A new compact camera

[Timppa]

My father is looking for a new compact camera.
Since I only know stuff about dslr and mirrorless, I need a bit help in this department.

Must haves: good zoom / macro function / all auto mode stuff like landscape, portret, .... / Compact and light / no lens swapping.
He would take this on many of his motorcycle adventures, but of course also use it for family events etc...
His previous camera had 20x zoom and he really enjoyed that, so I think anything with less then 15x zoom, he might not be so interested (I kind of think that anything with 5x zoom or less, he should just get a high end phone).
The main reasons I personally see benefit for a compact camera (better than phone) is a better sensor and zoom range. But please, tell me differently ^^.

I currently see the Lumix zs200 or sony cybershot RX100 VI.

Budget between 500 and 800eur I would say (he told me definitely not above a 1000 xD)

Thank you!

 

[TWX]

Zoom range seems to be inversely proportional to sensor size. The longer the zoom in a truly compact body (ie, not a bridge camera) the smaller the sensor.

I'd steered my dad towards either the Sony RX100-series or the Canon Powershot G-series, of which many of these use the same sensor families from Sony, but in the end he went with a Canon Powershot SX710HS that he found new-old-stock for under $200, and he's been very happy with it despite the 1/2.3" sensor. He just gets that camera going on a multishot per shutterpress mode and picks the image he likes out of the bunch.

 

[Jeff15]

My vote would be for the Sony.......

 

[TWX]

You might want to find out if any of your local Best Buy stores have extensive camera departments. One such store exists in my area, and they had a very wide selection of pocket cameras, compact cameras, bridge cameras, mirrorless cameras, DSLRs of many sensor sizes, etc. They're probably better for someone wanting a nice casual-use camera than a dedicated camera store would be, since they'd have a much larger selection of budget or compact cameras to choose from.

 

[Timppa]

Thank you all for your input.
we don't have best buy here in Finland ^^ But I see what you mean.

Is it even worth it considering compact camera? With all these great phones nowadays...
My dad has no care whatsoever about sensors and fps... (I do care, but maybe I care to much for a camera I will not even use?)
He just wants the best quality possible, good zoom and everything in auto mode (he will choose those premade auto modes like landscape/portret/macro/...)
He drives his motorcycle, stops on the side of the road, take a few clicks and go again.

 

[TWX]

Sorry, I missed your being in Finland.

So my dad likes the compact camera specifically because of the physical knobs, buttons, and switches. Prior to the SX700HS series, he looked at the Canon ELPH series and was about ready to buy, until he had a chance to handle one and realized that most of the settings had to be changed via on-screen menus, versus just turning a knob, throwing a switch, or pushing a button. I nearly had him convinced to look at the G7X-II in part because of the exposure compensation knob, but he found the external controls on the SX740HS, and then on the older SX710HS to be good enough for his tastes.

Additionally cell phones are getting so ridciulously thin that they can be difficult to hold onto in some situations. A camera with some actual thickness and heft might be easier to hold onto and to control without being so worried about dropping it.

 

[Timppa]

Sorry, I missed your being in Finland.

So my dad likes the compact camera specifically because of the physical knobs, buttons, and switches. Prior to the SX700HS series, he looked at the Canon ELPH series and was about ready to buy, until he had a chance to handle one and realized that most of the settings had to be changed via on-screen menus, versus just turning a knob, throwing a switch, or pushing a button. I nearly had him convinced to look at the G7X-II in part because of the exposure compensation knob, but he found the external controls on the SX740HS, and then on the older SX710HS to be good enough for his tastes.

Additionally cell phones are getting so ridciulously thin that they can be difficult to hold onto in some situations. A camera with some actual thickness and heft might be easier to hold onto and to control without being so worried about dropping it.

Definitely true, I did not think about this before.
I'll ask my dad what he would prefer

Edit: he wants buttons