buck3y3nut

Olympus XZ-1. Sometimes comes on sale for $199.

Here's the information on it.

Here's the review on it.

Highly recommend it.

LowRoller

Found this thread and went through it. I am looking to get more into photography while traveling. I want to start out with a point and shoot before investing a lot. The RX100 looks great and all reviews seem fantastic for it. Are there any other cameras that have come out recently or been upgraded that anyone would suggest? Also trying to keep the cost down below the 700-800 mark.

A little bit about what I am using it for. I mostly travel to metro areas for work ( think Vegas). Most of the pictures would be the city landscape during day and night, as well are streets and monuments/buildings. For personal travel usually we stay away from metro areas and enjoy mountainous areas. Obv I dont expect a camera that will be perfect for everything, but any recomendations of a camera that will be sufficient for these enviroments and help a begginner. Thanks!

Thalassa

You might want to consider the RX100 Mk II. The list price is 100 bucks more but it has a sensor with better light sensitivity (thanks to BSI technology), a tiltable LCD screen and a proper hotshoe.

While there are some new entrants on the scene, the RX100's are still the kings of the P&S hill.

Cheers,
T.

UA_Flyer

After shooting with Sony RX100 for the past 4 months, I must say I am hooked. As a long time Canon G serie fan, I no longer carry my Canon G12anymore. It has been relegated to my high school daugter.

I carry Sony RX100 to complement my Nikon DSL when traveling on longer trips, and just the RC100 on shorter trips.

The quality of the image is excellent and I love the speed to continue shooting without waiting for that precious seconds to wait for Canon to shoot.

S.Marsh

@LowRoller

I'll echo what everyone else is saying. As a pure all-rounder it's tough to beat the RX100 (or II) at any price-point. I wouldn't spend more than $550 for one though since you can grab the RX100 II for $685 brand-new through the Sony store.

But if you're looking for the best pocketable image-quality, there's nothing like the Ricoh GR on the market as of now. I used to own the RX100, but now I currently own the GR. Despite the APS sensor, the GR is actually slimmer than the RX100. It's definitely a niche product though, so you may have to give try it in-person before giving it the green light.

LowRoller

Thanks for the quick reponses everyone. I will start pricing the RX100 and do some other shopping around as well.

PFKMan23

I'm only seeing it for the $749 MSRP....

UA_Flyer

I paid $655 with free shipping. Price also includes two additional batteries, battery charger, screen protector, battery charger, camera case, 32GB SD card:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

PFKMan23

That refers to the RX100, the original model. The model I'm refering to and that I believe S.Marsh is referring to is it's successor the RX100 II which was just released.

S.Marsh

Log in to the education store and you can pre-order it for $675. Not a bad deal if you live in a tax-free/low-tax state.

Edit: Oh, I forgot to mention that eBates also offers 5% for the education store, so it could cover the tax or mitigate it to a tolerable level should your state-tax be low enough. In my state that would make my total $688 after rebates; which is not that much more than the RX100 at all. Personally, I feel that the tilting screen, wifi/NFC and high-quality 24P is well worth the extra added price of admission.

PFKMan23

S.Marsh,

Thanks for the clarification. I was unaware of the educational discount from Sony.

Duke787

Found this thread and just finished going through it. My price point is a fair bit lower but I'm also not a heavy camera user. I typically rely on my iPhone 5 camera which is more than sufficient for most of my needs. However I'm going on a big trip to Australia and New Zealand this spring and want to bring an actual camera with me (and use that camera for future trips). I'm really trying to stay under $250 and based on this thread I've found 3 cameras recommended throughout the thread that meet the criteria:

Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS - $179 + shipping for "used - like new in box" on Amazon
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX80/B - $158 (includes 16gb drive, extra battery, case, and accessory case)
Canon S95 - $250 - used "very good" condition

I know that the S95 gets rave reviews but I'm not sure I can justify the extra $100 for the limited use. Any advice would be welcome and any additional recommendations as well. I'm not opposed to older / used models since I'm obviously using this for personal but limited trip and not every day use

jacknyoc

you won't regret getting the Canon S...it provides a great deal of flexibility or simply straight Auto shooting. Check Amazon...used S100s are going for low $200s and have a newer sensor and improved lens (wider and longer zoom).

flyboy60

That's a high price for a used S95, unless it was barely used with all the in-box accessories included. I'd say under $200 is fair value. I would also add, at that same under $200 price, the Olympus XZ-1. BTW, I don't agree that the lens on the S100 is better than the one on the S95. The zoom range is broader, but the lens is slower as well.

Thalassa

Sony is announcing the full-frame NEX-A7 cameras (two models) in a few days but it seems they are also announcing the RX10 at the same time. While it won't be under $1000 (list price at announcement time is $1248), it seems like a hell of a P&S: the same 1" sensor as the RX100 and a constant f/2.8 24-200 mm zoom lens.

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-s...0mm-f2-8-zoom/

I, for one, am sorely tempted.

Cheers,
T.