Compact camera recommendations.

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
My trusty Coolpix S4 seems to have died after a decade of service. I do find it handy to have a "ladies' camera" available at times, especially where size can be an issue and it's nice to generally leave it in the car in readiness for any "events" on the road.

When I got it, the 10 X optical zoom was a rare feature, but it has had some use, so I would like to keep that ability. Ideally, I would like to replace it with another, but they don't seem to come up very often these days. Are there any others that I should contemplate? I seem to have standardised on SD cards in everything, but that wouldn't be a deal-breaker.

Nikon_Coolpix-S4_L.jpg
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.

Not too bothered - I dunno, about a hundred quid? And truly pocketable - around twenty fags size...

Auto lens cover would be nice, the S4 had a flip cover that was quite fragile - rare to see one still in existence - I'm fairly gentle with stuff, but I still had to fix mine.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
2 x Zenith E's

Then if your hand brake fails on a hill you can wedge them against your back wheels
One Zenith E would be sufficient, even on a 1:4 - my old Fed 4 was the best camera I've ever had. If I could get a CCD insert for that, I would be happy.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Well, after much agonising and eBay searching, I have finally got another S4. I did consider the later S10, with its lithium battery, but they seem even less available and the sleeker case looks a bit more droppable.

s-l225.jpg

After following a few on eBay, it seemed that everybody else who had wanted one had been satisfied, which was lucky for me, as the one that I bid on was certainly the best on offer since I started looking. It has arrived today and is as immaculate as the description implied. Even the lens cap is pristine - possibly the only one in the country - I may swap it for the bodged-up one from my old camera, and keep the 'new' one for 'best'.

I will no longer have to lug Ecker's old camera everywhere with me.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I always liked the twist body design on the Nikon, my first digital camera was a coolpix 950.


View attachment 4048
It is more useful than I thought - the shot of the cleared Astonfields fire site the other day could have been taken from above the fence with a bendy-cam. I have been without if functioning properly for six months now and have found many situations where it would have been a better choice than the DSLR is. I'll be using that for more 'deliberate' stuff from now on, I think.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I have discovered two interesting* differences between my original camera and the current one.

1, The new one doesn't retain the time/date setting when the batteries are removed - the first one did.

2, The batteries last three to four, maybe even five, times as long as they did in the first one, and I am using the same cells that were in the first camera.




* Well, I think so.
 
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