Digital Camera Recomendations???? $300 budget (Sony, hobby, lens, processing)

[WhipperSnapper 88]

So I'm in need of a new camera. I don't need anything in particular, I'm not a photographer or anything, but I do enjoy taking pictures as a hobby in my free time. It doesn't have to have all the bells and whistles, but I would like it to have at least a few cool features, more than your average 110-150 camera which is what I've been using for the last few years.

Any recommendations?

Thanks.

[BeenThereDunThat]

Today's digital cameras offer so much in the way of features and different price points... it's hard to choose.

You can get some great Point & Shoot cameras for under $300. I've had some really good results with my Sony Cybershot DSC HX9V (discontinued) that I got as an "open box discount" for $180 which was about $150 less than reg. price. It has 16.2 Mega Pixels and a 16X optical lense, shoots 1080/60p video too. I started taking this on trips and it works great! There are newer models to this camera and I would recommend you go to Best Buy and do your own hands-on demo and compare the different cameras. Some can be complicated to use, the Sony had a slight learning curve but I'm pleased with how it operates. It has all sorts of settings...some are semi-manual but I have to say that 80% of the time, I use one of the auto settings... has a great in-camera demo to help you learn. There's an "EASY" setting and it can be as simple as that.

There are some settings that really get great pictures in low-light without a flash... it takes the pic and then a status-bar goes across the back screen viewfinder "processing" the image. And then you can see the pic. I'm amazed at how good the low-light pics look... really amazing what this camera can do.

Good Luck

[WhipperSnapper 88]

Thanks for the great advice!

[BeenThereDunThat]

P.S. - - based on my experience, there's nothing wrong with "open-box / clearance" cameras as they usually have a full warranty same as new items, unless stated otherwise. You should read the store policy on that before buying and the neat thing is that most stores allow a 15 day trial or even 30 day trial period where you can bring the item back for either a full or partial refund (some will charge a "restock fee of 15-20%"). I think what happens in most cases regarding returns is that the person buying the item will discover the camera "too complicated" or it simply won't meet their needs and so they bring it back.
I'm pretty sure that was the case with mine as it was brand new, no scratches, etc and it works perfectly.

To help you save a ton of time, you can go to the BestBuy website and find the "open box / clearance" menu and select the store address. There you should see what the current listing of items on sale... by category. I'm amazed at the discounts...sometimes it's as much as 60% off MRSP. Good Luck!