Pocket Point and Shoot Cameras

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doitmyself

doitmyself

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This comes up about every year....sorry.

My very old Canon A85 bit the dust and I am looking for a sub $200 pocket camera. Things have changed a lot in the camera world. I don't have a smart phone (camera).

Image quality is most important to me vs. the bells and whistles (GPS, video, etc.) I am not interested in an SLR at this moment.

The Canon Elph 330 ($129 with SD card) gets good reviews, better than a number of more expensive ones. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2417693,00.asp

I'm open for comments. I am aware of the limitations of these cameras and am looking for the best in this category, not "I should spend $400" for a better one. Thanks a bunch.
 
"Best" is relative. You need to decide what's important in a camera, and then pick the one that satisfies those needs. For some people, ultimate image quality is not as important as size/weight, zoom, brand name, etc.

For casual photography, I would pick the one that you feel most comfortable using. It's going to be a subjective thing.
 
Do some research on Panasonic Lumix and Nikon CoolPix lines.
We've had very good experiences with them in the past.
VERY decent for P and S cameras, and some of Lumix have leica lenses even.

PS: notified mods to move to consumer electronics section
 
Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Do some research on Panasonic Lumix and Nikon CoolPix lines.
We've had very good experiences with them in the past.
VERY decent for P and S cameras, and some of Lumix have leica lenses even.

I love Panasonic cameras. When I bought my last one about 2 years ago it was between a Canon and a Panny. Both are great brands and have several solid products across their lines.
 
Thanks for the comments. I understand the "best" comments and seldom ask for this type of advice.

I "think" that I need/want a camera with manual control options and room to "grow", but to be honest, when I use one on vacation, at work, etc., I ALWAYS set it to AUTO and just shoot away. I don't anticipate becoming an enthusiast.

I will do a bit more research, but the one I mentioned above gets good reviews even at Steve's and all other review sites. In its price/performance class, it seems to do better with image quality, low light use, etc. and better than some more expensive ones.
 
Canon pics always look artificial to me compared to Panasonic and Nikon (skin tones, anyway). But it might not matter enough for most people who use a P/S pocket camera. You can always get that Canon and return if there's a good return policy. Nothing like trying them out.
Álso u can go to best buy etc and play with them a bit to get a feel on how they operate/how it feels in your hand etc.
 
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I'm a huge Nikon fan and always have been for at least 2 decades. I shoot a Nikon D600 and a D90 and love em both. Lots of pricey lenses that are stellar. I'm 41 now and some of my mountain trecks are rough and I wanted a point and shoot for the ice climbs to save weight. The D600 is amazing!! BUT BIG AND HEAVY!

Lots of research and I went with a Canon (first in my life!) PowerShot SX260HS. Photos are incredible for such a cheap and small camera. Where all of these point n shoots die is when you expect your next shot to be in a mili second....they take a bit to write to even a fast card and reset for next shot.
 
I don't have these but these are some of the smaller pocketable cameras, at or a little over your $200.

Canon S110 is $219 on amazon for the black or white.

Fujifilm XF1 for $199 (it's $399 elsewhere right now) on amazon.

For extra zoom Sony DSC-WX300 $249 on amazon.
 
Originally Posted By: wkcars
I don't have these but these are some of the smaller pocketable cameras, at or a little over your $200.

Canon S110 is $219 on amazon for the black or white.

Fujifilm XF1 for $199 (it's $399 elsewhere right now) on amazon.

I like these. Apparently you can get manual controls for around $200. They can shoot in RAW, too.
 
what is the best low light camera under $200? Sony is out as they are not willing to own up to their well known problem. The built-in anti-shake unit starts constantly vibrating. This is common issue of many Sony P&S model but only few were fixed free by Sony.

I would prefer Canon as they seem to stand behind their products and fixed my way out of warranty Canon camera without any hassle.
 
Whatever camera you buy, stick to a Brand that makes only cameras / imaging products (Nikon, Canon, etc)and not everything one can think of, like S(Ph)ony.
(Panasonic is the only exception to this, but they're not as crazy as S/Ph/ony - doing too many things and doing none of them at a quality level)
 
Thanks everyone.

Yes, Quattro Pete and wkcars are spot on. I learned that sub $200 cameras with the option of "advanced" controls are just about gone. I loved the mid 2000's Cannon Powershot A500 series and their features at sub $200 msrp.

Those are some excellent choices, wkcars. I just researched last year's S110 (original MSRP of $449)and it seems great at $220. I haven't looked at your other 2 choices yet.

What's amazing is that when you go 2 or more years past a camera model's demise, the prices skyrocket on some of them. I.E., a 2008 Cannon A590: MSRP $190+/- now sells for $250 and much higher.

Thanks again. I've got it narrowed down to 2 or 3 choices.
 
Today's WallyWorld flyer has some budget-friendly pocket cameras: Fuji AX655 for $69, Canon A2500 for $79, Sony CyberShot DSCW730 for $89, Samsung DV150 w/WiFi(& front "selfie" screen) for $99. Probably hard to go wrong with any of them.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Thanks everyone.

Yes, Quattro Pete and wkcars are spot on. I learned that sub $200 cameras with the option of "advanced" controls are just about gone. I loved the mid 2000's Cannon Powershot A500 series and their features at sub $200 msrp.

Those are some excellent choices, wkcars. I just researched last year's S110 (original MSRP of $449)and it seems great at $220. I haven't looked at your other 2 choices yet.

What's amazing is that when you go 2 or more years past a camera model's demise, the prices skyrocket on some of them. I.E., a 2008 Cannon A590: MSRP $190+/- now sells for $250 and much higher.

Thanks again. I've got it narrowed down to 2 or 3 choices.


If you decide to get the S110 from amazon, be sure to add the free memory card and case that comes with the promo they have on it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/re...rd_i=B009B0MYSQ
 
Anybody compared Panasonic Lumix ZS25 vs Canon S110? Panasonic has high zoom but Canon seems to have faster lens.
 
Originally Posted By: Vikas
Anybody compared Panasonic Lumix ZS25 vs Canon S110? Panasonic has high zoom but Canon seems to have faster lens.

Canon's lens is fairly fast at wide angle, but rather slow at full zoom, which is only 5x. However, the one thing it has going for it is the ability to shoot RAW. RAW images typically respond better to noise reduction in post-processing, so if you end up with a noisy image as a result of having a slow lens, at least you can do something about it later. Alas, that's only if you feel like tinkering with your images in Photoshop or something similar. Most P&S owners probably don't want to bother.
 
At a wedding this past weekend I used my sister's point-and-shoot Sony (I forgot my beautiful Canon DSLR rig at home, ugh). Anyway the thing was the worst camera I've ever used. Settings were limited and the worst part was that it had to take time processing each picture (with a little bar across the screen) before I could take the next. 3-4 seconds depending on shooting mode; that's an eternity when you're trying to get a shot. I'm not sure what the $700 Sony mentioned above is but the Sony I used is a piece of sh!t.
 
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