Camera / Video Camera

my uncle is a pro photographer. He prefers Nikon.

I am on a budget & am very happy with my Fuji Finepix. My Mom has an older model & is still happy with hers.

I have a Samsung SL420, which I bought about 3 years ago when I found out I was pregnant. It has been AWESOME for us. It takes good pictures, has settings for the different 'issues' you may face (like if something is back-lit, sun in front, etc.) The videos are good quality too. The only annoyance I have with it is that when you zoom in/out while recording a video, the sound cuts out. Other than that, it has worked out great for our needs. (we only use it for family pictures and videos... nothing 'professional' or 'artsy'...)

I love my Sony Handycam, personally. I bought it on Amazon and paid around 200 for it (an older model, but brand new, of course) and it's the best camera I've ever personally owned. Both video and still pictures are great, the audio is great, I filmed at Christmas with nothing but the tree on for light and the picture turned out well, you can capture photos from your video or take photos, and it's super user friendly. It uses SD cards for memory, which I find nice, and you can upload videos straight to certain sites or transfer to media, etc.

I have a review on Amazon about it, but it doesn't really cover more than I said here. I was actually surprised that the camera got a few bad reviews...like people think that somehow life should be "more high-def" than your eyes are capable of seeing. I don't know, but the video, audio and pics are perfect to my human eyes and ears!!

I know I mentioned how easy it is to use, but I'll elaborate just a bit...you flip open the screen, the camera turns on. You hit one button, you are recording. It has a touch screen for searching through your videos, the zoom is placed in a comfortable spot, and it's the perfect size to hold in the palm of your hand without being too heavy but also without the flimsiness of these modern flip cameras (which it is not.)

Consumer Reports just did a reviews of cameras. The small combo ones rated highest if they were Panasonic. They are very well priced as well. Our last couple were Panasonic and they have been amazing. We are in the market to upgrade again because ours is starting to act up (they are insanely well used and loved). We are going with Panasonic again.

Make your salesperson show you results before you buy. They are there to "earn" their money. Once you get a few demonstrations you can decide to buy from them or look for it cheaper online.

I have a Nikon.. the camera does pics and vid, not super high quality, but quality enough for me.

My DIL has a Canon, her vids and pics are awesome. It really does depend on the model of the cam tho.

Have a salesperson demonstrate.