Moon Unit is attending a summer program at an arts college, and needs a digital camera.
Since our Fuji FinePix failed spectacularly a few years back (new batteries = one photo) we have just been using our phone cameras, but she needs something better.
This one looked pretty good but doesn’t have a viewfinder - and I hate taking photos by looking at a screen like that; I really prefer being able to hold it up and sight through the viewfinder - that way I can see things in their real size.
We considered a digital SLR but the prices for those start out at 400 bucks and climb rapidly. If we went that route, we have a number of lenses from our Nikon SLR (film camera, 30 years old) which would presumably work as long as the camera body used the same base (or I imagine we could get an adapter).
Still, for a careless teenager, I’d rather not send her off with a 400+ piece of equipment that would (not might, WOULD) get lost.
I hated giving up a viewfinder when I got my compact cameras, but I think you can (mostly) get used to it. The convenience of being able to stash the camera in your pocket is worth the trade off to me.
I wound up getting this one because it seemed a good combination of price and features for what we needed right now - and if she loses it I’ll be annoyed but not devastated.
No viewfinder, just the LCD screen, but we can live with that until we’re ready to put done some serious cash.
The closest thing to a basic P&S camera with a viewfinder is the Canon A1400, recently discontinued but still available in places. It’s a bit over $100, but is pretty good quality by all accounts.
The one you bought should be fine as long as you understand it’s limitations. It has a fairly slow lens, so you’ll need flash in low light or if your subject is moving quickly. Turn off the wi-fi unless you need it, the battery life will suffer otherwise. For cameras like this I always buy a second battery anyway. It uses microSD cards, not full sized ones. They’re slightly more expensive but get a big card (8Gig minimum) because there’s no point getting a smaller card.
Thanks! This one seems to be a newer model, i.e. very few reviews yet either at Amazon or Best Buy, but I took a chance since it’s a reputable brand.
Good to know about the low-light limitations and the reminder of the wi-fi / battery drain thing. We’ll also bear that in mind when it’s time to get a grownup camera (dSLR) for us. I’ve got a 32g micro SD on order right now, though we have a couple around the house as well. The camera MAY come with one already.
Keep your old Nikon lenses around in that case. Many old Nikon lenses still work with modern DSLRs. Here’s a handy table to help you figure out if they’ll work: