Cheap Cameras

Bill Pierce

Bill Pierce

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Does anybody have suggestions for relatively inexpensive “pocket” cameras. The Lumix GF1 with the f/1.7 20mm and the small electronic viewfinder accessory called the LVF1, I’m told is superb, but costs over $1000.

As of late I’ve been using the Canon S90, a very small camera, a “vest pocket” camera that costs about $430 and am very pleased. No accessory viewfinder, but a 28 to 105 equivalent zoom that comes in at f/2 on the wide end of the zoom.

It has the same sensor as the new Canon G11. At slower ISO’s it’s 10 meg sensor provides very similar to the results to those provided by the 15 meg sensor of the G10 (17x22 prints, no problem). It’s a little better than the G10 at higher ISO’s. How high you can go is a matter or taste. I just convert to b&w and pretend the noise is grain; so, I have no problems with ISO’s on the order of 800.

Image stabilizer, face detection, the ability to shoot RAW images and 2 click stopped control rings which make it quick and easy to change values like ISO and preset focal lengths (28, 35, 50, 85, 105) plus the fast lens make it a pretty good street camera for the buck.

Any other suggestions for these times of economic downturn?
 
You've mentioned the two that I've got my eye on. How's the autofocus speed with the S90? The GF1 is supposed to be pretty quick.
 
A used GR D2 is probably relatively inexpensive and shoots RAW, and seems quite happy with a 16GB SD card. Can also use AAA batteries in a pinch. The lens is pretty fast and the camera does shoot video as well, as they all seem to since 2006 or 2007.
 
I want one of the two Canons you mention. But I'll be using our A590IS for the forseeable future... :(

William
 
If we're talking digital here, I've found nothing that suits me comfortably. Looking at the Nikon P6000 at the moment: yes, it definitely has its flaws, but I like the form-factor, handling, and the optical VF (which, yes, is offset). And $400+ kind of hits the ceiling of my "cheap" metric.

In the film world, I'm positively swooning over the Contax Tvs I picked up earlier this year from FrankS. That little number comes with me almost every day. True, this camera was anything but cheap when it first came out, but it came to me cheap enough!


- Barrett
 
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The only pocket camera I can recommend from experience is the Lumix Tz5.

Advantages:
Price
Portability
Ability to shoot in low light
Virtually indestructible ( has been dropped, drop kicked, and dropped into water and still works perfectly)
28mm Lens

Disadvantages:
Only JPEG
No viewfinder
Truly a pns

It's a handy carry around or leave in the glove box camera and I've found it to be quite reliable.
 
Hey Barrett! I'm happy you're still lov'in the Tvs. I've still got a copy and it's my no fuss family snaps camera with colour neg film.
 
amateriat said:
In the film world, I'm positively swooning over the Contax Tvs I picked up earlier this year from FrankS. That little number comes with me almost every day. True, this camera was anything but cheap when it first came out, but it came to me cheap enough!
- Barrett
Click to expand...

I had two. Even after almost everything on my shelves switched to digital, I'll still kept one and gave the other to my son.
 
Jim Edmond said:
You've mentioned the two that I've got my eye on. How's the autofocus speed with the S90? The GF1 is supposed to be pretty quick.
Click to expand...

Focus speed is good and shutter lag is minimal. But, as always, holding the button halfway down and letting the camera go through all its preliminary machinations before the final shutter releasing push is the way to get the most responsive release out of any automatic.
 
Pickett Wilson said:
I can't decide between the G11 and S90. I'm going to get one or the other. The S90 is pocketble, but the G11 more versatile. Ah, decisions. :)
Click to expand...
After toying around with a colleague's G9, my gut says you should go with the G11. Bigger, yes, but more versatile (reminds me a lot of the P6000, in fact). If I remember correctly, they even brought back the articulating screen...not a small deal, there.


- Barrett
 
I bought an Olympus XA for $3 at a church seal. I installed new seals and of course dropped in new batteries. For less than $10, I have a very good pocket camera.

Digital certainly has reset what we consider to be "cheap" or "affordable." To me, cheap is less than $30.
 
Fred: Funny, but my Casio EX-850 almost fits that description: tiny, and practically disappears in a pants pocket. (It even has an optical VF!) And, shutter-lag is relatively short for a digicam of its kind. But I only trust it for utilitarian work (eBay/Craigslist stuff, etc.), and the occasional super-casual snap. It's good, if not somewhat overqualified for that duty, but comes up short for anything more serious. For the El Serioso stuff, I grab the Contax Tvs

iPhone? I have a Motorola e815, which at the moment has even more street-cred for a camera-phone, yet doesn't interest me in the least. Digital Swiss-Army-Knives don't do much for my temperament, even though I think the iPhone itself is pretty cool. If I've gotta do digital, and tiny, it's the Casio, easy. But the moment I get hold of that Nikon P6000, it's outta here.


- Barrett
 
Any waterproof Pentax is the best cheap digital. Mine is the 43WR with a 2.8 zoom and an optical finder!
My favorite cheap camera is the Olympus Stylus Epic. Bought at B&H 11 years ago. A few times a year I put a $3.99 roll of Fuji Superia 400 in it and get better results than any digi p&S I've used - full frame baby!
 
I just got my S90 yesterday. I've been lusting after one since first playing with one in the shop a month ago. I've already ordered a grip for it to give it a bit more positive hold and have added a 'red dot' just to tweak people's noses. :)

I chose the S90 over the G11 because I wanted a pocket-able camera. The G11 is almost as large as my D60 and if I'm going to carry something that big anyhow, I'll just opt for the D90 or D700. (Which I'd rather leave at home for daily shooting unless I'm actually being paid.)

The 28-105/2.0-4.9 (equiv.) is really close to the same (equiv.) angles that the Sigma 17-70 HSM offers me on my DSLRs when I've been carrying them for general use, but the S90 is a stop faster at the wide end and image stabilised too. I didn't need the longer slower G11 lens.

For off camera use, an SB800 (or even an old SB30) can be used in SU4 mode and the S90 will trigger the flash.

Again, I don't expect that this will ever replace my work cameras, but for every day 'I don't want to be without a decent camera' use, it looks like it will work out great.
 
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The Red Dot S90.
:)
reddots90.jpg
 
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