What camera - £400 budget

[Gruber]

I know nothing about cameras and photography but am in the very fortunate position that we have been given 400 quids worth of John Lewis vouchers as a wedding present with which to buy a camera.

I want something that is easy to use "out of the box" so we can use it while we're learning. And obviously, it has to be available from JL.

Someone recommended the Fuji X10, but I'm open to other suggestions (and thoughts on the X10).

http://www.johnlewis.com/231451792/Product.aspx

Thanks in advance

Gruber

[Pothole]

Reading a review, I'd avoid it as a novice...

http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/6/2597067/fujifilm...

"My hunch is that the optical viewfinder is going to cause a lot of average users, seduced by the X10’s beauty, a lot of confusion and annoyance as they shoot. Since the viewfinder has a different point of view than the lens, any photo you frame through the viewfinder will look different in the actual photo unless you know how to compensate for the difference. If I framed a picture of my keys through the viewfinder, what I actually took a photo of was the bottom of the lanyard, out of focus, plus a nice shot of the background. It also has no center mark or indication of focus — it’s just a blank pane of glass, with no information whatsoever — which makes framing your shot even more difficult because everything always appears to be in perfect focus whether it actually is or not. You’ll see the lens in the corner of the viewfinder as well, and while that’s neither unique to this camera nor a problem in your actual photos, it’s jarring to look at. On the plus side, the viewfinder does zoom in with the lens. If you can handle a rangefinder-style viewfinder, this one works as well as any, but I’d wager most people can’t"

[14-7]

Blimey they know how to rip people off!!

My choice, seeing as though you are looking around £420 for the one in the link, would be to spend £20 more and get the Canon S100. The only thing that would annoy me is that you can save £100 by buying from amazon.

[Gruber]

Thanks chaps.

I must admit, I have been somewhat seduced by the looks of the Fuji. A much better looking bit of kit than the Canons... I know, I know, that's not the point...

[MartinP]

The Fuji looks a little too big to easily fit in a pocket. Would that be an issue for you?

If you want something that fits in a pocket, takes really great pictures and has the ability to easily control the settings manually then I'd be going for the Canon S100. There are a few of us on here with the S95, the S100's predecessor, as a secondary camera for days we don't want to lug around an SLR.

[Gruber]

S100 acquired! Many thanks for the input chaps. Much appreciated.

Will now spend the evening playing with my new toy!!