Looking for new point and shoot camera

[iamloco724]

Hi

im looking for some recommendations on a point and shoot camera

it needs to be snappy when taking pictures,decent zoom,good in low light and in doors... for a sporting event like a wrestling event..and for my girlfriend she wants it to have wifi and be able to upload to social media accounts from the camera

megapixels whatever you think is best considering everything else

size would prefer nothing to bulky but doesnt have to be super tiny

we would like to spend up to $350 lower is always better but that is our max

any recommendations would be greatly appreciated

[Andy Stanton]

Point and shoots have improved greatly over the past few years, especially with respect to low light shooting, optical zoom and movie capability.

Built-in Wi-Fi is getting more common but most point and shoots don't have it. However, Eye-Fi makes memory cards with a Wi-Fi transmitter that will accomplish the same thing and can be used in any camera. Once your camera has Wi-Fi, either built-in or through an Eye-Fi card, your girlfriend can upload photos to the internet if she's in range of a Wi-Fi network or, even if she's not in range, through her smartphone.

If you want a very small camera, the Sony WX100 is a good choice. It has a 10x optical zoom. If you don't mind a camera that's larger, but still pocket sized, there are several long zoom cameras that are excellent - the Sony HX30v (which has built-in Wi-Fi), the Canon SX260 HS, the Panasonic ZS20 and the Nikon S9300.

[iamloco724]

i want to modify what i had originally asked for

looking at cameras in that price range and what some have suggested i think theres features in many we wont use we dont need anything too "professional"

i want something thats good quality and meets what i say but i think that will come at a cheaper price now looking at stuff like maybe 250?

also im open to non wifi suggestions at this point i just want something thats great for the price and is easy to use as well without features that the average person wouldnt use

also would like it too be good at hd video

[Andy Stanton]

All the cameras I mentioned meet your criteria except the Sony HX30v (and HX20v) which are higher-priced than $250.

without features that the average person wouldnt use

All point and shoot cameras, including the ones I recommended, come with an Auto mode that will take care of the important settings automatically. Most point and shoots have a more sophisticated Auto mode, sometimes called Intelligent Auto or Smart Auto, which is even better at automatically selecting the right settings to take properly exposed pictures.

[iamloco724]

All the cameras I mentioned meet your criteria except the Sony HX30v (and HX20v) which are higher-priced than $250.


All point and shoot cameras, including the ones I recommended, come with an Auto mode that will take care of the important settings automatically. Most point and shoots have a more sophisticated Auto mode, sometimes called Intelligent Auto or Smart Auto, which is even better at automatically selecting the right settings to take properly exposed pictures.

any opinion on the samsung ex2f?

and forgive me for me not so knowledgeable in this area but when a camera has a pop up flash like the same samsung does that is the camera main flash right?.. so will it pop when its needed? and do they usually automatically go back down?

[Andy Stanton]

The Samsung EX2f is one of the top point and shoot cameras due to its large sensor, which gives it image quality that's superior to most point and shoots, especially in low light. The EX2f also has built-in Wi-Fi and a very nice high resolution flip-out LCD screen.. Its disadvantages are its relatively high price - well over $300, and short zoom - only 3.3x. Overall the EX2f is a very good camera if it has the features you want, but a high quality point and shoot with longer zoom like the Sony HX30v or HX20v or the Canon SX260 HD, Panasonic ZS20 or Nikon S9300 are cheaper (some are much cheaper) and more versatile even if their low light image quality is not quite as good as the Samsung EX2f.

As far as popup flashes are concerned, some pop up automatically when the camera thinks a flash is necessary. Others require the user to press a button to pop up the flash. I prefer a camera where the flash doesn't pop up because of the potential for problems with the pop-up mechanism.

[KCook]

My Olympus camera has a popup flash. Andy makes a very good point about the mechanism that goes with a popup flash. But, as counter-point, a benefit of the popup type is that you are less likely to accidentally block the light from the flash with a finger.

Kelly Cook

[iamloco724]

The Samsung EX2f is one of the top point and shoot cameras due to its large sensor, which gives it image quality that's superior to most point and shoots, especially in low light. The EX2f also has built-in Wi-Fi and a very nice high resolution flip-out LCD screen.. Its disadvantages are its relatively high price - well over $300, and short zoom - only 3.3x. Overall the EX2f is a very good camera if it has the features you want, but a high quality point and shoot with longer zoom like the Sony HX30v or HX20v or the Canon SX260 HD, Panasonic ZS20 or Nikon S9300 are cheaper (some are much cheaper) and more versatile even if their low light image quality is not quite as good as the Samsung EX2f.

As far as popup flashes are concerned, some pop up automatically when the camera thinks a flash is necessary. Others require the user to press a button to pop up the flash. I prefer a camera where the flash doesn't pop up because of the potential for problems with the pop-up mechanism.

ill check some of those others out what do you think of the new Sony DSC-WX80 based on specs

obivously its not in the same class as some of these others but if i can spend less im more then fine with that lol i just want something thats better then a smartphone overall when it comes to vids and pictures

[Andy Stanton]

The WX80 should be released in a few days. It should be a fine camera, as are all cameras in Sony's WX series. These WX cameras are a step up from Sony's lower-priced, lower quality point and shoots, the W series (like the W620), though not on the same level as Sony's HX series cameras (such as the HX20v). The WX80 will have an 8x optical zoom and built-in WiFi. It should take very nice images and movies, though don't expect low light images to be of the same quality as the Samsung EX2f.

[iamloco724]

ill check some of those others out what do you think of the new Sony DSC-WX80 based on specs

obivously its not in the same class as some of these others but if i can spend less im more then fine with that lol i just want something thats better then a smartphone overall when it comes to vids and pictures

thanks for all the info ill let you know what i wind up with and my thoughts