Nikon Coolpix ok as a basic camera?
Discussion
Hi guys,
Looking for a new camera...
Our Canon Ixus 115 HS has stopped working, with the dreaded "Lens error" message (lens is stuck in the camera). Its the second Canon we've had with this fault within 6 months, so - although I've been happy with the picture quality - I want to move away from Canon.
Those nice people at Amazon are giving me a full refund, so I've got a budget of up to £150 to spend on a new camera. My wife has a Sony DSLR for when we need the best photo quality, so this camera will be used for point and shoot work, and making short videos (nothing flash).
I've been looking at the Nikon Coolpix S6300, which Amazon have for £129. Seems to have a fairly good spec (16MP, 10x optical zoom, HD video recording).
I had a Nikon a few years ago, but things move on quickly. So I just wondered if anyone had personal experience of this particular camera, and whether its likely to equal or surpass our now broken Canon Ixus for picture quality?
Alternatively, anything else we should be looking at for around this price point?
Thank you,
Steve.
Looking for a new camera...
Our Canon Ixus 115 HS has stopped working, with the dreaded "Lens error" message (lens is stuck in the camera). Its the second Canon we've had with this fault within 6 months, so - although I've been happy with the picture quality - I want to move away from Canon.
Those nice people at Amazon are giving me a full refund, so I've got a budget of up to £150 to spend on a new camera. My wife has a Sony DSLR for when we need the best photo quality, so this camera will be used for point and shoot work, and making short videos (nothing flash).
I've been looking at the Nikon Coolpix S6300, which Amazon have for £129. Seems to have a fairly good spec (16MP, 10x optical zoom, HD video recording).
I had a Nikon a few years ago, but things move on quickly. So I just wondered if anyone had personal experience of this particular camera, and whether its likely to equal or surpass our now broken Canon Ixus for picture quality?
Alternatively, anything else we should be looking at for around this price point?
Thank you,
Steve.
Steve,
All you can really do at that end of the market, where new models are being introduced every few months, is to look at the review sites and see what they have to say (but ignore the associated forums for the most part...). Somewhere like DPReview tends to offer a reasonably complete and independent opinion just as it did when it was independent and British (Now largely American and owned by Amazon) and will usually offer some relevant (to the current market) comparisons. Longevity and build quality results in extended use are probably beyond its remit.
I've never had a pocket camera fail (yet). IN the case of my little old Pentax Optio that is despite at least 3 serious drops, the last of which saw it bouncing across a car park at some speed. Fortunately the lens was retracted at the time.
My elder daughter lost a Canon (Ixus 70 iirc) to what I was told was one of her cats knocking a vase of water over it. The unnoticed water got to a circuit board through the only obvious hole in the casing - where the strap would be fitted - and did for the printed circuitry. I have my suspicions that the thing had had a hard life before that anyway. Students, etc. And I'm not entirely sure I believe the cat story either!
The replacement - a refurb Ixus 80 iirc - failed after about 4 months with a lens problem. Loose connection fixed in 3 days under warranty. That one also lived a hard life. About a year ago it was replaced with a ruggedised underwatery type Sony thing. Quite a well used life but then it was ruggedised. It leaked when about 6 months old and the warranty was refused due to a small dent in the case which was very unlikely to be anything to do with the failure of a seal at a totally different location on the body to where teh leak occurred. Still, what's a warranty for if not to be refused? And why claim things are drop proof, shock proof and watertight to 10meters when they are clearly not?
From what you have said I would be tempted to buy often and use the Amazon money back feature to sort of 'rent' whatever takes your fancy! Send it back if you find you can't get on with it for some reason.
All you can really do at that end of the market, where new models are being introduced every few months, is to look at the review sites and see what they have to say (but ignore the associated forums for the most part...). Somewhere like DPReview tends to offer a reasonably complete and independent opinion just as it did when it was independent and British (Now largely American and owned by Amazon) and will usually offer some relevant (to the current market) comparisons. Longevity and build quality results in extended use are probably beyond its remit.
I've never had a pocket camera fail (yet). IN the case of my little old Pentax Optio that is despite at least 3 serious drops, the last of which saw it bouncing across a car park at some speed. Fortunately the lens was retracted at the time.
My elder daughter lost a Canon (Ixus 70 iirc) to what I was told was one of her cats knocking a vase of water over it. The unnoticed water got to a circuit board through the only obvious hole in the casing - where the strap would be fitted - and did for the printed circuitry. I have my suspicions that the thing had had a hard life before that anyway. Students, etc. And I'm not entirely sure I believe the cat story either!
The replacement - a refurb Ixus 80 iirc - failed after about 4 months with a lens problem. Loose connection fixed in 3 days under warranty. That one also lived a hard life. About a year ago it was replaced with a ruggedised underwatery type Sony thing. Quite a well used life but then it was ruggedised. It leaked when about 6 months old and the warranty was refused due to a small dent in the case which was very unlikely to be anything to do with the failure of a seal at a totally different location on the body to where teh leak occurred. Still, what's a warranty for if not to be refused? And why claim things are drop proof, shock proof and watertight to 10meters when they are clearly not?
From what you have said I would be tempted to buy often and use the Amazon money back feature to sort of 'rent' whatever takes your fancy! Send it back if you find you can't get on with it for some reason.
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