A good little camera to take everywhere?

lordfly · Jan 7, 2011

As part of a belated christmas present, I was given $125 to amazon.com... i figured, rather than nickel and dime myself to death with knicknacks and gewgaws, I might as well get what every photo dork needs... another camera!

I'm currently leaning towards the Canon SD1300; it's light, very compact, and it's Canon, so chances are it won't be 100% garbage. Are there any other models I should be checking out? I just want something I can take with me everywhere (sometimes the DSLR is a little difficult to lug to the pub, or to work).

Boomn4x4 · Jan 7, 2011

Honestly, simply upgrade your cell phone. These new phones that are hitting the market have pretty impressive cameras built in.... If all you want is a nice portable camera for point and shoot photography, and good cell phone is the way to go.

memento · Jan 7, 2011

well, $125 is a down payment for my suggestion.. which is Canon's s95.
i got one several months ago and it is awesome!
very compact (fits in front pocket of jeans).
very fast.
makes great pictures.
and has tons of features.

timzo · Jan 7, 2011

i second that my samsung galaxy s has really nice camera usable for non important stuff

Light Artisan · Jan 7, 2011

This:

memento said:
well, $125 is a down payment for my suggestion.. which is Canon's s95.
i got one several months ago and it is awesome!
very compact (fits in front pocket of jeans).
very fast.
makes great pictures.
and has tons of features.

reznap · Jan 7, 2011

If I ever buy a new compact camera, it's going to be the new Fuji full-frame digital rangefinder. Now it's going to sell for like $1,000 so it's not exactly cheap but it's also not as pricey as an m9.

Also, Olympus is coming out with a new point and shoot with a f/1.8 - f/2.5 (28-122mm equiv.) zoom lens on it. Might be worth checking out.
Here's a link:
Olympus XZ-1 announced and previewed: Digital Photography Review

redtippmann · Jan 7, 2011

I'd get a D3X with a 24-70mm f/2.8

pbelarge · Jan 7, 2011

memento said:
well, $125 is a down payment for my suggestion.. which is Canon's s95.
i got one several months ago and it is awesome!
very compact (fits in front pocket of jeans).
very fast.
makes great pictures.
and has tons of features.

I agree

It is very small - hence light and can easily fit in just about any pocket.

The functions of this camera just keep on coming.
The quality is very good
The low light capabilities are very good

yadayadayadyayda................

Drake · Jan 7, 2011

redtippmann said:
I'd get a D3X with a 24-70mm f/2.8

Probably the best recommendation so far since none of them is within the $125 budget anyway :lol:

Seriously, if you really need a cheap compact P&S, you can't go wrong with a Canon. 28mm lens, IS... seems pretty similar to my SD 880 IS, which is great. What I like about Canon P&S cameras is the constant high quality. Many manufacturers have some good and some bad cameras. Some of them even have mostly bad cameras. But you can safely pick a canon P&S and be sure that you just can't get more for your money.

What I like about canon cameras mostly is the ISO performance (i am not talking about taking ISO 800+ photos, but a noise free ISO 100, clean ISO 200 and a useable in some situations ISO 400) and the auto white balance, which is usually much more accurate than most other compact cameras. And that's what matters for me in a compact camera designed for quick shots right out of the pocket. This and the IS. And a 28mm lens.

mrpink · Jan 7, 2011

memento said:
well, $125 is a down payment for my suggestion.. which is Canon's s95.
i got one several months ago and it is awesome!
very compact (fits in front pocket of jeans).
very fast.
makes great pictures.
and has tons of features.

Yep.

Here are some threads of photos taken with my S95....

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...ery/230620-one-shot-my-s95-pocket-camera.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...n-frogs-my-junk-your-junk-schwettys-junk.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-photo-gallery/228998-one-church-evening.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-beginners-forum-photo-gallery/228101-its-lock.html

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...llery/227638-low-light-shot-my-canon-s95.html

I think a $100 point and shoot will do nothing but disappoint. Buy right the first time is something you need to learn quickly in this hobby.

Let us know what you do....

p!nK

RauschPhotography · Jan 7, 2011

memento said:
well, $125 is a down payment for my suggestion.. which is Canon's s95.
i got one several months ago and it is awesome!
very compact (fits in front pocket of jeans).
very fast.
makes great pictures.
and has tons of features.

+1

Ron Evers · Jan 7, 2011

Through in a bit more money & get a great compact camera that takes interchangeable lenses - a Panasonic GF1. Going for around $600 US$ on sale. It is getting rave reviews by M4/3 users. Check out this respected reviewer:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

You can use it with the compact kit lens, other M4/3 lenses or any legacy lens.

white · Jan 7, 2011

reznap said:
If I ever buy a new compact camera, it's going to be the new Fuji full-frame digital rangefinder. Now it's going to sell for like $1,000 so it's not exactly cheap but it's also not as pricey as an m9.

This.

Drake · Jan 8, 2011

mrpink said:
I think a $100 point and shoot will do nothing but disappoint.

I don't think so. In good light the output from this cheap SD1300 is going to be almost identical to your S95. It really is a matter of expectations. Compact cameras are a bit diffedent than DSLRs. Paying more for a DSLR means getting better quality, more useful features etc. Paying more for a P&S usually means getting the same/very similar image quality, in a higher quality, better looking casing. And the feeling, that you've got something better than normal, premium. About 2 years ago I went for it, bought SD 880 IS, a very small p&S for about $300. Of course I loved it, it was my precious little camera. It still is. IQ's perfect for a pocket camera. But when I look at the sample photos taken with the cheaper canon cameras, I see literally no difference.

Now I know that the SD 880 is not as good as the S95, but what I mean is that you can get a $130 camera and it won't be a disappointment. S95 might be good, but it is definitely much closer to this $130 P&S in terms of IQ, than to any cheapest DSLR on the market. You can have fun with the SD1300, just don't expect it to be anywhere near your DSLR, in terms of IQ at least.