Need advice for a camera for school..

[bigtuna]

Hello,
I signed up here to see if i could get some help. I have a photography class coming up soon and am in need of buying a digital camera. I am surly not in any need for anything really extravagant. I am a poor college kid but managed to save up around $250 to spend. So here is what I've come across so far.

You wont use a camera you cant take with you.
-Sounds about right to me, so needs to be able to fit in my pocket

More zoom when possible is better to have than more megapixels.
-All cameras I have seen are roughly 6-8MP. with 3x zoom. Some have 5x zoom, is it really that much better?

Couldn't really tell you how I will be using it for class, but since it is a beginners course I expect not to hard.
Of course I would also like to use this camera for fun as well, as I like photography, just not professionally.

So any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in Advance.

PS. This is a camera I have been seriously considering, but haven't seen any user reviews so don't know what to think..
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1312

 

[GwagDesigns]

It wont quite fit in your pocket, but id suggest the Canon Powershot A630

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A630/A630A.HTM

If your going into a photography class, id assume you'd be learning all about shutter speed, ISO, aperture, etc. the Olympus looks like a pretty full auto camera with little customization. check out the pictures in the review, the A630 has a lot of options seen on SLRs like AV, TV, and Manual mode, letting you adjust it to your needs. Thats just my opinion. I started photography with that camera and was very pleased with the results. Also, since the A630 was recently replaced with the A710, the A630 can be had for under $200

 

[Buszaj]

Consider the Panasonic Lumixes, (the SLR like bodies). They won't fit in your pocket, but offer good quality, excellent zoom, and allow you to shoot in full manual and control aperture, shutter speed, iso, etc.

Good luck

 

[TamiyaGuy]

I'd go with a Fuji for a first compact camera. They offer a decent set of manual and automatic modes, have decent zooms, pre-set modes and CPUs (face-tracking etc), but most of all, they have great lenses.

I might be wrong now that digital photography has advanced so much, but it's usually that a good lens means a good camera. I have, and still, recommend the FujiFilm F31fd.

It's an incredible compact, and while it doesn't have a billion megapixels, it more than makes up for it with its high quality lens, processor, Super CCD sensor, and fantastic face-detection.

Some have 5x zoom, is it really that much better?

To be honest, not really. Some have a higher optical zoom (where the lens moves), but most of those have a bad digital zoom (where it makes the pixels bigger).
Even though people warn you there will be a worse quality with digital zoom, the resolutions of cameras nowadays mean it will not make a bit of difference unless you have a picture printed out on A5 with maximum digital zoom.

And, of course, it's cheap as chips (sorry for sounding like a salesman )

You can buy it here (from the UK, mind, I don't know of any good US stockists. Enjoy!)

 

[table1349]

First, find out what the school, instructor, recommends for the class. Go from there. This is probably a question that they get asked a lot.

 

[bigtuna]

Thanks guys for all the replies. I appreciate it a lot.