Large zooms (notably the Lumix range) are available but not that common. If the Lumix cameras have everything Keiren needs then these make a good choice and, indeed, the zoom is what sets the Lumix apart from most other manufacturers.
Personally, I rejected them for my choice due to the lack of manual overrides and no optical view finder in most cases. Keiren's needs may well differ: most are not botthered about the viewfinder.

My issue with megapixel size is less to do with the download times (my 6MP SLR saves 3MB files to my girlfriend's 8MP 1.3MB files, or my 7MP Canon), it is more with the loss of picture quality. Most compacts use similar size sensors (ie significanly smaller than SLRs).
So, the downside of bigger MP (over 6MPish) on such relatively small sensors means smaller sensors and, so, the risk of greater image noise, meaning all you get is worse picture quality than with a lower MP on the same sensor size.

Guys I think we are going off what keiren wanted and starting to defending our own purchases.

As keiren said he is not a pro so although a dig SLR or bridging type would probably be the best in the long run. To get to the stage where he will use all the features and then want more is a bit down the track (not saying you are not a fast learner keiren) and probably many, many photos in many different situations.

As you can see everybody has found something that they like and that works for them. All I can suggest (and a few others) is set yuou price, read up, try out in a shop if possible and then get out there and use it in as many differrent ways as you can. Any short falls will soon show up.

Enjoy
:thumbup1::thumbup1:

(discontinued? but see does have manual settings as do many other models.

Whoa, Nerd alert!

If Keiren's head didn't hurt beforehand, I bet it does now!

I think Gixxer.rob has the right idea - set a budget, do a bit of internet browsing of the manufacturer's websites to see what is out there, then head down to a local camera store and try a few for size so to speak...

Don't get too hung up on the technical specifications - pottsy says what I was trying to say - ultimately it's the picture you take that counts, not what you take it with... something that is simple, robust and easy to use would get my vote every time...

xxx

thank you for all the answers much appreciated im going to go and get a cam in the next week or so glad you all could help me

On bike I suggest to get smaller camera that can be put into front pocket, so it is always accessible and no need to reach your bag to take a quick snap.

I'm fan of compact cameras, many have now decent image quality.

Personally I use Panasonic LX series compacts for their small size, robustness and advanced feature set, however for newbie it may be too much. You can see some photo links on my signature. New DMC-LX3 is an ideal compact travel camera for advanced users (24mm f/2 lens).

Also, I suggest to get one with 28mm wide lens (more in view at once, especially in tight room/places). Many cheaper cameras come with 35mm or even 38mm wide lens as standard (not so good).

I agree with above regarding megapixels. Above about 4 mp it's the lens that lets your pix down on a digi compact, so pay more attention to the lens. In general big is good(i.e. a big fat lens) this means more light gets into the camera, big lenses are expensive to make, so cheap cameras tend not to have them. The above poster is right, you want a nice wide angle lens on a compact, it's much more important than the 'telephoto' end of the zoom. The Lumix cameras are great. Next time I have a few quid spare I am getting one of them. My current compact is a Nikon Coolpix 4800, which I was given. It is great, but a bit bulky.
I would suggest that one of the most important things for a beginner snapper is to have a camera you can whip out at a moments notice, rattle off a couple of shots one handed and pop away in a pocket without fuss. So nice and small is good. It's often these quick opportunist shots that are the best.
Whatever you buy, try it out in the shop first. Make sure the camera has minimal lag between pressing the shutter and taking the shot. This, almost more than anything else, can mess up pictures IMHO.

Matt :)

SLR, compact and so on
 

I own both, a Nikon SLR and a Fuji compact digital camera. For touring purposes I use the compact one. If I want to take pictures during "chill-ou-sessions" I use the Nikon (which I normally carry in my paniers).

To begin with shooting digital pics - I have to agree with most people here* don't get more than 4 Mega-pixels, go for a maker, i.e. Fuji, Canon and so on, I don't like the models that are using AA batteries (too much weight, not enough power). And check the Internet for digital camera comparisons - you will find lots of pages with great information!!

Hope this helps a little!? Safe riding!!

A couple more thoughts just to spin the head a bit further.

Save a little bit of your budget for a small (pocket-sized) tripod, or similar. If you're travelling you're going to want to take photos on self-timer with you in the shot, and a tripod makes this so much easier than trying to find a convenient rock. Who knows perhaps in this current credit-crunch atmosphere a camera shop might do you a deal. Of course if you do, check the camera has a tripod mount, I'm fairly certain all the known makes do, but I've seen some strange makes without.

Another thing to consider (even if you don't buy it right away) is a remote control. Think of it as one up from the self timer. With a remote you can not only take static shots of yourself, but with a bit of practise you can take riding shots of yourself. I have no idea which makes/models do this though, I've been trying to find out myself having seen a friend's excellent self-portraits.

And as other people have said check the lag time between when you push the shutter button and when the camera takes the actual picture. How many of us have pictures of people's rear tyres, because there's an age of delay between the two.

Rechargeable battery issues
 

Sorry if this is a little:offtopic:

I have a Fuji finepix A700 7.3 mp. Great little camera, takes cracking pictures but it absolutely hates rechargeable batteries-AA size.

A pair of fully charged 2500nimh batteries gives me a MAX of 30 pics, outdoors, no flash. Sometimes as few as 15-20.

Surely this isn't normal..?

I've got 'regular' lithium batteries in it now and it's fine, loads of pics, no sign of them giving up yet.

Anyone else had this problem?

Is this a known issue with some cameras or is it just mine..?

SOunds stupid but have you tried with different re-chargeables? Perhaps the ones you tried are just old and do not keep charge or there is something wrong with charger?

Yep, various brands, all bought new. Tried a fast charger, trickle charger and then a mate's charger. No difference.:(

Just to be sure, I charged them with my charger then gave them to a mate to try in his camera-Canon sureshot, I think. He got over a 100 pics and around half an hour of video so I'm pretty confident the batteries are good.

I took it back to the shop who sent it on to Fuji. It came back a week or two later with a note saying the "Firmware had been upgraded" but no one could tell me what that meant..! Didn't make any difference and the warranty's up now anyway.:censored:

The software (operating system) that is inside your camera is called firmware. Occasionally problems are found and new firmware is made available (similar to computer programs where updates are released frequently). Probably they did not find the problem or thought the problem was caused by older software your camera had.

The key to this is that consumer type AA