Courtney B
Hi! How are you? I noticed that you were looking at the Sony WX350?
Did you have some questions about this camera today?
Hi, just getting started at looking what is on the market today. My Sony DSC-HX9V is starting to show its age and develop some personality. Might need to replace it soon.
Courtney B
Any recommendations? Looking for a great travel zoom that does it all. We have 3 younger kids in sports, dance, etc. plus like to travel.
Courtney B
Do you want another Sony camera?
Open to it. Also have had Canon and Nikon. Know about Panasonic.
Courtney B
Do you want a compact camera?
Yes. The lens needs to fully retract. Definitely lithium ion battery. CMOS sensor, wide angle plus super zoom of at least 20X, etc.
Courtney B
Do you have a budget in mind?
Probably not more than $300 since it has to pass the veto power of the husband.
Courtney B
Also needs to be fast. I like my compacts to rival a DSLR.
Courtney B
Also, needs to have smart "auto" functions. I'm not the only one using it.
Courtney B
Let me check on some current pricing!
My top recommendation from Sony in that price range would be the WX500
It's an excellent camera with really great image quality
It will definitely be the same quality that you're used to with your current camera
Would the WX350 be a step back from where we're at?
Courtney B
Yes, it would be a slight step back
Do you carry other brands?
Courtney B
The Canon SX610 would be somewhat comparable
But the Sony is a better camera
The Nikon S7000 is another option, but the same situation
Is Canon still recommended over Nikon for point and shoot? Nikon over Canon for DSLR?
Courtney B
No. Neither of those are really true. Both brands make excellent point and shoot cameras and DSLR cameras
I would say that their lines as a whole even out. Sometimes they'll make a better camera than the other brand for a similar price, but then if you go up to another price range, the opposite brand might have a better camera
So it's pretty difficult to pick a better brand
This was our first Sony. Didn't appreciate the proprietary memory back in the day.
Courtney B
I see! Sony has really stepped up their game with cameras! They've been releasing some amazing options
Got it. Thanks! Anything new rumored to be coming to the market that would be worth waiting for?
Courtney B
Not that I'm aware of. Most new point and shoots that are coming out are $400+
Is there a HX90V or did someone mean HX9V?
Courtney B
How is it different from the WX500?
Courtney B
The HX90V has a viewfinder and built-in GPS
Those are really the main upgrades. Plus it's over $100 more
You also have the ability to manually focus your images with the HX90V
Okay. Thanks! I usually find myself in auto due to having to shoot the kids quickly.
Courtney B
I do like some of the Canon preset scene modes better than the Sony's
Courtney B
Yes, they do have some nice options on Canon cameras as well!
The Sony does have more zoom though. The Canon SX610 only has 18x zoom
Which is a bit less than what you wanted
It is, agreed. We're only coming from 16X so 18x would still be more.
Courtney B
The Sony WX500 also has better low light image quality and better overall video. It also has a tiltable screen, which is sort of a nice feature :-)
Sounds good! Thanks for all the help!
Courtney B
Saw that the Canon SX620 is coming out for less than $300? What have you heard?
Courtney B
Let me see if we have anything official on that yet
But it doesn't say when they're going to start shipping it yet
It does look like they gave it some extra zoom as well as a better quality lens and wider aperture. But other than that, the camera pretty much stayed the same
Any way to tell how it will stack up to the Sony WX500?
Courtney B
It would be the same as above, except that the Canon now has 25x zoom rather than 18
But the lens on the Sony is still a little better quality
Thanks! Also wondered on this size camera--as they increase the zoom are they decreasing the sensor size? OR Is the sensor size the same whether it's a 18X versus 30X?
Courtney B
The sensor size is staying the same on these
Courtney B
Courtney B
