Best Point and Shoot Around $250?

[tarheel34]

Hello all! First let me start off by saying that I am a complete n00b when it comes to digital photography! My girlfriend has been really getting into taking photos here lately and is needing a new camera. I was thinking of getting her a DSLR for Christmas, but I don't want to run out and spend that much money and this end up being just a phase that she is going through. So, I was thinking of getting her a nicer Point and Shoot camera instead.

Like I said, I know nothing about cameras! I have been looking at the Nikons, Cannon, Sony, and the new Samsung with the 2 touch screen LCDs on them, and all of the specs seem Greek to me. I have watched numerous YouTube videos and read through countless articles, but still can't seem to figure out which one would be best. I would prefer a 12MP camera if feasible.

She tends to take a lot of pictures of her animals in low lights. And since we live in WV, she takes a lot of pictures of the mountains. I don't know if that helps much! She currently has a 6MP Kodak camera that is on its last legs, so, just about anything will be a great improvement.

Thanks for taking the time to read my rather long post, and I appreciate the help!

 

[Jessica Lares]

I tell most of my wannabe photographer buddies the same answer everytime... It doesn't matter if it's a Nikon or Pentax, you just need to know how to take good photos and work with lenses. I'd suggest going into like a Wolf Camera and looking at open box deals, aswell as eBay.

By the way DSLRs are NOT point and shoot and do require you to have a bit of knowledge of photography in general. Look into the Nikon D40, it's a great starter camera. Don't look into the MP too much as it's really just the size (read this: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm), have seen 3.1 MP blown up huge before. Right now I have a Canon PowerShot A590 IS which is a point and shoot and it's great when you hook up filters and lens to it, it's not the best camera, but it's good for me as I know my way around it.

Try looking at what kind of pictures the cameras you saw take, just to give you a visual way of determining what to buy: http://www.flickr.com/cameras/

 

[gkarris]

Canon makes the best P&S in my opinion.

Get one with IS...

Info at this forum:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/

good luck to you...

 

[tarheel34]

Thanks for the replies! I think I've narrowed it down to two cameras now. After reading around some more, I found that the "Super Zoom" cameras kind of bridge the gap between DSLR and normal Point and Shoot cameras. That's exactly what I was looking for. With that said I have it down to the Panasonic DMC-FZ35k and the Cannon XS20 IS.

Any thoughts on either one of those cameras? I know that The Cannon automatically uses MOV files for video, which is nice. It also has a tiny bit longer zoom, at 20X. And the articulating screen is awesome.

But, something has me leaning more towards the Panasonic. After reading hundreds of reviews, more people seem to be happier with it than the Cannon. I took a look on Flickr and the images taken with it are awesome!

If anyone has any experience with either one of these cameras let me know! Pros, cons, and anything in between! Thanks!

 

[Jessica Lares]

Another good resource if anyone needs it by the way: http://www.steves-digicams.com/

I've read other reviews, and yeah, people have gone for the Panasonic. I have a Canon PowerShot, one of the point and shoot models, but I've always thought the output was a bit grainy compared to my Sony CyberShots. Seems to be the case with the model you're looking at too: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B002LITT3I/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_all

Here's the Panasonic DMC-FZ35k images: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B002IKLJU0/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_all

People will always recommend Canon because it's the most used and has a lot of equipment to go with it including printers and the sort. Also, you're most likely going to find used lenses of that brand in thrift stores and eBay. Most of the professionals probably could answer more Canon/Nikon/and Sony questions too.

But the Panasonic is nice, I'd go for it too if it wasn't for the fact that I have a set of Canon lenses that I can use with every model if I have the adapters. Once you get it in your hands and like it, stick with it and continue with the brand because if you find yourself buying extras, like what I've mentioned above, and the thing breaks later on, you'll want to just get another body. Or, if you just want to get something better, or share your equipment.

What did you guys think of the Kodak by the way?