What To Look For In A Point-and-Shoot Camera

If you’re in the market for a point and shoot (p&s) camera then there are a few things you need to know before you buy. The number of makes and models of p&s is bewildering. Use these tips to help you decide your requirements and eventually choose the right camera for you.

1. Budget. This has to be the number one consideration (unless you are a millionaire!). Deciding how much you can afford to (and want to!) spend will set you in the right price range for the camera. Don’t forget though that you will need to factor in for things like memory cards, a case and batteries (if the camera uses AA type rather than proprietary batteries). If you can be a little flexible then all the better. For example, you set your budget at £200 for everything you want.

Dependent on the make and model that you choose you will (unless you can get a deal) need to budget for a memory card. The memory card is what will store your images and the larger the capacity the better. Figure to get at least 1gb cards, 2gb is preferable.

So, let’s start with the Camera. Say £170 (eg for the Ixus 75 I mentioned in the last article). Memory cards for that camera are called Secure Digital or SD. The 1gb minimum I mentioned above is £15 at Jessops for the basic card. I will be talking about memory cards in more detail in another post.

Lowepro Camera CaseOk, a case. Although the camera comes with its own case, it’s more for dust protection than bash and bang protection. Lowepro make awesome camera bags and cases and as an example, the Lowepro Rezo Pouch 15 (left) will take the Ixus snugly. That’s another £15.

By my calculations that’s £195 of your £200 budget gone. You haven’t got a tripod yet! Whilst the tripod isn’t necessary, without one it’s almost impossible to take photos in the dark, something the Ixus is perfectly capable of doing.

2. Facilities. What do you want to do with your new camera? Snapshots at family barbecues? Photos of your mates at the pub? Photos of your products to put on eBay? Obviously, any camera from the cheapest £20 Lidl special right up to the Ixus and beyond are more than capable of doing this, but what about if you want to go a little further? Landscapes? Face Recognition? Macro (really close up, think 1-2cm) photos? That Lidl special ain’t gonna cut it there. Landscapes are always going to be hard for a p&s camera, the skill and equipment required to produce an Ansell Adams just aren’t there with a p&s. However, you’re walking through the woods in spring and you see all the pretty bluebells scattered between the trees. Thanks god you chose carefully and brought your shiny new point and shoot with you. So, things I would look for:

3. Manufacturer. If like me you are a brand snob then you might well want to get a camera that matches the rest of your tech equipment - Sony or Hewlett Packard or whatever. Please don’t be like me and get snobbish about your favourite brand at the peril of all others. What that means is that I am “Canon Man” and always will be “Canon Man”. Of course, there’s “Nikon Man” and “Sony Man” too. Each one stays with their own brand because they think it’s the best. That’s most certainly not the case. Each manufacturer has its own strong and weak points1. Look at what each is offering, ask the sales assistant for help. Handle your potential cameras, see which one feels best in the hand2. You’ve got to be happy with the camera so don’t just go “Oh, I’ll have a Canon thanks”! This is even more important when you’re dealing with Digital SLR Cameras as there are three or four lens manufacturers that make units to fit Canon, Nikon, Sony cameras etc at a fraction of the price of the manufacturer’s own brand unit.

I hope this helps a little. Next week is I’ll post an explanation of some of the more commonly used terms in digital photography and I might even throw in a couple of lesser used ones. Two posts and I haven’t actually talked about taking the photo yet!

  1. Nikon’s weak is that they are crap… Nah, just kidding Trent! ↩
  2. Surprisingly, there is a huge difference. I held a Ricoh and it fault aweful. Picked up a Sony and it was really nice. Still went with the Canon for performance though. ↩

No Responses to “What To Look For In A Point-and-Shoot Camera”

  1. Wolfie - May 29th, 2008

    Sorry, got to nitpick: £170 +£15 + £15 = £200. Sorry, had to be done. :-)

    I’m defintely a Canon man; I’ve had my Powershot A70 for a few years now (I bought it because it got rave reviews everywhere) and even though it’s only a 3.2 it gets used for all sorts of stuff - quick snaps, landscapes (love the panorma feature), action shots (Brands, Goodwood) and even product shots at work (for web and print). Haven’t upgraded it because I don’t need to. The RemoteCapture software that comes with it is a Godsend, too.

  2. Collin - June 3rd, 2008

    Nope, not picky, you’re absolutely right! I was obviously having a brain fart when I tried to do the sums!

  3. Gary - July 17th, 2008

    I have learnt my lesson. I had a Canon IXUS and made the fatal mistake of replacing it with a Ricoh Caplio R7. The R7 has needed to be repaired twice under warrantee in the past two months. My next purchase will be an Ixus again.

    Garys last blog post..Apple Refuses to Supply Operating System

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