try fletchers or camera house - anything down to 3mp will suit.  Take
your dad to the store and get HIM to use the camera and buy which one HE
likes using.  Ignore the sales spiel - it's all about which HE LIKES at
that end of the spectrum.

but, if you must, look for optical zoon (not digital), and dynamic range
(how much detail is in the shadows/highlights of the photos).

Tom

I just brought a canon A530 for $299.  Its a great little camera and has all
the features you mention and more.  A value for money proposition if I ever
saw one.

regards

Don

G'day Tom,

I bought a Minolta DiMAGE Z10 late last year and have been very happy
with it.  Cost $299 on special (I suspect because it's going out of
production) in the tourist ghetto of Cairns.

Things I wanted, which it has, include: minimum 3.2 megapix,
optical viewfinder, capable of working with standard AA alkaline
batteries (I've also used those Grandcell rechargeable alkalines and
NiMH rechargeables), macro focusing option, manual over-ride of
exposure settingsand a decent optical zoom.  [ I see the specs on the
web say it's 8x -- and I had myself convinced it was 10x. 8-)  Let's
see... where's that friggin' manual hiding! ]

The "optical viewfinder" is not quite that.  As far as I can tell,
it's just a way of looking at the scene through a "viewfinder" rather
than that stupid idea of holding the bloody camera out at arm's
length and staring at the back of it.  Works okay anyway.

I'm amazed at how well it works on auto -- to the extent I've pretty
much forgotten how to use the manual settings (where *is* that
friggin' manual?).  6" x 4" is no problem at all, and I recently had a
shot of an owl up in a tree (8x zoom was obviously adequate for that)
blown up to A4 size on a good Epson printer.  Very happy with that.

Bit of blurb and specs at:
<http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/z10.html>

Main downside is the unusual shape which makes it NOT a camera to
carry around in your pocket to social events for all those
embarrassing candid snaps. :-)

Cheers, Phred.

As others have said:
3 Megapixels is enough.
Only consider optical zoom (that means digital zoom is fake - it is only an
electronic enlargement of part of the picture)
Get your father to make the choice within your financial parameters because
he will use it if he feels comfortable with it.

On top of that - and I think most important - only look at cameras with a
lens made by a reputable lens maker. By that I mean don't go for a lens made
by the likes of Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, etc. All these manufacturers also
have cameras with lenses made by a third party. e.g. Sony also has cameras
with Zeiss lenses, Samsung with Schneider and Panasonic with Leica lenses.
Remember the picture can only be as good as the light that gets to the
sensor!

Gerrit

If you want cheap & cheerful, Target are flogging an 8MP for $169. Dunno if
it's any good, but Target seem to have quite a good returns policy if it's
not up to scratch.

http://www.target.com.au/html/catalogue1966/1966e01.htm

I'ld start with looking at some review such as
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/ .

Then find a good price from local resellers at
http://www.ozpriceguide.com/default.asp .

E.g.the Sony CyberShot DSC-P200
(http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/ultra-compact-digital-cameras-ratings.html  
) looks good.   Dunno if it meets your requirements, though.

Please tell us what you end up settling on.

Cheers.

Try to get something that has a wide angle lens, from 28mm, with
possibly a 5x optical zoom.

Ben