So Confused

[sharanne99]

Are you looking for a compact point & shoot camera, a DSLR, or something in between? (Or perhaps you haven't decided yet — that's okay!) point and shoot or something in between

• Is this your first camera? First ever, or first digital? No

• Are you interested in a high level of control, or would you prefer to let the camera do as much "thinking" as possible? the later

• If you had to choose, would you prefer a more versatile (large "×") zoom lens, or top-notch image quality with no zoom at all? quality

• What size of camera do you want? To what degree would you be willing to sacrifice other features for compactness? size is not important

Budget

• What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible. $300.00

• Do you plan to spend more on additional accessories now or in the future? (Lenses, lighting, tripods, batteries, memory cards, camera bags... it adds up!) possibly this wouldn't be a problem

• How long do you plan on keeping this new camera?3-5 years or until I see something else I want

Usage

• What will you generally use the camera for? flower close ups and grandkids mostly

• Are you going to photograph sports? What sport, and from how far away?no

• Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos, or other low-light photos?yes some

• Will you make prints, or primarily view and share images on a computer screen? If you make prints, will they typically be small (up to 5×7") or medium sized (8×10"), or are you interested in larger sizes as well? both and small to medium

• Are you interested in spending time post-processing to make an image "perfect", or would you prefer to use images basically straight from the camera? might be fun to play with but not a necessity

Miscellaneous

• Are there particular lenses or technical features that are interesting or important to you? I have heard that a glass lens is better other than that no

• Are there particular brands or models you already have in mind?
I have been looking at Canon Nikon, Panasonic and Samsung...my last camera is a Kodak

[kgosden]

Really any of the brands you mention make good performing cameras in the $300 range. Closeup flowers are pretty easy, grand kids running around are not. To get really fast focusing you would probably need to spend a fair amount more money and move to a camera with interchangeable lenses. Your best bet would be to take a trip to a local store to at least handle the cameras in your price range. See how they fit your hand and if they can power on, see how easy it is to operate. Stick to those with 3-5x optical zoom range to meet your needs. If you narrow the choices look for online reviews here or at dpreview.com as these will give you a good sense of how complicated the menus and screens can be.

[bascom]

I have heard that a glass lens is better other than that no

Aren't all lenses glass? The basic Canon powershots may meet your needs and are only $80 - $140. The 100hs, 110hs, and 300hs are the best ones for low light. Also, their A series may be good enough. But the hs and A's are so small the controls may be hard for you to use. For more money ($300 or so) there is the S series which are good in low light.

I don't know any other brands (Nikon, Panasonic, Samsung, etc) that make good low light basic point and shoots. Fuji used to and you can still find used F30's for sale.

[kgosden]

Actually a few lenses are plastic, no rules say they must be glass, only that they have to transmit and modify light assuming we are sticking to optical lenses. I would hazard a guess that the poster is thinking optical vs. digital zoom in their statement.

[AlexMonro]

Actually a few lenses are plastic, no rules say they must be glass, only that they have to transmit and modify light assuming we are sticking to optical lenses. I would hazard a guess that the poster is thinking optical vs. digital zoom in their statement.

To be pedantic, I believe that some high end Canon lenses use flourite elements, which strictly speaking aren't glass. Also, some budget zooms use so-called "hybrid" aspherical elements, which use a moulded optical polymer bonded to a glass substrate.

However, cheap disposable film cameras and some cheap webcams have plastic lenses, which are of distinctly lower quality.

[sharanne99]

I think I may have narrowed it down to Nikon Coolpix L810 or Canon Powershot SX150. Any thoughts on these?

[bascom]

Why an ultrazoom when your primary use will be "flower close ups and grandkids mostly"? I still think the Canon HS elph or S series will do better in low light.

How did you come up with the L810 as a top choice? Between those two I think the SX150 is probably better than the L810. The SX150 gets good reviews mostly and I can't find many reviews of the L810. This review says "the L810 performs poorly in low light and indoors without a flash, and its shooting performance is slow, as is its autofocus."

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-came...-35187267.html

The SX150 is kind of slow because it uses just two AA batteries. Have you tried one in stores?

[bascom]

Nikon P300 and P310 may be good, also.