Compact Point and Shoot Camera?

[jenhelgren]

Does anyone have advice on a compact point and shoot camera for our trip? I have a larger camera and we are trying to travel "light" this trip so I would love to find a small point and shoot that will still get great pics! In the past all my point and shoots have taken blurry underwhelming photos but I haven't shopped around for a few years. I was looking at the Panasonic ds30 because it is also water and drop proof. I would love any suggestions or advice! Thanks!

 

[macraven]

Only poster I know that has knowledge on that is keishashadow

Hopefully she will stop by and help

 

[gigi from canada]

Photography is a hobby of mine. I rarely go anywhere without my camera gear and a tripod. Going to Universal is challenging because I don't want to carry my large camera. I have a little canon pocket camera and it does a decent job. I've had it for a few years. If I wanted to upgrade my point and shoot, I would be looking at this one for sure:
Canon PowerShot G9 X Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom, Built-in Wi-Fi and 3 inch LCD. It has cool features and fits in a pocket.

 

[snoopboop]

Honestly, today's cell phones take photos that are just as good as many point and shoots. I never carry a camera anymore unless I'm specifically going to the parks to take photos with my DSLR.

 

[bchbetha]

Id just take a smart phone. My iPhone's camera is really quite good. It's not amazing but it gets the job done and it's easy to carry.

 

[trickiwoo]

My favorite cameras to bring to the parks are mirrorless system cameras. I personally use a Sony mirrorless, but Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, Panasonic, etc. all have mirrorless cameras. They are much smaller and lighter than DSLR cameras, but they take far better photos than cell phones and point and shoot cameras. It's kind of the best of both words: high quality photos, but also small and lightweight.

 

[avic77]

I have the olympus micro 4/3 mirror less camera that I took to Disney last year. I agree with trickiwoo it's the best of both worlds. Just remember at universal there are several rides that you have to stow stuff in a locker

 

[wookiebeck]

I have the olympus micro 4/3 mirror less camera that I took to Disney last year. I agree with trickiwoo it's the best of both worlds. Just remember at universal there are several rides that you have to stow stuff in a locker

I still pocket my camera for a few of the 'locker' rides. Only on the looping coasters where you run through a metal detector do you have to locker the camera. That is how I get queue photos of MIB, Mummy and FJ.

 

[Kit Jackson]

I have a Cannon PowerShot Elph 340 that I love. I'm not sure if they're still making that model, but it's a start. I find I have much better control with a traditional point and shoot. The pictures on my smart phone never come out nearly as good as my point and shoot.

 

[LaFleurville]

I have a Cannon PowerShot Elph 340 that I love. I'm not sure if they're still making that model, but it's a start. I find I have much better control with a traditional point and shoot. The pictures on my smart phone never come out nearly as good as my point and shoot.

Thanks!

 

[jenhelgren]

I have a Cannon PowerShot Elph 340 that I love. I'm not sure if they're still making that model, but it's a start. I find I have much better control with a traditional point and shoot. The pictures on my smart phone never come out nearly as good as my point and shoot.

I was actually looking at the Canon 350 or 360
How does this line of Cannons compare to the mirror less mentioned above? I am pretty clueless in the photography category but love the photos and memory books I get to make when we get back home and my # 1 complaint from cell phone cameras is blurry pics!

 

[Kit Jackson]

I was actually looking at the Canon 350 or 360
How does this line of Cannons compare to the mirror less mentioned above? I am pretty clueless in the photography category but love the photos and memory books I get to make when we get back home and my # 1 complaint from cell phone cameras is blurry pics!

I wouldn't know. I'm not a photography expert. I can tell you it's a super basic point and shoot with a very large screen and that the menus and basic functions (taking a picture, previewing a picture, and deleting a picture) are pretty simple to figure out and use. It takes fantastic pictures.

 

[tony67]

I agree on the mirror less comment - if you want really high quality photos they cant be beat for size
The Samsung NX300 and NX500 are pretty amazing and very easy to carry - especially with a pancake lens.
The NX500 does 4K Video as well and many features teh other do not... many of the features are way better than my Canon 80D that just came out..
unfortunately both were discontinued when Samsung got out of that business so maybe you can get some deals on them - that is my goto for small/quality photos

best bet is to look at dpreview.com - they get into a lot of details and testing of most major digital cameras by size and such.

Also - for size the Digital Elphs are very nice cameras..not the best..but very good.

 

[keishashadow]

I'm not an expert but we have our share of cameras. If I'm good, get to carry the mr's Nikon bag

iPhones have decent camera but it does tend to drain the battery. Not a fan of the low-light/night pics. The 7 is supposed to address that.

My favorite P/S is older waterproof Pentax/Riccoh WG Has served us well, holding up thru many snorkeling trips when others have failed us (Fuji). It performs well in both the cold and heat. Check out the reviews.

Cannon Elphs also very reliable. The earlier ones tended to have issues with the lens cover sticking, but newer models over last few years are better. I have One from 300 series that just keeps ticking.

Not quite compacts but might want to consider compacts that are substantially lighter/smaller than a true SLR. Solid choices are Nikon b500 and the L830 (discontinued Takes nice videos and good zoom) both take great pics.

Cnet has good, laymen type reviews There's a photography board here somewhere too that may be helpful to you

 

[squirrel]

Everyone I saw had their cell phones. I need to get one next time. Carrying around all the camera equipment was crazy considering the camera is over 8 years old and only does a decent job.

 

[LaFleurville]

I'm leaning to just getting a new cell phone. Probably the iPhone 7 Plus. I need a new one anyway and our upcoming trip is as good as any excuse. Thanks everyone.