Opinions wanted- most important features in a camera

[perdidobay]

I'm looking to buy a new digital camera, and will be using it outdoors mostly, a trip to the Grand Canyon and a cruise to Alaska.
I do want a good optical zoom and video capabilities. Any other things I should look for? Want to spend less than $500, and not interested in a DSLR.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[boBQuincy]

Two of the features I value highly are RAW and HDR capability. Few P&S cameras have this, among them are Canon's G11 and S90. I also prefer some means of exposure control and this is not easy to find in the smallest cameras.

 

[Uncle Greg]

I would say having easy access to exposure compensation would be way up on the list for me.

Something like what the Canon G11 has.

 

[Frantasmic]

You have identified 4 items that are important to YOU:

a point and shoot

good zoom

HD video

under $500

Bob lists two good choices. Others to consider are the new Sony HX5V and the Panasonic Lumix series.

Pick three you like and then look at the reviews at cnet.com and steves digicams.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Image Stabilization

Ergonomics (Feel in your hands)

Ease of Use (Unless you're highly skilled)

I would have said Optical Zoom but you already said it.

Hope you'll share your pics with us when you get back!

 

[mabas9395]

A price tag that won't draw the wife's attention.

 

[perdidobay]

Thanks for all the great imput! You guys mentioned some things I hadn't considered. One camera I really like due to( among other things) the panoramic feature is the Sony
Cyber Shot DSC-HX1. Unfortunately it doesn't have some things mentioned here, such as RAW and HDR. But it gets good reviews from this website....

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/co...-DSC-HX1-Digital-Camera-Review-20963.htm?top3

 

[perdidobay]

A price tag that won't draw the wife's attention.

In my case it's a camera that won't draw the husbands attention! Yeah, I'm a gal!

He's put me in charge of picking out the camera. He knows I could spend hours comparing models.

 

[SelfEmployedDebtFree]

I like the water resistant features of Olympus. I also like the ability to close off the lens for protection. (Like on the old Olympus Stylus) but not sure if thats an option these days on newer cameras.
I would look into those new Olympus if I were in the market for a good "non DSLR" camera. JMHO.

 

[zackiedawg]

It's going to be different requirements for different people, depending on how the camera is to be used...so to some degree you need to keep your own list of what you need and how you intend to use it. However, seeing what other people used to base their purchase can help get ideas. So in that vein...

What I was looking for in a P&S camera was a 2nd camera to go with my DSLR - so mine wasn't to be a primary camera. My most important features/abilities were:

1. Super-duper compactness - smallest I could get. I wanted to lose it in a pocket and not even know it was there.
2. Nice screen and decent battery life. It didn't have to take 3,000 shots on a charge, but last all day for casual snaps.
3. Maximum flexibility in various lighting situations - a very hard requirement for P&S, but something I wanted to at least look for.
4. Stylish and well built. Sure, noone else likes to mention that looks have something to do with it - but I can be straightforward...I like brushed metal, high style, cool colors. It's a second camera, so I want fun and eyecatching.
5. A few key controls I cannot live without in a P&S - spot meter, spot focus, EV control, optical stabilization. I don't expect manual control in a compact like I want...so I reduce my expectations and make sure I at least have those things.

I ended up with a Sony TX1 - it fit the most requirements. It's ultra-super-duper small. It's all-metal, internal zoom, sliding lens cover, blue-bodied, with a huge touch screen LCD. It has spot focus, spot meter, EV, and optical stabilization. With it, I can shoot in anything from good light to nighttime handheld - extremely rare for a compact. Battery is good enough to get me through a day, and was upgradable to a nicer Infolithium model, which gives me battery life remaining in percentage right on the screen - much better than the silly 4-bar indicators.

Had I been looking for a primary camera, and compactness was not quite the same priority, I would have gone a totally different direction. But my DSLR does primary duty and is uncompact, so I needed an ultracompact!