KRSW

Has anyone come across a decent point & shoot under $300? I'd like to get my father another one since he lost his little Canon Powershot on his most recent trip.

I flipped through the Which Camera are you Carrying? thread, but those are serious photographers in there! I have a Canon T3i myself, but need to find something cheap for my Dad since he'll likely lose it within 2 years.

My biggest gripe with most of the ones I've played with is blurry focus and poor indoor performance. I understand the physics & limitations going on, but even my phone takes better pics than some of the point & shoot cams I've played with.

Thanks!

dimramon

Olympus Stylus Tough TG-860

Fujifilm XQ2


I also have an elph 100 - not sure if they still make it.

abmj-jr

The Oly Tough series is great if he tends to drop, kick, sit on or otherwise abuse his camera. Plus, the image quality is quite good.

chollie

I'm ordering another Canon SX280 (third one).

I use the 20x zoom all the time, the macro's decent, video's nothing special but it does what I need it to. Like most <$300 P&S's, low light conditions are the weak point, but I think it does as well as any of them. Way more bells and whistles than I've ever had time or need to investigate.

abmj-jr

But, pray, tell us why you have needed 3? Is there a story there?

chollie

I wish! Just me being klutzy.

First one took a tumble down a rock face. Luckily, I was able to retrieve it and the card.

Second one is my current one. Lots and lots of miles. I've read that neither of the successor versions were as good for my purposes, so I decided to get another one while I can.

I don't care about GPS or Wifi, so I have no idea how the camera scores in those areas.

Error 601

I have seen the older Canon SX50 still haunting Best Buy stores for about $200-$250.

Although when it comes to my parents at least I find something that uses AA batteries is nearly essential above all other considerations. My dad has a Canon PowerShot SX150 and had no complaints about it once I disabled digital zoom in the menu.

Efrem

This may be heresy in a photography thread - but depending on the kind of photographer your father is and what kind of phone he has, maybe he should just use that.

KRSW

Thank all of you for your suggestions! I was able to play with all of them in person.

I ultimately chose an Olympus TG-4, despite me being a Canon loyalist.

Here's why:
Pros:
Waterproof/shockproof/dustproof. My dad will be carrying it in his pocket, so lint WILL get into the mechanism of most cameras.

NON-retractable lens, no flimsy lens covering. Again, he's going to abuse it. The retractable lens will be extended while he carries it, even if it's wedged inside a pants pocket or airplane seat pocket (where he lost his last one) and the retractable lens covers invariably get stuck with his handling of it

Internal charger. No need to carry an extra charger around, just a proprietary (UGH!) USB cable. At least the cables are cheap enough off Amazon to pack a few extras. Even at that, generic extra batteries & external chargers are also cheap for this camera.

Covers have 2 locks + rubber seals. The Fuji waterproof camera I looked at used friction-fit only. The more um... idiot proofing.. I can get with this camera, the better it will be.

NO touch screen. To me this is a big pro. I've used cameras where all physical buttons have been removed and it stinks.

1080p video. Does an admirable job here.

Cons:
Proprietary USB cable. Seriously Olympus? It's 2016. With the exception of iCrap, everything else has standard USB cables.

Image quality. Probably not bad, maybe even very good for this type of camera, but I'm used to my DSLR. It's not my DSLR by any stretch of the imagination. It'll be more than enough for dear old Dad though.

chollie

Thanks for coming back to let us know what you chose and why!

RainyLady

I was going to say the same. I have a cheapish point and click that's not that old and my phone takes far better pictures.

newaarondavidson

We also have one for travel and its great. It has taken a few bumps, gone deep (15-20ft) underwater, great all around non DSLR camera.