Best point and shoot digital camera for DL?

[Astylla]

THANK YOU!!!
This is what I wanted after seeing Astylla's pcitures, but really couldn't spend more than $199. What a great deal! I ordered it and am thrilled. SO glad and thankful you took the time to post this. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

That is a great deal for an awesome camera in my opinion. I am still loving our camera and even dabbled with taking some video with it at the local park too.
Here are a few more pics because I think they are too cool not to share

Video taken :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89B-lJ8f_B4

 

[WDWFigment]

I would definitely pay a little extra to get the Canon S95. It's a really, really great point and shoot.

Here are some other ones I reviewed this summer: http://www.disneytouristblog.com/best-point-and-shoot-camera-reviews/

 

[Rhonna]

First, I know NOTHING about digital cameras. This is my first one. Had a question.

Finally got the Canon S95. Was through our cc reward points so didn't know what to expect. Just came in the mail. It has a battery, a battery charger, two different sets of cords. One I am pretty sure connects to the computer to transfer photos (don't know how to do that yet) and I don't know what the other cord is???? (Also, there is the wrist strap - I'm not counting that as a cord.)

You have to have some kind of memory card, right? I haven't tried to open it yet or read the instructions. If it's not in the camera already, where do I buy one?

I'll get around to reading the instructions before our trip but right now we just had a freak snow storm, we have some kind of rodent in our ceiling :0 that we just put traps out for and I am making reservations for several things on our trip so we don't lose out.

Thanks!

 

[coaches24]

First, I know NOTHING about digital cameras. This is my first one. Had a question.

Finally got the Canon S95. Was through our cc reward points so didn't know what to expect. Just came in the mail. It has a battery, a battery charger, two different sets of cords. One I am pretty sure connects to the computer to transfer photos (don't know how to do that yet) and I don't know what the other cord is???? (Also, there is the wrist strap - I'm not counting that as a cord.)

You have to have some kind of memory card, right? I haven't tried to open it yet or read the instructions. If it's not in the camera already, where do I buy one?

I'll get around to reading the instructions before our trip but right now we just had a freak snow storm, we have some kind of rodent in our ceiling :0 that we just put traps out for and I am making reservations for several things on our trip so we don't lose out.

Thanks!

I'm by no means an expert on cameras but I know you can buy memory cards from places like best buy. I would assume Walmart or target would have them as well. Any place that has an electronics section I would think would be able to help you pick the right one. I also think that your camera will store pictures without a card but you can fill up its memory rather quickly so the card is recomended.


As for the cords not sure. Our camera came with one to connect to the CPU and another to connect to the battery charger so maybe that's what you got as well? You would have to describe what the connections look like for the cord for me to know for sure.

 

[Rhonna]

I'm by no means an expert on cameras but I know you can buy memory cards from places like best buy. I would assume Walmart or target would have them as well. Any place that has an electronics section I would think would be able to help you pick the right one. I also think that your camera will store pictures without a card but you can fill up its memory rather quickly so the card is recomended.


As for the cords not sure. Our camera came with one to connect to the CPU and another to connect to the battery charger so maybe that's what you got as well? You would have to describe what the connections look like for the cord for me to know for sure.

Thanks! I finally took out the instruction booklet and it doesn't seem too difficult. Tells the memory cards that are compatible, etc. Need to read up a bit. The second set of cords is for audio (didn't think this camera had that?).

 

[nannyz]

Are there any P&S cameras that have a faster shutter speed and don't cost thousands of dollars? I have 4 grandkids and I rarely get the picture I want because they move before the camera takes the picture. It's so frustrating!! Never had these problems with my 35mm.

 

[Disco]

Are there any P&S cameras that have a faster shutter speed and don't cost thousands of dollars? I have 4 grandkids and I rarely get the picture I want because they move before the camera takes the picture. It's so frustrating!! Never had these problems with my 35mm.

Yes and no. Nothing P&S is quite as responsive as a SLR type camera but some of the newer models use a similar focus resolving feature that make them almost as fast in bright light. The downside is that they usually have to switch to a different focus mode when it's darker. This can make them pretty slow for indoor or twilight/night shots. Do you care if it's small and pocketable or is it OK if the camera is big? Also you said less than 1000s of dollars but most P&S cameras are well under $300. Is your price range acceptable around that or a few higher maybe?

 

[nannyz]

I want to be able to take pix of my grandkids and dogs both indoors and outdoors. Anything up to around $300 would be OK.

 

[DharmaLou]

now that I have an iPhone I will never use/buy a P&S again - the pics and editing tools on it are far better than the P&S I had. And if you're willing to spend $300 on a P&S, why not just buy an iPhone

 

[Disco]

I want to be able to take pix of my grandkids and dogs both indoors and outdoors. Anything up to around $300 would be OK.

Boy, this is tough. Like I said earlier in the thread, many review sites don't bother with "cheaper" type cameras any more. Keep in mind that most of these "faster" cameras, that I list below, acheive their speed by sacrificing some of their visual quality. But also keep in mind that their picture quality is usually fine in well lit conditions. Even when they might not come out great in darker conditions it isn't going to matter a heck of a lot if you just intend to maybe print some 4x6s or just want to look at them on your computer.

First, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 is a new camera that seems a little speedy and has a lot of great features. It also seems to have a really good full auto mode. It retails for $350 though but I'm sure it will hit $300 before too long.

There is a step down model ZS15 that is about $280 but I couldn't find any reviews on it yet. It could be as fast as the ZS20 but it uses the last models sensor so it could be as slow as that one as far as I know. One site is promising to do a review on it soon.

A good price would be the Nikon Coolpix S8200 at about $250. Not great on quality pictures when darker but it still remains quick. Lacks some of the features of the ZS20 like GPS and it is not easy to use manual features but auto seems to work fine.

The Fujifilm FinePix F660EXR might be another good one to consider at about $250. I can't find any reviews but this might be like one of the ones I mentioned earlier that can take really fast pictures in good light but might not be so good in dimmer conditions. The Fujis have some interesting features that other cameras don't but they can be "quirky" and have a couple additional steps to keep in mind when not using full auto mode.

A bunch of new cameras just came out but 75% will probably not have timley reviews. I can say Canon usually isn't very speedy so I would shy away from them. Sony might have a couple fast ones but i couldn't find anything after a quick look. Samsung is usually not real quick either. I didn't see anything by Olympus. Just keep in mind that I'm really just doing a fast scan over 100s of models so definately ask some more opinions. If you have any specific cameras your interested in let me know and i can usually find something out about it.

 

[nannyz]

Thank you soooo much for all the suggestions. I'm going to check them out, especially the Panasonic. Never had anything made by Panasonic that wasn't really good.

 

[Simba001]

I have had my Canon S95 for a little over a year and a half. Main things I like about it: size,great in low light and great color. The zoom is not as good as others I've had, but I knew that when I purchased it. It is great for Disney Parks. Takes great food porn shots

 

[Rhonna]

I noticed at the beginning of this thread a few people said to buy an extra rechargeable battery. That the one that comes with the camera doesn't last long in between charges.

One person said to turn off the GPS so it doesn't run down the battery. I don't even know if my camera has GPS.

I have a new Canon S95 I haven't tried out yet. It came with it's own rechargeable, flat battery and charger. Do I need to buy another battery? Will I need to recharge it every night? I don't take tons of pictures. Maybe no more than 10 a day.

 

[alicia1506]

I noticed at the beginning of this thread a few people said to buy an extra rechargeable battery. That the one that comes with the camera doesn't last long in between charges.

One person said to turn off the GPS so it doesn't run down the battery. I don't even know if my camera has GPS.

I have a new Canon S95 I haven't tried out yet. It came with it's own rechargeable, flat battery and charger. Do I need to buy another battery? Will I need to recharge it every night? I don't take tons of pictures. Maybe no more than 10 a day.

a battery will still wear down if you're not using it, but the biggest thing is do not charge your battery unless it runs fully flat. if you charge your battery when it is only a little bit flat, this can cause the battery to become less and less useful as time goes on until eventually your battery will need to be plugged in all the time. keep the battery in the camera until it goes flat. then charge it. then replace it in the camera.

only buy a spare battery if you think you'll need a spare. i didn't have a spare battery, and i recently travelled and took over 3000 shots in a week. the battery usually died every 2nd day (i was burning through heaps of shots) and i just charged it at night while i was sleeping, then it was good to go the next morning. having a spare battery might have been useful the one time my battery died in the middle of a shooting spree, but i just picked up my backup camera which used AA batteries, and kept shooting

i would not recommend buying a spare battery unless you really need it. for a professional photographer who is going to be using theirs all the time -- yes. a spare is a necessity. if you're only using your camera sparingly -- maybe not. it's at your discretion as to what suits you

i also highly recommend reading the manual before using the camera. use the manual to teach yourself about the camera's features, and if it does have GPS, highly recommend turning it off

 

[Royal Consort]

a battery will still wear down if you're not using it, but the biggest thing is do not charge your battery unless it runs fully flat. if you charge your battery when it is only a little bit flat, this can cause the battery to become less and less useful as time goes on until eventually your battery will need to be plugged in all the time. keep the battery in the camera until it goes flat. then charge it. then replace it in the camera.

only buy a spare battery if you think you'll need a spare. i didn't have a spare battery, and i recently travelled and took over 3000 shots in a week. the battery usually died every 2nd day (i was burning through heaps of shots) and i just charged it at night while i was sleeping, then it was good to go the next morning. having a spare battery might have been useful the one time my battery died in the middle of a shooting spree, but i just picked up my backup camera which used AA batteries, and kept shooting

i would not recommend buying a spare battery unless you really need it. for a professional photographer who is going to be using theirs all the time -- yes. a spare is a necessity. if you're only using your camera sparingly -- maybe not. it's at your discretion as to what suits you

The S95 is a wonderful camera and takes the best shots of any point and shoot before you start going to the DSLR range.

A couple of points though:

a) Cannon now use lithium batteries so it doesn't matter when you charge it. It used to be the case that the battery would lose life if it kept being recharged without being fully run down. This isn't of great concern now so you can charge whenever you feel you need to.

b) The S95 has a relatively short battery life. I carried two batteries for the last trip I took and needed it. If you're only taking about 10 or so then you won't really need to bother. Depending how often you shoot, and record video, the battery will decrease relatively quickly compared with others on the market. I charged mine regularly.

 

[stitch34]

Just was on a similar search for a good camera myself.

Ended up with the Panasonic Lumix LX5 and LOVE IT!

wanted something that was great in low light shots and well, a good camera overall.

Had narrowed it down to the Canon S100 - or the Lumix. Size-wise would have preferred the Canon - the Lumix is bigger - not huge, but just seems big in my hands compared to what I'm used to with prior cameras, and guess I just need to get used to the feel of it more.

Determining factor was price. $403 for S100 - versus the Lumix LX5 (on Amazon).... was $343 and got a $75 amazon gift card included in it. Broke down to they charged me $268 for the camera - and then paid $75 for the gift card (which really, I was about to spend $75 on Amazon ANYWAY for some gifts I needed)

Very happy with the quality of the photos and camera is easy enough to use.

2 years ago... my son broke my beloved Fujifilm F20 - simple camera but wow on the low light pictures. When that broke, bought/returned 4 different cameras till finally "settled" on one - was good, but low light absolutely terrible. back then wanted the S95 - but just wasn't going to spend the money on it (wish I did then).

So now was looking again - narrowed down between the LX5 and the S100 - was looking for something that I had with what I wanted for apperture and sensor size, and those fit the bill.

Had taken a bunch of different shots with my prior camera, and same with LX5 - pulled them up on computer for daughter to see - okay, which photo of this looks better. Really, she didn't even have to study them - instantly was like DUH, this one, for each time I showed her. The quality was so noticeable.

 

[Rhonna]

The S95 is a wonderful camera and takes the best shots of any point and shoot before you start going to the DSLR range.

A couple of points though:

a) Cannon now use lithium batteries so it doesn't matter when you charge it. It used to be the case that the battery would lose life if it kept being recharged without being fully run down. This isn't of great concern now so you can charge whenever you feel you need to.

b) The S95 has a relatively short battery life. I carried two batteries for the last trip I took and needed it. If you're only taking about 10 or so then you won't really need to bother. Depending how often you shoot, and record video, the battery will decrease relatively quickly compared with others on the market. I charged mine regularly.

Thank you. This was helpful.

 

[disneylandette]

UGH, leaving for DL in 2 weeks and trying to narrow down to a new camera i am about to go nuts,lol!!! Has anyone tried the Sony HX10V? I have been told by two camera stores about this camera but I don't know if it is b/c they are trying to push this brand (Kits camera). I want a fast response camera (point and shot) I have a 5yr old, good in low lite, and good features, and would be nice but not necessary panoramic pic option.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Take a look at the Canon sx260 HS, big zoom for a small camera, superb resolution, played with it over this last weekend...may have to pick up another p and s.

Jack

 

[OnTheRoadAgain]

For those of you that want a very good $100-$150 PandS that's onsale this week look at the Cannon PowerShot Elph 300 at Best Buy. For $129, comes with bonus bag and card (you'll want a class 6 or above card though), gift card, and shutterfly book. IMO, this is the best camera (wide angle, low light, video) in this price range and VERY small...truly pocket-sized at 3.6 x 0.8 x 2.2 inches and less than 5 ounces.