Whats a good point and shoot?

[crystal_smith5]

<p>Hi all- My Mom wants a new camera and asked me for suggestions and Im not real sure what to tell her. She wants a point and shoot...SLR is out of the question. I have a couple of Canon DSLRs , but she feels that those are too big for her. I also have a Fuji s700 point and shoot and she likes that its small, but yet has the ability to shoot Manual and adjust shutter speed, and aperature. My question is...does anyone know of any other similar cameras out there? (Compact point and shoot with the Manual option) Does Canon or Nikon make anything similar?<br>

Thank you all so much for your help!!</p>

 

[vrankin]

<p>Canon's new S90 would be excellent. it's compact, beautiful, has great image quality, and manual control is an option.</p>

[nathangardner]

<p>The Canon Elph series are good cameras and very small, but not too extensive on the manual side. They do have some fun features though.</p>

[andylynn]

<p>How advanced and expensive does she want this to be? A Canon S90 is great - and costs $400. An SD780 is also great, and Adorama will sell you one with a memory card for half what the S90 costs. The Fuji F70EXR also makes a compelling case for itself.</p>

[accystan]

<p>Crystal:<br>

Here are my parameters when I'm asked this question.....</p>

<ol>

<li>First on the list and most important - never, never, ever buy a p & s that doesn't have a viewfinder. Lots of them expect you to rely on the screen on the back for framing the subject. That's all fine and dandy when you're in the store under indoor lighting - but in bright sunshine the screen is tough, even impossible, to see. That's when the viewfinder is extremely beneficial. </li>

<li>Try to buy a camera made by a bona fide camera manufacturer. HP make great computer gear but Nikon, Canon, Kodak have been in the camera business for decades. There are exceptions but as a general rule....</li>

<li>Some p & s camera's have a swivelling or rotating screen. It's an extremely useful feature. I've placed it third in my parameters. Not a 'deal maker' but handy.</li>

</ol>

<p>Happy hunting,<br>

Dave D</p>

[johnw63]

<p>Viewfinders on small point and shoots are getting as rare as hen's teeth.</p>

 

[nathangardner]

<p>The viewfinders also don't bounce off mirrors and go directly through the lens. They are just a window at the top of the camera and don't show an extremely accurate representation of what you will get.</p>

[luis_g]

<p> Without drowning in geek lore, I'd recommend the Fuji 200 EXR. Decent low light ability for a P&S out to ISO 800.</p>

<p> </p>

[accystan]

<blockquote>

<p>The viewfinders also don't bounce off mirrors and go directly through the lens. They are just a window at the top of the camera and don't show an extremely accurate representation of what you will get.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I agree with you there Nathan - the viewfinder isn't extremely accurate, probably never was; but I still think it's better than no view at all when the sun is shining on your screen. (I'm surprised no manufacturer has included a black cloth so that people could shoot in the manner of Ansel Adams et al).<br />Unless you're refering to slr's I don't believe there's a mirror in an p & s either.<br />Cheers,<br />Dave D</p>

[James G. Dainis]

Many of the Canon Powershot cameras have manual controls and viewfinders, Canon PowerShot A720 IS, Canon PowerShot A650 IS.