[quagmire]

My mom needs a new camera. She loves the photo quality of my Nikon D60 DSLR, but still wants the compact size of a point and shoot.

I was looking at the Canon Powershot SX160 IS. People seem to like it, looks to have a decent lens, etc. Only complaints so far is poor image quality in low light situations. But for $200, can't really complain. It does use standard alkaline batteries and eats through them( can always get rechargeable ones).

Any other suggestions? I know Canon and Nikon are considered to be among the best of camera makers right now. I would probably put the budget at $300.

[ddk632]

While I shoot Canon as far as my SLR shooting goes, I have always like Sony cameras and think they're really good.

I have a Sony digital P&S (DSC-HX5V), which takes some nice photos and is light and compact. It does ok in low light, with auto-ISO up to 3200, and has a decent wide-to-tele zoom range. That camera is 3 years old now, I'm sure newer/replacement models are even better. It also has built-in GPS which is pretty cool. It also uses a regular SD card which is nice as I've never liked spending money on Sony's proprietary storage media formats (i.e., the Memory Stick).

Price point was around $350 but I wanted something that shoots high-quality video for family stuff and the video on this thing is pretty amazing, full 1080p, very crisp and clear.

[E92 M Sport]

I had an older canon PowerShot which produced blurry images when you zoomed in, so when I wanted a slr, I went Nikon. I found that aa batteries are convienent, but I used lithium batteries to getter more life out of them. What about something like this?

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Pro...PIX-S9400.html

I like have the zoom, so it looks interesting to me.

[quagmire]

Originally Posted by E92 M Sport

I had an older canon PowerShot which produced blurry images when you zoomed in, so when I wanted a slr, I went Nikon. I found that aa batteries are convienent, but I used lithium batteries to getter more life out of them. What about something like this?

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Pro...PIX-S9400.html

I like have the zoom, so it looks interesting to me.

I was actually coming back to get opinions on the S9500 and the Canon Powershot SX280 HS. The S9500 has more megapixels with 18 MP vs 12 MP( yes I know megapixels aren't everything). People have complained that the S9500 lacks manual control, but my mom just wants to point and shoot. She will probably will just leave it in auto anyway.

[M_Six]

Right now the EOS-M can be had with the 22mm lens for $300. Or $350 with the 18-55 lens. Tiny, light camera with an APS-C size sensor, and hence great image quality. The EOS-M and 22mm could easily fit in a pocketbook.

[quagmire]

My mom isn't big on the interchangeable lenses and it won't fit in her pocket.

[BMW F22]

Pick up a used or refurbished Canon S95 and call it a day. It's a sweet camera.

[druu]

the sony rx100 is also excellent (albeit expensive for a point and shoot). But it has a huge sensor for a point and shoot (1 inch), which is the same sensor as the nikon 1 series of interchangable lens cameras. The mark 2 version of that camera just came out, so a second hand rx100 might be a good buy.