100$ camera, anything better than an SX150 IS?

[EliteRetard]

My sister is in desperate need of a new camera, and can't afford one herself. Shes got an event on the 11th of June and was going to use her 10 year old 3MP camera ("auto" only with literally no zoom). I've got 100$ I'm willing to spend to get her something at least usable, and looking around I found the Canon SX150 IS as the most appealing by specs.

I'm looking for a fairly general purpose camera, this one seems to have a good mix of everything...with the biggest downside being that is "HORRID SLOW!!". Sounds like it will be 2-5x the speed of her current camera though. Also uses regular batteries, but for her it would be fine (hers has them), I can get her a 4 pack eneloop and charger for under $20...and then she can use any old crap battery in emergencies. This actually should be better than most built in proprietary batteries (at least in the 100$ range) which only get 150 shots anyway and then you have to go home and recharge.

So yeah, any other contenders to look at? I want new, I expect she'll try to keep this camera for another 10 years. I'll probably order in the next couple of days so it shows up on time. Thanks!

 

[CuriousMike]

Canon PowerShot A3400 at wally world is < $90.

You're asking for a < $100 camera to last 10 years....

 

[EliteRetard]

Her last camera was 100$ and lasted 10 years. That's not really what I'm looking for...but chances are good that's whats gonna happen.

Thanks for the input though.

 

[JohnnyRebel]

I would be really tempted by the Nikon S01 for its size and convenience.

$69 shipped - Refurbished by Nikon (better than new).

http://www.adorama.com/INKCPS01SR.html

If you could go to $169, the Nikon P310 is a lot of camera for the money.

http://www.adorama.com/INKCPP310BR.html

 

[EliteRetard]

I would be really tempted by the Nikon S01 for its size and convenience.

$69 shipped - Refurbished by Nikon (better than new).

http://www.adorama.com/INKCPS01SR.html

If you could go to $169, the Nikon P310 is a lot of camera for the money.

http://www.adorama.com/INKCPP310BR.html

Thanks for the input, but the S01 has a non replaceable battery and fairly short life. Proprietary is O.K. if I can at least get one spare. Big no go there. The other is just to expensive.

I think I am going to go with the SX150 IS. There is no perfect 100$ camera, but this one seems to have the trade offs in areas I don't care about (speed/battery type/high ISO).

Was worth asking though, so I didn't miss anything.
Thanks again everyone.

 

[blastingcap]

My sister is in desperate need of a new camera, and can't afford one herself. Shes got an event on the 11th of June and was going to use her 10 year old 3MP camera ("auto" only with literally no zoom). I've got 100$ I'm willing to spend to get her something at least usable, and looking around I found the Canon SX150 IS as the most appealing by specs.

I'm looking for a fairly general purpose camera, this one seems to have a good mix of everything...with the biggest downside being that is "HORRID SLOW!!". Sounds like it will be 2-5x the speed of her current camera though. Also uses regular batteries, but for her it would be fine (hers has them), I can get her a 4 pack eneloop and charger for under $20...and then she can use any old crap battery in emergencies. This actually should be better than most built in proprietary batteries (at least in the 100$ range) which only get 150 shots anyway and then you have to go home and recharge.

So yeah, any other contenders to look at? I want new, I expect she'll try to keep this camera for another 10 years. I'll probably order in the next couple of days so it shows up on time. Thanks!

A used Canon S95 isn't that much more than $100 and is relatively quick and good in low light (at least at the wide end, at f/2). Decent zoom range. Bokeh isn't going to be that great due to the small sensor, but still better than cheapo cameras or cellphones. And .............drumroll............. it's small and light. You might not care, but in my experience, the vast majority of women do care, because cameras often wind up in their purses due to lack of sizable pockets anywhere else, so extra weight means extra neck and shoulder weight which isn't particularly comfortable. Buy some Wasabi Power spare batteries for cheap, if you want. I used to have a S95 but gave it to my gf after I got my RX100, so I am pretty familiar with the S95.

A superzoom has longer zoom range, but smaller sensor so what is the point exactly, unless you are in full daylight so you can keep ISO at minimum? You can crop S95 photos, anyway. And superzooms are much bigger and heavier. You can also zoom with your feet.

Edited to add: I just checked ebay and yeah, you can definitely get S95's for not that much more than $100. If you're lucky and patient you can get them for literally $100. Also check craigslist.

 

[radhak]

I like the suggestion of a used S95; all my cameras were bought 'used', and worked great, so I would not be worried at all.

But if you are, then you should look at the bestseller list of P&S at Amazon : http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers...rsr_p_1_2_last. The #3 on that list, the A2300, is a pretty nifty camera.

 

[JohnnyRebel]

+1 on the used S95. Mine, bought refurbished, is with me all day every day. AUsome camera.