I get a lot of people asking me advice on what camera to buy. Now if you were asking me about the pricey high-end cameras I would definitely have an opinion on that. But in the “Point and Shoot” arena…. man – it’s almost impossible to stay on top of it all. I don’t know about you but for me I research and stay on top of the stuff I use on a day to day basis. Anything else…. sorry! Not enough time in the day or room in my head!!
I will tell a couple of my considerations…
1.) Megapixels… that’s pretty obvious. The more the better.. as long as they are “Good” megapixels. Resolution is great but if the quality is bad then it’s kind of pointless. But I certainly want something that I can easily print more than a 5×7!
2.) Optical Zoom… Personally I find any digital zoom factor unusable. So the better you optical zoom again, the better the quality f the photo
3.) Lag time…. There is nothing more annoying then pressing a shutter button to capture a moment and finding that the moment was gone long before the camera ever took the photo. This to me may be the most import of the three for me on a “Point and Shoot”
Doing research at the moment you are going to buy is very important. There are new models coming out all the time and if you do all your research and then buy a month later, you may be wasting your time!
Go to a REPUTABLE camera store and listen to what the guy or girl behind the counter has to say. They are the ones that really keep up on all of this. They know the latest and greatest and what’s coming down the pike.
I am always a fan of Canon. Their sensor technology is really some of the best out there. So with them you’ll usually be getting “Good” pixels.
Strangely enough though, when I bought my first Digital Point & Shoot less then a year ago.. I did not get a Canon. I wanted as many megapixels as I could jam into the smallest package possible. So I ended up with a Samsung NV3! I wanted it for quick vacation snaps where I did not care about lugging around my big SLR but want to capture moments for personal use. With 7.2 Megapixels in a 3.75″ x 2.25″ x .75″ package that fits in my shirt pocket with tons of room to spare, it has a pretty good quality image! It also has a bunch of bells and whistles that I don’t use, like MP3 capabilities, etc. I occasionally use the movie feature.. and definitely use the manual adjustment options.
One of the best features is that it LOOKS GREAT! (That’s always important!) and my biggest gripe is… you guessed it, the lag time. I HATE IT! It’s not horrible in the scheme of things but it’s still way too long for me.
My best advice is to go out and hold these things in your hand and buy the one that fits you lifestyle the best. The one your gut tells you to buy. Everyone has different parameters for what they are looking to have their cameras do, so consequently your individual priorities will probably send you in a very different direction than mine.
I find that another major factor in the choice of a good point-and-shoot digital camera is the quality of the lens. This obviously has a lot to do with the sensor as well. I’ve always steered people to the Nikon Coolpix cameras because their lenses, although small, seem to be some of the sharpest on the market.
Another important thing to remember about point and shoots is that for an entry level consumer, compatibility with your computer and well-designed software are both important. While I feel that both Nikon’s and Canon’s camera software is good, their computer software leaves a lot to be desired. I assume that it’s designed the same way for PC’s, I only use Apples. I hear a lot of good things about Olympus in that arena.
That’s why I always ask the person who has queried me what sort of computer they have and how familiar they are with programs that will manage your pictures for you, like iPhoto, because that will also affect your overall satisfaction with your purchase.
Great Points Dylan! (The NV 3 has Schneider optics = Good!) Personally I use iPhoto for my personal stuff and of course you know I use Adobe Lightroom for the big stuff.