Point 'n Shoot!

Point 'n Shoot! (or PHD)

One thing I like about point and shoots is their compact size. Among the best in this regard are the Olympus Stylus and Olympus Stylus Zoom, and the new Stylus Epic seems to be continuing the tradition. The discontinued Pentax UC-1 was another very nice and compact camera. Being compact means you can take the camera with you with much more ease than any SLR. A heavy point and shoot still weighs less than my SLR body, and is much less bulky. I also like PHD's for the ease of operation - they require no hard thinking to operate, and you can hand the camera to someone else without having to spend a few minutes to explain how the camera works. However, there are some noticeable disadvantages. First, the flash is usually pitiful, and can only reach 10-15 feet with 400asa film if you're lucky. Second, image quality can be questionable - the lenses usually do not get anywhere close to the sharpness or quality of a similar SLR lens, so I do not recommend enlargements over 5x7. Third, you generally have no control over how the camera operates, and in tough lighting conditions, this could mean that you don't get the picture you want. Finally, what you have is all you get. With an SLR, you can change lenses and add different accessories to handle a number of different situations, but point and shoots do not offer any expandability at all (with a few rare exceptions). However, despite all these disadvantages, point and shoot cameras offer a great deal of opportunity and convenience for people who don't have a lot of photographic experience or who don't want the bother of an SLR.

What to look for:

Stick to known brands. Nikon, Pentax, Minolta, Olympus, and Canon are well known brands and their products are of at least average quality, usually much better than average. I recommend not getting Sigma or other lesser known brands as quality and reliability varies greatly. As far as the cheap Kodak cameras... Well, Kodak is an excellent FILM producer, not a camera maker - these inexpensive cameras will do in a pinch, but don't expect high quality or a camera that will last for years.
Handle the camera before you buy it, and and look for one with a solid feel. I use the Olympus Stylus Zoom (35-70 lens, now available only in a "weather-proof" version) as my standard for comparison.
Find a camera with the features you want. I generally recommend finding a camera with the all the standard features (red-eye reduction, decent flash, solid feel, etc) with the least complicated controls. You want a camera you can understand and use, not one which you need the manual to figure out how to do things.
Avoid shopping by how many features the camera has. Remember that more features often means more complication, and there are point and shoot cameras out there with impressive feature lists, but things are so complex that my multi-function, "everything but the kitchen sink" autofocus SLR is simple by comparison. A slightly cheaper camera with all the basic features will often serve you better than an expensive camera loaded with all the latest and greatest features.
Make sure all controls are easily accessible. Hidden and hard to reach buttons only cause agravation and can cause you miss photos.
Do NOT buy a gray market point and shoot from the stores in New York City. Point and shoot cameras tend to be less reliable than SLR's, so you want to make sure that the camera is under USA Manufacturer warranty.
Features you can not be without - red-eye reduction, solid construction, decent flash (reaches at least 12-15 feet), and simple to operate.
Finally, expect to pay $100-200 for a decent camera. Any less, and you will be cutting features and quality severely. Any more, and you're getting into the heavily featured superzoom cameras.

    That about covers what to look for. The best cameras I've found are the lower-end Olympus Stylus series. The Stylus, Stylus Epic, and Stylus Zoom in particular are well regarded as having above average reliability and excellent lenses - the Stylus and Epic lenses can match an SLR for quality. The cameras also have all the features you really need and are extremely compact at a price you can afford - the Zoom is about $170 and the Stylus is about $100. I also liked the Pentax UC-1, but that camera was discontinued. Canon and Nikon also offer a number of good cameras.
    For those with higher expectations of quality, there are a few point and shoots out there which match SLRs for quality and control. The Konica Hexar, Nikon Ti35 and Ti28, Leica Minilux, and Ricoh GR-1 are all high quality cameras which offer PHD simplicity with the SLR exposure override options. The drawback - price. These cameras generally sell for $400 on the USED market. New, they can reach as high as $1000. But if you want a point and shoot with professional quality optics and manual controls, these cameras offer exactly that.
    An extremely compact camera worth noting is the Rollei 35. This camera comes in a number of different versions, all of which have the same basic features. A high quality 40mm lens and complete manual control - there is NO automatic control on the camera at all. For the amateur photographer who wants an extremely compact manual camera to carry everywhere, I highly recommend it. For more information on this camera, take a look at my review of the Rollei 35 SE.
    If you have and comments or suggestions (or cameras which you recommend), please e-mail me.

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Medium Format Cameras - User's Guide to Buying and Shooting
by Peter Williams is now available from Amherst Media!! [1/2001]