Camera help - Olympus Stylus SZ-15

[mosaic_mom]

I'm looking to get a new camera. Anyone know anything about the Olympus Stylus SZ-15. I'm looking for something that will take good pictures in low light. I don't have a lot of money to spend on a real fancy camera, but this one looked good to me.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Or any suggestions for a good point and shoot for around $200 or less?

[awboater]

In your price range, the camera I recommend is the Nikon P310.

 

However, there is a catch. The price range has varied within the last 30 days from a low of $150 to a high of over $225. The reason for the price variation is that the camera has been discontinued - which drops the price, but then as the stock gets low - the price goes up.

 

Before it was discontinued, the P310 sold normally for over $300, so $150 was an incredible deal; and even $225 is not bad.

 

Three days ago, this camera was $150 at Amazon, but today it's $225 as it has sold out from some vendors. Unfortunately, you may be too late to see $150 again as the stock is limited to what is on the dealer's shelves. You will just have to price monitor for a few days and see what happens.

 

You may have to monitor websites such as Amazon, Adorama, and B&H daily to get the best deal on this camera.

 

If you can find this camera again for $150, it is a super buy, and only one of the few Nikon compact cameras I would recommend (the others being the P330 and P7700; These are the best compacts Nikon makes).

 

I would not hesitate to buy such a camera when it becomes discontinued. It has only been on the market for a year, and camera manufacturers tend to replace compact cameras on an annual or even 6 month basis. The result is you can get a camera with relatively new technology at a highly discounted price. This is not because the cameras are obsolete (with or without Mr. Moore's law), but rather the competition in the compact market is so saturated that this is how each manufacturer jockeys for market share.

 

Why do I like the P310?

 

First, it has manual exposure controls (program, shutter/aperture priority, manual), This gives you maximum flexibility when composing your photos and setting exposure.

 

Second, it has a fast f/1.8 lens, which rivals even the better grade DSLR lenses. What does this mean? Superior low-light performance, as the camera will gather 2 to 4 times more light than the typical compact camera.

 

It also does up to 1920x1080p @ 30fps "full" HD with stereo audio. But I am not much into video so that is not something I often use. If I want to do video, I have a camcorder for that.

 

And I own this camera, so it is not something I would recommend without having some experience with it. While the zoom range of this camera is less than those ridiculously high-powered zooms on bridge cameras, the lens on the P310 is vastly superior to those cameras. So while you won't be able to take a photo of a bird from a mile away, you will probably take better photos within the range of the P310's zoom.

 

If you cannot find this camera at your price anymore, then wait 6 months or a year and surely it's replacement, the P330 will also be on discount to make way for the next iteration of this model. If you are on a budget and don't have immediate needs, buying newly discontinued (at least with compact cameras) is perhaps the best way to get the most bang for your buck.

 

The other notable camera for under $200 is the Canon SX150 or SX160. Of the two, I like the SX150 best as it has a better (but lower power) lens. And both of these also have manual exposure controls - but not as fast of a lens as the P310. And they require AA batteries, but you can buy a set of 4 AA NI-MH rechargeable batteries and charger for under $20.

[mosaic_mom]

Thank you very much for all your helpful information. Gives me a lot more choices to check out.