Older (hence inexpensive---$50-ish), but good, compact Point and Shoot Digital camera

My wife would like a digital camera to carry around with her for casual shots.

It would be used almost exclusively for 4x6's and MAYBE the very, very rare

8x10. It will be for friends/family and the like. It would be best to have 3x

optical zoom (2x would probably be acceptable) and be small enough to fit in a

relatively small purse. Low light would be nice, but I realize I'm limited here

by smaller apertures, 400ISO as almost always upper limit, and super small

built in flashes.

 

But the catch is, if possible I'd like to spend no more than about $50, which

means I'm looking at older models. She doesn't need anything over 2-3 MP (GOOD

1-ish MP cmaeras would probably suffice!) It won't be used for important or

discerning shots (I have my own photography gear for that), but still I would

like her to have a GOOD, older, almost certainly used digital camera.

 

Some of the ones I've come across from searching are perhaps some older Pentax

Optio models, the Canon A10/20. There are just so many out there, I can't keep

track. so I'm hoping some of you have some wisdom from experience that could

be helpful.

 

Any suggestions? Thanks!

Perhaps some of the older Canon Ixus range would fit the bill but be aware the older ones have terrible shutter lag. I used to have a Ixus V3 that took pretty decent pictures outdoors but the lag was really annoying and the flash was pretty OTT. I gave it to my mum and she thinks it's great. Most older models are (practically) limited to more like ISO100. From 200 they get pretty noisy.

You can try your localized Craigslist, but $50 is, in my opinion, far too low a budget, especially for a ultra-compact P&S with your requirements.

 

Old cameras for that price (in general) will put you into a range of equipment with few features and very slow performance in every arena. (If they are working at all.) Mostly what I've seen on sites like Craigslist are cameras similar to the Fuji A205 (which I did purchased for $35). ISO 100 is the only choice and has a 2x lens. It takes about 10 seconds for the camera to charge the flash, during which the lcd is blank. It's slow to start and extend the lens and, of course, focus. It's also probably not going to fit in a small purse. (Neither will the Canon A10 or A20, b.t.w.)

 

Best of luck.

Hi, Aaron.

I'll echo the comments about shutter lag and ASA limitations, etc. One thought...does it have to be digital? Some of the Olympus & Minolta point & shoot film cameras with built-in flash were excellent, and you can pick them up on the cheap if you're watchful. Many had zoom ability, etc.

 

Jon

Surprisingly, I just found a Canon S330 on KEH for $56. You'll need to pick up a CF card, but that's probably a pretty good deal. It meets most of your requirements for the closest price.

I pick up a Nikon 885 for about that much. I wouldn't call it good, but it is compact. The start up and shutter lags are brutally slow.

Hi guys, thanks for the answers so far. Yes, I'm aware of the limits of these options--slow start up, shutter lag, etc. For my price range/age that's something we're prepared to live with. And yes, it does need to be digital. I develop my own film, but I don't do enough C41 to keep my wife happy (she'll want the pictures immediately, not in 4 weeks when I have enough film to make a run worth it!). Even if we were to get it developed at a shop, that means she has to wait on me to scan them.

 

By the way, in your experiences, how do cameras that run on AA batteries do? We already use rechargeables for lots of stuff, and it seems like a camera that runs on rechargeables might be more convenient since if you happen to leave a proprietary charger at home and your camera runs out of juice, you're up a creek. With AA's, if you happen to forget to charge, all you do is open a new pack of batteries. Any thoughts?

Right now at KEH:

 

- Canon S20 in BGN condition for $59.

 

- Canon A300 in EX condition for $76.

 

- Nikon 880 / 885 in the $60's.

<<By the way, in your experiences, how do cameras that run on AA batteries do?>>

 

With NiMH's they do very well. My Canon A80 runs on four 2500 mAH NiMHs and I get 600 shots per charge with full LCD usage.

I used to have a 3MP Olympus C-3040. 3x, f/1.4 lens at the wide end, if I remember correctly. Not so sure about the $50 or fitting in a purse, but it was awesome in low light.

Realistically, disposable film cameras will provide better photos and will far less cost for what she has in mind.