topcat84 Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>Hi Everyone,<br> I'd like to buy a compact point and shoot camera for my wife that has a good zoom, large LCD screen, video capability w/sound, and possibly a viewfinder for around $300. She would like to be able to carry it with her at all times, so compact size would be essential. She'd prefer Nikon or Canon, but wants the best camera available at that price. She also enjoys taking closeups of flowers, insects, etc. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Cheers !!<br> Terry</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_levine Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>This can be an overwhelming ordeal, as there are hundreds of P&S cameras from which to choose. Checkout review sites like CNET. They discuss the various camera's pros/cons.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
les_ens Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>They both make very nice cameras. With their own strong and weak points. Rather than just concentrate on cost, you have to decide which make she likes and prefers, that will help you a lot. P/S cameras because of their narrow depth of field are very good at macros. It would be wise to take her with when shopping for it so she can hold it and look at it. Sony also makes nice little cameras.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hal_b Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>Canon, without a doubt. Canon's P&S's are head-and-shoulders above Nikon's. Canon's all have great color, accurate metering, and simple controls.</p> <p>Don't even think about LCD size, zoom, video, macro, or portability, as EVERY SINGLE P&S out there is essentially the same in these respects. Sure, some zoom more than others, but "4x" is about all that is needed. I've never seen a decent photograph taken with a P&S out beyond this range. It's an interesting trick to be able to zoom in 20x and photograph a window on a building 2 miles away, but who would ever do that?</p> <p>Canon's SD940 is about $300, but has no viewfinder. The SD990 has a viewfinder, but is about $400. Not that you have to spend $400 to get a viewfinder, it's just a very rare feature nowadays.</p> <p>The SD780 has a viewfinder, and is available for under $300. Personally, I hate this camera because I think it's TOO small. It's about the size of a credit card. It doesn't have any wide-angle to speak of, and only zooms 3x, which even I would find limiting. If these things don't matter, it might be the right camera. Otherwise, good luck. If I couldn't find exactly what I wanted for $300, I would look at used cameras on eBay instead, and save my money.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liljuddakalilknyttphotogra Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>Personally I've gone through two Canon P&S & they both drive me insane. I can't ever get them to focus where I want them to etc. So I seriously consider them a pain.<br> A few things from the viewpoint of a woman...<br> 1 - she really has to do this herself, because what you think is great & nifty she will probably not think is so great & nifty.<br> 2 - make sure she has a viewfinder for those bring days when she can't see a thing on the LCD screen<br> 3 - I recently handed over a camera to a none camera friend (a woman) who was going to Australia for the first & probably only time in her life. She's knows little about photography & needed something she could simply - point & shoot. I handed her a cheap little Sony Cyber-shot I have for "emergencies" for eBay etc. She came back with probably 60-70 shots & when she saw them on my 24" screen she was thrilled with the result. The things she pointed out about the little camera were these - simple to use, viewfinder which made life so easy in the sunlight of the day, & how long the battery lasted.<br> A few things to keep in mind.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeannean_. Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>I have a Canon SD890IS and am happy with it for what it's intent is. The video is surprisingly good as is the zoom. The viewfinder is pretty small (they all are), but nice to have. It's under $200 now from amazon, etc. I've owned Canon P&S cameras from the SD100 up to this one, and have always been very happy with them. As Hal said, Canon does a pretty good job with this market.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mel_cox Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>After much research, I just recently bought a Canon SD940 (I have Nikon DSLR's) and I'm very pleased with it. Other than good picture quality, my main requirement was that it be as small as possible. The SD940 is the smallest P&S that Canon makes I believe. (It replaced my Casio 1080). Decent wide angle and zoom. Good sized LCD viewer and really easy to use in automatic mode. Menu structure and navigation could be better but overall I'm extremely happy with it. It has HD video as well.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbs Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>A feature I would highly recommend but seems to be harder and harder to find on a P&S is an actual viewfinder. In bright light, LCD's are almost useless.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Doo Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>Oh there are so many choices! If she likes really tiny cameras that slip into a pocket, the Canon Digital Elphs are not bad. My current Elph is SD780 IS with 12.1MP. I like it. But this is just one of the many good ones, of course. </p> <p>A side-by-side comparison of selected models should help: <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp">http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp</a></p> <p>Good luck!</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>I'm partial to Olympus P&S digicams. I've owned three and all provided great JPEGs right from the camera, ready to print or share on the web. Flattering skin tones and moderate color saturation and contrast, which I prefer over cartoon colors. Olympus cameras seem capable of mimicking the look of color portrait films like Fuji NPH very well, which I like. The cameras have been very reliable too. Even my 2nd generation Oly P&S from the early days still works - the SmartMedia cards will probably die before the camera does.</p><p>And my C-3040Z has been more durable and reliable than my D2H. And I've used the Oly as heavily as the Nikon, including in high heat and humidity, slight precipitation, etc. Nothing really wrong with the D2H - a minor problem fixed under warranty, the rubbery grip panels loosening at the corners, and this year it began needing two presses of the shutter release button on the first shot after the camera has been turned off for awhile. After that it works fine. But the Olys have never had a single problem.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrison_k. Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 <p>Try and make the stretch to the Canon S90</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alvinyap Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 <p>300 usd budget? I'd go for any canon (or panasonic) :) Not nikon, eww. If you can stretch the budget a bit, LX3... one of my friends bought an EP1 to replace his wife's lx3, it ends up the wife prefers the lx3 as the ep1 is slow :P</p> <p>Alvin</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat84 Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 <p>Thanks to all of you guys for the great suggestions. It makes the decision much easier for her and now she can proceed to the comparisons. Thanks again. Cheers !!<br> Terry</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_brock1 Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 <p>Yea, these guys are right.......read this description I wrote below my photo gear pic on the link below.<br> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mynikon/4102523557/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/mynikon/4102523557/</a></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tri-x1 Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 <p>Canon A1000 IS. 10 megapixel image and it uses two standard AA batteries (the best feature as far as I'm concerned). Less than $200.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnilssen Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 <p>There is only one answer: Take her to the shop, and let her look and try the different models. What you think is best for her, is probably not what she really wants, so if you both want to be happy, let her decide herself.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_tam1 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 <p>Please see the depreview.com Group Test for various types of P&S cameras. Although they were done for last year, one can check the main site under the same manufacturer for a more update version based on the recommendations:<br> <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408slimgroup/">http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408slimgroup/</a><br> <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408premiumgroup/">http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408premiumgroup/</a><br> <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408budgetgroup/">http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408budgetgroup/</a><br> <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408enthusiastgroup/">http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408enthusiastgroup/</a><br> <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/news/0901/09011503q109superzoomroundup.asp">http://www.dpreview.com/news/0901/09011503q109superzoomroundup.asp</a><br> Happy shopping.<br> <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408slimgroup/"></a></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 <p>one more vote for the Canon SD940....I actually bought it for myself (mainly because of it's surprisingly good HD video).....even though I own numerous film and digital from P&S (high end), 35mm and Medium Format Film, and 35mm DSLRs.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villain1 Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 <p>One thing I never thought to take into account until now is how a company stands behind it's products, and unfortunately Nikon let me down. Sony has a pretty good return/repair policy, as does Olympus, which is beneficial for a camera that's in a purse or pocket all the time.<br> Nikon told us that we would be required to pay for a new lense on the Coolpix we had because of a key scuff on the side of the camera. My daughter kept her house key in the same pocket as the camera in her bag, and it marked up the side. They told us that it was obviously damage from a drop, so we'd have to pay more than the camera was worth to replace the lens.<br> I love Nikon's gear, but their customer service and unwillingness to listen to a customer explain the details of their camera leaves a lot to be desired if problems ever arise.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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