Which Point and Shoot Camera?

[Stevo24]

Which P&S camera does everyone recommend? In the market for one, but don't want to break the bank. Looking for something that takes good photos, and does some video recording.

 

Thought about the Nikon Coolpix S3500. Thoughts?

 

Thanks!

[Victress2007]

I'm a fan of the Sony HX_V series. They take great pictures. Most of the pictures I post in the weekly threads were taken with a 9V, now I also have the 200V.

 

Vic

[dileep]

Try the Panasonic Lumix FZ60 or ZS 19. I have had good experience with the Lumix cameras.

[tommui987]

Try the Panasonic Lumix FZ60 or ZS 19. I have had good experience with the Lumix cameras.

 

The ZS19 is light weight and size, takes great pictures and has a zoom that covers from about 28mm to 360mm which would cover most of your picture-taking.

 

Along with my Sony NEX camera, I have two Panasonic Lumix cameras and have a fairly long history with the Panasonic cameras. You can't go wrong with the Pannies.

[Stevo24]

Thanks for the replies. Good info here. I am going to do some research and see if I can find one that I like and hits my budget. :)

[markeb]

I have no experience with the Sony's and Panasonic's being recommended. They're probably great cameras.

 

If you're looking at an S3500, I'm assuming you're thinking somewhere in the $100-130 price range? If so, I'd seriously consider the Canon PowerShot ELPH 320 HS and the Nikon Coolpix S5200. Of the two, I find the specs on the Canon marginally more interesting, largely because the aperture range is better.

 

You don't need 20 MP in a point and shoot; you're not going to make a poster out of one of your pictures, and a 10-15 MP screen will generally be faster and give you more detail in the ranges you're actually interested in. Other than fewer MP, both the Canon and Nikon I'm suggesting will give you better performance than the S3500 for very little more money. They should give you better low light performance, which is key onboard and inside; your flash is only useful for about 6 feet.

 

They can be overwhelming, but B&H photo (Google them) is one of the largest online retailers of camera equipment, from amateur to top of the line professional. You can search their site for point and shoots, and compare them. You'll also get reviews from actual users of the camera. Your sweet spot is probably 12-16 MP, and look for a lens aperture under f/3.0 on the wide end.

[dileep]

Did not realize the Nikon CoolPix S3500 sells for under $150. The Panasonics I suggested are both in the $250 to $400 range.

 

Knowing the poster's price range and camera size would have been useful!

[Stevo24]

Sorry. I should have included price ranges. Really open to any suggestions though. I looked up the Nikon Coolpix S9200. Looks like a nice camera for a good deal. Any thoughts on this one?

 

Thanks again everyone

[awboater]

If you want to go cheap, in my view, the best camera for the price is the Nikon P310. You can get one for under $200. Not bad considering it originally sold for over $300.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-Digital-Camera-NIKKOR/dp/B0073HSH08/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370741239&sr=8-1&keywords=p310

 

The reason I like it (and I have one) is it features a fast f/1.8 lens (although that is only at the wide angle end), and manual exposure controls - which you may or may not find attractive. I bought mine because I wanted a true pocket camera that had decent performance.

[markeb]

Sorry. I should have included price ranges. Really open to any suggestions though. I looked up the Nikon Coolpix S9200. Looks like a nice camera for a good deal. Any thoughts on this one?

 

Thanks again everyone

 

Do you want bright daylight, or a decent indoor performer?

 

The S9200 has a maximum aperture of f/3.5. It's essentially logarithmic from f/3.5 to f/2.8; you get orders of magnitude more light at f/2.8. The S9200 would not be my first choice for an indoor camera.

 

The P310 awboater recommended looks like an amazing camera, especially if you can get it under $200 as it lists for $329. But it is going to be a littler bigger.

 

Do you want a small pocket camera, or can you handle a slightly larger, but still "pocketable" camera? Your options change with price and size. There are "Canon people" and "Nikon people" in the camera world; I'm a Canon person. I do think for general purpose, inexpensive, point and shoot, the Canon PowerShot ELPH 320 HS looks like a great camera. If you're willing to go bigger, but don't want a lot of expense, the Nikon P310 looks great. If you want to go beyond that, or are really into photography and want more options, my recommendations would change quickly...

 

And, yes, I'm somewhat into photography. Current kit is a Canon T2i DSLR that will probably eventually become a 7D, with various lenses, a Canon S95 P&S, and a new Olympus waterproof TG-2. That's after years of various, mostly Canon, P&S cameras...

[awboater]

The P310 awboater recommended looks like an amazing camera, especially if you can get it under $200 as it lists for $329. But it is going to be a littler bigger.

 

The P310's size is slightly larger than the typical Nikon S model, but still well within the range of a pocket camera. It also does full HD video, not only 1920x1080p@30fps, but also in a 15FPS HS mode.

 

And if the f/1.8 lens is not low light enough, there is a mode wherein the camera will take several photos and stack them into one photo for improved low-light performance. Other brand cameras do this as well, but perhaps not in the under $200 range.

 

There is a "HDR" like function that can improve dynamic range (unfortunately though, it is buried in a scene mode). This though is buried within one of the scene modes, and while it works, it does not do surrealistic HDR (which many don't like anyway).

 

Finally, the camera has "picture controls", spot/matrix metering, exposure bracketing, flash and exposure compensation, and many other advanced features normally only found on DSLRs.

 

And some of the "scene modes" which I rarely use, include 3D photos, panoramas, sepia, high/low key lighting, and selective color.

 

The only downside to this camera that some may find is that the zoom range is limited to 4.2x; however, remember that the more powerful the zoom, the worse off the lens is optically. So you would expect a camera that takes great photos to have a lower power zoom.

 

I actually own this camera along with a couple of DSLRs and MILC. I bought mine when they first dropped the price (I paid $204) as I wanted a pocket camera (my other cameras are too large to stuff in my pocket).

 

Again, a lot of features and capability for under $200.

[pbnjrockette]

I just love my Canon Powershot SX50 with 50x zoom. Unbelievable that you can hold that zoom steady and get amazing shots! (I love my DSLR but this Canon makes the perfect travel camera without the weight and lenses of my DSLR)

[AltoSaxGuy]

I just love my Canon Powershot SX50 with 50x zoom. Unbelievable that you can hold that zoom steady and get amazing shots! (I love my DSLR but this Canon makes the perfect travel camera without the weight and lenses of my DSLR)

 

I bought a Canon Powershot SX50 specifically for our Alaskan cruise on the Carnival Miracle on July 2nd!! :) I've had it about 3 weeks and am looking forward to getting some (hopefully) great pictures with it! :)

pbnjrockette- did you take a tripod? Just curious ...

[Buckerook]

Another nice feature is GPS which shows where the photo was taken. The Panasonic Lumix has this capability.

 

If you take a lot of pics in the sunlight, you may want to look for a camera with an optical viewfinder as well as a LCD screen. On a recent cruise I found myself shooting blind.because my camera had only an LCD screen which was impossible to see in the bright sunlight! Unfortunately most new cameras don't have both anymore.

[pbnjrockette]

I bought a Canon Powershot SX50 specifically for our Alaskan cruise on the Carnival Miracle on July 2nd!! :) I've had it about 3 weeks and am looking forward to getting some (hopefully) great pictures with it! :)

pbnjrockette- did you take a tripod? Just curious ...

 

No tripod....wanted to travel as light as possible. Good thing because I hurt my shoulder and for most of the trip couldn't lift my camera to my eye (ouch!) Got great pictures using the LCD screen-- and we were in bright sunlight a lot of the time.

 

You should get great pictures in Alaska with the amazing zoom! Practice a little before you leave---hold your breath and slowly press shutter when zoomed out completely.

[Keith1010]

I like the Panasonic Lumix Cameras.

 

Keith

[dileep]

I like the Panasonic Lumix Cameras.

 

Keith

 

 

I have used them for the last 4 years and recommend them highly.

 

but there are other good cameras. Look at the reviews and picks at http://www.dpreview.com/

[AltoSaxGuy]

You should get great pictures in Alaska with the amazing zoom! Practice a little before you leave---hold your breath and slowly press shutter when zoomed out completely.

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

 

 

 

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[wsmirn1000]

I just purchased the Nikon S3500 to replace my Canon Elf 1000. I love this new camera. It has a longer battery life than most point and shoots, 20 mp, and 7x zoom. It is exceptionally light. Very easy to use and I am very satisfied with the first pictures that I have taken. Looking forward to taking it on our Baltic cruise in July. This was the winner after comparing many cameras. It is available for $120. Good luck with shopping.

[Stevo24]

I just purchased the Nikon S3500 to replace my Canon Elf 1000. I love this new camera. It has a longer battery life than most point and shoots, 20 mp, and 7x zoom. It is exceptionally light. Very easy to use and I am very satisfied with the first pictures that I have taken. Looking forward to taking it on our Baltic cruise in July. This was the winner after comparing many cameras. It is available for $120. Good luck with shopping.

 

Good to hear. My fiancé really likes this camera. Thanks for your review!

 

 

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[monkeyluis]

I'm buying the Canon S110 this week for my trip next week. I had the s90 & loved it.