List of good P&S camera's

George Mann

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What I would like to see is a list comprised of:

Lens quality (sharpness, resolve, contrast, color rendition, etc.).
Metering accuracy and ability (suitable for slide film?).
Flexibility (manual control, defeatable flash?).
Camera size, and type of battery.
Current going price.
 

ac12

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Nikon L35-AF
35mm lens was/is good enough for P&S work, when I did not want to carry my F2.
Meter was fine when I shot Ektachrome in it. But as with anything old, YOU need to verify exposure accuracy.
No manual control
I think AA batteries.
No idea what it currently sells for. You can check eBay for that.

Of course, now that I am looking for it, to verify features, I can't find it.
 

TheRook

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That would be quite a list. There must have been hundreds of different 35mm P&S camera models manufactured over the decades. And that's excluding the countless simple 35mm cameras designed specifically for children.
 
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George Mann

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TheRook said:
That would be quite a list. There must have been hundreds of different 35mm P&S camera models manufactured over the decades. And that's excluding the countless simple 35mm cameras designed specifically for children.
Click to expand...

And up to 90% of them would fail to meet the basic qualifications of this list!
 
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George Mann

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I have been looking at a Nikon Tele Touch 300 AF as a possible candidate on the cheap.
 

Theo Sulphate

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I'll let others cover the Olympus XA and XA2.

I choose the Ricoh GR1.

Outstanding 28mm lens for resolution, color, and contrast. After being committed to going no wider than 35mm, it was this lens that convinced me 28mm can look great.

Metering? I don't think I've ever had it lead me astray in any non-special situation. However, I don't shoot slides.

As for flexibility: choose either aperture preferred or program mode. Exposure compensation dial. Flash: Disable, Auto, or On. Focus is AF and some funny fixed-focus modes. Viewfinder shows speed, distance icons, and selected focus area.

Takes some sort of lithium battery.

Fits in your shirt pocket. Titanium body!

Price: about $500 when new (1998?)?. Today prices vary because some of them are failing or erratic. Sad!


 
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George Mann

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TheRook said:
But what exactly are the qualifications you are looking for? As a specification, "good" is a bit vague.
Click to expand...

Good means capable of rendering a good image. This requires a good lens, and reliable metering.
 
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George Mann

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The Minolta Hi-Matic AF2 is decent for use with negative film. It has an unusually good lens.
 

AgX

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George Mann said:
And up to 90% of them would fail to meet the basic qualifications of this list!
Click to expand...

Well, who on earth did resolution tests on hundreds of cameras?
Quite some models only were marketed regionally.
Who would estimate a price?

With such requirements I would expect you start with the first 50 models.
 

Chan Tran

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When you call a camera P&S what do you mean?
If you mean a camera that you can simply point and shoot and it adjust focusing and exposure for you then an autofocus SLR would fit the bill.
If you mean a compact camera then you have a problem. Most compact cameras that allow P&S operation that is everything automatic won't have manual controls. Those that have manual controls won't do it automatically.
 

Sewin

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I agree Chan, I class my Nikon F65 SLR as a"point and shoot"
 

Prof_Pixel

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I recommend the Olympus Stylus Infinity. It was my 'go everywhere' camera for years.
 
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Cholentpot

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Olympus Pen EE3 that I own.

No flash, no batteries of any sort. But you get 72 shots off a 36 shot roll and the thing is tiny. It also has a hotshoe and a PC socket. I never shot slide through it but it's done me good for B&W and C-41.
 
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George Mann

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One thing I never see mentioned in any online articles is how the models perform with slide film.
 

Chan Tran

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George Mann said:
A compact, "automated" range-finder type camera designed for portable use.
Click to expand...
Not judging by quality of lens or accuracy of the meter because I can't test them. Even with that I can't think of a compact camera that fit your requirements of both P&S and manual controls.
 
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