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Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

Started May 8, 2012 | Discussions
petsch
petsch Regular Member • Posts: 166
Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

Hi

I'm looking for a ultracompact camera for my wife. So needs to be WAF friendly

It should be as small and lightweight as possible.
Nice if it has a decent optical zoom.
Must to be strong in low light scenarios.

Would mainly be used for taking pictures and video of kids.

I would considering something like the ELPH 300 HS (IXUS 220) or ELPH 310 HS (IXUS 230)

Price range with a max on 300$

Thanks,

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Regards
Peter

Equip: Canon 60D, Canon 17-55 f/2.8, Canon 70-200 f/2.8L, Canon 17-85mm, Canon 75-
300mm, Canon 50mm f1.8, Sigma Flash, YN-560II.

 petsch's gear list:petsch's gear list
Canon PowerShot S110 Nikon 1 J1 Canon EOS M Canon EOS 6D Sony a6000 +20 more
Canon ELPH 300 HS (IXUS 220 HS) Canon ELPH 310 HS (IXUS 230 HS)
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technic Veteran Member • Posts: 8,932
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

I would suggest the S100 (probably over your budget, have to guess at your local prices), or the older S95 that are available with very nice discounts, probably around $275. You will get a bit better image (lens) quality than with the Ixus models, and probably a bit better low light performance as well.

glenncombs Senior Member • Posts: 2,127
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

petsch wrote:

Hi

I'm looking for a ultracompact camera for my wife. So needs to be WAF friendly

It should be as small and lightweight as possible.
Nice if it has a decent optical zoom.
Must to be strong in low light scenarios.

Would mainly be used for taking pictures and video of kids.

I would considering something like the ELPH 300 HS (IXUS 220) or ELPH 310 HS (IXUS 230)

Price range with a max on 300$

Thanks,

Peter,

Why don't you look into the Canon SX260? It just fits into your budget, (about $300 USD). It has a lot going for it, including full HD video, 20X optical zoom, to catch those kids in all their action, including close-ups, and super-wide angle, along with Digic 5, for the best automatic smart control. The user doesn't have to know a lot about photography to get good images and video. It should work well for your wife. It would not be the best ultra-low light camera. None of the small ultra-compact Canon's would, with small image sensors. You would have to go to the S95 or S100, which bust your budget some, to do very low light well. But, you can always use a flash. It changes the appearance of photos, but captures the scene of the moment. the wider optical zoom of this model is definitely a plus.

Glenn
--
Alexander...our wild child

Canon S2, SD880, SD4000

james s. kennedy Contributing Member • Posts: 586
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

I am a camera nut, have about 150 cameras, mostly film, but I am very pleased with my ELPH 310, which I bought at Costco for $200 about 2 months ago. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued, but you may still be able to find one somewhere.

It's about the size of a deck of playing cards and is my take everywhere shirt pocket camera. It has a sensible 12 meg sensor, a good 8x zoom range (28-224 mm), good image stabilization and a decent LCD. It has a good macro mode. In movie mode, it stays in focus on the subject while you zoom, and changes the exposure parameters as needed. You don't get a lot of manual control, but you don't need it. Battery life is outstanding. I can't think of any negatives, with the exception that with bright sunlight shining on the LCD, it is difficult to see what you are shooting at. I don't think it can be beat for the price. It is always with me.

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Jim Kennedy

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Shamus1
Shamus1 Senior Member • Posts: 1,717
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

I have quite a few cameras, all Canon.... You might want to look at the SX230 or a used S95 (last one B&H had was around $270). The S95 does 720p video but the SX230 does 1080p. Also has a 14x zoom and GPS

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james s. kennedy Contributing Member • Posts: 586
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

And a macro.

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Jim Kennedy

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RDCollins
RDCollins Senior Member • Posts: 1,194
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

Amazon has the S100 in silver for $384, black for $387 today -- no tax, free shipping. Far better camera than those you listed for only a few bucks more.
--
Doug Collins
Hermosa Beach, California

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Derek Oregon Contributing Member • Posts: 520
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

Must be a reason why the s100 is down to $386 and the s95 is still hanging around at $374 and selling well, more then a year later?? Curious.

RDCollins
RDCollins Senior Member • Posts: 1,194
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

I suspect it's because the S95 is no longer made and there are some people who believe that it's somehow better than the newer model. After all, it is a very good camera, but I think most reviewers have preferred the S100 for a variety of reasons -- DIGIC 5 vs. Digic 4, 24mm vs. 28., etc.

I'm not so sure that the S95 is still selling well. It hasn't been manufactured for more than 6 months yet it's still available from many sites. BTW, the S95 can be found for under $325.

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Doug Collins
Hermosa Beach, California

 RDCollins's gear list:RDCollins's gear list
Sony a6400 Sony E 50mm F1.8 OSS Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS Sony E 16-50mm F3.5-5.6 PZ OSS +2 more
technic Veteran Member • Posts: 8,932
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

Derek Oregon wrote:

Must be a reason why the s100 is down to $386 and the s95 is still hanging around at $374 and selling well, more then a year later?? Curious.

really? In Europe over the last months the S100 price slowly declined from about EUR 430 to EUR 380; over the same time the S95 went from about EUR 325 to EUR 270. So the S100 is 30-40% more expensive, huge difference ...

aodi
aodi Senior Member • Posts: 1,678
Re: Looking for ultracompact camera - any recommendations ?

s100 outstanding camera
--
Anatoli

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