I think in that price range you might want to look at the Canon 10G. It's a compact camera and in my opinion one of the best currently on the market.

Image quality will rival if not exceed that of entry level DSLRs with a cheap lens.

It also offers 640x480 movie recording and you can get an underwater housing for it.

Cheapest I have seen this camera for is here: www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/canon-powershot-g10-digital-camera-147-megapixels but shop around I am sure you can get a better deal with a bit of bargaining.

BTW, the cam used to be $619 but Canon as well as other companies have increased their prices due to price drops of the AU$ against the Yen.

I've been looking for a compact camera in the same price range and have almost decided on the new Canon D10. http://www.canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_compact_cameras/powershotd10.aspx
I have a digital slr but would like a compact to carry when sailing, this one is waterproof, freezeproof, shockproof and dustproof. I have used some other waterproof cameras and wasn't happy with the results, I prefer Nikon or Canon.

Sandman, I have an early IXUS and it has been good but I don't think they have a waterproof model. I like the idea of carrying the camera with me while sailing.

The D10 is a newly released model, not to be confused with the G10. Also the D10 is waterproof to 10 meters so doesn't need a waterproof housing.

If anyone is after a Waterproof enclosure for the old type IXUS, give me a call.

I dropped my camera and broke it. And now have no need fot the housing.

Its in really good condition, both the housing and the seals.


Nasty, If you could find an IXUS Camera this would be a really cheap way to get a waterproof camera on the water


Cheers

Big writeup on the Canon G10 (I've skipped to page 24 - Conculsion)
www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong10/24

You're looking at just over $600, and another $400 for underwater housing, if that's your thing.

www.shopbot.com.au/default.asp?orderby=&p1=&p2=&kw=canon+g10&position=search

You may want to consider a Nikon P6000 instead. I've just bought one but haven't used enough to comment, apart from any compact feels very schit after a SLR. This camera includes GPS tagging, but I've yet to see it actually work. Video is quite good, using it a lot. It has replaced my video camera. The camera can upload to Nikon's version of Flickr, straight from the camera.

Comparisions between G10 and P6000:
www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=p6000+g10

But for $500 try eBay. You can probably pick up a very decent, 2 year old DSLR for $500. Dunno about lenses though. Speaking of which don't fret over megapixels, 6 is ample. Just remember HD television is about 2 megapixels.

I recently picked up a fixed 55mm lens for $200 brand new and it is sharper than what my camera can actually handle. BTW dpreview now has in-depth lens reviews.

... but I digress. What are you going to use the camera for? There are guys on this forum that are camera mad and I'm sure this thread will eventually be very, very long

Grasshopper said...

If anyone is after a Waterproof enclosure for the old type IXUS, give me a call.

I dropped my camera and broke it. And now have no need fot the housing.

Its in really good condition, both the housing and the seals.

Nasty, If you could find an IXUS Camera this would be a really cheap way to get a waterproof camera on the water
Cheers

Hey Grasshoper,
Funnily enough I had the same problem... I went through no less then 3 IXUS 75. I love the camera for it's size vs image quality... first cam was lost on a plane, second cam was stolen out of my bag while I was on a photo shoot and the third one was destroyed after I waterlogged the housing.

I now have what seems to be the last IXUS 75 that was available in the country. The guy in the shop went "you really want to buy this camera? but it's a 2 year old model".

stehsegler said...

evlPanda said...
You may want to consider a Nikon P6000 instead. I've just bought one but haven't used enough to comment, apart from any compact feels very schit after a SLR. This camera includes GPS tagging, but I've yet to see it actually work. Video is quite good, using it a lot. It has replaced my video camera. The camera can upload to Nikon's version of Flickr, straight from the camera.

My recommendation would be don't buy the P6000. While Nikon now has a nice DSLr line-up the P6000 in my opinion i sub-standard to the Canon G10. Checkout www.luminous-landscape.com for a comparison on what I am talking about.

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/pocket-battleships.shtml

Bugger. Although the main reason we bought it was to replace a DSLR, something that could fit in your pocket easily. I think the G10 may have been physically too large anyway.

I've owned a few Canon IXUSes (IXII?), in fact I still have the IXUS v1 somewhere. Very highly recommended.

Make sure whatever you buy has a viewfinder to compose & check through.Buggered if I know how anyone takes decent shots using those stupid windows on the back!

@FletcHuz,

Three problems that don't make this the perfect video camera for windsurfing:

1) 43mm on the wide end is way to narrow a field of view to be usable for anything in water, especially helmet mount stuff

2) Camera is rated water resistant to 3 meters, not water proof, if you helmet mount this baby and do a high speed crash there is a good change water will be forced through the seals inside the camera

3) 30fps frame rate, PAL uses 25 fps meaning if you want to mix footage from this camera with footage from another camera you will need to transcode everything first. Results may vary

Don't get me wrong. I can't wait for a light weight, waterproof HD video camera with wide angle lens and. While this camera is closer to that I don't think it perfect.

Apparently Sony have just announced a HD module which variable frame rate, wide angle lens shooting at 720p all in a package the size of a 50 cent coin. What eve more interesting this apparently will sell for about US$50 per unit wholesale... expect to see this module find it's way in a GoPro HD or similar in the near future.

This is the Water Proof Case for the IXUS

that canon looks nice choco.

choco said...

Gestalt said...

that canon looks nice choco.

on ebay for just under $600

i use this site a lot.

http://www.shopbot.com.au/search.asp?page=2&position=search&kw=canon+d10

Nasty!

I have the Olympus 1030 SW, it works well and is around $500. Pics and video is good. Used it at the Speed sailing event at Burrum Heads and turned out good. 10 m waterproof and shockproof. Can be used in snow, beach etc. easy to use and a good screen on the back.

GCMOZ

evlPanda said...

On the Nikon P6000.

Used it a bit now. In good light it is actually very good. Most people would find it indistinguishable from a dSLR (most people). Colours are very accurate, resolution is excellent and images are sharp. Perfectly happy with it, even impressed.

However, over ISO 400 it starts to get much worse. Above ISO 800 shots are almost rubbish. Shooting at a party for example, results look like they are from a camera phone, and that's in "party" mode.

Bit of a Jekyl and Hyde.
Again, I've yet to see the GPS tagging feature actually work.

Consider the Canon G10 which gets better reviews.

Too many pixels on too small a chip. I have a Panasonic FZ30 which I love (great 12x lense), but the quality goes to poop if the ISO is too high (not very). I lock the ISO to 80 and use a nice big Nikon flash for low light.
It's all a compromise