Q&A / Camera for My Dad

Hi Jeff,

Remember when I was telling you my dad wanted a new camera.
So since you are more experienced in this field and I trust your expertise, could you recommend a camera in the price range of $300-400, that is small, with a good lens and easy to use, as my dad will be using this.

Thanks!

Regards,
Tommy

Hi Tommy,

1) Is he looking for a camera where you can change the lenses? If so then the Fuji X-A1 with the 16-50mm kit lens would be a good option.

Fuji makes some really good interchangeable (mirrorless) lens cameras. Their lens selection is great and in the future, if he decides to upgrade the camera body he can continue to use the lenses he gets on the Fuji X-series cameras.

2) If he’s looking for a point-and-shoot one lens only camera then I’d recommend the Canon S120.

The Canon S120 is an excellent small point and shoot.  It has a decent low-light sensor and fast 1.8 to 5.7 lens.  It’s also tiny so it can fit in pockets.   At under $400 it’s a great value for what you’re getting.

3) If he wants a point and shoot camera with a little bit more bells and whistles then I’d go with the Canon G16.

The Canon G16 is an amazing camera… it focuses fast, good in low light, good zoom. It’s just a bit bigger than the S120.  It has features that you’ll find in more expensive DSLR cameras.  It has full manual control and an optical viewfinder.  The best of both worlds really.

Conclusion
If price is your first priority then go with #2, the Canon S120.  The S120 is priced at $390*. If price is important but if you have wiggle room to spend, plus features are more important than size then get #3, the Canon G16. The G16 is priced at around $470*.  If this is going to be a long term investment, as-in, photography is a hobby and he wants to get more serious in the future and invest in different lenses then go with #1, the Fuji X-A1 with the 16-50mm kit lens.  This combination is $420*.  The Fuji kit is less expensive than the Canon G16 but if you invest in more lenses it an get pricey.

*Vistek prices are in Canadian funds and current at time of post (2014-11-10).

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 10th, 2014 at 10:26 am. It is filed under Round Pixel News and tagged with camera, cameras, equipment, photography, Q+A. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.