Looking for a good point & shoot

[z1ggy]

Firstly, I did read the thread about choosing a camera above. It hasn't been updated in 3 years, so I figure it's not totally relevant anymore, and asking in my own thread could get me better advice.

I would like a camera that is easily carried around in a coat pocket, for no more than $150. I want the quality of the photos to be better than what I could get on an iphone6, because otherwise I'd just use my phone.

Currently, the Canon Powershot A810 seems to be a solid choice, but it's a touch out of my price range. The Canon ELHP 110/130 is also about the same price, but I can't really tell the difference between the two.

 

[CuriousMike]

Canon S110 - uses a 1/1.7" sensor ( larger than typical P&S)
Currently about $179 on the 'Zon

 

[jtvang125]

Unless you really need optical zoom I'd say stick with your phone. Daytime photos will be almost identical and only a slight edge to the P&S in low light. Video will be superior on your phone with full 1080p with slow mo and other cool features, rare to be found on ~$150 P&S. And then having to worry about charging the battery for a shooting and possibly having to buy a memory card.

The compact P&S is a dying market being taken over by cell phones. Personally if I'm going to get a compact camera a 1" sensor would be my bare minimum. Atleast then the PQ would be significant enough to warrant carrying two devices.

 

[z1ggy]

Unless you really need optical zoom I'd say stick with your phone. Daytime photos will be almost identical and only a slight edge to the P&S in low light. Video will be superior on your phone with full 1080p with slow mo and other cool features, rare to be found on ~$150 P&S. And then having to worry about charging the battery for a shooting and possibly having to buy a memory card.

The compact P&S is a dying market being taken over by cell phones. Personally if I'm going to get a compact camera a 1" sensor would be my bare minimum. Atleast then the PQ would be significant enough to warrant carrying two devices.

A lot of the sensor sizes don't seem to be listed when looking at the high level description on say, Amazon.

How much would I need to spend to get something that is noticeably better than an iphone6? I want something nice to take pictures of my upcoming proposal to my g/f, but I don't want to hire some professional photographer. I'd rather just hand her dad a camera and have him take photos.

I also noticed that zooming in more than just a little bit on my phone makes the photo kind of poor, especially in lower light. I was hiking with my dog last weekend and the sun was setting... Took a pic of her laying on a rock about 30ft away, and it was just terrible looking. Could have been the way the sun was positioned in relation to things, but it's what prompted me to really look for something better.

 

[fralexandr]

smartphones typically use digital zoom, so zooming is essentially cropping and blowing up the image, effectively reducing resolution.

low light requires a larger sensor, higher ISO/light sensitivity, and/or faster lens (all of these improve amount of light the camera can capture) otherwise you have lots of noise and long shutter times which usually results in annoyingly blurry images with lots of grain.
most places don't list sensor size, so it's kind of hard to sort by that.

the canon s110 tends to go on sale rather frequently, has a relatively large sensor, a "fast"/larger aperture lens, and is pocketable. That makes it a nice, easy to bring, pocketable camera for most, or a backup/second camera for people with DSLRs and such. You don't get much optical zoom (4x), but optical zoom is mostly for when you can't get close to a subject and can't crop the image more.

The iphone 6 does a pretty good job, since it has a dual flash and pretty good latency, but the lack of optical zoom and small sensor are limitations of smartphone size, particularly the thinness.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8554/the-iphone-6-review/9

dpreview search of cameras with larger than typical sensors
http://www.dpreview.com/products/se...ecsImageStabilizationNew=sensor-shift,optical
as you can see, most of them are pretty expensive, making the s110 (~$180) one of the best budget choices.

The Sony DSC-QX10/B[ might also be an interesting choice. It's a lens + sensor that attaches to a smartphone (~$200).
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-DSC-Lens-...N%3DB00EVIJWXS
It has a larger sensor and 10x optical zoom, but a "slower" lens.
Whoops, the qx10 has a standard 1/2.3 sensor :S it's the qx100 that has the larger sensor, but costs $400, silly dpreview amazon link.

these options are typically over the $150 budget though.

 

[CuriousMike]

How much would I need to spend to get something that is noticeably better than an iphone6?

iPhone6 has a good camera --- you might be better served googling "how to get the best out of iphone6 camera" or "photography basics".

As has been stated, in good light, any $150-$200 P&S camera isn't going to give you much of a difference over your iPhone ( zooming excluded.)

Sometimes, just understanding where the light is or moving your feet will net you the photo you're after.

 

[finbarqs]

smartphones typically use digital zoom, so zooming is essentially cropping and blowing up the image, effectively reducing resolution.

You've just described a Crop sensor

 

[Imp]

If you don't want to spend much, ELPH 110 and 130 are probably fine. Not sure about the A-series. Think the ELPH is supposed to be higher-grade than the A.

I have an ELPH 320. It should be the same line of cameras as the 1xx, but mine has a touch screen -- pretty sure it's pressure sensitive type. Good size, I've had a lot of fun with it. Obviously, sucks in poor light due to sensor size, but takes reasonable photos for the price and size. Still use it when going out because the full-frame stays at home for now.

 

[Imp]

Hmmm... The A series may have been discontinued. Can't find official confirmation, but people talking about it online.

Regardless, the Canon store:
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cameras

A series = "Easy and Fun"
ELPH series = "Performance and Style"

 

[z1ggy]

Thanks for all the info people!!

Sounds like maybe I'm better off saving up for something in the $400+ range if I want something that will actually be noticeably better than an iphone6.

Thinking about it now, the picture I took of my dog, I did the "zoom", which like you say is basically just a crop, and it looked like garbage. If I didn't zoom in, she would have looked all tiny and not much detail in the rocks, or the ocean would have showed up.

Any experience here in buying refurbed cameras? I see some on Amazon for like 30% off if they were refurbished.

 

[RossMAN]

Another vote for the Canon S110 which has been on sale a few times for around $160, just make sure to Google about the dreaded lense error issues.

I have the Canon S100 which I'm more than happy with.

 

[radhak]

Thanks for all the info people!!

Sounds like maybe I'm better off saving up for something in the $400+ range if I want something that will actually be noticeably better than an iphone6.

Thinking about it now, the picture I took of my dog, I did the "zoom", which like you say is basically just a crop, and it looked like garbage. If I didn't zoom in, she would have looked all tiny and not much detail in the rocks, or the ocean would have showed up.

Any experience here in buying refurbed cameras? I see some on Amazon for like 30% off if they were refurbished.

That's so not true. Every one of the top 9 items on Amazon's Best Selling P&S Cameras is within your budget, and I daresay will prove to be a great camera, better than an iPhone more times than not.

I own the S110, and have used or seen the pics from others on that list. I also have a brother who's a fanboy of iPhone pictures, and has taken the trouble to master the techniques of iPhone photography. He has some amazing shots with his iPhone. But on the average, when you compare a 100 random pictures on the iPhone and on the S110, the latter has far better results. By far.

Particularly when you want to hand over it over to somebody else to take the picture, the camera is less likely to fail.

Optical zoom is something that always becomes an issue, even at birthday parties, let alone outdoors. Even the 'meager' 5x optical zoom of the S110 can mean a huge difference to your pictures.

Then there's macro photography - say the closeup of the ring on her finger. Can't do that with smartphones, not easily, not always.

Try action pictures - the iPhone 6 seems to do a better job than any earlier smart phone, but not as consistently as the S110.

A smartphone has its advantages - the impromptu pic. But when you are planning something decent, let alone a big event like a proposal, you owe yourself a regular camera. And it does not have to be very expensive now-a-days.

Price wise, personally I'd rather go for the cheaper but much liked, best selling, S110 than go for something 3 times the price.

And refurbished work great - they are doubly-checked, so better than regular. Actually, used work great too - all my cameras were bought on CL!

 

[z1ggy]

That's so not true. Every one of the top 9 items on Amazon's Best Selling P&S Cameras is within your budget, and I daresay will prove to be a great camera, better than an iPhone more times than not.

I own the S110, and have used or seen the pics from others on that list. I also have a brother who's a fanboy of iPhone pictures, and has taken the trouble to master the techniques of iPhone photography. He has some amazing shots with his iPhone. But on the average, when you compare a 100 random pictures on the iPhone and on the S110, the latter has far better results. By far.

Particularly when you want to hand over it over to somebody else to take the picture, the camera is less likely to fail.

Optical zoom is something that always becomes an issue, even at birthday parties, let alone outdoors. Even the 'meager' 5x optical zoom of the S110 can mean a huge difference to your pictures.

Then there's macro photography - say the closeup of the ring on her finger. Can't do that with smartphones, not easily, not always.

Try action pictures - the iPhone 6 seems to do a better job than any earlier smart phone, but not as consistently as the S110.

A smartphone has its advantages - the impromptu pic. But when you are planning something decent, let alone a big event like a proposal, you owe yourself a regular camera. And it does not have to be very expensive now-a-days.

Price wise, personally I'd rather go for the cheaper but much liked, best selling, S110 than go for something 3 times the price.

And refurbished work great - they are doubly-checked, so better than regular. Actually, used work great too - all my cameras were bought on CL!

Oh man, I didn't even consider CL. How about eBay for lightly used? I'll have to do my research but it seems like at the least, the S110 will be more reliable and consistent, offering at a bare min, the same quality as top tier smart phones.

Thanks.

 

[CuriousMike]

In *good* light, without cropping or zoom, his iPhone 6 camera will at least match any of the 1/2.3" sensor P&S's.

Someone else taking the photo - give me the iPhone.
a) most people know how to use it
b) touch on the subject you want in focus
c) win
IMO, most P&S cameras are more likely to fail than the simplicity of the iPhone. You have no control over what the focus zone is on the P&S - it simply decides. The iPhone, you can easily tell it where to focus using a mechanic everyone understands.

Optical zoom - you are absolutely correct - big benefit.

Macro - not so sure - the camera on my GS3 is old-tech at this point, but it does *surprisingly* well as a macro camera.

I've purchased three refurbished DSLR bodies, refurbished lenses, and used gear on Amazon/B&H/Adorama/Cameta camera. I've had mostly good luck - the times I had an issue ( Adorama - Nikon V1 would not focus correctly, Cameta refurb lens had bad focus ) those companies immediately replaced.

 

[radhak]

Mike, I agree with you - in ideal conditions, the iPhone has great output. Stunning colors, and wide lens, etc.

But ideal conditions are not always the case, so...

Also, handling the iPhone is definitely a problem for people above a certain age - that touch screen becomes an issue instead of a boon. Even my wife cannot always get the focus right when she's touching the screen with one hand - with blurry results.

Other than the 'always-in-your-hand' argument that a phone will always win, I'd say anybody wanting pictures for posterity must have a dedicated camera on hand.

 

[OctaneZ]

The S110 is $179 in black or silver at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009B0MYSQ/

I have also bought a DSLR body, a G11 P&S, and a lens through Canon Refurb and have been happy with all:
http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/refurbished-powershot-digital-cameras

If you are going Canon Refurb also look into the Canon Loyalty Program:
Customer Loyalty Program's direct number is 866-443-8002 , option 2 for digital camera upgrades.
The loyalty program nets you 20% Refurb prices in exchange for sending in a dead canon P&S or body (they pay shipping too) which you can get off CL for a couple bucks.

 

[schmuckley]

http://www.walmart.com/ip/35910993?w...521552&veh=sem
Takes great pictures/video.
Easy to use.
$80
AA batteries.
Win!

 

[Rob211]

You have to decide what you wanna take pictures of, and how you can get something better than the smartphone.

The sensor on most of the P&S cameras is a step up (some are a leap up, but we're talking lots more money, the DSLR range). But is that worth the convenience and other features of the smartphone, like "in camera" editing, easy sharing, geolocation, etc?

P&Ss tend to cluster in order to differentiate themselves in niches.

If you need to take shots at a distance, definitely look at some "superzoom" P&S cameras. They can be amazing; the FZ70, FZ200 from Panasonic, Canon SX cameras, Sony HS, Nikons, etc. You'll get much better outdoors shots especially, since these superzooms usually come with rotatable LCD screens and/or viewfinders, so way better in bright light, and there's real optical zoom and better stabilization. Some are actually "bridge" cameras, with some of the features of DSLR/mirrorless like RAW, manual controls, etc.

There is also the "travel" camera, generally with stuff like GPS, wifi, pretty big zooms and wide angle lenses, and small size.

Or maybe you need a "rugged" or "weatherproof" camera; there are a bunch like the Panasonic TS-5, which I have, that can be used in crap weather or even in shallow diving. I've taken some really nice tidepool shots, and it works as a very nice travel camera as well.

I'd highly recommend Canon refurbs. I've bought a few, and when I did have a problem with one they quickly replaced it. They have several good cameras for sale in your range in the USA shop; for example you can get an Elph 330 with 10x optical zoom, built in wifi, 1080p video, and a very small size for $99US.

If you need zoom, but don't want the too big superzoom, Panasonic is selling a refurbished ZS-35 for $140. It's got 20x zoom, foldable rear LCD screen, wifi, and is really small.

Good luck,
Rob