I know everyone hates this question, but....

[Chris Stegner]

Since I'm the "photo guy" to most of our friends and family they always come to me for camera suggestions.

I have a friend that is looking for a new P&S. They want to spend 200-300 USD but would probably go up to 400 to get more bang for the buck. They will be doing your basic "family" type of shooting.

I'm not asking you guys to do what I don't want to take the time to do..... research cameras that I would not use or buy myself, but I thought I'd throw it out in case any of you have been down this path recently. I know there's dozens of choices out there and I could spend hours & hours trying to compare and decide on something and I'd rather not, if someone else has an idea to help me out. I trust (most) opinions here or I wouldn't ask.

And not to be rude, but let's not turn this into a Brand X beats the hell out Brand Y discussion. That's not my intention.

Any help would be highly appreciated!

 

[Big Mike]

Besides the obvious exceptions...most P&S cameras are very similar. Actually, many of the important parts are not made by the companies who brand them. For example, it wouldn't be out of the question to have Sony made sensors in Nikon or Canon brand cameras etc.

What I usually tell people, is to go into a camera/electronics store and try out several cameras in their price range. The fit & feel of the camera will be just as important as the features.

And of course, I also tell people to stick to the main photography brands...Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Olympus etc.

 

[djacobox372]

If they can stretch their budget to $450 they can get an Olympus EPL-1; sort of a hybrid P&S/DSLR. It has a larger sensor and interchangable lenses like a DSLR, with the feel and ergonomics of a point and shoot.

 

[molested_cow1]

This is actually quite a hard question because the choices are so much wider.

I've always used Sony for point and shoot, not by choice, but I do like the UI better than other brands. I also think Sony p&s cameras are geared towards more fun features, family friendly type of set up. Things like panoramic and smile detection are pretty common on many brands, but I think Sony ones do pretty good jobs.

 

[~Stella~]

Here's a review of cameras listing price and grouping by general characteristics: Best Cameras, Top Selling Digital Cameras, Recommended SLR Cameras

I have this: Panasonic DMC-FZ50 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review And I really like it, for what it is (not a dslr). Yes, I would love something nicer, but I think it was a great choice. I bought it ~4 few years ago, so I have no doubt that Panasonic has come out with something nicer for the same price - or less.

 

[mwcfarms]

This is actually quite a hard question because the choices are so much wider.

I've always used Sony for point and shoot, not by choice, but I do like the UI better than other brands. I also think Sony p&s cameras are geared towards more fun features, family friendly type of set up. Things like panoramic and smile detection are pretty common on many brands, but I think Sony ones do pretty good jobs.

Except for the fact that you can only use SONY parts if anyting goes missing or breaks. Where as other camera's you can use third party knock offs usually.

 

[molested_cow1]

Who fixes point and shoot these days anyways? Most of the time, the value of the camera doesn't justify cost to service it.

 

[JohnS.]

Besides the obvious exceptions...most P&S cameras are very similar.

go into a camera/electronics store and try out several cameras in their price range. The fit & feel of the camera will be just as important as the features.

And of course, I also tell people to stick to the main photography brands...Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Olympus etc.

This.

Any P&S camera $100+ these days is generally pretty good for general use. What it really comes down to is if the user likes the controls of the camera. I've personally used a ton of different P&S these days and I haven't liked certain ones because of the controls. Same applies to Nikon vs. Canon DSLR's. I can't stand Canon controls.

IMO, if your friend really wants to spend near $400 for a P&S, advise them to look into an entry level DSLR. For a couple hundred more, the D3100 is a great camera that can do 1080P video. That's just my $0.02.