We've been big fans of the Panasonic Lumix series for the past five years or so. Our most recent one, a DMC-ZS6, got damaged by water during a recent beach trip, so we're looking for a replacement.
One reason I've liked the Lumix series has been the amazing optical zoom on them. The ZS6 had a 12X optical zoom, and having access to that level of magnification is incredibly useful.
Unfortunately, reading the reviews of the most recent Lumix units, a lot of folks are complaining about increasingly less sturdy construction and a lot of problems with dust getting into the cameras. I've noticed the former each time we've bought a new unit, and so I'm pretty concerned.
Also unfortunately, it appears that camera purchases, at any level, garner the sort of tribalist fervor that the old PC-v-Mac wars used to, which makes relying on anonymous reviews problematic.
So I throw this open to the crowd — what sort of point-and-shoot pocket-sized digital camera with great zoom capability should I be looking at to pick up in the next month (before we head off to Alaska)? And why? Price ranges for these things seem to go from $150-300, so I'm prepped to be within that range.
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Well, why not get an older model Lumix? Maybe the model you just had or perhaps one before it? If you were happy with it, and don’t absolutely need all the latest bells and whistles, then you’ll have a useful camera for a decent price. You’ll be able to start using it right away without much of a learning curve. It won’t have the same disadvantages that the latest models have.
Ebay is a good place to look for older models of things like cameras. I have that model Lumix as a converted infrared camera and have enjoyed using it (just wish that its exposure bracketing went to +/-2 instead of +/-1).
That’s not at all a bad idea, @Austin. Let me look into that.
We have a little Kodak Easy Share that we love. Decent zoom to a point then digital zoom. Takes movies and the pictures are actually comparable to our other one that was almost twice as much. If you are going to Alaska (depending on where you are going- and to be honest I really don't know what spring and summer temps are there) you want to look for one that can withstand cold well probably. The only one of mine that does is my Nikon. I don't know for sure, but I would trust a Cannon or a Nikon if you don't want a Kodak.
I’ve had good luck with Canon point-and-shoot cameras, and other members of my family seem to like them too. Many of latest ones have significant improvements in low-light situations (bigger CCDs). But Austin’s point about familiarity with how a camera works is important. I tend to buy Canons partly because I don’t need to learn how to use them all over again. The Canon software tends to be similar from camera to camera. Your familiarity with one Lumix will make working with any other Lumix less of a chore.
Well, I’ve shifted between different manufacturers before, and it’s not that big a deal for most of the functionality. I’m not too concerned with changing horses in that way.
Do you recommend the Canons in general, Dave, or are there any particular models you prefer?
I recommend Canons in general. I’ve owned 3 different Canon digital cameras, my mom has had about that many, and my brother and his wife have had a couple. The ELPH line has been good for us, but they have totally revamped the ELPH line since I was last camera shopping, so I don’t have any particular model recommendations there. There’s also the S95 and S100, which are expensive and a little bigger than the ELPH cameras, but about which I have head very good things in online reviews.