Point and shoot camera as a stepping stone to a DSLR

[sjp117]

I'm interested in photography. I do own a film SLR camera, I have taken a high school photography class and have been out shooting a couple of time.
However I am restraining myself from taking photos because of my small budget... Buying film and processing them cost too much money for me. (And the malfunction of my current point and shoot camera's focus did not help me...)
I am in no hurry to buy a DSLR so I was wondering what people in this forum can recommend me for a simple point and shoot camera under my budget.

-The budget is under $200 ($250 max if there are some highly recommended features in a certain camera).
-I'd like it to have as many features and functions a point and shoot camera can offer that will help me advance to a DSLR.
-It would be nice if it had a decent performance under low light.
-A long battery life is also highly desirable.
(I do not mind sacrificing a certain amount of ergonomics since I'v been through pretty much the worst ergonomics out there when in comes to cameras...)

I'm sure there will not be a camera that will satisfy all my requirements, but I'd like to know what kind of recommendations I can get.
Thank you!

 

[eric rose]

You are on the right track! The big thing is to get out there and photograph. Experiment, try different stuff and just have fun. The camera you use is of little concern at this point as developing your vision and learning to "see" should be the primary goal at this point. I have seen too many people get all jazzed about gear and never learn to photograph. They are disappointed with their results and figure all they need to get better photos is to buy better equipment. My suggestion would be check out the pawn shops etc for used P&S cameras. Some of them might be fairly new as people trade them off to get the latest and greatest. An older Canon G series camera would be a real great one to start with. The Canon A640 if you can find one is a solid performer too. You will find lots of advise on what camera to use. Don't waste a lot of time navel gazing. Just get something and start shooting! Post your shots here for our feedback and you will progress at a rapid rate. Good luck and hope to see something from you soon. Eric

 

[Scoody]

Dude! What have you been smoking? $200 is not going to give you anything worth having.

 

[Nikon_Josh]

I don't know how much a Canon S90 costs in the US, as I know Canon is cheaper in the US than it is here. As Canon being the marketeers they are price differently in the US and the UK. I saw price comparisons, shocking stuff! I'd probably own a Canon DSLR if I was in the US, as I understand they are cheaper there. Anyway back to the point that matters....

The S90 in my opinion is the only Compact to buy if you want half decent performance, I say half decent because a compact in my mind is always a compromise! That small sensor can only do so much. But I love the manual control the S90 gives me, many compacts don't do this. I love the fact it has the same sensor as the G11, so it gives similar performance to the G11 at a lower price point and a pocketable size. Great little compact, you can even do half decent night shots with it. My last compact turned to red blotchy noise the minute it went up to ISO 400, the S90 does not! You can even shoot RAW on the S90!! And did I mention it fits in your pocket?

I know it's shocking a Nikon fan like myself would say this, but Canon is in my opinion still the brand to buy for compact cameras. Whereas Nikon seem to be still scrambling around in the dirt when it comes to compacts which still depresses me. Canon are superior, the only other brand I would say are nearly as good at compacts is Panasonic. Panasonic really knows how to make a decent compact camera, the TZ series is proof of this! Panasonic are a very savvy company and an amazing electronics developer. Sony are fairly good too, but I always get the feeling with anything Sony 'it is more gimmick than actually good'. Sony are a hugely innovative company, but at same time they are very clever at selling gimmicks. Over pricing products with sometimes lesser quality than the opposition.

 

[chaosrealm93]

$200 is a bit tight.. but as previously suggested, the S90 is a decent point and shoot. i don't think it will fit in the $200 though..

 

[eric rose]

Like one other poster I too am a long time Nikon shooter. However I agree the Canon P&S cameras are better than the Nikons. I bought a Canon A640 at a pawnshop for under (well under) $200 and it has produced some outstanding images. One time I was out just wandering around at a festival and decided to leave the Nikon D700 home and took the A640 instead. One image I took with the A640 has been selling as a poster rather well. When the A640 first came out I recommended it to my photography students if they were looking for a good P&S. None found fault with it and many are still using them. Some as backup cameras to DSLRs and others never felt a need to replace it. The Canon S90 is an outstanding camera but for the extra $50 I would spring for a G11 or 12. These cameras however do not fit into the price guidelines of the OP.

 

[jake337]

How about some used, old pro digital, or consumer dslr's??? I only say this because you said you want a dslr but money is the issue. What film SLR do you own? Does it meter for you? Are you used to doing the metering with handheld meter? If so you could get some old cheap AI manual focus lens to go with one of these and meter yourself.

Nikon Digital D 80 10.2 MEGAPIXEL WITH BATTERY & CHARGER (SD CARD ) DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com

Nikon Digital D100 6.1 MEGAPIXEL WITH BATTERY & CHARGER (CF CARD ) DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com


Nikon Digital D 70S 6.1 MEGAPIXEL WITH BATTERY & CHARGER (CF CARD ) DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com

Nikon Digital D 50 6.1 MEGAPIXEL BODY ONLY (SD CARD ) DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com


Nikon Digital D 40 6.1 MEGAPIXEL BLACK WITH BATTERY & CHARGER (SD CARD ) DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com

Nikon Digital D 1 2.65 MEGAPIXEL WITH BATTERY & CHARGER (CF CARD ), DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com

Nikon Digital D 1H 2.74 MEGAPIXEL WITH BATTERY & CHARGER (CF CARD ) DIGITAL SLR INTERCHANGEABLE LENS CAMERA - KEH.com

 

[joealcantar]

Whatever you end up with , I would make sure it shoots in Manual and has the ability to shoot RAW as well, built in flash is a plus with a hot shoe is even better that way you can remotely fire a cheap flash off camera if you have to.
-
Shoot well, Joe

 

[sjp117]

Thank you for the quick replays. And please keep the suggestions coming!
It seems like the Canon S90 is very popular.
The G11 or 12 seems to be far out of my budget so I'll be putting those aside. (although they are good looking cameras )
Many of the suggestions also seems to be really stretching my budget... A new Canon S90 sell for around $350 on amazon.

As for old pro DSLRs... I'm actually a bit pushed away from SLR style cameras right now. I have held a DSLR before and they are way too big for me to appreciate. Maybe if I was a better photographer I'd ignore the weight and size. And to be honest, I'd hate to carry a big expensive looking tool around my neck only to become a easy target for muggers in the Dominican Republic... If I was at a point where I wanted to invest a lot in photography I'd look at the Olympus Pen series or something along that line.

As Eric Rose suggested, I would like to check out some "pawn shops" and look for these cameras in store myself. I am currently staying in New York City, Manhattan East 23rd Street until the end of August. Being New York, I'm sure there are many stores, but is there a particular one any of you guys can recommend me?

 

[Dave107]

Although I am very new to the world of the DLSR. I did use a Panasonic Lumix FZ20 for a number of years. Full manual mode, shutter and aperature modes. A hot shoe and pop up flash. The only limiting feature was a max of F8. But as I found, it was a solid little camera, even had a Leica lens.. Might be able to find a used one for a decent price..

Dave

 

[jake337]

Thank you for the quick replays. And please keep the suggestions coming!
It seems like the Canon S90 is very popular.
The G11 or 12 seems to be far out of my budget so I'll be putting those aside. (although they are good looking cameras )
Many of the suggestions also seems to be really stretching my budget... A new Canon S90 sell for around $350 on amazon.

As for old pro DSLRs... I'm actually a bit pushed away from SLR style cameras right now. I have held a DSLR before and they are way too big for me to appreciate. Maybe if I was a better photographer I'd ignore the weight and size. And to be honest, I'd hate to carry a big expensive looking tool around my neck only to become a easy target for muggers in the Dominican Republic... If I was at a point where I wanted to invest a lot in photography I'd look at the Olympus Pen series or something along that line.

As Eric Rose suggested, I would like to check out some "pawn shops" and look for these cameras in store myself. I am currently staying in New York City, Manhattan East 23rd Street until the end of August. Being New York, I'm sure there are many stores, but is there a particular one any of you guys can recommend me?

Good reasoning. The EPl2 is nice camera.

 

[Tinstafl]

I have a Cannon s 90 and it is a great camera.You are never going to be able to get the same picture out of it that you can out of a DSLR but for landscape and some people in the sun you will be fine. When you hit the flash is where you are going to be at a disadvantage and if you are shooting anything moving too.

There is shutter lag with it and it will drive you crazy but it is one of the best point and shoots and you might be able to find it used cheaper as the S95 is out.

As to a DSLR being to big and being a target. That is an issue that you will have to address one day. It is the person not the camera but there are situations where you will see a shot and your camera will not be able to capture what you see. Then you will know you will have to move up.

 

[Marc32]

I can completely understand where you're coming from. I've always gone with $90 Kodaks and just accepted what I could get out of them. I am in the same boat of not knowing what to get and being intimidated with such a big jump to a dslr. I ended up with a Panasonic DMC-FZ100 which is about as close as a dslr as you can get without being a dslr. I found an amazing deal online for the camera, tripod, filters, bag and remote shutter for under 450. A bit higher than your target price, but I still thought that was a steal. I've been playing with for a bit good results and a few learning curves. It's not a dslr and won't do what that type of camera does. Understand that part and you'll do just fine with whatever you end up with. For what it's worth, check out the Nikon L120. It's about 250 brand new and might fit what you're looking for. I'm also researching for some photograhpy classes to get even better and get some hands on experience with different types of equiptment. When the time comes to make the big investment, I should have a better of what I need and want in a camera to make an educated choice on what I decide to buy.
Good luck!

 

[bugeyed]

The Samsung TL500 just went on sale at Samy's Camera with free shipping for ..................wait for it..........................$230!!! That's a steal!!! I am not kidding. I got mine for $332 & that was a decent deal, down from $399. This camera is very nice & IQ is great. Full manual controls will suit your need to learn.

Cheers,
kev

 

[sjp117]

That really is a nice deal!
Unfortunately I already bought a cheep standard point and shoot camera. The Canon Power Shot Elph 300 HS for $195.
Ya... Its not going to give me any access to manual control, Raw or give me any good low light performance, but I was under budget and I also needed it to be an easy camera for the rest of my family to use.
I was not really unsatisfied with my previous point and shoot. It was an older model of the Elph from 2005~2006ish, but the auto focus on that recently stared to malfunction so this will be replacing it.

I will probably be shooting in auto most of the time. I'll at least get to practice my composition and it should be an easy camera to use for street photography or for any casual use.

Thank you all for giving me suggestions! It was actually a good learning experience. I never knew there was a huge category of compact cameras that provides SLR like controls. Now I know what to look for when I have the chance to buy one