Need a compact P&S camera

Never noticed there wasn't a dedicated P&S forum, so, I guess I'm posting here.

 

I need something "flat", no zoom.

Wide lens, probably 28mm equivalent.

ISO range - don't care.

Stabilization - don't care.

Touch screen don't - don't care.

Mechanical shutter - don't care.

Would pay a lot extra for RAW but, I guess, I could do without it.

Full Manual exposure mode - at least the shutter speed, if the aperture can't be changed.

Focus lock that can stay locked throughout a panorama / HDR sequence (without putting the camera in some weird/idiot mode) OR manual focus.

Flash that doesn't go off unless I tell it to (or no flash)

Selectable WB that doesn't have a mind of its own.

Tripod socket.

 

Bonus:

Long exposures up to 30 or 15 seconds in Manual mode.

Shutter delay or really short self-timer.

USB charging.

EVF or rangefinder.

 

Price: $300. Could push it to $400, if it looks good.

 

So? What's out there?

 

Thanks!

Ricoh GR - though I wouldn't call that a P&S camera (it has an APS-C sensor). There's an updated GRII and now a higher-MP GRIII.

The Ricoh as Dieter described above, and also the Nikon Coolpix A and the new Fuji XF10. All of these have an APSC sensor with the Fuji available new for an amount that is almost within your budget. You need to check specific features, reviews, and prices to see if any of theses options work for you. I believe that the 1st generation Ricoh GR and the Nikon used the same 16mp sensor .

I'm looking for something "disposable" (and I'll explain). Those Richo's are way too nice, which also comes with a matching price tag. Seriously, those are bridge camera prices and what do you get for that much dough? A camera that is lacking in many ways and is not even that compact. Oh, a crop sensor? Tell them they can keep it. I need all the DOF I can get and let ME worry about the noise. I can take the cleanest pictures you've seen from any camera at ISO 6400, handheld. Just give me MANUAL controls and a burst mode.

 

Anyway, the camera that I'm shopping for will be covered with sand, smeared with sunscreen, baked in the sun, banged around in a backpack and tortured in other ways. It will probably end up being destroyed after a few months of (ab)use. So, no, not looking for anything "nice".

 

I didn't say anything about megapixels or sensor size. And, honestly, 12MP and above will work for me.

There's the Olympus TG-5. It is only 12MP but it has a zoom, so I guess, that kind of compensates, not really important but whatever. It shoots 12-bit RAW, so, we're getting there. It's waterproof and all that, so, hey, maybe it won't end up in the trash after I'm done with it. Nice!.. But what about the actual freakin' controls?

I don't see a Manual mode and I don't think that it can do long exposures, except in some retarded, backward way. Honestly, its form factor is OK and I would pay the retail price for it, even if it wasn't waterproof, just give me my manual controls! (exposure and focus) Why is it so hard? It's 2019 and you can get an app for your phone that does manual exposure and focus! What kind of dumbass engineers are coming up with all these stupid camera designs? I guess they're too busy playing with WiFi and coding their stupid apps for instagram upload. Wait, am I ranting?... Whatever.

 

Another feature that I just thought of. I need to be able to completely disable any image stabilization. I would gladly fetch a camera without any IS at all but they all have it nowadays.

 

2 additional "bonus" features:

Exposure meter readout in Manual mode.

Burst mode / Continuous shooting, in Manual exposure mode, with focus lock. The faster - the better, at least 12 frames total before the buffer chokes (preferably in RAW).

 

So, NOW, are we on the same page? I mentioned 12MP, no IS, and no WiFi, so, maybe there's something for me from, like, 10 years ago? I don't think I'd buy "used" but "refurbished" - probably. Would still prefer something from recent times, in case I fall in love and want to buy another.

 

Thanks!

You can look for the camera yourself by going here, which allows you to set the characteristics of the camera you want, and provides you with a list matching cameras, as well as links for purchasing them.

You can look for the camera yourself by going here, which allows you to set the characteristics of the camera you want, and provides you with a list matching cameras, as well as links for purchasing them.

 

Thank you so much! I was trying to do the same on B&H but they don't have enough criteria selection there, nothing like: maximum exposure time, manual exposure or manual focus. And, obviously, they have only what they're selling.

 

I didn't realize there even was this kind of database. Anyway, after entering all my requirements, it came up with a shortlist of 30 cameras or so. Most are $600 and up. But there do seem to be a few in my price range that are worth checking out. So, I'll keep digging.

 

Thanks again!

David, just a little heads up.

 

Some compact cameras don't have a proper aperture control. Instead they seem to switch an ND filter into the optical path. That's despite having what appears to be a full 'M' mode on the selector dial.

 

The upshot is that you have absolutely no control over depth-of-field. I've encountered this lunacy (or maybe penny-pinching) on several compact models now, and I own an otherwise very good little Kodak compact that has this 'feature'. The main clue is that M or A mode only offer a choice of two apertures; wide open or some weird number like f/7.4.

 

Just something to bear in mind and watch out for!

Edited March 27, 2019 by rodeo_joe|1

David, just a little heads up.

 

Some compact cameras don't have a proper aperture control. Instead they seem to switch an ND filter into the optical path. That's despite having what appears to be a full 'M' mode on the selector dial.

 

The upshot is that you have absolutely no control over depth-of-field. I've encountered this lunacy (or maybe penny-pinching) on several compact models now, and I own an otherwise very good little Kodak compact that has this 'feature'. The main clue is that M or A mode only offer a choice of two apertures; wide open or some weird number like f/7.4.

 

Just something to bear in mind and watch out for!

 

 

Hmm... Thanks for the heads up!

 

I actually just need the aperture to remain constant until I tell it not to anymore. It's not about the DOF, creative control or anything like that. Can't say that I'm sure that an otherwise perfect Point-and-Shoot having that kind of design would be a deal breaker for me. It would have to be one really great little camera though.

 

I do realize what a compact P&S actually means in terms of the internal components but thanks to you I know a little more now.

 

Now that I think of it, I may have read somewhere about ND filters inside the lens assembly, like, years back. But knowing myself, I probably just went: Pfff.. Who cares? I'm a DSLR typa guy.

I actually just need the aperture to remain constant until I tell it not to anymore.

 

This is easy with a simple film camera like the Rollei 35. Shoot at the setting you want, and then scan the film.

Automatic in small cameras usually means fully automatic, I'm afraid.

"Cheap" is not the same as "simple" in the world that we live in.

 

.

"Cheap" is not the same as "simple" in the world that we live in.

 

Indeed not, but in this disposable age you can pick up quite sophisticated digital cameras really cheaply. Simply because they're 'outdated'.

 

The Kodak PixPro camera I referred to above has a quite respectable 12 megapixel sensor and a 12x Schneider zoom lens. It cost peanuts and works perfectly.

 

I paid a little more for a hardly-used Nikon Coolpix 6000, which was billed as a 'professional' compact when it came out. I've had some very decent shots out of it; many taken in dim light or at twilight, despite its limited ISO range.

 

Scanning film nowadays? Seriously?

I can buy half-a-dozen or more perfectly serviceable used digital cameras for the price asked for a very average film camera, a couple of rolls of film+processing and the cost of a mediocre and time-consuming film-scanner. Not to mention the frustration of trying to find a decent and reliable film processor these days - colour processing was a pure lottery even a couple of decades ago!

Yeah, I didn't wanna say anything. Instead I just thought to myself: Sure, whom do I send the bill for the 600 rolls of film?