What P/S camera to buy?

[porsche4life]

Ok guys, I'm going to be doing a good bit of traveling this year and want a good digital camera that is easy to use to drag around. I have a Cannon DSLR, but its bulky, and I always seem to get one setting off and blow the picture. I want a good point and shoot, and no not my iPhone.

One thing I will be using it for is to take pictures of signs occasionally for work. We have an employee photo contest for our products and I've won some coin already, a better easy to use camera will help me there, and I view that as paying for my camera to use for everything!



I'll be using it hiking and other stuff too, so the tougher the better. I'm browsing around, but I'm curious to see what the camera snobs have to say!

Here is what I can think of for requirements.
Fast shutter capability
10MP+
Good low light
Tougher the better
Long battery life
USB charge ability

and I'd like to keep it under about $400, which I don't think will be too hard.

[porsche4life]

Here are a few I'm browsing...

Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot 6351B001 12MP Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD (Black): CANON: Camera & Photo

Amazon.com: Nikon COOLPIX P330 12.2 MP Digital Camera with 5x Zoom (Black): NIKON: Camera & Photo
While not needed the wifi feature is cool, and its included in the canon and 50 extra on the nikon, so that closes the gap on these two...

[craigster59]

I've got the earlier version of this, the W90. Great pictures, waterproof and exceptional macro setting with the LED lights around the lens for extreme closeups...
Amazon.com: Pentax Optio WG-1 Adventure Series 14 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom (Black): Electronics

[craigster59]

Here's a pic I took with it on a trip to Yosemite.....

[gassy]

Camera snobs don't use point and shoots.

I think the first Canon you listed would fit the bill nicely. I had one of those a couple years ago and really liked it.

[LeeH]

Sid - check out the Olympus Tough TG-310. It's a 14 mp camera designed to take a beating.

If you think that'll meet your needs I can sell you a virtually new one pretty cheap. I bought it for a trip to Belize and really haven't used it since.

Check out this album on FB:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2582602458086.124314.1645214578&type=1&l=83acb533ee
All the photos were taken with the Olympus.

[porsche4life]

I'll research it Lee...

I'm still unsure of all the tough cameras. There was a time I lusted badly for one. But now I have a Hero3 for when the going gets rough and wet. I just find so many mixed reviews of the Low light performance of most of them, and the glare seems bad on some of them. Got some reading to do...

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Here is what I can think of for requirements.
Fast shutter capability
10MP+
Good low light
Tougher the better
Long battery life
USB charge ability

and I'd like to keep it under about $400, which I don't think will be too hard.

Fast shutter shouldn't be an issue - at least I've never had a problem. Many of the newer cameras have USB charge ability but I personally hate that as you can't charge the battery out of the camera. Depends on your workflow. The "tough" is your first determining factor. If you want to go ultra-tough then choose between those. If a "regular" one is ok, then your choices broaden and you can get better low light performance and other capabilities. For P&S I have a Canon S110 and like it fairly well. Lens is a little slow on the long end but can't beat the size. If you want relatively fast glass there are a couple of ones to consider. This is a pretty good "round-up" of some suspects:

Roundup: Enthusiast Zoom Compact Cameras: Digital Photography Review

[rusnak]

I recently bought a Samsung NX 1000 as a gift, and thought it would be perfect as an "on the go" PAS camera. The Nikon 1 J3 is a bit nicer, but also more spendy.

I use a PAS Leica V-Lux 3 and I think it's great. I carry a spare battery or two, and external TTL flash by Panasonic. The whole package is small enough to keep under my car or truck seat.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by craigster59

I've got the earlier version of this, the W90. Great pictures, waterproof and exceptional macro setting with the LED lights around the lens for extreme closeups...
Amazon.com: Pentax Optio WG-1 Adventure Series 14 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom (Black): Electronics

That is extremely cool... but I need another camera like a hole in the head (I have succumbed to the 8MP camera in my phone and my Nikon P/S sits in a drawer)

[RWebb]

not much has changed since the last thread on this topic...

The Sony Cybershot RX100, for $650 is, without doubt, the best pocket camera.

I'd put the Canon S-100 or 110 next at ~~ $400.

If you want something larger but still smaller than a DSLR there are other options (4/3, 'mirrorless', etc.) but I don't see the need for anything intermediate between a good DSLR and the RX100.


If you want to sacrifice some other abilities for waterproofing and high impact resistance, then go to dpreview and see what is new - I know I saw some toughcams in the news feed there recently.

[porsche4life]

Looks like the S110 is my best bet. Most of what I do now doesn't require the tough, and I still am not sure about the tough cameras.

[motion]

I picked up a Canon S-100 recently and am fairly happy with it. Battery life is not so great, and the photos aren't nearly as nice as my Sony NEX3C, but its not bad for a compact.

[motion]

BTW, it was $249 at Amazon. I think I lucked out on that one.

Craigster, your photo is beautiful. Nice work!

[herr_oberst]

I have an S 100; it's nice. The only issue I have with it, is it's super thin, and your left forefinger will keep the flash from popping up until you get used to it. Takes good pictures, not too complex.

[herr_oberst]

Also, do research - you may find the 100 fits your needs better than the 110, and it's cheeeper.

[Z-man]

I've had good luck with my Nikon Point-and-Shoot cameras. Rugged and reliable, but not a whole lot of control beyond their pre-programmed settings.

-Z

[JAR0023]

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4

We've been using one of these for the last few months. So far I like it. Sort of the same scenario. My wife is a serious amateur photographer and sometimes doesn't feel like lugging all the gear around. She's been impressed with the speed and photo quality. It survived two days at a waterpark and a month of hail claims with every direct report I have pawing at it all day because it's so much faster than work issued cameras. -J

Amazon.com: Panasonic Lumix TS4 12.1 TOUGH Waterproof Digital Camera with 4.6x Optical Zoom (Orange): Camera & Photo