franknstyn

I would like to hear some comments on canon vs nikon for small digital point and shoot cameras.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

First post! Welcome to UHH.

Don't mean to be rude, but any answers to your question would be a waste of time without more information.

Rongnongno Loc: FL

I am going to be rude by being painfully direct.

A generic question on P&S like this one only attracts generic crap.

If you need a specific opinion between two or three cameras - any brand - ask the owners of these camera but first use you fingers and your keyboard to do the initial research.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

First, welcome to UHH.

Second, don’t mind the last poster. He is not only a terrible photographer, he is a terrible human being as well. I can assure you that this is the only forum where he is tolerated. He would have been banned a long time ago everywhere else.

Now to your question.

Results will be very similar from both camps as far as picture quality. You may prefer the design of either, so it is a good idea to try to hold as many cameras as possible. They are physically pretty small in general. If you are looking for a lot of zoom, you need to figure out how much of it you will require. That of course depends on what you will normally shoot.

Things to consider are: price, size of the sensor, size of the camera and weight of the camera. Are you looking for something so small that it would fit in a shirt pocket? Or something larger that you have to carry around in a bag or around your neck?

What will you be focusing on to take photos of? Will you print? If the answer is yes, how large would you like to print?

Do you know that there are different size sensors in P&S cameras? Are you aware that the larger the sensor, the better the quality? Not to mention that larger sensors naturally will produce better quality photos and can be printed larger. These P&S cameras tend to be a little bigger.

So try to figure out how much you want to spend, what you will use the camera for and what you will do with the photos. Once we know more specifically what you require, we can assist you better.

But as I said, the finished product will look nearly identical.

PS: another important thing to consider is whether you just want to press the shutter, be on full AUTO, or do you want to be able to control aperture, ISO, and shutter speed.

Again, welcome!

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

Yes.

BebuLamar

They are both about the same but in the P&S range neither Canon or Nikon stands out. Other brands like Panasonic, Olympus and Sony have good P&S cameras.

JPL

Nikon and Canon have some that are quite good, but currently I think Panasonic Lumix series is the best bang for the buck in this category.

Bill_de Loc: US

Welcome. Now you can smile with pride if someone call you a HOG!

I have a small fortune invested in Nikon DSLR cameras and glass and they are great.

But, they were not my first choice for point and shoot. For a small point and shoot I use a Panasonic Lumix and for my choice of a larger bridge camera I selected a Sony.

Nikon and Canon are the big names, but they are not the only game in town.

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rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Point and shoot cameras come in various sizes and price ranges. My current favorite is the Canon G1X III. It has many of the same features found in a much larger DSLR including a 24 megapixel APC-C sensor similar to the sensor found in the Canon 80D. Its image quality is second to none for a point and shoot. The Downside is it's rather expensive for a pocket camera and it has a fairly small battery so I have 3 batteries for mine. Bottom line, all the big camera manufacturers make really good feature rich point and shoot cameras but few will match the image quality of the G1X III.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

That's like asking which is better, Ford or Chevy, or which is better Coke or Pepsi.
Do some research on your own and narrow it down to two or three specific cameras then if you're still not sure, ask about those specific cameras.

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

I second JPL's comment. zs50 zs60 zs70 might be some models of Panasonic that you should take a look at.

Good luck with your selection. Enjoy your new camera.

Bill_de Loc: US

Asking for opinions of others is a form of research.

When big companies do market surveys they turn to consumers to get their opinions. They call it research.

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machia Loc: NJ

Point and shoots are all about the same . They get the job done . But I must agree with other members here ...Panasonic ( Lumix ) has the edge in this catagory .
Welcome aboard !

h2odog Loc: Brooklyn NY

If you are set on Canon or Nikon, take look at any of the Canon's with dual pixel focus. Check out some YouTube videos. You can't go wrong with cameras from either brand. Probably the best bang for the buck now is the Canon Sl2 which can be had for about $600 with an 18-55 lens. This camera is very small but very capable. It has a great fully articulated touch screen. The dual pixel face detection works very well and is a pleasure to use. It even has a mic input but no headphone jack. Being able to connect an external mic for vlogging is very useful.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

What you say is true, but the question as asked is too generic to garner a helpful answer and results in responders advocating the camera they use which goes beyond the question asked.
If the OP were to narrow the field down to specific cameras he/she would get better answers.
When big companies do market surveys, the questions usually come with multiple choice answers and rarely are open ended.