[Chief Joseph]

Ok, I am ready to move on from Nikon Coolpix p&s cameras, I have an s3100 that is almost new but am not completely satisfied with, I seemed to get better photos from my old Coolpix, so I am going to re-gift this one since my Son wants a camera. I have done a bit of research and one camera that keeps popping up is the Canon Powershot S-95 which can be had for $250, my only concern is that it only has a 3.5 zoom. It's best feature is it's ability to allow good quality shots in low light. I have also been considering a Panasonic Lumix, Flow uses a Lumix p&s and obviously achieves very good results. Another brand I am looking at is Olympus, I have an older c-720 with an 8x zoom and I really like the pictures that I have taken using it. However, it is larger than I would like and uses 4 AA batteries which it burns up quite quickly. Another feature that would be nice is that it be fairly water and shock resistant. I am also willing to consider a good used camera. I know, I am asking for a lot.....thoughts?

[Gwen]

I'm currently shooting with a Canon PowerShot SD1300 from Costco (between $100-150) and I like it about 85% as much as I did my Olympus FE-370 (which I killed by dropping in the Chants - DOH!). I tried a newer Olympus but hated the results and so far, the Canon is what I've been the happiest with. Mostly, they just keep adding more and more features to the darn things that I'm just not interested in using. The caveat is that I almost always have to make adjustments to the brightness and contrast in Photoshop as it seems to slightly overexpose things. But, it was affordable. I guess you get what you pay for.

[Jim Dockery]

This is my go to site for camera reviews: dpreview. I have the S90 so I'd also recomend the 95 which is very similar. The smaller zoom is a negative, but the picture quality makes up for that IMO, but really only worth it if you intend to shoot RAW and do some Photoshop tweaking in the computer.

[Chief Joseph]

Thanks, I think I will hold out for either the S-95, Lumix LX5, or the Sony cybershot dsc-tx9. I have my mind set on a camera that excels in low light and these are rated the highest for this price range. It would seem that living in the PNW that a camera rated well for low light would be best. Sun? What sun? Besides, then I can get some better pics inside the ice caves.

[Slugman]

Panasonic Lumix FZ40 from Walmart.com, $260 Free shipping. This camera is very similar to my FZ35 that I got earlier this year. I would have suggested the 35, since I got mine for under $250, but they are $400 everywhere now. Sure, the FZ40 is a little heavier and not slim like your other choices. But the price is right, the zoom is 24X, and the camera is quite good. Just look at my trip reports from this summer to see a bunch of sample pictures and movies from a very similar camera.

[puzzlr]

[Tom]

[Gil]

Hey! Shouldn't you ban yourself?

[Chief Joseph]

I spoke too soon as to being done with the Nikon Coolpix cameras, a friend in need sold me his Coolpix S-9100 with a 18X zoom and 12 MP for $100, although I am giving him the option to buy it back. It has very positive reviews and retails around $300.

[mike]

[sten]

Amazon has a deal up to 30% off select Panasonic cameras .... I like the ruggedized Lumix TS3 here . Now for 249. Takes pretty nice macros

[Opus]

Canon Powershot s95 is on sale for $229 on Amazon right now! I've had one for a little over a year and love it, best point and shoot I've ever used. s95 on Amazon for $229

[Tom]

Looks like it sold out. That would have been a nice buy, although with sales tax it would have been closer to $250. Adorama had if for $259 last week. Looks like they sold out too.

[Chief Joseph]

Well, my friend wants to buy back his Nikon, so that camera was short lived, I was fairly happy with it's performance on my last Ice Caves expedition, but I don't want to take advantage of a friend in need so I sold it back to him. It appears that Canon s-95 is very popular, to sell out so quickly. I found a used one on CL and the seller wanted $250 although it does come with an extra battery. I e-mailed him and offered $170, of course, no response, so the search goes on. I re-gifted my other newer Nikon to my Son for Christmas, so now I am left with 2 bulky, aging dinosaurs, the Lumix DMC-LZ3 and the Olympus C-720. They do allow for pretty good photos, although the bulk and lack of battery life are troublesome.