Anyone have any recommendations for a point-and-shoot digital camera? I figure I should pick one up during these Black Friday sales.

November 23, 2010 6:46 AM

Anyone have any recommendations for a point-and-shoot digital camera? I figure I should pick one up during these Black Friday sales.

I'm looking for a new point-and-shoot camera since I lost mine a few years ago. I've owned a few Canons from the Digital ELPH line but I know there are other brands out there.

Even though this is an older article, I'm looking for a camera of this size.

Does anyone have any buying advice or know of websites that would?

I'd greatly appreciate it.

posted by decrescendo to Technology (19 answers total)

Lots of options- From what I have seen the mid-priced and budget models have dropped in the week leading up to BF, the high-end P&S seem to be holding steady price-wise. I have a couple of recs

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 $175 - Free 4GB SD Card ($9 value)- just add card to cart and cost wil be subtracted.

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.

I am always happy to chat about which camera is right for you. Find me on twitter @camerarec
posted by tgelston at 6:56 AM on November 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

If you have lived without a camera for a few years and don't have any particular needs save yourself a few hours of research and just get another Canon. Even the cheapies have great image quality and user-friendly menus.
posted by puffmoike at 6:57 AM on November 23, 2010

Without question, I'd recommend the Panasonic DMC-LX5. I have its predecessor, the LX3 and it is amazing. It has full manual control, shoots RAW, and a superb lens. It shoots amazingly well in low light, and has a much wider angle than most point-and-shoot cameras. Check out the reviews. The only downside is that they can be hard to find, and are rarely discounted much.
posted by Shike at 6:57 AM on November 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

I don't know if it'd be a Black Friday deal or is new, but I used a combo of Flickr forums and AskMe back when I was picking a camera as a gift and wound up with a Panasonic Lumix, the one that has the Panasonic body but Leica lenses (the lens thing was what made it a steal, if I understand right). I love it and highly recommend it; I don't know jack shit about taking nice pics but all my photos are waaaay better now, and it is FAST. I could whip it out, turn it on, and snap a pic in no time on our honeymoon, excellent.
posted by ifjuly at 7:06 AM on November 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

i've always have canons, and have always loved them - take a look at the powershot sd line.
posted by sabh at 7:12 AM on November 23, 2010

Ken Rockwell has good recommendations for you.

I think the S95 is about as good as you can get without going to a larger (and better) camera like the LX3 or LX5.
posted by devbrain at 7:17 AM on November 23, 2010 [2 favorites]

I have a thin Panasonic Lumix TZ5 (on my belt, every day!) that I love. My wife has a Lumix that's a couple of years older with a larger lens; she loves it. Her sister has a Lumix, her mom has a Lumix, and my mom has a Lumix. Everyone loves theirs except my mom, who cheaped out and bought the lowest-end model.

Since I got this camera I have taken a picture about every other day, which makes me Happy. I wish it refreshed faster, and I wish...no, I guess that's about it. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:27 AM on November 23, 2010

If it's in your budget, you can hardly beat the Canon S95 for a pocket digital.
posted by tapesonthefloor at 7:46 AM on November 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've got a Canon SD1100, and it's fantastic. I'm not a really good photographer by any stretch, but I'm really satisfied with the pictures I can get out of it.
posted by BZArcher at 7:46 AM on November 23, 2010

There's a bit of a squeeze on the lower-end ($100-200) compact digitals coming from cameraphones, but that's not relevant to you unless you're wanting a new phone with all the attendant costs. (Read MG Siegler's recent piece about "point and shoot and share", and the comments beneath, and you'll see how the market is shifting.)

So there's a reason why the S95 is Ken Rockwell's recommendation, and the top-selling digital camera on Amazon: it's small, and significantly better than cameras half its price. Pay a bit more and you get the G12, which is chunkier, has a viewfinder and more manual controls, but not necessarily any better image quality.
posted by holgate at 8:07 AM on November 23, 2010

I have an S95. It's pretty nice, but awkward to hold. Someone sells an after-market grip that is supposed to help with this, but I haven't tried it.
posted by poopdbq at 8:07 AM on November 23, 2010

I usually go straight to Consumer Search when looking to buy something of this nature. They evaluate all the available product reviews from Consumer Reports, specialty magazines, and even Amazon, and issue a metareview that's generally very helpful no matter what I end up buying.
posted by DrGail at 8:19 AM on November 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

There was a previous thread I can't find on this sort of thing, and Canon ruled. I love mine.
posted by jgirl at 8:32 AM on November 23, 2010

Narrow down your options. I typically choose by RAW capability and speed of the lens but your needs may be different. If you've had a camera before decide what features you like and which you didn't. That should narrow down the field to a few choices. I know it seems like there are a million cameras out there but they all offer different things.
posted by JJ86 at 8:56 AM on November 23, 2010

There's a lot more to point and shoots than just size. You need to determine what else you want - Good low light performance? Shoots in RAW? Has a million picture modes? Also does video? Is easy to use? Etc.

I have 2 dSLRs and went with the Canon s90 (newest version is the s95) as my point & shoot of choice. I chose it because it fits in a pocket, it has a max. aperture of f2.8 which means it takes better photos in low light without a flash, and because it shoots in RAW. So far I've been very happy with it.
posted by geeky at 11:45 AM on November 23, 2010

Frequently when this kind of question is posted here, many answers tend to come from more experienced photographers who favor the higher end p&s cameras. I consider the Canon S90 and S95, as well as the Panasonix LX5 among those.

I don't argue against those choices for those photographers. However, for someone like you who simply wants a p&s camera to replace the one you have, chances are good that features like full manual override, raw file capability, etc. are arguably overkill, and will cost a lot more than what you really need.

I'd suggest you go to a brick and mortar store and handle a number of cameras in your price range. Some will feel better in your hands than others. Some may have a particular feature you fall in love with.

I tend to steer people toward the Canon or Panasonic lines because they have a proven track record, and both lines have models at a number of price points and feature levels. Most of the non-photographers in my extended family have ended up with Canons, and they all love them.
posted by imjustsaying at 6:55 PM on November 23, 2010 [1 favorite]

I love Panasonic Lumix's, and the Canons!
posted by shazzam! at 9:03 PM on November 23, 2010

DPReview has just published their annual look at high-end point-and-shoots. They cover exactly the cameras that you're considering.
posted by bonehead at 8:46 AM on November 24, 2010

I meant to say some of what's now being said--the Lumix line has lots of price points and levels while still being high quality, the specs just vary depending on what you want. Like I said, I am as entry level as one can be, and actually actively don't want RAW and don't need manual stuff, I just wanted a small, light camera with a good shutter speed, intuitive settings for both taking and transferring pics, and a good enough lens etc. to allow even a photo idiot like me to take nice pics. The Lumix I got was much, much cheaper and smaller than the LX5 being mentioned, something on the order of 200 bucks or less. If you DON'T want to pay for the RAW and manual capabilities but do want a camera you can take everywhere that is fast enough for you to capture that split second awesome moment, I recommend it.

This is outdated I think but it's a good illustration of what I mean.
posted by ifjuly at 10:04 AM on November 24, 2010