Buying a new point and shoot- canon, fuji, kodak, sony?

[MikeA]

I'll put a vote in for the Panasonic DMC-FX07. It fails your 10x zoom test, but it is small and light. I bought one for my better half a few months ago, and it has been very well received. What it brings to the party is a 28mm equivalent wide angle. (28-105) I have a bias toward the wide end of the spectrum, and this camera is capable of quite pleasing results.

I can't comment about the flash. I train people to turn it off in all but the most demanding light. Some of these p&s cameras will even fire the flash in daylight, in any case the results using available light is usually better than with the flash.

As far as small cameras and big zooms are concerned, it may be just me, but I find the small camera size difficult to control when taking long telephoto shots, and dreaded camera shake is often the result even in good light.

Mike

[David Barry]

I notice that you are looking for a camera for your mother rather than yourself. As an older member of the community, might I add one criterion to your list that I think is very important. An optical viewfinder.

You may be young enough not to need reading glasses, but I am not, and wonderful as the LCD screens on the p&S cameras are, holding the camera as far away from you as your arms will allow in the hope of being able to make out what is on the screen, does not for a steady shot make!! In fact it also makes it difficult to compose the shot.

I am never without my Casio EX-Z750 which I have found to be an excellent carry around camera, with plenty of opportunity to do manual settings when I want them. I chose it over the Canon SD-400 that my children have as it is more versatile. Both the Casio and the Canons have been good cameras.

If you can wait a few months, I would seriously look at the upcoming Canon SD850 IS which doesn't have 10X zoom but looks to have most of what I would want in a P & S. The bigger P & S cameras may have slightly better performance and features, but nothing beats having a camera that is small enough to take with you ALL the time.

David.

[HeatherHahn]

I appreciate the input on the viewfinder, something I had not considered. I think I will add an optical viewfinder to my list. But how about cameras that have an *electronic* viewfinder in addition to the LCD screen? Here's a detailed description I found on dp review:

An electronic viewfinder (EVF) functions like the LCD on a digital compact camera and shows in real time what is projected onto the sensor by the lens. It is basically a small LCD (typically measuring 0.5" diagonally and 235,000 pixels) with a lens in front of it, which allows you to frame more accurately, especially in bright sunlight. It simulates in an electronic way the effect of the (superior) optical TTL viewfinders found on digital SLRs and doesn't suffer from parallax errors. Cameras with an EVF have an LCD as well, but no true optical viewfinder.

Now would an electronic viewfinder suffice for people with vision difficulties (my mom wears glasses when needed)?

[Richard_Coyle]

Heather
One of the problems with the optical viewfinder on a P&S having a more restricted field of view than the sensor is solved by the EVF. Whether it's sufficient to satisfy your mother's vision would be best done by her trying it out. With the generous return policies of most reputable camera stores, you could order several and let her decide. On the other hand, why not make an outing of it together and try them in a local store? Best way to decide I've found after dealing with parents and several kids over the years!

[David Barry]

Heather.

My experience is that the EVF is fine for people who wear glasses with the same provisos as for any viewfinder. If you have to keep your spectacles on while viewing, there needs to be enough "eye relief" to allow you to still see all the screen when your eye is some distance away from the viewfinder. If you just need to not have to put on your reading glasses to clearly see the image in the viewfinder (the situation for me and probably for your mother), there needs to be sufficient diopter adjustment available to compensate for the missing glasses. Unless your mother has very strong glasses this is not likely to be a problem.

When I said "optical" viewfinder I should really have just said viewfinder. It is the existence of the lens system that renders an image to your eye of either the scene itself or the scene as displayed on an lcd inside the camera that allows you to hold the camera close and still focus on what you are shooting.

EVFs have several advantages over optical viewfinders. They are more accurate at showing the exact area being included in the shot. They accurately track the image as you zoom in and out. They can show a brightened image in low light conditions making it easier to frame a shot. Even for people who don't wear glasses they are a lot easier to see in bright sunlight when you want to review a shot.

On the downside, they tend to have slowish refresh rates which means that a fast moving subject may look blurred compared to the same subject seen through an optical viewfinder. They also use power whenever they are on which can significantly shorten battery life. Some cameras have sensors that monitor whether your eye is at the viewfinder, and only turn on the EVF when it is.

EVFs are only found on the larger of the P & S cameras and as I said earlier I am a proponent of the pocketable cameras that you are more likely to have with you always, and on these the only option is an optical viewfinder.

Good luck in your search.

David.

[Richard_Coyle]

Well summarized David.

[HeatherHahn]

You all have been of great help. Many thanks! I think we may go with a slightly larger sized camera with an electronic viewfinder that has the higher optical zoom that we wanted. She shoots a lot of kids and grandkids sports games and the zoom is more important than being "pocket sized". So I think we are going with the sony DSC-H7.