Best point and shoot around $300?

A friend asked me for a recommendation for a point and shoot around $300.  Previously I would have said S120, but it seems like that line is dead for buying new units, but the replacements like the G9 X are $429.  There seems to be a gap at around $300, there are models ~$200 and >$400 but it's hard finding quality options at around $300.

Are any of the regular Powershot lineup any good?

I'm also open to considering other brands if anybody has any recommendations.

I'm not sure there are good point and shoot cameras around $300 anymore. This category has been thorougly routed by the smartphones. Sorry, I can't help you there.

collinong wrote:

A friend asked me for a recommendation for a point and shoot around $300. Previously I would have said S120, but it seems like that line is dead for buying new units, but the replacements like the G9 X are $429. There seems to be a gap at around $300, there are models ~$200 and >$400 but it's hard finding quality options at around $300.

Are any of the regular Powershot lineup any good?

I'm also open to considering other brands if anybody has any recommendations.

Does your friend have to buy new? You can find the original G9X used for around $350. Same for the Sony RX100, which is still highly regarded.

If your friend is willing to go a bit bigger for better image quality, you can find used/refurb G1X cameras for around that price. They have their limitations but I adore mine. There are also Fuji X30s for sale around that price, they don't quite have the IQ of the 1" or larger sensors but they feel great in the hand and make taking pictures fun.

collinong wrote:

A friend asked me for a recommendation for a point and shoot around $300. Previously I would have said S120, but it seems like that line is dead for buying new units, but the replacements like the G9 X are $429. There seems to be a gap at around $300, there are models ~$200 and >$400 but it's hard finding quality options at around $300.

Are any of the regular Powershot lineup any good?

I'm also open to considering other brands if anybody has any recommendations.

The best $300 camera is a Google Nexus 5x smartphone

collinong wrote:

A friend asked me for a recommendation for a point and shoot around $300. Previously I would have said S120, but it seems like that line is dead for buying new units, but the replacements like the G9 X are $429. There seems to be a gap at around $300, there are models ~$200 and >$400 but it's hard finding quality options at around $300.

Are any of the regular Powershot lineup any good?

I'm also open to considering other brands if anybody has any recommendations.

I am a big fan of Canons compact superzooms, they don't get any coverage on these forums but they are great cameras. I recently bought the SX720 after owning SX240 and SX260 cameras. For all use except low light indoor use these are great cameras, the low light indoor use is however adequate

Being able to carry around a camera in ones pocket that zooms out to 1000mm is brilliant

All in all a great camera, currently at knock down prices.

snowrunner wrote:

I'm not sure there are good point and shoot cameras around $300 anymore. This category has been thorougly routed by the smartphones.

I agree. It's a sad situation really. The true point and shoot camera has disappeared - those cameras that really had only one setting and all one needed to do was, literally, point and shoot.

The advanced compacts that remain are more expensive. They have the potential to give much better results but you need to know what you are doing and take more control of the camera.

Unfortunately, those of us who are dropping down from a DSLR and still want to have some control, wouldn't be happy with a simple P&S. I've gotten so much more use out of my G15 than I ever did with the DSLR.

From the Rothorn across from the Matterhorn (September 2013)

Oh I fully agree with you, I love my G1XII for the amount of control it gives me, and absolutely would I never pick a dumb point and shoot for myself.

But the G1XII is not a camera I would put in Auto mode and hand over to somebody else to take a shot of myself standing on a mountaintop and just trust that the camera will come up with the image I envisaged.

Good point, but as you can see my G15 is still around ny neck. I trusted my sister to take a great shot with her camera.

Assuming we're talking new cameras, I would take a good look at the Sony DSC-HX80, currently $338. It has a pop-up electronic viewfinder like the RX-100 Mks. III, IV, and V; a BSI-CMOS sensor; a 24-720mm-equivalent lens (albeit f/3.5-6.4, but branded Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar, 11 elements in 10 groups with 5 of them being aspherical), full PASM exposure control; and 1080p60 video. What it does not have is raw capture, a fast lens, a large sensor, or UHD video (wrongly called 4K).

That said, one could well argue that makes more sense to either increase the budget somewhat, or look at used cameras, or settle for a cheaper new camera. New 1-inch sensor compacts now start at $430 for the original Canon G9X and $448 for the original Sony RX100. Used there are of course many options at many prices.

FWIW, for compact point-and-shoot duties I still use an old Canon SX230 HS. Especially with the CHDK firmware hack to produce DNG raw files, it is fine except in very low light, and for not having a viewfinder, which sometimes I really miss.

A mirrorless for under $300!!! Good luck with that.

A compact DSLR-style (i.e. with viewfinder) mirrorless camera would indeed be a good solution. They can be fitted with pancake lenses or collapsible zooms when overal size is important.