shall1585 Loc: Prichard, WV

Hey all, So my ex sister in law is interested in getting a new camera, and she asked my opinion. She's right now getting interested in photography, so she doesn't know a whole lot. She got Nikon l810 a couple years ago for $100 on Black Friday, but she says it's never taken good pictures. She says her iPhone does a better job, so she never uses it. I honestly don't know if it's the camera or the user, I've never seen any pictures from it. I know the reviews I've read on it aren't great. Her budget is quite small right now, but I'd like to be able to tell her a few options. I really don't know much about the current P&S and bridge camera scene right now. The last P&S that I bought was in 2008 and the only bridge camera I bought was in 2011, after that it's been straight DSLR for me. I know a lot of people here love the Canon SX50, but I'm thinking that may be out of her budget right now. That is the one that I plan to recommend on the mid level, but what about P&S? Whats a decent one for less than $200? I know the ELPH series is supposed to be pretty good, but I also know that other manufacturers have nice models as well. Thanks in advance!

MarkD Loc: NYC

If she wants a bridge camera she might be able to get a Canon SX50 refurbished for $200. Canon USA had them for $199. Otherwise the Nikon L830 is a good choice for $184. If she wants something pocket or purse size, the Canon SX600 is a good choice for $179.

IMO if she's not getting good photos from a Nikon L810, the problem is more likely her than the camera. The best investment in photography is education. A good basic book, DVD, or video might improve her photography more than a new camera.

grandpaATM

Take a look at this one Canon PowerShot A1100 IS

Here's a link to tell you a little about it:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2360961,00.asp

cntry Loc: Colorado

Canon USA has raised the price on the refurb SX50 and dropped it again since the $199...it's now at $229, but seems to change quite frequently so if she's interested she needs to act fairly quickly.

JimH123 Loc: Morgan Hill, CA

Yes, I got one after Christmas for $179. Then I saw the price go up afterwards.

cntry Loc: Colorado

I was looking at one for my Grandson, put it my cart, had to wait until my check went in the bank the next day, went to pay for it the next night...it was up to ~$350...bought one off eBay for $229. Now I see it's dropped back to $229... The one I got off eBay had less than 200 pictures taken so I'm happy...the only downside is no warranty.
And he's now grounded - the little stinker - so I guess I'll have to play with it for the next couple weeks...oh darn! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

shall1585 Loc: Prichard, WV

I was kinda thinking along those lines too, aside from the fact that the reviews I read on it weren't very good. I saw where it only has 2 modes.. Easy auto, and programmed auto. In programmed auto all you can adjust is the ISO, white balance, and exposure compensation. You can't adjust the shutter speed or aperture. She lives in Massachusetts and I live in WV. We had a lot of differences over the years, and I haven't actually talked to her in like 6 years or so until this past weekend, so I really have no clue whether it's her or the camera.. When she said that my camera took really good pics and that she liked it, I did tell her that in all honesty I had used a few different cameras over the last several years and that I had spent a good bit of time with practicing and learning everything that I could. I also told her that getting a DSLR is a big undertaking, not only in finances, but also in learning, that you have to commit to it. In other words I had to work at it. Not being cocky and thinking my pics are great or anything, they're just acceptable and getting better as I learn. I have some people that disagree with me saying I'm too hard on myself, but they're family and friends of the family, so they're biased.. Lol! If they were great, I'd have my dream job and wouldn't be unemployed right now :lol:

tasherlock Loc: Brisbane Qld Australia

Just as a matter of interest we have a L810 and have had problems with out of focus images. Have heard others say the same thing. It is NOT the ladies fault.

warrior Loc: Paso Robles CA

If she wants to give away the l810 ,I will take it.

MarkD Loc: NYC

I looked up the L810 on B&H's site. It is a P&S camera with limited controls, but it does have 20 scene modes that can be set by the camera or, I believe, by using the menu. It's not a camera for a serious hobbyist, but it is good for someone who wants an easy to use camera with a long zoom lens and a good wide-angle.

The user reviews on B&H were good. It got 4.3 out of 5 stars and 92% of users said that they would recommend it to a friend.