Hoping for recommendations

[CherylAmI]

I should start by saying I'm not a photographer ... I take pictures of my kids, our activities, sometimes pics for ebay items for sale, etc. No art photography, just simple needs.

My camera is dying, maybe. It's a few years old - it's a Canon Powershot A540. It met with an unfortunate sticky drink-spilling situation a few days ago, and now it will take pictures, but is very slow to zoom in & out, and will not take a picture when zoomed in.

I realize I could probably get it cleaned, just not sure that's sensible given its age etc - though I've been very happy with it, overall.

So - assuming I'm looking for a new camera... it'd be point-and-shoot, and fairly inexpensive (I'd love to pay $200 or less).

These are the things I didn't like about my camera, so would love to improve upon this time:

• it was terrible for night pictures
• it was slow between pictures

These are somethings I love about my camera:

• the optical viewfinder (I think it's called - rather than looking at the screen, you can peek through the little window like in an old-style camera) - this was so helpful in bright light
• the pictures came out nice & sharp, almost without exception (well, not so much when I zoom in, but I seldom do that - crop instead)
• it uses AA batteries, no need to have a special charger or whatever

Looking around the net a bit, trying to shop, I found a few features which would be neat to have, though not necessary - but definitely bonuses!:

• image stabilization
• timer
• faster recovery time between pictures
• wide angle lens

I think the color options are pretty neat, too, but can't you do that sort of thing (sepia, etc) on your photo editor? Is it worthwhile having it on the camera?

Anyways. Looking at the cameras on sale now, and cameras in general, I find it so darn confusing - I wish there was some sort of comprehensive camera-finder kind of survey where you rate everything by importance, then out pops some good options for you. But I can't find one that addresses the things that matter to me.

If you have suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Thanks so much.

[JimL]

Nikon Coolpix L110 (Red and Black, 12 mp, 15x Optical zoom,VR) Factory Refurbished with 1 year warranty. $219

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-Coolpix-L1...item53e57afc22

Black New same camera but no mention of warranty $199.00

http://www.abt.com/product/44901/Nik...gn=shoppingcom

I have purchased items from both vendors satisfactorly. Both are with free shipping right now.

Jim

[PPPhoto]

I'm going to make a different recommendation than Jim. Take at look at the Canon SX130. It lists for about $250, but you might find it for a bit less somewhere.

Why this camera? Probably the biggest reason is that you are already familiar with the Canon menu system. It's a plus to not have to learn a new camera setup. But, Canon is still a solid performer in terms of image quality, and this camera is no exception.

Unfortunately there is no camera that will give you all you want.
* Optical Viewfinder: Pretty much a thing of the past now, although some of the higher end p&s cameras still have one, you just pay a lot more.
* Nice and sharp: Fortunately most cameras from the top brands (Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc.) will do this. As a note: zooming is better than cropping, even if only in regards to metering capability.
* AA batteries: Still several options available. The newer cameras in the same series as your A540 are using the Li-Ion batteries now. Li-Ion do provide for longer battery life, faster flash recycle times, and better response times in general though.
* Image stabilization: Pretty much standard on most cameras now. Pay careful attention at some of the lower end cameras, especially Nikon.
* Wide-angle lens: Again, this is becoming more standard. Many camera had an equivalent of a 35-38mm lens at the wide end, but many are now offering an equivalent of 28mm, or even wider.
* Timer: All cameras have this.
* Faster recovery time: Certainly improved over the years - usually a flash issue, see comments about batteries.
* Night pictures: Cameras have gotten better at this, but no p&s camera is going to do a "great" job at it.

Your comment about the color options is great. You definitely can do all of things, and more, on the computer. I see them as what I call "gimmick features". Sure, they look nice, but are unnecessary. I always recommend to shoot at the highest resolution and in normal color. You can also lower resolution and change to b&w, sepia, etc. later, but you can't do the opposite with any sort of success.


So, in conclusion, welcome to the Zo. I hope that this helps you out a bit. Just as some background, I worked at a camera store for 10 years, so I hope that I haven't given you more information than what you really wanted.

[CherylAmI]

Thank you both for your great information. Craig, love the info you gave me about the various features I like. Sure enough, I was being drawn to those color effects, even knowing it was likely completely unnecessary. I guess they know people will be tempted by things like that.

I will check these out - thanks very much. I do love my Canon, so have a tendancy to favour them. (Right or wrong).

Looking forward to a new camera, once the pain of finding the right one is over with!

Cheers,
Cheryl

[CherylAmI]

Well - having been reading reviews etc for literally hours on end, I decided to buy the Canon Powershot A3100is , which is rated well, not very feature-heavy but it turns out I seldom use the special features anyways. I got it on sale for $100 (the blue one - other colors from same place were $80 more, they must have been overstocked in blue). I was very very tempted by the SX130is, however, my best price was double that, and I couldn't see that the benefits warranted doubling the price. So.Thank you so much for your help - I'm breathing a sigh of relief now that the choice is made.

[CherylAmI]

- okay, now I"m sounding completely silly, however, I have been re-thinking my choice. I 've now decided to buy the SX130is, and try it. My biggest problem with it was the slow performance - that drove me crazy on my other camera, and this one is slower still in some situations. However, it has some great features that I don't want to walk away from.

So - ethical or not, I've opted to buy it as well, and return the one I do not like as much. Both stores have no-questions-asked type of return policies, and while I never take advantage of those normally, I think this might be a situation ideal for that. I can read dozens of reviews on both cameras, but really won't know whether I'm okay with the camera until I try it. Also, I am buying the SX130is from a store which includes a one-hour tutorial so that you learn the features - this would be most helpful, given that some of my problems with my former camera are quite likely due to user error.

Sorry to have a whole saga here about my little camera purchase. I know, though, that unless it breaks or something, I'll be using the camera I choose for several years, so I really want to be happy with it. Again, I thank you for your input - it really is appreciated.

All the best,
Cheryl

[PPPhoto]

Cheryl, since I come from a retail background I will caution you to make sure that you keep the box contents as pristine as possible until you have made your decision. This is mostly a courtesy to the retailer as it will allow them to sell the camera again. I recommend that you use your own batteries for the SX130 and not the ones included in the box.

Have fun trying them. I think one difference that you will see is with the LCD screen. For some reason the screens on the A3000/3100 just don't seem to be quite up to the same quality as on the other Canon cameras. They aren't bad, just not quite as vibrant. Otherwise the big features on the SX130 that make it stand out are the zoom and the HD video.

Just another thought here. If you really like the SX130, but are still concerned about the price, you could see if you can find an SX120 around somewhere. It's the previous model, so it may be hard to find, but will probably be discounted if you can find it. It's a little lower resolution and slightly less zoom, but still a great little camera.

[CherylAmI]

That's a great idea, Craig. I'll take a look.

The 3100 retailer's return policy states that it be unopened ... so now my plan is to try the 130 (which can indeed be returned if opened), and only open the 3100 if I'm unhappy with the 130. Thanks for pointing out re: the batteries. I probably would have thought of it, but who knows - in the excitement of opening up the camera I might easily have overlooked that.

When I picked up the 3100 today, the salesclerk said, "It takes AA batteries. Is that okay?" - which of course I found funny since that is one of the advantages to me. (I know why people want rechargeable batteries, but I find the convenience of readily available "emergency" batteries very pleasing.)

Wish me luck!

[arezai85]

I own SX120 and I really happy with it and I sure the sx130 is better than mine. Have a great moments with it and if you like share your shots with us.

Ali

[CherylAmI]

Thank you, Ali. I've had a chance to give it a very little try (just some indoor shots - we've had -20 weather here, and I don't want to take it out in that, in case it does something bad to the camera). But theoretically, the after-dark/ indoor-lit shots I took should have really showed up the slowness of the camera, and I didn't find it too slow. That being my big concern, I see no reason why this wouldn't be the camera for me. I think I'll just return the other one upon receipt.

The funny thing is, because I was trying to compare stats between my old camera & this one, re-reading the reviews of my A540 have made me wish I'd spent more time getting to know it & using its features. It has some great features. *sigh* Live & learn - I'm going to sign up for my 1-hour lesson on this new camera, and make a concerted effort to really use it to its potential.

As for posting pics, , will see if I have anything decent to offer in coming weeks.