Lisa had asked about replacing her outdated Nikon Coolpix 4200 in response to “Nikon Coolpix S1000pj Camera has Built-in Projector.” She wanted a model that would have “a decent lens, negligible delay and a viewfinder” and was wondering if $300 would get her anywhere.
It’s actually hard to find point-and-shoots with optical viewfinders these days. Most appear in high-end models. Nikon, for instance, only has an optical viewfinder available on its top two models, the Coolpix P6000 and P90. Both are good cameras, but come in over $300.
Canon is the only one that really has a selection
Canon PowerShot SD780 IS ($250)
Canon PowerShot SD1200 IS ($200)
Canon PowerShot A1000IS ($150, which we still recommend because we feel its image quality is better than the replacement model, the A1100IS)
I’d go with one of these Canon models and it wouldn’t hurt to check out “6 Ways to Speed up a Slow Camera.” The tips are applicable to any camera.
