Looking for New Compact Advice

[bcflood]

Hi everyone! I've been a longtime Canon Rumors reader/lurker, but never got around to registering or asking a question until today. I've been wanting to get back into photography as a hobby. I used to shoot regularly with my EOS A2E and 3 (yeah, it's been awhile).

So, to my question. I had a Canon Elph 310 that I used for day to day shooting. It was pretty convenient since it fits in pockets and had some decent features. It got wet during a rainstorm as my bags were being loaded on a plane (water literally came out of the battery compartment), so I'm looking for a replacement.

While I usually use Canon, I'm not adverse to others. I'm primarily looking for a compact that is small (fits in pockets), is inexpensive ($200-300ish), and perhaps is a bit of a step up from the Elph 310. I was looking at the Powershots and was thinking the SX700 and SX600 looked interesting. I was wondering your thoughts on these or other compacts. I'd like to start shaking off some of the rust (and dust off my SLRs) of my shooting skills!

Thanks for any and all advice!

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

Pocket cameras have very small image sensor, and dark lenses to be getting smaller. A pocket model with larger sensor and brighter lens than the others in its class, is the Powershot S110. The picture quality is pretty decent in low light.

 

[Renaissance]

Hi. I was in the same situation as you early this year. I started with Canon's top of the line compact S series, and it was a fun little toy, but the IQ left me wanting more. It seemed only a minor improvement over smart phone cameras. I had a G series before, but at that size and price I tried the Fuji X-M1, then X-E2, and even a x100s, while all great, they still didn't do it for me 100%. I'm not a fan of m43's, and the Sony Nex A6000 is nice, but limited with lenses.

So I went for the SL1 and it's been a blast! With a small lens, it's so fun and convenient and keeps the DSLR skills sharp!

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

So I went for the SL1 and it's been a blast! With a small lens, it's so fun and convenient and keeps the DSLR skills sharp!

Canon Sl1 is a great camera, but as will fit in your pocket? : ??? An interesting alternatina to fit in my jacket pocket is Canon G16.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Hi everyone! I've been a longtime Canon Rumors reader/lurker, but never got around to registering or asking a question until today. I've been wanting to get back into photography as a hobby. I used to shoot regularly with my EOS A2E and 3 (yeah, it's been awhile).

So, to my question. I had a Canon Elph 310 that I used for day to day shooting. It was pretty convenient since it fits in pockets and had some decent features. It got wet during a rainstorm as my bags were being loaded on a plane (water literally came out of the battery compartment), so I'm looking for a replacement.

While I usually use Canon, I'm not adverse to others. I'm primarily looking for a compact that is small (fits in pockets), is inexpensive ($200-300ish), and perhaps is a bit of a step up from the Elph 310. I was looking at the Powershots and was thinking the SX700 and SX600 looked interesting. I was wondering your thoughts on these or other compacts. I'd like to start shaking off some of the rust (and dust off my SLRs) of my shooting skills!

Thanks for any and all advice!

If you are in the USA, one of the things you might consider is going to the Canon Direct website and looking at refurbished cameras. Right now, they are on sale, so you can get a higher end model for a good price.
You can get a refurbished G13 for $323, but it might not be pocket able enough. In that case, look at the S110 for $203. Except for the G1 X, pretty much all of them fall into your price range due to the reduced prices.

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cameras/ProductListingViewAll_10051_10051_-1_244764_highPrice_grid

DSLR's are also discounted, but as with any product, you might find a lower price for a new item if you look.

 

[bcflood]

Thanks for the advice! Refurbished sounds like a good avenue. I'm probably going to save towards a T5i later this year to start shooting with a SLR again (and dust off all my lenses). I had been thinking about the 70D or waiting for the 7D2, but those would probably be overkill for just getting back into it. Baby steps.

 

[brad-man]

Thanks for the advice! Refurbished sounds like a good avenue. I'm probably going to save towards a T5i later this year to start shooting with a SLR again (and dust off all my lenses). I had been thinking about the 70D or waiting for the 7D2, but those would probably be overkill for just getting back into it. Baby steps.

Powershot S100 for $160. Great little camera...

http://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/310255?WT.mc_id=C126149

 

[eninja]

Ricoh GR? i dont know how good it is. Buy eyeing on one. Very slim and light, yet APS-C size. but 28mm Lens Fixed. I would want it very much if it can go zoom a bit.

 

[CanNotYet]

As usual, this depends on your shooting style. Assuming your 300$ budget to be strict, these are some options:

• Canon S-series
• Canon SX-series (the compact line)
• Canon G-series (although they normally are a bit pricier, g15 goes for 400$)
• EOS-M

Then the competition:

• Panasonic TZ-series
• Sony HX-series (compact models)
• Olympus XZ-series
• Olympus TG-X series (waterproof)
• FujiFilm X10 or X20

Well, those are the main suggestions. If you have used a rangefinder camera before, I would steer you towards FujiFilms excellent X10 or X20. And take your time to weigh the pros and cons.

BTW, the Olympus TG-X series is not the most common option here, but they do have bright lenses, and can be used virtally anywhere... (I've used mine filming myself and my daughter going down a water slide, try to do that with a SLR...)