Point and shoot under $250?

SuzukiGS750EZ · Nov 27, 2017

Hey guys. I currently shoot with a Canon 80D and enjoy shooting manual. I have an Olympus tough camera but find it doesn't do wide angle or telephoto well. Nor does it allow me to control ANYTHING. I hate shooting auto and missing the shot. I want a smaller camera I can take to events that I don't want to haul a DSLR around. Any recommendations?

john.margetts · Nov 28, 2017

If you want to control the camera, you do not want a point and shoot camera!

My Olympus Pen is my carry-around camera as it is significantly smaller and lighter. On the occasions when that is too large, I use my Panasonic TZ80 which fits in my pocket but does not produce the IQ that the Olympus Pen does.

astroNikon · Nov 28, 2017

Point and Shoots cameras primary function is to just "point and shoot" without worrying about anything else. Of course you usually run into problems of it selecting a too slow shutter speed and thus blurry images.

if you want control over a camera then you have to start looking into Bridge or mirrorless or other cameras above Point and Shoot. You'll have to research fully functional cameras in your price range, or used cameras of which there would be many in your price range.

A potential option is the Canon SL1 (100D) which is much smaller and uses the same lenses as your 80D.

davidharmier60 · Nov 28, 2017

I have a Nikon Coolpix P60 which is an older I think 8mp. As long as the light is OK it does a pretty good job. The aperture is all wrong for night work.

And I long for a 20, 30 or 40D DSLR!!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

cherylynne1 · Nov 28, 2017

Honestly, it’s hard to find a point and shoot under $250 that will do a better job than modern cell phone cameras.

What you might want to look into is an app that allows you to manually adjust exposure on your phone. Even the most expensive ones are only around $5 or so, and the quality will be about the same. If you really need the optical zoom, there are also clip-on lenses that you can add (though I don’t know about the prices for good ones.)

pixmedic · Nov 28, 2017

fuji xf1 or xf2.

Frank F. · Nov 28, 2017

SuzukiGS750EZ said:
Hey guys. I currently shoot with a Canon 80D and enjoy shooting manual. I have an Olympus tough camera but find it doesn't do wide angle or telephoto well. Nor does it allow me to control ANYTHING. I hate shooting auto and missing the shot. I want a smaller camera I can take to events that I don't want to haul a DSLR around. Any recommendations?

old but still great: Fuji X10, X20, X30 and X70 if you add 100$

If you settle for great JPEGs you can look for dirt cheap Fuji F10 or F30. superb performance.

More expensive the Canon S110 and successors

RowdyRay · Nov 28, 2017

Look into the bridge cameras. Can't say enough about my Fujifilm Finepix S8630. It's older but 16 MP, 36X zoom, and much more control than any point and shoot. I love it. Got it for 50.00 at a pawnshop. Makes a great vacation and fishing camera. If stolen or dropped in the drink, I won't lose much sleep over it. Be more mad about the pictures lost. Lol.

Do a Google search for "bridge cameras under 250.00". All major brands make them. Find one that fits your needs.

Light Guru · Nov 28, 2017

cherylynne1 said:
What you might want to look into is an app that allows you to manually adjust exposure on your phone. Even the most expensive ones are only around $5 or so, and the quality will be about the same. If you really need the optical zoom, there are also clip-on lenses that you can add (though I don’t know about the prices for good ones.)

^^THAT^^

The "clip on" lenses are crap they have plastic lenses.

If your going to get add on lenses get some Moment Lenses. I have some for my iPhone for when I don't want to cary around a bigger camera. They are quality real glass.

weepete · Nov 29, 2017

I had a Sony Cybershot compact camera years ago that my parents got me. My dad being into his photography just made sure it had a full set of control modes. Yes it had auto, but also P,M,Tv and Av which gave a lot of creative control. So it's simply not the case that if you want to contol the camera you need a DSlR or a bridge camera.

I'd have a good look at the Panasonic Lumix TZ-90, a 35mm-760mm equivalent focal range, full manual controls (including a lens ring to alow proper manual focus), jpeg or raw file formats, 20mpx and a tilty screen. Where it falls down is high ISO and only a f3.3 at max aperture. But otherwise a good little camera.