Has anyone used the Canon Powershot Elph 300 HS?

[rosie2283]

We are off to DL this fall again and I need to buy a new camera. I have a Canon DSLR but am not interested in lugging the darn thing around the park. I do know that the iphone comes highly recommended but being from out of the country, I don't want to turn it on (yikes on the roaming charges and my battery goes dead way to fast!) So I have followed some of the threads on cameras on here (and some are just too long to read all the way through) and I have narrowed it down to two. The Canon Powershot Elph 300 HS and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78. Both are rated extremely high on reviews but the prices are drastically different. The Canon is under $200 (and rated slightly higher) and the Panasonic is around $500. Anyone have any suggestions on either of them?

TYIA!!

 

[blackjackdelta]

We are off to DL this fall again and I need to buy a new camera. I have a Canon DSLR but am not interested in lugging the darn thing around the park. I do know that the iphone comes highly recommended but being from out of the country, I don't want to turn it on (yikes on the roaming charges and my battery goes dead way to fast!) So I have followed some of the threads on cameras on here (and some are just too long to read all the way through) and I have narrowed it down to two. The Canon Powershot Elph 300 HS and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78. Both are rated extremely high on reviews but the prices are drastically different. The Canon is under $200 (and rated slightly higher) and the Panasonic is around $500. Anyone have any suggestions on either of them?

TYIA!!

If you haven't I would post in the photography section

Jack

 

[RSi]

We are off to DL this fall again and I need to buy a new camera. I have a Canon DSLR but am not interested in lugging the darn thing around the park. I do know that the iphone comes highly recommended but being from out of the country, I don't want to turn it on (yikes on the roaming charges and my battery goes dead way to fast!) So I have followed some of the threads on cameras on here (and some are just too long to read all the way through) and I have narrowed it down to two. The Canon Powershot Elph 300 HS and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78. Both are rated extremely high on reviews but the prices are drastically different. The Canon is under $200 (and rated slightly higher) and the Panasonic is around $500. Anyone have any suggestions on either of them?

Just a suggestion about using your iPhone as a camera... if you want to ONLY use it as a camera while out of your country, just keep it in airplane mode. It should prevent your iPhone from looking for a signal, and it will use your battery just for pictures.

I'm not too familiar with these cameras, but I believe they are last year's models. I priced them on Amazon, and they're both averaging around $200 or less, even the Panasonic. They both look like good slimline digital cameras, with the Canon producing somewhat better looking pictures (as usual), but the Panasonic having different/more bells and whistles (also as usual). Depending on what is more important to you, either one should be fine for a point and shoot camera.

 

[nwlovely]

I haven't used that particular model in the parks, but have always had elphs until recently. My last one had an unfortunate encounter with water and my husband replaced it with a Sony, but I REALLY miss my Elph!! We bought that model for my dad and he loves it. I tend to lug around my big Nikon DSLR, but if I didn't, I would definitely go with an Elph! It takes great pictures and is easy to use!

 

[CamoMama]

I have a Canon Powershot ELPH, I think it's a 300, but not sure and I'm far too lazy to go get it, but I like it quite a lot.

Those were all pretty much point and shoot, all I did was turn off the flash and for the fireworks zoomed a bit toward the castle as we were a ways down Main Street. They're not amazing photography, but they're perfect for my family albums.

 

[Nox54]

I have this camera. I bought it specifically to take to the parks, but it's my go-to camera now. Overall I really like it. I did have an issue with the screen/display and had to send it back to Canon. They sent a replacement immediately, free of charge.
Other than that, we haven't had an issue with the camera thus far.
It's definitely my fav. I love our Canon Rebel but sometimes you just need a small camera to carry with.

 

[Trica]

I have DSLR and at times you just can't beat the quality of the photos it produces. I did buy a powershot a couple years back because the powershots are loved by so many. Honestly, I hated it. The blur in the photos was maddening and it just didn't produce really crisp photos. Granted, it was a cheaper model than the one you're looking at, so it may not be as comparable.

I did just buy a Panasonic lumix ZS15 and I really love it. Amazon and other consumer reviews were so positive and they gave so many examples of what the camera is capable of. The picture quality is amazing for a compact camera. I would choose the lumix because I have had better experiences with it over a powershot.

 

[SplashMo]

I would add to your list the Canon S95 (or newer S100). I like the S95 a bit more...

The SONY RX100

The Sony NEX-5 with 18-55 lens...

 

[robin19871]

I have a Canon Elph and LOVE it... I too looked up the reviews and have to say that they were spot on.. Plus, It is very slim so it takes up little room.. (I also have a IPhone 4S but way prefer the Canon..)

 

[kirstie101]

I had an Elph 770is that I loved! It was my go to camera when I didn't want to lug around my DSLR. It went for a swim in the lake just last week so it is now a toy for my daughter. I replaced it with a Sony WX50 based on some recs from friends and panorama mode it has. I've only had it for a few days but am happy with the 200 test shots I've taken thus far. That being said, had I not specifically wanted a Sony this time I wouldn't have hesitated to go with another Canon Elph model.

 

[brenda1966]

I'd go with the Canon ELHP. I just got a new one (ELPH 310) about 6 months ago and LOVE it! The low light feature is really good. Had a Canon prior to that and loved it as well. They are really small and easy to carry around, take good photos, battery life is good. I'm very pleased with my Canon's and keep going back to them. Good camera at a very fair price. Lots of features and easy to use.

 

[rosie2283]

Just a suggestion about using your iPhone as a camera... if you want to ONLY use it as a camera while out of your country, just keep it in airplane mode. It should prevent your iPhone from looking for a signal, and it will use your battery just for pictures.

I'm not too familiar with these cameras, but I believe they are last year's models. I priced them on Amazon, and they're both averaging around $200 or less, even the Panasonic. They both look like good slimline digital cameras, with the Canon producing somewhat better looking pictures (as usual), but the Panasonic having different/more bells and whistles (also as usual). Depending on what is more important to you, either one should be fine for a point and shoot camera.

Thanks for the suggestion. Do you know about how long the battery will last just on this mode?

 

[rosie2283]

Thanks for all the suggestions! Wow, do I have a lot to look at now...just when I thought I had it narrowed down...

 

[IBLarsen]

I too love my Canon powershot. I didn't want to take the SLR into the parks, so we bought a smaller sony cybershot and didn't like it at all, so we ended up buying a canon powershot and love it! Again, we are not going for photography awards, but great pics for a point and shoot.

 

[SplashMo]

These sites might help:

www.dpreview.com very detailed reviews. Helpful even after you bought a camera as they cover every feature as well as picture quality...

www.luminous-landscape.com More nice reviews.

www.kenrockwell.com nice reviews. Very down to earth...

 

[Disneyland 1951]

I really like the Canon Powershot cameras.
I have purchased 3 different Powershot cameras over the last few years for myself and given several as gifts.

Currently I carry a Canon Powershot A3300. It is great, and easier to get nice video than my Nikon DSLR's.
It is 16mg, has a slightly wider lens than most on the zoom, and HD video (720).

Here is a cropped photo of Ariel.

Here is a link to a YouTube video I shot that is popular.
Please watch before you decide.
http://youtu.be/imq2H-1i9BI

This Snow White is Breathtaking, and this Peter Pan is an acomplished Actor who is currently in a KAYAK Commerical.

Currently it is less than $110 at Best Buy. You can not find a better value.​

 

[nyjets53]

We love the elph's...

Upgrading to the 320 now...from our older elph...

The best feature of the elph is you never miss a photo cause this fits in your pocket...never a burden to carry like a big canon...

And we love the canon date stamp on the photos, 5 years from now I want to know when we did that and the iPhone does not have an automatic date feature...we used the iPhone on last years trip and it does great pictures but I don't want to be adding dates manually...so a new elph for us....