Hello again everyone,
I'm not sure if this has been talked about somewhere and I managed to miss it, but I searched and did not find anything. So mods', if it has, thanks in advance for locking the thread and redirecting.

I'm looking for a new Point and Shoot camera for under $200 (US).

I recently broke mine, due to a nasty biking crash on a steep hill. lol! Lets just say, I did a 360* and smashed into the curb, thankfully, I was wearing my backpack, but the camera broke because it was in it! :(

So here I am, asking if anyone could help me out on a suggestion?

I like to do nature photography, so I think that the greens need to have great depth. I'm often out biking with my cameras, or out on walks, so durability would be a nice thing, if at all possible. The higher the resolution, all the happier I am (haha). I really like Canon's, but from what I have seen on color charts, they don't seem to hold up very well on the cheap ones.
I don't want to get anything less then a 5 mp camera, I would like something more like a seven megapixel if possible.

I saw the Samsung L73, and I think it might be the camera for me; its got high res. nice features, and is small. But how is the coloring on this camera, does anyone know?

I also need something that can shoot without having to wait a hole second to get an image! That drives me absolutely insane!

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!
~Gabriel

Hi Gabriel,

Sorry to hear your crash.

Why not see this as a good reason to buy a d40 camera though little above your budget?

Regards
Leigh

Hi Leigh,

I like your thinking! Hahaha, I love that camera! However... I don't think I could get to it at this point, sure is tempting though!

Someone here has got to own a point and shoot camera somewhere!?!?
~Gabriel

First thing first, what stops you to buy a d40? Just curious

The canon 570 IS is a great point and shoot... 7.1 mp, full manual controls if you want them...

First thing first, what stops you to buy a d40? Just curious

I can't get the money right now, its too expensive... and then if you add the prices of lenses, it just goes out the window in price. And I'm looking for something I can carry around with me at all times with my Girlfriend.

Thanks Matthew, I can't believe I pasted that camera up!

I love Canon's. Their awesome cameras, I guess you could label me a "Canon snob."

I like how it has the full manual option, and high Megapixel count, I think I'll look into this one.

Thank you!
~Gabriel

Hi Gabriel,

I just read Ken's latest article http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/free-digital-camera.htm

You live in USA which get the same benefit Ken mentioned if you use a film camera. What do you think?

Here in New Zealand everything is so dear compare to USA. So I have no plan to use a film camera.
I also did the cost analysis, so far I have shot 53,000 photos considering spending around US$1,750 on d40. This means each click cost me around US 3.3cents. That is a nice deal. ;-)

Regards
Leigh

Hey Leigh, thats pretty incredible... I think thats something worth looking into as far as SLRs go.

My dad actually has one, maybe I'll give it a shot.

I've noticed I can get a film SLR with three lenses for about $150(US) a lot of the time. Sounds like a good deal to me!

But I am still interested in getting a simple Point and Shoot camera that I can fit in my pocket to take a photo "on the fly."

Thanks!
~Gabriel

Ken mentoned on his website that all digital camera offers similar image quality. The reason to buy expensive one just for easy to use. If that is true, why not buy a Canon Powershot A550?

Hi Gabriel,

Have you bought the new camera?

Regards
Leigh

Hey Leigh,

I'm not sure that is entirely true... For instance, the Canon Powershot A550 has really deep and great looking colors, however, the images have a lot of noise on them. Even at really bright levels. As oppose to some other camera; it can have white washed colors, but very little noise at low light... Sooooo, I'm not so sure about that one.

No I have not got one yet, I'm still deciding, and making sure I got the money. lol.

~Gabriel

Ken mentoned on his website that all digital camera offers similar image quality.For Gabriel.

What Ken Rockwell says is indeed true. Image quality is pretty much the same across the board. The price difference, as Leigh points out, governs ease of use and feature set. Just saying... if the A550 images had noise, then that's most likely just due to a setting... probably Auto ISO. You can get great looking images out of a $200 camera, trust me. It's not a camera limitation. It's just an operator limitation, which is easily correctable.

Nikon has a nice point-and-click that includes wifi to send photos, but over at B&H you can pick up an excellent D40 with an 18-55mm lens for $500.

heath

Thanks Heath!

For Gabriel.

What Ken Rockwell says is indeed true. Image quality is pretty much the same across the board. The price difference, as Leigh points out, governs ease of use and feature set. Just saying... if the A550 images had noise, then that's most likely just due to a setting... probably Auto ISO. You can get great looking images out of a $200 camera, trust me. It's not a camera limitation. It's just an operator limitation, which is easily correctable.

Thank you Chris! That really helps! It makes sense now.
I know you can take great photos with a $200 camera, I think I have proven that to myself with my last camera.

~Gabriel

I swear, this is our unofficial motto when it comes to video and still cameras:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/notcamera.htm

I've taken great photos with an old Canon A60 PowerShot (2.1 megapixels point-and-shoot), and I'm only taking better pictures on a D40x because I worked on composition, etc.

heath

Thats cool Heath.

I just need to sell my aquarium now so I can get a camera! lol!

I played with the Canon A550 for a minute at BestBuy the other day. I'm not sure if I liked the way it handled. I'll have to look at it again some more next time.

~Gabriel

Hi Gabriel,

I look forward to your taking photos soon. ;-)

Regards
Leigh

only one cam fits that description - fuji f31fd. Lowest noise of any consumer p&s bar none. Check the reviews, check the sample images, and decide yourself. I shoot 1dmkII's and 5d's as my normal cameras, but needed a compact to pocket. Looked EVERYWHERE, tried everything, then found this gem. Before buying, I printed test shots from basically every high-end p&s out there, including the ricoh rangefinder, the epson rd1, canon g7, nikon (HORRIBLE image quality, which sucks because the ergo is awesome) etc... In the prints, the fuji was equal up to about 400 iso, at which point it wiped the floor with ALL of the higher priced cams. It's usable to 800, and for small prints up to 1600 iso. When I got it, it was about $219... now I believe its even lower.

Don't believe the megapixel hype, trust the images you see. It's by far the finest p&s I've ever seen or used. I'm a die-hard canon guy, and trust me when I say it was hard to buy another brand over a Canon... but I will never regret that purchase. May pick up another while they're still available. I actually used it today, and when I transmitted the images, they couldn't believe I wasn't using a DSLR.

Hi Jaron,

I would like to suggest that noise is not so important. Even noise highly visible on LCD screen at 100% viewing, I can't see that noise on commercial print from the shop.

Regards
Leigh

agreed, prints often conceal a lot of noise. However, this is the first p&s I've ever seen whose noise isnt awful. It's one thing that most can shoot with acceptable noise to 200 iso, this can do 800 no sweat. That's a big difference! Have you tried printing a p&s shot at 800iso? Without extensive post-process noise reduction and specific compositions, it's basically worthless.

agreed, prints often conceal a lot of noise. However, this is the first p&s I've ever seen whose noise isnt awful. It's one thing that most can shoot with acceptable noise to 200 iso, this can do 800 no sweat. That's a big difference! Have you tried printing a p&s shot at 800iso? Without extensive post-process noise reduction and specific compositions, it's basically worthless.

I mostly shoot with iso 200 and do not have lots of experience with iso 800.

Frankly speaking, I don't see there is so much price difference on a p/s camera for $200 and a d40 for around $500 with a lense. Just around double the price and the speed to take photos jump from 6 seconds to half second. I always bring my d40 with me. I think the weight of d40 is ok.

The thing I don't like about d40 is that the shutter mech might die some time from now. I hate that feeling.

In actual dollars, you have a point - the price difference between p&s and dSlr is closing rapidly. However, dSlr's aren't always the right tools. Sometimes, as this post requests, you just want a p&s.

I have nice Canons, and love them for the majority of the things I shoot. However for both personal and work material, there are often times where small pocketable cams are the only solution. D40, digital rebel, etc... are fantastic small dSlr's, but they are still large in comparison to miniature p&s. Yes, they are much more flexible and expandable, but they dont slip in a pocket, and they draw far more attention than consumer-looking p&s cams do. Also, many people buy kit lenses, but claw to find the highest megapixel body on earth. WTF? A nice lens on a 3 year old dSlr will look drastically better than the newest, highest megapixel body with the kit lens. This much is proven.

I can honestly say that when I shopped for a pocket camera, I was willing to spend anything to get good image quality. For me it wasn't a happy-snap camera, it was something to use for portfolio or assignment work, but still go anywhere. I.e. something to replace a contax g2 rangefinder. There is, and will always be places where slr's aren't the right tools. And sometimes I just dont want to lug a nice camera and real lens around, when I know I could take excellent shots with a tiny and inexpensive cam safely tucked in my pocket.

In actual dollars, you have a point - the price difference between p&s and dSlr is closing rapidly. However, dSlr's aren't always the right tools. Sometimes, as this post requests, you just want a p&s.


I agree 100% on this. I have a dSLR but I can't carry that gear everywhere with me. My P&S is small, fits in my pocket or whatever bag i'm using. I can take good shots with either, and of course the dSLR has expandability and more range. I would never choose a small dSLR over my P&S though, for the same reasons Jaron mentioned. I surely wouldn't want to be lugging it around and risking $2000+ equipment getting lost/stolen/damaged if I don't need to. So everywhere I go, I take my LX2 P&S but when I go to "take photos" I take the 40D.

Hey guys/gals!

I think I finally made my decision... I'm gonna go with the Samsung L73 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/481157-REG/Samsung_CJ075401S_L73_Digital_Camera_Black_.html). Its really nice, and comfortable. The images looked nice, from what I could tell. B&H has it for a great price! My local wal-mart was selling it for $180, B&H has it for $144.95!!! I could not believe that when I saw it...

I am just completely sold on this camera... If all goes well, I plan on ordering it sometime next week...

Now I'm just trying to decide on how to order it. Should I just order the camera, and use my 512mb card that I have for now? Or should I order a 1 or 2gb card? Should I get the case for it from B&H? Or should I not worry about that, and when I decide I want one to just buy it locally for half the price? Should I get it with the Basic Accessory Kit (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/484273-REG/Samsung__L73_Digital_Camera_Black_.html)? Is that really worth it? I think it might be better to buy the camera by itself, and then get a 2gb card with it; but what is your opinion? I'm pretty new to it all, so I don't know whats the best things to do when buying a digital camera. So any ideas on this would be great!
Also, is another battery a must have?

Can't wait to get it! I'm so excited!

Thanks in advance for any help!
~Gabriel

Hi Gabriel,

Have you got your new camera?

Regards
Leigh

Not yet... :(

Still waiting to make that little bit of extra cash before I can.... hopefully soon though!

~Gabriel

I went with a Canon S3 for its larger lens, reasonably-sized sensor, real optical image stabilization, stereo sound, zoom-during movie. The Canon S5 is a mild update. This camera suffers from the usual focus problems of point&shoot cameras, but there is an external MF button to lock the focus point. I'd say it's one of the best of the lot and definitely better than the 2007 models by Canon, of which I bought one for my sister. Completely unimpressed. If you want a smaller camera, the Canon G9 shoots in RAW mode.

Thanks Gints. I'll look into those... But I think their over my budget this time around. :(

~Gabriel

Gabriel,

Regarding your questions on what to get with your camera. I'd say the only thing you need is Memory and a small case. 512MB is not going to get you very far with 7MP camera. You should probably take a look at the cases they have at your local walmart/best buy/frys and see what you like best before getting one though. Some cases look very good on spec sheets but not so great as far as usability - maybe too bulky or hard to get into, etc.

I have to highly recommend that you purchase a SanDisk SD Plus USB card. You can get a 2GB for around $40. Yes, it costs a little more than a standard 2GB card. HOWEVER. Imagine this...you have your camera out with you and you snap a picture of you and your friends. You are at your friend's house and he wants a copy of the picture. With the SanDisk, you just pop the memory card out, transform it to USB and stick it in his computer - no adapters necessary. No cables needed. No extra software. It's just great.

I have 3 (one for my LX2 camera, one for my phone, and one for my bulletcam). I don't even use the non-usb SD cards anymore.

Here's a link to the manufacturer's info on the card. I don't recommend buying it from them as you'd probably get a better deal from B&H or anyone else.

http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Item(1853)-SDSDPH-2048-SanDisk_Ultra_II_SD_Plus_USB_2GB.aspx

Thanks Lisa, thats really helpful.

The idea of that card is amazing... I'll have to go with that one.... Thanks for pointing me to it!

Can't wait to be able to purchase it!!! I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas... hahaha.
~Gabriel

Gabriel,

I have to highly recommend that you purchase a SanDisk SD Plus USB card. You can get a 2GB for around $40. Yes, it costs a little more than a standard 2GB card. HOWEVER. Imagine this...you have your camera out with you and you snap a picture of you and your friends. You are at your friend's house and he wants a copy of the picture. With the SanDisk, you just pop the memory card out, transform it to USB and stick it in his computer - no adapters necessary. No cables needed. No extra software. It's just great.



While agree with the convenience of passing on the card reader, it's difficult to touch the card without touching the gold contacts as you now have to avoid touching the contacts of both the SD interface as well as the USB interface. I have one, and it does make the transfer easier for my wife . And, as often as not, you forget to recap it before sticking it back into the camera.

Hi Gabriel,

How is going?

Regards
Leigh

While agree with the convenience of passing on the card reader, it's difficult to touch the card without touching the gold contacts as you now have to avoid touching the contacts of both the SD interface as well as the USB interface. I have one, and it does make the transfer easier for my wife . And, as often as not, you forget to recap it before sticking it back into the camera.


I haven't noticed any huge issue. I keep one in my phone and one in my camera. It has come in very handy when I'm at school or work and didn't bring my USB flash, I just grab my SD/USB from my phone and use that. When it is in SD mode, the USB contacts are covered. When it is in USB mode, the SD contacts are covered. I am not sure what you mean by recap - it just folds, I've never forgotten to unfold it before putting it back in my camera.

The one and only issue I have with it is that it will go into a USB port upside down, though it doesn't seem to cause any problems - i just pull it out and reinsert it.

:-)

I use the Canon S3 quite extensively, mostly for creating short videos for work and the house. Great point and shoot, but not as small as you might like for putting in your pocket and forgetting about it. The video mode is really quite impressive, and allows both zooming and focusing while shooting, although the focus is not as good as a dedicated camcorder. This camera has good IS which works well for freehand work. I can't hardly think of a better camera for quick work and web posting. Uses AA batteries, which is really nice. Has a 6MP picture on a 1/1.7" sensor, so it's pretty efficient compared to some of the newer fare.

I also use the Canon A620 quite extensively for video and picture work. It has the old, larger 1/1.7" sensor with only 7.1MP, so it is quite light efficient and takes great vids. It does not focus or optically zoom during video. For fixed tripod work, this one is equal to the S3, or perhaps even a little better for lower light levels. It loses points for action footage where zoom and focus come into play. Still images are also good, but lack of IS is a problem. Once Canon went to the A630 and higher, the movie images suffered as they have gotten caught in the megapixel wars the image has gotten noiser IMO. Uses AA batteries, which is really nice.

I've tried and returned several of the newer Canon products, but the S3 and A620 are tops in my book for sub $500 cameras. The A620 is getting hard to find as it was discontinued probably about a year ago. The S3 is still readily available, but the new S5 is taking its place with many feeling the S3 is slightly superior in many aspects for real life situations.

The Fujifilm F50?

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf50fd/page17.asp

Hey, thanks everyone!

I've been meaning to get on here to say that I've received my camera. :)
I got the Samsung L73. I'm so happy with it. So far, I have not noticed any noise issues. Its really nice...

Still learning how to operate it and all, but I'm very happy with it.

Thanks for all your help and suggestions.
~Gabriel

Hi Gabriel,

Congratulations ;-)

Regards
Leigh

Gabriel, is there any chance you could shoot and post some raw video clips at 640x480 30fps, and some at the 800x592 20fps mode? I'm very interested in seeing the quality and the motion of the high-res mode to see if 20fps is actually usable in practical applications.