Deciding on P&S for my son

[DisFam95]

He wants to shoot pics and do videos. He looked at 2 cameras in his/my budget.

Canon Elph 170 20MP CCD, video 720, 3.6f, no wifi

Canon Elph 340: 16MP CMOS, 1080, 3.6f, with wifi

There's only a $10 price difference. One seems to have better video and one better photo quality.

I also saw a Samsung WB35F. 16MP CCD, video 720, with wifi

I don;t know if there's any significant difference over the sensor type? I'm thinking he'll like wifi eventually when he's old enough next year to upload things.

Comments?
Thanks!

 

[photo_chick]

Of those two Canon models I'd go with the Elph 340. But there are so many great options out there. Have you been to dpreview.com to check out their buying guides?

CCD and CMOS do have differences. CCD tends to pan better. CMOS tends to freeze action better. There are other differences that factor into how the camera is made and subtle image issues like color bleed and such. One isn't any better than the other unless you need a certain characteristic for a certain shoot. However, unless he's got years of video experience I wouldn't stress out over which type of sensor at this point in time.

 

[DisFam95]

I know I'm over thinking it. He just wants something to have fun with - he'll love and appreciate anything!

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

What is the budget?

 

[DisFam95]

What is the budget?

$150 or less

 

[jec6613]

The Elph 340 will net you a better photo quality in most situations - all of the recent gains in sensor technology are in CMOS, not CCD, and the difference between 16 MP and 20 MP is mostly irrelevant - it's the difference between 5152 and 4608 pixels on the long edge, or 11%. In practical terms with that lens, there's no increase in usable detail between the two cameras, but the Elph 340 has, where it can shoot in half the ambient light that the Elph 170 can. This is especially important since once you've zoomed in, the lens is at f/7!

As for the video, the Elph 170 will be modestly better with fast motion, and the Elph 340 with more static subjects, but the differences will be minute - the difference between 1080p and 720p though, is noticeable.

The Elph 170 exists because megapixels sell, and because it's cheaper to produce so it can pad Canon's bottom line. (I'm not against Canon, they're all for profit companies after all!). If you want higher quality, nowadays, you get a CMOS sensor. All of the higher priced models use them for a good reason - they produce a noticeably better image.

In the Sub-$150 price range, the Canon Elph 340 and the Nikon Coolpix S810c are both models that have come down from much higher prices, and would be two to look at seriously, IMHO. The Canon is better for straight photography (Canon Point & Shoots are outstanding and very easy) while the Nikon has a bit better lens and runs Android.