TimothyH

I'm not looking for an action cam or something that gets mounted to a bike but just a simple digital camera to bring on rides primarily for still photos and an occasional video.

Not interested in carrying around lenses and prefer a point and shoot.

It should be able to fit in a jersey or larger saddle bag, obviously light weight but durable. Waterproof or highly water resistant would be a plus and buttons should be easy to use - tiny little switches and buttons frustrate me.

Let's cap the price at $500 just for the sake of conversation.


-Tim-

JohnJ80

Have a smartphone? Most of the current smartphones actually have pretty decent cameras.

J.

Zurichman2

I have a Nikon Coolpix that I really love. I think it's waterproof down to 30 feet underwater. I have had it a couple of years. The only suggestion I have is to carry it in the carrying bag that comes with it so that when it's hot outside and you are sweating that this doesn't smudge the lens up.

Zman

bobwysiwyg

+1

1nterceptor

I've used my FUJIFILM XP50 to record many rides. Kept it in my sweaty jersey pockets in the summer;
stored it in my jacket pocket in freezing temps. Can operate with light to mediumweight gloves. Probably
impossible to use with heavy winter gloves.
Waterproof:

ItsJustMe

Well, the best smartphone camera is only about as good as a basic point and shoot camera, even now. And that only when you're not zoomed in at all. Start to zoom and any point and shoot will blow away the best phone camera.

I haven't shopped for a new point and shoot for several years, but I've been eyeing the new mirrorless stuff. That's out of the $500 range though.

Seattle Forrest

Sony RX100.

JohnJ80

Here's the OP's criteria:

Pretty much describes today's smartphones.

J.

steelbikeguy

you might want to search some of the photography mailorder places just to see what is on the market. I tend to go to B&H Photo.....
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/

As far as small, lightweight, and inexpensive, I recently bought a Canon Elph 350HS. It was under $200, IIRC. Not as nice as a DSLR, but better than a phone camera. Certainly easier to grab and take a quick shot!

It's not waterproof/resistant, though. Since I can sweat profusely on a hot day, or might get caught in some rain, I just keep it in a ziplock baggie. It's not what you specified, but might be something to consider.


Steve in Peoria

tyrion

+1. Hard to beat in the under $500 category.

JohnJ80

Olympus has a $499 plus two lenses special on the OMD -M10mk2. But I don't know if any mirrorless cameras that will fit the size constraint (I've looked). Mirrorless is primarily a technology alternative to DSLRs.

The point and shoot market is collapsing because of smartphones (same target market). Won't be too long before they are gone. See:



You can get pretty decent add on lenses that work with smartphones. Newer smartphones are going to have optical zoom capability.

tyrion

The main problem with smartphones is that it can be really hard to see the screen to frame the picture in bright sunlight. Basically impossible at some angles. This applies cameras without a viewfinder as well.

The image quality of smartphones is just getting better and better with software "tricks" like combining multiple exposures, but in bright sunlight the usability is second rate.

pdlamb

I have a Panasonic shockproof, water resistant camera that goes in a bar bag or jersey pocket. Looks like the predecessor of the Lumix TS-30, for what that's worth. I can see the picture in the daytime, I don't have to worry about sweat, and the shockproof is just icing on the cake for me.

BikeLite

Olympus TG-4 is best waterproof.

ItsJustMe

Actually it perfectly describes a point and shoot camera.

TimothyH

Not interested in a smartphone. I already have an iPhone 6 and looking for something that does better in low light, has better optical zoom, can adjust aperture/shutter speed or has aperture/shutter priority, etc.

I'm also not interested in doing video all that much, especially videos of rides. Basic 1080 on a point and shoot camera will be fine and I already own a GoPro.

Looking at something like the Cannon SX730 HS with 40x optical zoom. Preorder however, but I was looking at similar in the store last night.

Seattle Forest, how long have you had the Sony?

@1nterceptor, I appreciate your remarks about sweaty jersey pocket, freezing, etc. I will likely do the same.


-Tim-

gsa103

I went with a super cheap Canon PowerShot N. Probably on par with an iPhone 7, but significantly easier to use one handed.

I wanted a camera that I could quickly take a picture with, then stick back in a pocket, preferably while riding. Smartphones are great, but one-handed usage is not their strong point.

Second advantage, if I drop/lose a ~$100 point and shoot, I don't care. Breaking a $600 smartphone is a different matter.

JohnJ80

Lol. My point EXACTLY.

canklecat

Yeah, smart phones are handy and the latest iPhones and Samsungs offer outstanding image quality. And the ergonomics are still awful. I've lost count of the number of times I've fumbled my iPhone trying to take snapshots one-handed. It's an ergonomic mess. I'd never use my iPhone for snapshots while riding, such as casual group rides. I always use a P&S and decent ergonomics for one-handed snaps -- and with better image stabilization than smart phones offer.

Check out the Olympus Tough Cams. For the past couple of weeks I've been using a friend's iHS TG-630 to see if I'd be interested in something to replace my Ricoh GRD4 and GX100 and Nikon V1 compact digital cameras.

The Olympus Tough Cam form factor is definitely what I was looking for -- flat, something I can stuff in a jersey pocket or baggy shorts pocket without worrying. No external telescoping lens -- it's all sealed behind a glas shield. Shockproof, weatherproof. Excellent sensor based image stabilization, including in video mode. Nearly perfect.

Nearly.

The TG-630 is perfect for my friend because she's not going to edit or adjust her photos, beyond what's available in those DIY kiosks at Walmart. It shoots JPEGs only and they do stand up to quite a bit of manipulation below ISO 400. I've tweaked a few landscape photos in Lightroom to squeeze out the dynamic range and white balance I preferred, and the JPEGs held up well enough for 8x10 or so prints. Pretty good for a teensy sensor P&S. And most Olympus digicams produce excellent JPEGs right out of the camera without any tweaking.

But I can see why my friend was baffled by some features on the TG-630. It's really feature overkill for snapshooters who take only a few photos a year. And while the little joystick type selector/controller seemed intuitive to me, she didn't care for it. She'd have been happy with just the basic auto-everything program mode, video and and easier way to turn flash on and off. But for even a casual shutterbug the controls and features are easy to grasp -- I didn't even need to refer to the manual for 95% of the operations.

I'm a photo wonk and would prefer raw files, so I'll probably look at one of the higher end Olympus Tough Cams that can record raw. Maybe the TG-4. I don't need 4k video capability and don't have the computer set up for it anyway, so I'd skip the TG-5.

I might also check Olympus for refurbs of discontinued models or unsold new/old stock. The camera will get beaten up anyway so I'm not picky about pristine condition of a new camera.

Also, check out the Flipbac rubber stick-on finger grips for improving the feel of most P&S cameras. I've used one on my Nikon V1 for five years. Huge improvement. I have another Flipbac ready to go on the next P&S I get for bicycling. They use sturdy 3M adhesive that's very secure, yet supposedly removable and movable. I've never tried to reuse one.

canklecat

BTW, my next choice over an Olympus would be a new/old stock Nikon 1 Series, like the early J or S models. The CX sensor is the same size as the Sony RX100 "One-inch" sensor, but from a different fabricator. The early Nikon CX sensors weren't quite as good, but still better than most teensy sensor P&S and smart phone sensors.

I wish I'd bought an early J1 when Nikon was blowing 'em out a few years ago for a little over $100 with the 10-30 kit zoom. Would have made a great knockaround bicycling camera. But I wasn't bad in the saddle then and hadn't anticipated the need for a good compact and rugged camera.

TimothyH

@canklecat, thanks. The TG5 looks nice. Really interesting that it accepts filters and add on lenses if I am reading correctly. I still have a few filters, not really interested in lugging them around but maybe a polarized filter would be nice to carry when not riding. I'll have to read up on the TG series.

You are probably the right person to ask... How do some cameras in this price range have 40x optical zoom while others have 3x or 4x? Is there a trade off somewhere else when a camera has 40x as opposed to 4x?

-Tim-

canklecat

I'm not up to date on superzoom cameras. Usually I check dpreview for good tech reviews. Most of my photos use moderate wide angles and I do a lot of candid snaps of people, so I seldom need long lenses.

Superzoom cameras are popular with casual birders. Excellent values compared with bulky and expensive APS and full frame dSLR zooms and telephotos.

Most have tiny sensors, which limits low light performance and depth of field. But that wouldn't concern me for a compact bicycling camera. These still offer great image quality compared with most smart phones, and are far superior to tiny sensors of previous generations.

There are also some good bridge cameras in Micro 4:3 and 1-inch sensors, with good, fast zooms. But these are too bulky for jersey pockets.

When I'm wanting more serious photos I'll rig up my AGU weatherproof handlebar bag for my Fuji and Nikon gear.

canklecat

BTW, here's a relevant thread in the Foo Forum from a few months ago. The OP went with the excellent Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 bridge camera, an excellent value in a reasonably fast 25-400mm/2.8 (equivalent) zoom with a 1-inch sensor. If I was looking for a bridge camera that's the one I'd get. Check out his photos from the dog track -- it's a capable action camera too.

But there are other good suggestions for more compact cameras including a couple of superzooms.

Cyclist0084

Ahhhh, I miss viewfinders on cameras. I have an old (probably close to 10 years old) Kodak digital point and shoot with a viewfinder. Even though it still works, I hardly use it anymore but when I do, I get folks looking at me like they've never seen that kind of camera.

Zurichman2

I actually looked at the bottom of my camera and it's a Nikon Coolpix AW130. I think I have had it for around 2 years now. It is extremely waterproof and shock proof. It has a heavy seal around it to make it waterproof and says its waterproof down to 100 ft. Like I said before I use the bag that comes with it so when I am sweating in the summertime it doesn't fog up the lens and I can get a quick pic when I want to. I had an Olympus waterproof camera before that. Both had zoom options on them. It's lightweight and takes as good of a picture as the operator knows how to take. IMHO you couldn't go wrong with any of the waterproof Nikon or Olympus cameras. My local camera shop stop selling the Olympus. He basically told me it was one of the best cameras out there but wasn't popular in our area so he couldn't sell very many of them. I have a SLR Olympus that I bought off of him.

Zman