Which is the better brand?

[dolphin1]

I am just wondering which brand is better for buying a point and shoot camera: Kodak, Canon, or Nikon? I presently have a Kodak Easyshare, but I am not happy with the results. I also want an optical zoom that is greater than 3. Any suggestions?

[OsmosisStudios]

In this case im gonna take sides: Kodak is the worst. They may make sensors for Medium Format digital, but they're compact cameras are pretty useless.

Any Canon or Nikon compact should do the trick.

If youre looking for something with more than 3x zoom, you've got quite a few to choose from. Im partial to the S8000 from Nikon

[stickin2j]

I mostly agree with Osmosis, of the three Kodak is by far the worst, but I must add that I was very pleased with my 2 Sony PS's. I haven't bought one in 5 years, so there may have been a market shift, but I would recommend Sony or Canon, as that is my DSLR of choice.
My in-laws had a Kodak and it was a piece of *. Their current HP isn't much better, but beat the Kodak hands down.

[TFord.LTTP]

Really depends what you want to spend and if you want other features. Canon SX210, Nikon S8000 and Sony H55 are all nice at $350/300/250 respectively. Personally think the Canon's the best of the three picture quality wise if left on automatic but the Nikon is pretty darn close if you're going to be tweaking settings. That's staying on the smaller side too, you've always got the options of something like the Canon SX20 or Sony HX1 if you want a really big zoom and something more to hold onto.

Bottom line is you get what you pay for. More doesn't always mean better pictures but you're always paying for something whether it's quality, size, features, etc. Don't buy a Kodak, they've been coasting on their name for a long time now in the consumer end.

[Sime]

Canon Ixus S90 is currently pretty darn awesome... check it out on your travels...

[dolphin1]

Thank you for all of the comments! I will keep these in mind when I go shopping for a new camera.

[MovingStill]

Of the three, I'd go with Canon. Nikon is a solid brand but doesn't shine in the compact market.

However Panasonic also does some fine compacts and would be well worth checking out. And Ricoh is also worth consideration. Try the website www.dpreview.com for reviews on particular models.

[Dirt_Bike_Ryda]

yea... i'd say panasonic make the B E S T compact cameras on the market... followed by olympus with their Tough range

[heatherwb]

Also take a look at Fuji, particularly their S-series (Digital Cameras | Fujifilm Global) which have zoom lenses starting out at 12x. Not only do they pack an impressive set of features into their cameras, their cameras are also known for great IQ, too. Back a few years ago, I had a Fuji s602z that was a great camera--even though I've moved on to bigger and more expensive cameras, I still kind of miss it.

HTH,
Heather