I'm looking for a camera to carry on my rides. Had an old small Sony that was Ok but died. Now I have a Nikon L320 that is too big and heavy for my intended use, and its image quality is not too good. What I need:

• Small size - not bigger than a 'point and shoot'
• Acceptable image quality (highly subjective, I know)
• Uses standard AA batteries
• Manual override (not auto-everything) if possible
• Less than $300

I don't need:

• A lot of 'features' or 'modes'
• High megapixels
• Video or sound recording

Suggestions welcome!

Can't help you there with the AA batteries, practically all the good cameras have gone to rechargeables.


If you can overlook that, the one I'm using now is the Olympus TG-870 (which, according to Amazon, you should be able to get at or below $300). Quality is decent for a P&S, is one of the rare few "tough" cameras out there with flippable LCD screen, but not much manual control as you wanted. Fits nicely into the back jersey pocket and easy to operate one-handed though.

I like this: https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-pr...lpix-l610.html

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/t...ras-2016-20942

google point and shoot cameras using aa batteries. You can buy rechargeable aa batteries. I don't use them on my cameras anymore but use them for other items.

Thanks all.
That was what I meant, I like to use rechargeable AAs, and in a pinch you can get alkaline ones everywhere.

I would say a Pentax MX SLR. I miss the days of film. Adjusting the f-stop, shutter and focus with the touch of three fingers in just moments while you looked through the viewfinder and quickly snapped a high quality pic. But sadly those days are gone for us simple folk.

The digital cameras today take forever to go into the menus and adjust these things if you want to change the pic from what it wants you to get.

But they do an excellent job for the most part. So what more do you need in a camera while cycling that your smartphone doesn't give you?

I was going to say the Canon S120 but it appears its no longer being made. These were great small cameras for people that liked to use manual settings. Have a ring around the lens that can be programmed for Aperture, shutter speed, or pretty much anything else.

I have an earlier version, the S-95, and it's been very reliable. Pretty much keep it with me all the time so always have a camera at hand that can do more than my phone although I recently upgraded to an iphone 8 and the camera is pretty amazing....for a phone.

I do have a MX and some SMC lenses, including the 50 1.4 and the 'pancake' 40 2.8, but I haven't used them for some 15 years. That's exactly what I'd want (including having a viewfinder), only digital and smaller. Call me a retrogrouch, but I don't own a smartphone!

While it may be a little above budget, the Sony a6000 is a small mirrorless camera that will produce professional results. It has a large sensor, and feels like a "real camera" with an excellent eye level viewfinder, and will do everything most DSLRs will do and in some cases more. My wife and I have 3 of them and have used them for bike touring as well a general use. I have taken over 20,000 pictures on mine since getting it in 2015. My wife had been using one for a couple of years, and when my trusty Canon died a week before a 2 month European bike trip, I found an excuse to get a Sony a6000. I don't miss my old film Nikons near as much as I used to after getting it.

Getting a shot like this would be very difficult with a phone or a point and shoot without an ELV.

I used to express the same sentiment toward smartphones but gave in four or so years ago when my Motorola RAZR finally died. I spent quite a bit of time taking most apps off of it. A phone is really just for calls anyway..... right? Well no, texting, looking at the radar when showers are threatening during a bike ride and taking pictures of labels, and data plates on stuff that is in hard to eyeball positions is very useful.

If you do find a decent camera to take with you let me/us know. I'd be particularly interested in one that has an easy way to control things like f-stop (aperture), shutter speed and focus.

The ones I have, even the touch screen ones are cumbersome and require multiple swipes and taps to get to the place where one can change these things. Especially the aperture or the digital equivalent, lighting (not to be confused with flash) which I need frequently.

Well that's the kind of shot I miss being able to take. I could do that easily and quickly with my old optical Pentax MX SLR, and hoping I had the correct ASA speed film loaded for the conditions. Though small for it's day back in the early to mid 70's, it's too big now to lug around.

I'll have to look at your Sony. But what did you mean by "ELV" ?? A quick google didn't seem to pull any relevant info for that that applied to cameras or photography.

The a6000 would be nice, but I'm not in the US and it costs about $800 where I live, so it's out of my budget.
Nice shot - has a film camera style indeed!

Do you have to limit yourself to AA batteries? These cameras tend to be quite big and most of the better point and shoots come with lithium polymer batteries.

Eye Level Viewfinder. The Sony 6000,6300,6500 are about the only compact mirrorless cameras with good eyelevel viewfinders. Fuji has an ELV, but are more expensive. I believe B and H have their Sony cameras on sale right now.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...s_digital.html

bunch of years ago me & siblings got our Mom this camera. our Dad cpl yrs ago asked for a camera & I suggested something he was never happy with (Nikon Coolpix forget the model) & last week he asked if I could get him the same camera Mom has. turns out they can be found used for cheap. he got it & loves it. just a point & shoot but small, easy to whip out. it's got a zoom & uses 2 AA batts. Dad is 90 & Mom 87 I think

Olympus Stylus FE-210 (used on Amazon & Ebay)

AAs are more practical IMO - you can keep a 2nd set of rechargeables and never run out of battery, plus like I said above you can find them everywhere. But I'd trade them off for other features if necessary.

I'd recommend the G9X if you can deal with "only" 330 shots per charge. There's also the Ricoh GR, Lumix LX-7, and Sony RX-100 but I would argue that they are not as pocketable.

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/c...r-refurbished#

I almost never carry a dedicated camera. That's what phones are for. My Samsung Galaxy 5 has a great camera. The only drawback is its hard to "one hand" for a quick shot while riding. I have a small Panasonic DMC-ZS25 (few years old, check for current model no. ) with a Leica 20x zoom. It's a great camera. I used to take it all the time, but now only for special rides where I might want to "one hand" while riding. It has a safety wrist strap. Doesnt take AA batteries, though. I had an old Vivitar that did, but don't know if it's still made. I use velcro cable ties to attach the small camera bag to handle bar or stem, and it's protected and accessible whenever I need it.