Compact Camera Shopping for Dummies

This is a guide to those who can't make up their mind in purchasing their camera. If you already know which one you want, go with your heart!


As a technology geek, my favorite shopping spot, of course, includes future shop. As I browse, however, I was often disappointed with the salesmen who knows next to nothing about cameras trying to offer their "advice" on which camera to get to people who are starting out. Of course, the big selection of point and shoot each with their own unique features do NOT help. So hopefully I can make this guide as comprehensive as possible by simply giving you 1 or 2 choices based on your budget!


$0 - $200 
This is what I call an anything goes zone. Mainly because whatever camera you end up getting is probably not going to be that different. If you are in this budget range, then chances are you are going to use your camera for very simple day-to-day shooting: capturing parties, touring and etc. The main thing you should be looking for is fast start up time - the time it takes from the moment you press on/off button to when you can actually taking photos. I've found that incredibly useful as it makes miss as little shots as possible. My suggestion is to stick with Canon or Nikon as they are the 2 big names in making consumer products. You can't go wrong with them.

Conclusion:
- Stick with Canon/Nikon.
- Test out start up time.
- Whatever looks good!

$200-$300
You are looking for a point-and-shoot for day-to-day use, but also cares about your image quality now. After reading a bunch of reviews and thinking about experiences using friends' cameras, I have decided to root for Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS 12 MP


Price: $279 at Best Buy or Amazon.ca
Appearance: Comes in Black, Silver,  and RED! =)
Lens: 24-120mm 35mm eq. focus range will serve most every day need (this is your zoom range); f2.7-f17 aperture.
Speed: This is where this camera shines when compared to other similar cameras. It takes ~2 seconds to start up and ~2 seconds to recycle between picture.
Low light scenario: You can never expect a compact point and shoot to compare with a DSLR in low light situation, but Canon ELPH 300 can do fairly well as it can shoot without showing visible noise at ISO 800. That means you can't see the grainy dots even at fairly high light sensitivity level.

Conclusion: Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS


$300-$500
So you want to get a nice point-and-shoot or maybe you are thinking about getting a prosumer camera (the ones with big lens but can't change them). Well think no further, my advice is, don't waste your money in getting a prosumer - save the money and buy yourself something nice! (If you HAVE to get a prosumer for some reason, check out the Canon G12 10MP).Instead, get a top of the line, state of the art point and shoot! In fact, some point and shoots are actually better than most of the prosumer and even some of the DSLR. From many reviewers and friends' experience, I strongly suggest the Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP. 


Price: $419 at Amazon
Appearance: Only come in black. Manual control ring to control exposure, focus, ISO, etc. precisely. 
Lens: 28mm-105mm (35mm eq.) Max. Aperture - f/2.0 (W), f/4.9 (T) - this super large aperture for compact cameras will enable you to take excellent photos even at ISO 3200. 
Sensor Size / Resolution: 14.9 mm / 10 MP. Don't get fooled by the "small" pixel number. With only "10MP", it seems to be on the low side of compact cameras nowadays. But the sensor size of this camera is absolutely massive for a compact camera. A big sensor size means you get more "effective pixel" which actually means BETTER image quality!
Other nice features: 720p. HD movie shooting. Miniature (tilt-shift) effect (example of cool photo with this effect).


Conclusion:  Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP. (Hands down!)

Well that concludes my very first product reviews and suggestions! I hope that actually helped! I kept it as simple as possible and only showed you 1 product for each category. And if you liked the review please help me by either buying the camera from the links on my website (help me the most), or click on the google ads to the side, or even just coming back from time to times to check my new blog posts!


Thank you very much for reading!


-M