Off Topic Help, I need a new camera.

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txgymfan

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Ok photographers, this is off topic but I need your help. I need recommendations for a decent point and shoot camera in the $200 range. This is not just for gymnastics but everyday use with 2 active girls.
 
For day to day, non-gym stuff, just by anything. In that price range they're all pretty similar and pretty amazing really when you compare them to cameras from just a few years ago. Personally, I'm fond of canon cameras and like the little ones that I then always have with me (although now I have a bigger one that I always have with me).

You can also get waterproof Panasonics for about that amount.

Go into a shop and hold them and play with them, then decide.
Some feel really different.
If you find a lag when you're looking through it, then don't buy that one.
Get a SD card and pop it into each camera that you try and take photos. Go home, compare them and see which camera you like best.
 
The Canon Powershot series work well for day-to-day stuff. Versatile and small, and the results are good quality. Of course if you're used to a dSLR any sort of point-and-shoot will frustrate you endlessly.
 
Thanks for your suggestions. Please keep them coming. I have always heard good thing about cannon and I have used a Dslr at work but It was older and very bulky. I am willing to pay a little higher but not too much.

The girls are not competing in gym yet but they are always moving. So I want something that will capture them clearly and something I can make 8 x10s clearly. Also, My parents are older and we will be taking a big trip over the holidays. I need some good Picts of the whole family.
 
The girls are not competing in gym yet but they are always moving. So I want something that will capture them clearly and something I can make 8 x10s clearly. Also, My parents are older and we will be taking a big trip over the holidays. I need some good Picts of the whole family.

Just so you know... most point-and-shoot cameras are a poor choice for taking action shots at a meet. You can't get a fast enough shutter speed out of them in typical indoor meet conditions, and the shutter release isn't responsive enough to time the shots correctly. But they will work fine for awards and posed pictures, and most of them will take good HD video. And of course they are perfect for family trips and holidays because of their compact size.
 
I have a Canon G16. It's bulkier than some might want to carry around, and I had to get a case on ebay because it's a funny size.

I won't post photos here, because they're not of my child, but at a recent competition I took photos during warm up (video later).
Whilst not exactly print worthy... I was pleasantly surprised given I expected nothing.
This only has a 5x zoom (135mm equivalent I think) so the resolution gives out, but I certainly got nice facebook worthy photos of the girls. Low resolution but not blurry faces.

I could time it to get photos at the top of giants with no movement blur on the legs. Blur on the lower legs at some points of a kip depending on how I timed it.
I could time it to capture split leaps, with blurry feet and hands, but not blurry faces or bodies. No blur on beam or when jumping off beam (in the air).
I had never tried to take photos like this before, so I was pleased at how easy it was to time things.

If you have low expectations, then you will be very happy with this camera, but it is about $500 I think. The G15 would be less.

Again, FB quality, not print.
 
I may be a bit late to the party commenting here but I personally recommend the nikon coolpix l830. I have the older version, the l820, and it works wonderfully! Pretty good low light pictures and a nice amount of zoom. It's action shots are okay but not the best. It's basically a step down from a dslr.
 
Iphone is my choice. For photos and videos. Dd has been competing for 7 years, and I have tried my big camera, camcorders, tablet with zoom, etc.. Iphone is my first choice. Then the tablet. When dd is competing, I don't have the presence of mind to be holding my $2,000 big camera focusing on shots. It's all I can do to get video, and sometimes that is blurry, like when she does her double full and I feel all wound up inside! Plus Iphone sound quality is superior to all other devices that I own.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I have been taking Picts with my iPad but really want an actual camera. Sadly, I don't have an iPhone and won't get one unless a generous CBer has a spare. I will look at the cyber Monday deals for some of your suggestions.
 
The prob i have with tripods and tablets also is that at a meet it is hard to find a safe/clear spot to use them/set them up. So I hold stuff. ;)
 
My daughter has the Nikon Coolpix L830. It has decent reviews. On sale right now in Costco for $159 (regular $299). The Panasonic Lumix FZ70 is actually very versatile and on sale in Costco also for $229. I just purchased the latter. I have a very complex, bulky Nikon professional camera which I use for art shots and I am tired of lugging it around for my kids. The zoom is great on the Lumix at 60X and it claims to be able to shoot under low lighting conditions as well. You can read reviews online. The camera is on a bulkier side though. I like the feel of bulkier cameras. I just tried to shoot a picture in very low light using the maximum zoom. It was noiser than I would have wished but not bad.
 
The Panasonic Lumix FZ70 is actually very versatile and on sale in Costco also for $229.The zoom is great on the Lumix at 60X and it claims to be able to shoot under low lighting conditions as well. You can read reviews online. The camera is on a bulkier side though. I like the feel of bulkier cameras. I just tried to shoot a picture in very low light using the maximum zoom. It was noiser than I would have wished but not bad.

I also have the Panasonic Lumix, and I love it! I guess it is a little larger than most point and shoots, but the pictures I've taken with it are really really clear. And the zoom is amazing. I would definitely recommend it!

I had a Nikon Coolpix for while as well, it was okay, but I had issues with it in low light, and a lot of times the colors didn't seem to come out quite right. I still used it a lot though!
 
I have a Canon SX40 and have gotten some really lovely action shots on full manual. To be honest though, for meets when everything is hectic and I would rather be paying attention to DD, I usually prefer to just shoot a video with my iPhone and clip photos from it after-the-fact.
 
I would say an iPhone in that price range...I like easy. Here is what I would really like to get now...not even close to that range though...

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Mark-Digital-Camera-Body/dp/B00NEWZDRG

Yeah for $200ish I got an iPod touch when I wanted to replace a regular point and shoot. The camera is just as good and it has wifi capability so you can share easily without having to upload. The reason I got the touch was to avoid involving my cellphone plan and having to pay a monthly data charge. Instead, you can use free wifi at many places. However, not sure how long that will last in the age of smartphones but at least you can use wifi at home with the touch, anyway.
 
Cannon makes good cameras, it actually took a picture of a fan on but made it look like it was off. The pics are never blurry.
 
ImageUploadedByChalkBucket1421118410.411386.jpg
ImageUploadedByChalkBucket1421118422.444231.jpg


Taken with my canon (sx40) on auto. I am a canon fan. I bought it for long range nature shots, but it serves at meets ok. If I knew how to use it on manual I am guessing it would be even better. My iphone always seems to catch blur.
 

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