Point & Shoot Camera; Nikon, Canon or Sony?

[Gabes_mommy]

I broke my trusty camera today.

The camera I have now is the Canon Powershot SD600. It has been a good camera for me. I don't have any complaints.

I want to replace it ASAP and spend under $200.

I have been looking at the new Canon PowerShot SD1200, various Nikon Coolpix models and the Sony Cybershot.

I want to get the best value for my money.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I am by no means a camera expert and could really use advice.

 

[AshleyW]

I broke my trusty camera today.

The camera I have now is the Canon Powershot SD600. It has been a good camera for me. I don't have any complaints.

I want to replace it ASAP and spend under $200.

I have been looking at the new Canon PowerShot SD1200, various Nikon Coolpix models and the Sony Cybershot.

I want to get the best value for my money.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. I am by no means a camera expert and could really use advice.

I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-H50. It's over your $200 limit (by quite a bit), but I've been happy with just about any Cybershot camera that I've owned, even the basic P&S ones. They've all been really easy to use & take great pictures, even when you don't know what you're doing - like me.

Whatever you decide on, the biggest piece of advice I have is to make sure you pick something with a high optical zoom. Mine has 15x, and I probably wouldn't go any lower than 10x if I could help it. The optical zoom is what keeps your pictures from getting blurry when you zoom in a lot. I took pictures of the show in front of the castle at Disney in May, and it's amazing how crisp the pictures from my 15x camera were compared to my parents' 4x optical zoom camera when we compared our close-up shots.

 

[MarilIncredible]

I like my Sony Cybershot. When I bought it about a year and a half ago, it was just under $200.

 

[Stephanie218]

I've loved every Canon P&S that I've owned - and I've had quite a few. No problems with them & great pictures.

 

[englishteacha]

I have a 7 year old Nikon CoolPix. Still takes good photos, very easy to use, and survived a night of torrential rain when it was forgotten in the backyard. The prices are pretty reasonable on the newer ones and when ours dies I probably will replace it with another CoolPix.

 

[DawnCt1]

I love my Olympus "water resistant", (it can go down Splash Mountain) and waterproof, shock proof camera, I can drop it 5 ft on cement, and snorkel to 10 ft and they both take great pictures. The software is easy and I would buy another.

 

[Plannin'Shannon]

I'm loyal to Canon. I can't even think of one complaint!

 

[Jeanne B]

Just saw this on slickdeals. Canon SD780IS for $199 at Staples, or $170 after $30 coupon (which you can buy on ebay if you don't have one, I've done this before, details are in thread).

http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1634712

 

[golfgal]

DD wants a digital camera for Christmas so I was going to post the same thing. It sounds like any of these are fine. I am hoping to find a good Black Friday deal for her!!

 

[susykt4]

I was formerly loyal to Nikon, but my last three point and shoots have been Sony. I love them.

 

[KCmike]

I've had all three and currently own a rebel slr from Canon but if I had to buy a point and shoot I would choose a Sony cybershot.

 

[maelstrom]

I think that Canon is the best, but I've also had good luck with Nikon, Panasonic, and Olympus. And I agree with a previous poster about getting the most optical zoom you can.

 

[golfgal]

Can someone help me with battery info--if a digital camera has a lithium ion battery, is that a rechargeable battery with an AC plug? DD doesn't want to have to replace batteries and wants something she can plug into the wall to charge.

 

[Pigeon]

I bought a Canon PowerShot SD1200 about six weeks for dh's birthday. Sadly, it stopped working over the weekend. I got it at Sears, but they won't take it back because they have a 30 day (how insane is that) return period for electronics. Now I have to go through the royal pain of shipping it back to Canon.

Before it stopped working, I loved it. It was easy to use and took great pictures. But they ought to last longer than six weeks...

 

[Princess.Neve]

I cannot say enough good things about the Canon Powershot SD990. It is a powerful little tool if placed in the right hands. Very high megapixel count without a lot of the noise typically associated with such values in a Point and Shoot. A lot of people do not pay it much attention, but as an owner who research many a camera before purchase, I cannot recommend it enough.

 

[OK!]

I've loved every Canon P&S that I've owned - and I've had quite a few. No problems with them & great pictures.

Ditto. You might also take a look around the photography board and see what their opinions might be. Happy shopping!

 

[Syrreal]

Canon also has a program where you can send in your old camera and get a refurbished one for cheap

 

[mill4023]

If you're looking for something ultra compact, I'd take a look at the Panasonic Lumix line.
We recently bought a DMC-FS15.
It's under $200 and we've been very happy with it.

It's great for sticking in my pocket when I don't want to haul my Nikon D80 around.

 

[Kim&Chris]

I just bought the Canon SD1200is and I LOVE it. It takes gorgeous pictures, and it takes them FAST. I paid $168 on Walmart.com.

I also splurged and bought a Canon A1100is and I'm totally disappointed with it. It takes forever & a day for the camera to go from shot-to-shot. It's being sent back tomorrow.

 

[TaraPA]

Another thumbs up for any of the Canon PowerShots. In my extended family we have 4 of them & no problems with any. Very crisp shots & easy to use.