Camera | Imamother

seeker

Fri, Aug 17 2012, 12:25 am

Depends what you're looking for. What do you want to photograph mostly? What's your price range? Do you want to learn how to use it like a pro or do you want to mainly take it out of the box and just shoot on auto?

I second the suggestion of Canon Elph series for a medium budget, mainly auto, family camera. Fits most typical people's needs well, plus they're small and cute. Does not need to be the top of the line, they're all good and if you can get last year's model for a lower price it's very worthwhile. No need for more megapixels and definitely no need (for most people) for touch screens that zap batteries, wifi, gps, or whatever other bells and whistles drive up the price every year.

If Elphs are too expensive for you I'd shop around before buying a Canon whose name begins with A. They're definitely OK, but I think quite a bit flimsier. You might shop around and then choose the Canon Axxx anyway but since I'm not familiar with other brands' offerings in that price range, I can't say. The price is definitely good for a Canon, but I don't know about competitors in that category. See what Nikon and Panasonic have in that price range.

Conversely if you're looking for higher end, want to get more professional about your photography, do NOT plan to keep your camera on Auto mode mostly, then some good options to look into are Canon S95 or S100, Canon G12, and Panasonic LX in whatever number they're up to. Settledin is right that the Canon is a great camera (I happen to have the S95 which is extremely similar in specs but has a smaller body and less zoom, I love the smallness but miss the zoom but what made the decision for me was the price, I got a good deal) but it is completely wasted on someone who just wants to point and shoot on automatic. Way too many buttons and options and settings, of course it has an auto mode too but it isn't enough of an improvement over the auto on the Elphs to make it worth an extra $200.