Best point n shoot?

fitmom0f2

Mouseketeer
Joined
Sep 30, 2011
Messages
102
I feel like a dork even asking this when everyone else is talking about dslr's and bridges but I am the least tech savvy person alive so what does anyone recommend for a point n shoot camera? Has to be easy, auto focus type thing. Any suggestions? :confused3
 
As with any tech device, it all comes down to the features your looking for, budget, etc. However I highly recommend either the Nikon CoolPix P530 or P600. Both were just released a few weeks ago and are about as good as it gets when it comes to point and shoot. The only down side is it may be a little bigger than you may want. It's almost like a tiny DSLR and won't come close to fitting in your pocket. The picture quality though can't be beat, I took this shot on my P600 at 60X zoom from a little over a mile away.

DSCN0124.jpg
 
Just a couple of quick questions. What do you like to shoot and do you have a budget. Point & Shoots are the most plentiful of cameras out there and they come in all sizes and bells/whistles. They have a very large range of costs, going anywhere from around $100 up to the cost of some DSLR's. To the say the best, I have to wonder the "best for what?".
 

Bridge cameras are point and shoots. Simply stuck into a body that sometimes looks more like a dSLR.

So it really depends on what features you are looking for, what type of image quality and low light performance you want to achieve, and your price point.

Currently, the preeminent "best" Point and shoot/Bridge camera is probably the Sony RX10. Kind of in a class by itself. A sensor much larger than other consumer point and shoots/compacts, with a superior lens and feature set. And it costs $1300. So where budget isn't a concern, and you simply want the "best".. that's kinda the top point.

You can get a very capable point and shoot for under $200. It may even have some advantages over the RX10, but it won't have the image quality, low light performance and some other advantages of the RX10.

So looking between the 2 extremes...

The Panasonic LX7 is an excellent enthusiast compact with a great lens for around $300. The sensor is much smaller than the RX10 but larger than the most basic compacts.

The Canon S120 has lots of great consumer oriented features, with a lens and sensor similar to the LX7. You can pay $450 for the S120. Or for a somewhat similar camera, you can get the older S110 for under $300.

The RX10 has a cousin -- the RX100. Same large sensor you find in the RX10. But a smaller body and a different lens. At wide angle, the RX100 has a faster lens. But it has less telephoto reach, and it is slower at telephoto than the RX10. Still, it's a fantastic point and shoot camera. The newer version with a tilting screen and wifi is $700. But the original version is under $500. It's a fantastic camera, and that's actually a reasonable price for what you're getting. Just lacks the wifi and tilting screen of the more expensive version.

Then there are lots of other models at all prices ranges. These were just a few examples.
 
Go check out the buying guides at dpreview.com to get an idea of the features and budget you want. It will help narrow down your search.

Best is relative to what you want and who you talk to.
 




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