CameraRec » Budget Point & Shoot

Digital Camera Buying Guide

toby — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:16:57 +0000

Let’s keep this short and sweet – If I had $____ to spend on a camera what would I buy. . . (see below for lens ideas)

	If I had $200 to spend I would buy the Canon HS300 This little P&S is little! but offers excellent quality, 1080p with stereo audio and the neat feature of slow mo video. I would spend the extra $50 on an 8GB SD Card (it comes w/ a 4GB and HDMI cable) an Ultra Compact Camera Case and a Joby Flexible Tripod. NOTE: This Camera at $149 is already blackfriday discounted – Amazon’s price matches the expected door buster price being offered by BestBuy.
	If I had $400 I would buy the Canon PowerShot S100 & that would require me to scrounge a bit for an extra $30 but it wold be worth it. The new DIGIC 5 Image Processor means fast performance and excellent low light images. Additional features similar to the HS300 above but with a very cool control ring for manual control over a range of settings and GPS for automatic location tagging of your photos.
	If I had $600 I would buy the Panasonic LUMIX G3 Four-Thirds Camera with 14-42mm Lens And just like that we are now in the territory of cameras with removeable lenses – DSLR like – this is not a true DSLR because it doesn’t have a mirror that directs the image that comes through the lens to an optical viewfinder. What it does have and offers is an electronic viewfinder and a flip out LCD screen with touch to focus (and lots of other touch to do something options) Fast and silent autofocus, 360 motion panorama and loads of video options. Downside- battery life isn’t great and additional lenses aren’t cheap. There are other really close competitors for my heart at this price range.
	If I had $800 I would buy the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with EF-S 18-55m IS Lens You get a whole lot of DSLR for this price- a gorgeous flipity out LCD screen, 1080P recording – in fact the T3i shares same image/video quality with the much more expensive 7D and even offers a few features like video zoom that you don’t get in the 7D. And for those that dream of going big as a photographer wireless flash control is a cherry on the T3i pie.
	If I had $1000 I would buy the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with EF-S 18-55m IS Lens (yep same as above) and add an external flash like Speedlite 320EX Flash – This is going to do loads for your indoor & outdoor photos and has a video light AND has a remote for triggering the shutter on the camera.
	If I had $1200 I would buy the Fujifilm X100 – this is a DSLR sensor in a small range finder like body with a fixed lens. Sure you are giving up the versatility of a DSLR with removable lenses and no zoom but what you get is a fantastically peppy camera, superb quality and it is all packaged in a stylish body.

SX230 Initial Thoughts

toby — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:29:57 +0000

I couldn’t resist the call of Black Friday and snagged an SX230 for cheap! A few test photos. . . More to come. . . My Initial thoughts Pros

Very impressed with higher ISO images – See the Pie image above
Feature set is impressive and manual control is well done
14x zoom in this sized body is nice
Big thumbs up for the Dedicated movie record button and the 1080 resolution with stereo sound is Good!
GPS tagging makes this map nerd happy – inside GPS took long time to lock on but once it did it stayed locked on and tagged my photos with the location of my kitchen (don’t steal my pie)
Plenty of fun modes and scenes though several feel gimicky (fisheye I am looking at you)

Cons

Response time is OK – nothing to get excited about
Battery life. . doesn’t seem great (However I am using the GPS feature AND an Eye-Fi card). The time it takes that small battery to charge seems a bit longer than it needs to be.
Hard to keep your finger off the Flash popup
The lens covering feels flimsy – Need to get a case, wouldn’t just toss it in a bag
I want built-in intervalometer(timelapse) shooting – Will need to use http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK to get it

Bullet for bullet it looks like the Con list is almost as long as the Pro list – don’t let this fool you, I am very impressed with this little camera and quite happy with my purchase. Properly exposed high ISO images are excellent, the full range of controls and features, especially the ease at which you can control manual settings is sweet as pie. I also picked up the 4GB Eye-Fi Card and the ability to send photos directly to my computer AND select photos on the camera for upload to facebook is fun! SX230 on Amazon | 4GB Eye-Fi Card | Case | Standard 8GB SD Card Check back for hands-on video review soon.

Holiday Shopping: Camera Guide – If I had. . .

toby — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:24:57 +0000

Cape Neddick ("Nubble") Light - Copyright Tobias Gelston

Let’s keep this short and sweet – If I had $____ to spend on a camera what would I buy. . . (see below for lens ideas)

Black Friday Updates 7am

HS300 at $149 -See description below, Excellent buy for a tiny but high quality camera

SX230 at $199 – Very similar in quality and features to HS300 (which is to say excellent) AND adds 3″ LCD screen, 14x zoom GPS for tagging photos – this is a stellar buy – View on Amazon Price includes a 4GB SD card and Mini HDMI Cable

Sony Cyber-ShotTX10 16.2 MP Waterproof Camera is Amazon’s Gold Box Deal of the day and at $169 for a waterproof rugged camera that shoots 16MP and 1080i video is very tempting. Be warned that this camera is sloooooow, slow to start up and slow to take photo/video. Also the touch screen that lets you control most of the operations is no fun to use especially once the screen gets wet. . like underwater!! Amazon’s return policy is good so if you are dying to try out a waterproof camera you could give it a shot. The next waterproof camera I feel comfortable recommending is $100 more, the excellent Panasonic LumixTS3 12.1 MP Rugged/Waterproof Camera Simple controls and truly feels like it can take some abuse and spend some time underwater.

More Amazon Black Friday Deals & BF Electronic Deals

	If I had $200 to spend I would buy the Canon HS300 This little P&S is little! but offers excellent quality, 1080p with stereo audio and the neat feature of slow mo video. I would spend the extra $50 on an 8GB SD Card (it comes w/ a 4GB and HDMI cable) an Ultra Compact Camera Case and a Joby Flexible Tripod. NOTE: This Camera at $149 is already blackfriday discounted – Amazon’s price matches the expected door buster price being offered by BestBuy.
	If I had $400 I would buy the Canon PowerShot S100 & that would require me to scrounge a bit for an extra $30 but it wold be worth it. The new DIGIC 5 Image Processor means fast performance and excellent low light images. Additional features similar to the HS300 above but with a very cool control ring for manual control over a range of settings and GPS for automatic location tagging of your photos.
	If I had $600 I would buy the Panasonic LUMIX G3 Four-Thirds Camera with 14-42mm Lens And just like that we are now in the territory of cameras with removeable lenses – DSLR like – this is not a true DSLR because it doesn’t have a mirror that directs the image that comes through the lens to an optical viewfinder. What it does have and offers is an electronic viewfinder and a flip out LCD screen with touch to focus (and lots of other touch to do something options) Fast and silent autofocus, 360 motion panorama and loads of video options. Downside- battery life isn’t great and additional lenses aren’t cheap. There are other really close competitors for my heart at this price range.
	If I had $800 I would buy the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with EF-S 18-55m IS Lens You get a whole lot of DSLR for this price- a gorgeous flipity out LCD screen, 1080P recording – in fact the T3i shares same image/video quality with the much more expensive 7D and even offers a few features like video zoom that you don’t get in the 7D. And for those that dream of going big as a photographer wireless flash control is a cherry on the T3i pie.
	If I had $1000 I would buy the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with EF-S 18-55m IS Lens (yep same as above) and add an external flash like Speedlite 320EX Flash – This is going to do loads for your indoor & outdoor photos and has a video light AND has a remote for triggering the shutter on the camera.
	If I had $1200 I would buy the Fujifilm X100 – this is a DSLR sensor in a small range finder like body with a fixed lens. Sure you are giving up the versatility of a DSLR with removable lenses and no zoom but what you get is a fantastically peppy camera, superb quality and it is all packaged in a stylish body.

Good Zoom, Lowlight Capable & Pocketable for less than $250

toby — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 03:10:55 +0000

@happyflier (check his blog out if you want some great Air Mile runs) asks for a camera with good zoom, low light capable and still fit in a pocket for less than $250. What started the question was an Amazon lightning deal on the Fujifilm FinePix F500EXR 16 MP CMOS Digital Camera with Fujinon 15x Super Wide Angle Zoom Lens – During the deal it was $199. Its a good camera and good buy at that price but now that it is back up several notches above $200 are there any other options? Starting at the top of my list Canon PowerShot SX230HS 12 MP Digital Camera with 14x zoom at $279 is this the priciest of the bunch and nearly $30 over budget but consistently receives high praise and offers 14x zoom, 1080p video with stereo sound and the newer HS sensors which do quite well in lower light, loads better than last generations sensors. Bonus feature, built in GPS that automatically tags your photos with latitude and longitude- a traveling dude like happyflier might find that pretty cool. Another fun feature – slo-mo movie mode, at low resolutions you can record at 120 or 240 fps and then play back at normal speeds- not much practical use here but it is fun. One more nice feature, I mean I do have to justify sticking a camera over budget here, is the built in eye-fi menu. I reviewed an eye-fi this summer and some of the newer canon P&S and DSLRs offer in camera support for the cards making them even more useful. In short eye-fi cards let you wirelessly upload your images to your computer, online through wifi or to a smartphone. Snazzy but does impact your battery life. Second option is the Panasonic DMC-ZS9 14.1MP Digital Camera with 16x zoom for less than two hundred you get a 16x zoom that starts at 24mm, wider than most of the other options here except the F500 which also starts at 24mm. At the longer end of the zoom, and this is true of just about all the cameras on this list, it will suffer from noise as it cranks up the ISO to keep the images properly exposed. I am going to throw the Nikon COOLPIX S9100 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 18x in this list as well. I have never used it, reviews are mixed but it certainly offers the most zoom and the silver version is currently $220. Beyond the zoom it has the highest resolution LCD with 921,000 dots crammed into 3″, all the other cameras in this list have 460,00 or in the case of the sx150 only 231,000. It also offers 1080P recording, something you see in the SX230 and the Fuji. If I was buying for myself and I had to stay under $250 I would pick up the ZS9, an earlier model was a long-time favorite and my top recommended camera. It offers lots of features and having just that little bit of wider lens can make a nice difference in your walk around travel shots. You can’t expect amazing lower light images out of it but it does very well and only by spending ~$80 more and moving up to the HS sensor of the canon, can you get better. Don’t forget to pick up a Transcend 8 GB Class 10 SDHC Happyflier if you or anyone else has questions about this post or the cameras discussed give me a shout @camerarec and until Nov 28th I am giving away a really nice camera bag- all the details at Facebook

A P&S for Every Budget

toby — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:07:31 +0000

Looking for DSLR recommendations? Each of the following offers an excellent value for quality/features. If you are looking for specific features ask me on twitter @camerarec or send me an email and I would be happy to recommend something specific to your needs. A note about Mega Pixels (MP). No longer should you choose one camera over another because it has more MP. Recently some camera manufacturers have reduced the number of MPs in order to increase low light performance. The SD400 and S95(both listed below) are two10MP cameras that offer excellent low light performance and image quality for a P&S. Also note – zooms reported below are optical, I don’t bother mentioning digital zoom. All the cameras listed use SD memory (bout time!!) Don’t skimp on memory. I rec Transcend 8 GB Class 6 SDHC or Transcend 16 GB Class 6 SDHC if you plan on shooting more video.

Super Budget

Nikon Coolpix L22 12MP 3.6x Zoom 3″ LCD Simple, uses AA batteries and includes smile and blink detect. Image Quality is decent.

Budget

Panasonic Lumix FH20K 14MP 8x Zoom & 2.7″ LCD (Black) Slightly wider lens, 28mm, a nice 8x optical zoom and HD video for less than $150. It is not going to be great in lowlight and it is not speedy but overall quality and reliability are very good.

Mid Level

Canon PowerShot SX130IS 12MP 12x Zoom & 3″ LCD A bit more bulk but you get 12x zoom with stereo audio for HD video. Tons of fun features/effects like fisheye etc. Also uses AA batteries but reports on battery life are not great. Panasonic Lumix ZS7 12 MP 12x Zoom & 3″ LCDHuge Zoom, HD video recording, GPS for automatically tagging your photos with the location and excellent image quality in a form factor that slips into a pocket. Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12MP CMOS 5x Zoom & 2.7″ LCD Super slim with new CMOS sensor – low light images are excellent. Full 1080p Video and super slow mo video along with a very wide, 24mm lens. *NEW* Post comparing the 300 HS and the cheaper 100 HS

High end

Canon PowerShot S95 10MP 3.8x Zoom & 3″ LCD Extremely high quality images with very little noise, even at higher ISOs, almost DSLR like quality. Genius control scheme lets you have as much or as little control over manual shooting. Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions.

A P&S for Every Budget – Feb 11

toby — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:12:11 +0000

Each of the following offers an excellent value for quality/features. If you are looking for specific features ask me on twitter @camerarec or send me an email and I would be happy to recommend something specific to your needs. A note about Mega Pixels (MP). No longer should you choose one camera over another because it has more MP. Recently some camera manufacturers have reduced the number of MPs in order to increase low light performance. The SD400 and S95(both listed below) are two10MP cameras that offer excellent low light performance and image quality for a P&S.

Super Budget

Panasonic Lumix LZ8K 8MP 5x Zoom Lots of features, easy to operate and image quality is excellent.

Budget

Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver) Lacks some of the frills of the other cameras but provides the Powershot reliability and excellent image quality in a variety of situations

Mid Level

Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) Panasonic Lumix ZS7 12 MP 12x Zoom 3.0-Inch LCDHuge Zoom, HD video recording and excellent image quality in a form factor that slips into a pocket.

High end

Canon PowerShot SD4000 10MP 3.8x ZoomVery similar to the S95 below but inside a more traditional P&S body. You lose the slick control scheme and a tiny bit of low light performance. Neat feature: Super slow-mo videos. If you are looking for a traditional P&S form factor with excellent quality in video and stills. Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch inch LCD Extremely high quality images with very little noise, even at higher ISOs, almost DSLR like quality. Genius control scheme lets you have as much or as little control over manual shooting. This updated version includes HD Video. Save and buy the S90 if you don’t care about HD video.

Waterproof

Pentax Optio W90 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Pistachio Green) You always sacrifice a bit of image quality but the trade off is a go anywhere do anything P&S that you don’t have to baby and can jump right into the pool with you. Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions.

Canon announces new budget Point and Shoot Models

toby — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 16:44:29 +0000

As mentioned CES is getting into full swing and the gadget and camera announcements are coming fast and furious- The latest refresh from Canon targets their budget line - At the top of the budget and maybe just above what I consider budget we have the A3300 IS 16 megapixels, 5x zoom, IS, 720p video, 3″ LCD. Personally I feel like that is a whole lot of MP to cram on such a small sensor $180. A2200 IS 14.1 megapixels, 3x zoom, IS, 720p, 2.7″ LCD. A step down at $140. 14MP is plenty but you do lose a little zoom. A1200 12.1 megapixels, 4x zoom, 720p, optical viewfinder, 2.7″ LCD. AA batteries- This is the camera for the folks that want an easy travel camera and don’t want the hassle of dealing with a recharger- turn the LCD screen off, shoot through the viewfinder and with a spare pair of AA’s in your bag you can get lots of shot before you need to worry about battery life. I do recommend that you seriously consider buying a solid charger and pair of Enloops Your wallet will thank you and the environment will thank you. Now you might think that I am contradicting myself with the whole easy travel camera for folks not wanting to deal with rechargeable batteries and in the same breath recommend enloops. For day to day use I think you should have two pairs of enloops, they will quickly pay off and when you travel you can leave the charger at home(if you want to travel light) and buy AAs at any store. Clear? A800 10 megapixels, 3.3x zoom, a 2.5″ LCD. AA batteries.

My pick would be either the A2200 or the A1200- really need to wait and see reviews but Canon’s budget line usually is a decent performer and durable. If you want to chat about any of these new cameras or anything else camera/photography related find me on twitter @camerarec

Black Friday Deals and “Deals”

toby — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:06:15 +0000

Adding new deals as I see them (updated 10pm 11/26)

PowerShot SX210IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 14x Wide Angle OIS $199 (usually $280 on Amazon)

DSLR Deals

The Amazon Bundle is BACK!! This is huge because with the dropped T2i price you can get an amazingly sweet bundle! 1. Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens 2. Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4.0-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras $210.00 3. Tiffen 58mm UV Protection Filter $12.31 4. Transcend 4 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS4GSDHC6E $6.99 5. Apply code: RRB3D5ZU Items: $1,028.30 Shipping & Handling: $0.00 Promotion Applied: -$12.31 Promotion Applied: -$6.99 Promotion Applied: -$210.00 Total: $799.00 Nikon D3100 ~~for $599.~~ Price is back up to $639. This is an excellent entry level DSLR and although I give the T2i a slightly higher rating if you are looking to save money the D3100 is an ~~excellent~~decent buy! Amazon’s Black Friday Deals – The whole week leading up to Black Friday amazon will be posting deals.

Point & Shoot Deals (these are all cameras I have recommended, highlighting here because of recent price drops)

SD1300, solid all around camera now $109 use code UYFBFR9Z and free 4GB SD Card ($9 value)- just add card to cart and cost wil be subtracted. SD1400, Similar to above but includes HD video $149 – Free 4GB SD Card ($9 value)- just add card to cart and cost wil be subtracted. SX130IS, 12x zoom and DSLR-like body, HD video w/ Stereo sound $179 Free 4GB SD Card ($9 value)- just add card to cart and cost wil be subtracted. Kodak PlaySport (Zx3) HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera Bundle (Black) $149 4GB SD card, mini tripod and remote control. Panasonic Lumix ZR3 14 MP 8x Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD$179 8x zoom in a camera that still easily fits in pocket. HD video too. B&H Holiday Deals are here. I don’t see anything that out right beats Amazon but they do offer few other products I am always happy to chat about which camera is right for you. Use the Meebo widget on the side or find me on twitter @camerarec Check back often for updates.

A P&S for Every Budget – September 10 version

toby — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:25:20 +0000

Super Budget

Panasonic Lumix LZ8K 8MP 5x Zoom Lots of features, easy to operate and image quality is excellent.

Budget

Mid Level

High end

Waterproof

A P&S for Every Budget

toby — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:53:32 +0000

Each of the following offers an excellent value for quality/features. I will keep this post updated (Updated July 1, 2010) with my current recommendations. If you are looking for specific features ask me on twitter @camerarec or send me an email and I would be happy to recommend something specific to your needs. A note about Mega Pixels (MP). No longer should you choose one camera over another because it has more MP. Recently some camera manufacturers have reduced the number of MPs in order to increase low light performance. The SD400 and S90(both listed below) are two 10MP cameras that offer excellent low light performance for a P&S. Super Budget Panasonic Lumix LZ8K 8MP 5x Zoom Lots of features, easy to operate and image quality is excellent. BudgetCanon PowerShot SD1300 IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver) Lacks some of the frills of the other cameras but provides the Powershot reliability and excellent image quality in a variety of situations Mid Level Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) Panasonic Lumix ZS7 12 MP 12x Zoom 3.0-Inch LCDHuge Zoom, HD video recording and excellent image quality in a form factor that slips into a pocket. High end Canon PowerShot SD4000 10MP 3.8x ZoomVery similar to the S90 below but with HDvideo. You lose the slick control scheme and a tiny bit of low light performance. But if you are looking for a traditional P&S form factor with excellent quality in video and stills this camera is hard to beat! Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch inch LCD Extremely high quality images with very little noise, even at higher ISOs, almost DSLR like quality. Genius control scheme lets you have as much or as little control over manual shooting. HD Video. Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions.