok, ok, I know I should just shut up and leave it alone, but of course I can't...
Yes, you can go to Tesco and pick up a 99 pound Fuji F70 if they have them, but!...
OP said he wants to spend 200 to 250 euro, he didn't say he was out to find the cheapest possible camera that will produce pictures... He could go and find a 25 euro camera that does that which would be an even better deal, if that was what he was looking for, but it's not...
Why is the Sony a better choice? Better picture quality! Better video quality (and yes, shooting videos IS fun!)... Better lens, better screen, etc...
That is, provided you don't pay more than about 200 euro for it... If you want to spend (more than) 300 instead, by all means, go for the winner of the test: Casio FH100
Ok, so, you don't want a 2011 model because you'll be paying a lot extra just to have the latest model... Neither do you want an outdated 3 or 4 year old model. So here's a grouptest from June 2010 for the 'Travel Zoom' category, which is not the most miniature you can get, but on the other hand will fit very easily in a small purse or a coat pocket. "The so-called 'Travel Zoom' category hasn't been around long... The idea of a wide zoom lens in a genuinely compact form factor ... has obvious mass appeal, and as a result, all of the major camera manufacturers (and a couple of the minor ones too) have been pulling out all the stops in an effort to cater for this demand."
The two winners of the test of 22 different cameras in this category will set you back more than 300 euro... However, you should be able to pick up a Sony HX5 for around 200(amazon.co.uk), maybe even a little less if you have some time to shop around or bargain. This is the short version of what they said about the Sony HX5;
Summary
The HX5 is capable of great results, and of all the cameras in this group, it gives amongst the most pleasing images in a range of situations. Although its resolution is lower than most of the other cameras in this test, image quality is high, and at low ISO settings, files stand up to medium sized prints of 8x7in and slightly larger. We'd hesitate to say that the back-illuminated CMOS sensor of the HX5 is quite the 'silver bullet' solution to high ISO image quality that we'd hoped, but up to ISO 1600, the Sony can produce reasonably sharp and detailed files that look absolutely fine at small print sizes.
Overall, the HX5 is a good camera, let down by very little customization and poor operational speed. How much of a frustration these issues end up being is of course entirely dependant on the sort of consumer that you are, but we're disappointed to be kept waiting by a camera that is amongst the most expensive in this group. • We like: Good image quality across entire ISO span but better at the low settings, reliable metering and white balance, good range of AF options, built-in GPS and compass work well, sweep panorama fun and very effective. • We don't like: Menu structure, few external buttons, smile button gets undue prominence, very little customisation, slow operational speed, screen is hard to see in bright light.
lol, seriously, I mean, awesome that everybody is giving great advice, but this is like advising somebody about what kind of car to get without any clue (except that it's for a girl/woman) about how much he's willing to spend on it and if it will be used just for shopping, home>work transport, rally driving or furniture delivery...
look, if you don't know much about digital cameras, tell me how much you want to spend and as much as you can think of about what kind of camera it should be, what kind of pictures you expect her to take with it and what age group she's in, give me 30 minutes and I'll give you some advice...
ah, ok, they're not cameras but ranges of cameras. There's many different Canon Ixus and Canon Powershots, all diferent prices and models/functionalities... Do you alrady have an answer to what I said in my previous post (how much to spend, what basic kind of camera should it be?)
my advise; First, decide how much you want to spend... Second, figure out what basically what kind of camera she would want (small as possible, easy as possible, or does she want one with loads of different options), third, work yourself down this list and find the highest rated one that matches your criteria :
Dutchindublin2 Forum Posts (85)
RE: DIGITAL CAMERAS
yeah, like the chap from Manchester said; shop around ;)Anyway... I couldn't tell you if it really is an upgrade from theHX5, but it sure seems to be, at a very good price, and if you order it now you'll probably have it before the weekend, where Amazon would probably deliver sometime next week... so right now, to me, seems like a great deal