I’ll admit it. I’ve been using my Samsung Galaxy S8 almost exclusively as my camera while I travel and before that, I was using my Galaxy S6 Edge. I haven’t always been a phone as camera guy. I was a big fan of the Nikon Coolpix in it’s various incarnations since 2006 and really enjoyed the ease of use and the quality of the pictures.
My most recent Coolpix met an untimely death during a photo shoot at work, one of my employees didn’t affix it properly to the tripod and it fell, smack on the lens, destroying my workhorse of a camera. That specific camera had traveled with me to Peru, Bolivia, Austria, France, you name it was with me.
I need some guidance on what point-and-shoot camera I should get? Here’s what I’m looking for, in general:
My previous Nikon Coolpix – the replacement for this guy died in a tragic accident at work.
- Digital Camera – I love film, but I’m not able to take the time to handle that now.
- Portable, ideally something that can fit in the pocket of my jeans (I’m not a skinny jeans guy, so don’t worry about that), but barring that, something that is lightweight and easy to carry. I will eventually move into the DSLR world, but I’m not looking for that right now.
- Must have at least 1080p video capabilities.
- I’d prefer something with a standard charger – I’ve been burned too many times by forgetting my special camera battery charger. GRRR.
- I’ll be using it to photograph every day life and when I travel. I’ll be snapping pix of beautiful landscapes, architecture, food and airline seats.
- Some of these versions have pretty awful placement of flashes or flash sensors – so it needs to be a logical design.
What do you use? What’s the one thing you love most about it and what is the one thing you hate the most? Do you think I should just stick with my Samsung Galaxy S8 phone?
For what you describe, I love my CanonProshot Mark II. It is reliable and takes excellent pictures. I used a Coolpix for years too and the Mark II is a good upgrade over that.
Loved my coolpix, glad to hear that you think the Mark II is an upgrade. Thanks for the feedback!
I love my Canon Powershot SX720. It’s cheaper than the Mark 2 and does everything I need it to do. I usually just use my iphone X if I’m not using my dslr though. My brother only uses the mark 2 when he travels. Let us know what you decide.
Thanks for the note Melinda. I eventually want to jump into the DSLR world myself, but seems too daunting (both the steep learning curve and the weight) right now. Both of these cameras were on my first list. I think I’m almost ready to pull the trigger!
I have a Sony A6000 and use the stock lens, and it’s pretty good. Not daunting like DSLR but provides good quality pictures! It’s also small and much lighter than DSLR. Otherwise, I use my iPhone X. Hope you find the camera that you’d like and need!
This camera wasn’t on my radar, but now it is. I think one of my problems is the interchangeable lenses – it makes the camera so much more flexible, but then I feel like I need to have many different options. I’m glad to hear that the stock lens does everything you need. Cheers!