My wife wants a new camera

[iamzip]

I know, I know, there are tons of threads like this, help me pick a P&S, etc. I have searched and read, and now I want to solicit opinions.

My wife has asked for a new digital P&S for Christmas. She has no photographic experience, so nothing too advanced. She is mostly concerned with fashion, ideally she would like it to be a cute color. She also would like it small and pocketable, and I guess she wants a high quality camera as well.

I have told her all of the really small, colorful cameras are cheap, and not worth getting. I would like to get a higher quality camera that meets most of her needs, the best I can get. Also price range is about $200-300.

Currently I am very heavily favoring the Fuji XF1, it seems to tick most of the boxes. It's fairly compact, the lens retracts to almost flat. It doesn't come in green, or purple, like my wife would like, but I think it's still quite good looking. It is fairly consumer oriented, so she could just leave it in auto and shoot, but it has some good controls for when I would like to use it, and of course it has a wonderful lens and a larger sensor than most of the other cameras I am looking at. And it can be had used in my price range.

The other cameras I have looked at are the X10 used, but that is not as compact, and the lumix lx-5, but that isn't flat either, as well as some compact Leica digitals. Is there anything else I should look at or consider?

 

[Jamie Pillers]

The Canon S series are great. If you can find a new older version S95 or S100, the price would be right. The image quality from the little Canons is superb in my experience.

 

[Sym101]

Maybe you could also consider the Canon S110 as well. It's pocketable and produces great images for it's size. I know lots of my female friends who has the Powershot S series like the S95 & 100. Previously they were all into slim and colourful compact cameras. They only bought them after seeing images from my S90.

 

[Rogier]

Sony RX100
Auto everything, APSC sensor. Great shots.

 

[Rodchenko]

My wife, who is by no means a photography expert, tried a friend's Fuji X10 and liked it so much I bought her one (when the X20 was released so the prices came down). It's easy to set up and use as a P&S, but allows much more exploring if she wants to.

I've tried her X10 a few times, and it's really great in use.

 

[iamzip]

I have looked at the Canon S series, and while I am sure they are good cameras (I have several Canons myself), there is nothing that stands out to me about them. I will definitely take another look at them though.

I also looked at the Sony RX100, and I would love that, but sadly at $400+ used it is out of my price range.

 

[iamzip]

I would love the X10, and if I were buying for myself I would get that. However, I know my wife wouldn't use the viewfinder, and I have concerns about pocketability since the lens does not retract as much as the XF1. From what I can tell the X10 and XF1 are very nearly the same camera, and the sensor / image quality is the same.

 

[dct]

The Canon S series are great. If you can find a new older version S95 or S100, the price would be right. The image quality from the little Canons is superb in my experience.

I concur. Got also one of the last S100 in the local store. Difference to then new S110: 120 $ 🙂

 

[jsrockit]

Sony RX100
Auto everything, APSC sensor. Great shots.

1" sensor...

 

[jsrockit]

I would love the X10, and if I were buying for myself I would get that. However, I know my wife wouldn't use the viewfinder, and I have concerns about pocketability since the lens does not retract as much as the XF1. From what I can tell the X10 and XF1 are very nearly the same camera, and the sensor / image quality is the same.

The XF1 has the slower lens. I think you've picked the best one for your wife if style is her main concern. The Canon S has no style...

 

[bwidjaja]

Not digital, but as instant and lots of fun.
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/instant_photo/cameras/instax_mini_8/

 

[maggieo]

I've recommended the Fujifilm XF1 to several of my non-photographer friends and they have all loved it. It looks great, works great and makes great JPGs. And it slips into a purse as easily as an iPhone.

Big winner, IMO. It's gets this woman's vote.

 

[mdarnton]

My brother was heavily invested in micro 4/3, so he got his wife one of the Oly Pens, so they could share stuff. She REALLY likes it, and with his lenses around she even got into it a bit.

 

[mph]

Go for XF1! It is really a very capable camera, but if money is no problem, go for the newer XQ1. Its a little smaller, and lacks the tricky on/off-zoom ring of the XF1 (which I really like)

 

[Dwig]

...
My wife has asked for a new digital P&S for Christmas. She has no photographic experience, so nothing too advanced. She is mostly concerned with fashion, ideally she would like it to be a cute color. She also would like it small and pocketable, and I guess she wants a high quality camera as well.

I have told her all of the really small, colorful cameras are cheap, and not worth getting.

All well and good, but...

... how is she going to carry the camera and, most importantly, what is she going to do with the images? Also, keep in mind that the "she wants a high quality camera" is YOUR opinion. Is it hers also??

I went through someting similar with my wife a little while back. She had a decent amount of old film-based experience (Canon AE-1, TLb, ... including some darkroom work) and a modest amount of digital experience (shooting only, I did all of her image handling and printing) using my hand-me-down high end fixed lens cameras. She wanted something new and pocketable so she could carry it regularily.

We opted for a "life proof" model from Panasonic. It's now an older model and somewhat low-end, but suits her well. I've experimented with the images and to my taste they don't hold up well past ~8x10" though even 12x18s are decent enough. My wife is only interested in 4x6-5x7 and emailable images for screen display. For her use the images are excellent.

There are several models in this class from both Panasonic and Olympus that you might consider. They are small, rugged, water-proof to swimming pool depths, and (drum roll please...) most are available in several colors (my wife's is blue).

I sold cameras for a living for nearly a quarter century and have seen many experienced photographers attempt to choose a camera for someone else. They would often fail if they couldn't see the issue through the other person's eyes. The bottom line is that you need to totally remove your opinions and replace them with hers. Then, and only then, you can begin to make an intelligent choice. Your equipment knowledge may be valueable, but it's her opinions that should rule.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

Sony RX100
Auto everything, APSC sensor. Great shots.

For $200-$300?!

 

[iamzip]

My brother was heavily invested in micro 4/3, so he got his wife one of the Oly Pens, so they could share stuff. She REALLY likes it, and with his lenses around she even got into it a bit.

I tried to get her interested in a compact interchangeable lens camera like that, in fact I have a Pentax Q which is just minuscule, but no dice - she doesn't want something hanging around her neck, and she doesn't want a protruding lens.

All well and good, but...

... how is she going to carry the camera and, most importantly, what is she going to do with the images? Also, keep in mind that the "she wants a high quality camera" is YOUR opinion. Is it hers also??

Yes, although she maybe hasn't emphasized that as much as some of the other things she would like, she has said that she wants a higher quality camera - in fact, that was one of the first things she said when she told me she wanted a new camera, so I was looking at less pocketable cameras initially - such as the x10 and the Lumix lx-5. Actually, I'm not sure why I used the phrase "I guess" earlier as that is wrong. Also, she seemed to agree with me when I voiced my concern that a "fashion" camera would quickly become outdated. At any rate, I don't think a Fuji XF1 is too far removed from one of those tiny cameras - it is a point and shoot after all, aimed more at consumers than, say, the X10.

I think I am definitely getting the XF1 now, because since I have started this thread I saw that the price has dropped to $249 new from B&H! That's what I was looking to spend used.😱