Does anyone make a decent, pocket sized digital camera for under $50

[Juche]

I have used canon powershot cameras model A540 and A580 because family members have them. They work well (the A540 has always been good and is 6MP), however they are pretty bulky and feel weird inside my pocket. Used ones are about $100.

I do not have a camera phone and have had many times I wish I'd had a camera to take pictures of things when I was walking around.

I do not need a camera with bells and whistles. I have taken photos with a regular $5 disposable camera before (the kind where you bring it into the store and they make your pictures for you) and that was fine.

I do not know tons about quality, but I'm assuming I can get by with 1-3MP or so since I would be storing these photos digitally and they would mostly just be stored as JPEGs on my hard drive.

According to this chart, it doesn't take many MP if all you want is 5x7 or 8x10 resolution.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/FrameWork/charts/resolutionChartPopup.html

So is there a way to get a digital camera that

1. Fits comfortably in my pocket
2. has 2MP or so
3. Is durable
4. Costs less than $50


I'd be willing to go up in price if I needed (ie up to $80-100), or buy used instead. But the cheaper the better.

[Orrex]

1. Do you have a Big Lots store near you?

The one near me is selling a digital camera for about $30 IIRC. I don't remember the brand, but I do know that the packaging prevents you from looking at the back of the camera, which suggests to me that it has no LCD display.

Also, I don't think that it has a slot for an SD card.

FWIW

[Juche]

2. I've thought of just buying colored pencils for $2

That way if I like something, I can quickly draw it and keep it in my stash.

[Orrex]

5. Very sensible!

Make sure you keep your sharpener handy, though.

[pokerfan]

3. The Cheap and Tiny Blog has an column on cameras

http://cheapandtiny.com/category/cameras

[old mark]

4. There is one called a Largan Easy 310. The company went out of the camera business, but

they make lenses for Canon and several other Japanese makers. I got a great t-shirt pocket camera on eBay for around $30, complete.
Don't know the seller anymore, but I have used it for arond 8 months with no problems at all, except I will never use all the options. Has zoom, macro, flash, all kinds of auto stuff I don't understand, and a large instruction book.

mark

ADDED: There are still several listed on ebay for around $25+ $14 shipping (insured).

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. Check your local Salvation Army and Goodwill stores.

You'll find plenty of options. (Small electronics are usually at the cashier's station.)

Good luck.

[gmoney]

7. Try Craigslist... someone may have recently upgraded and is selling their previous one...

[Juche]

8. I can find used digital cameras for under $50

That part isn't the problem, there are new and used digital cameras under $50. However I don't know if I'm buying something decent or a piece of crap. Plus I want something I can keep in my pocket comfortably.

What I'm thinking of doing is going to the electronics store and putting various cameras in my pocket to see how they fit. If anyone who works there says anything I'll claim they called me an anti-Semitic name.