Camera suggestions - China

Hi folks,

I'll be travelling to China to teach English at the end of August 2012. I have travelled before to South Korea, Japan, Australia and parts of the US but used a Kodak M1033 point and shoot camera. The photos were pretty good but I think I could get better image quality with a better camera. My budget is about $350-600 for a new camera. The three I've looked at so far are the Canon Powershot 40SX, Canon Rebel T3 and the Nikon D3100.

Any other suggestions are appreciated. I'm not looking to be a pro photographer but I would like decent pictures as I plan to travel to Thailand and most parts of China this coming year.

Have you considered a four thirds camamra from either olympus or panasonic, instead of an slr. Lenses are key to a camara, and where the cost is compared to a the body. With a couple of prime lenses you can get great pics and the whole package is a little more compact so good for travelling.

I've a Panasonic GF2 on the way, with a pancake lens which will take wide pics. this will take great pics, allow a lot of control, whilst still being just about small enough to fit some pockets. If I get a second lens it will be a portrait lens. Using prime lenses (fixed focus) make the process a little easier, whilst being more compact in general.

Hi - and welcome to Thorn Tree.
This is my latest camera....

http://www.digitalversus.com/digital-camera/olympus-sz-31-mr-p12781/test.html

Like all makes and prices, the gurus have good and not so good things to say about it.
They do the same with all of them - so don't be put off.
It is a superb bit of kit.
However, it has to be your choice.
Not every camera suits everyone. If that was the case, there'd only be one make and model.
Best of luck with everything.

I'd recommend look at the Canon G12.

It's a step up on the point and shooters, avoids the hassle of DSLR lenses and is compact enough for snaps and has enough manual control should you wish to compose a proper shot, inevitably that side can't match a top DSLR but shoot in RAW mode and you can make the most of any shot back home. Its what I am thinking of taking next.

The Canon G12 gets good reviews - although it's rather expensive, considering its average features.
It has a very slow start-up and a small optical zoom.

Quite happy with my Lumix - good lens, reasonable good battery life, steady shot function and a useful 'zone system' viewscreen for composing shots. @ £100 back in January.

Good shout for the Lumix series.
It has picked up some excellent reviews since first being launched awhile back.
Good choice in the range too, with very varying prices.