Compact Camera with High Optical Zoom

[QuiGonJohn]

We own an Olympus Stylus 1010 . It has 7x Optical Zoom. We like the camera a lot, but it is getting beat up. Also, the reset time (time until you can snap another picture) is longer than we would like. So I am looking to replace it. I looked at 2 cameras friends had, a Samsung WB35F and a Sony DSC WX220. Both have higher Optical Zoom, 12x and 10x, good MegaPixels, 16.2 and 18.2, and good reset times, but apparently these models are no longer made and I cannot find a good, follow-on model for either. Also, I would like to know if there is a better one to suit our needs. It is so confusing with so many brands and models and discontinued models, etc., as well as the fact MANY compact digital camera have very low Optical Zoom, 4x, 5x, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[kenrivers]

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX220 is available at B&H Photo for $198.00. It is available in Gold and in Black.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX350 has a 20x optical zoom and it sells for around $270.
The Sony Cyber-shot WX-500 is available as well with a 30x optical zoom and it is around $350.

You might also consider the Canon PowerShot ELPH 360 or PowerShot SX610. Both of those sell for around $200. The SX610 sells for a little more than the ELPH 360.

Could find nothing in the Samsung line equivalent to the WB35F.

 

[QuiGonJohn]

Thanks for the reply. We use it when we travel, most pics are scenery or pics of people (us or family at family events, etc.). We do not have smartphones and prefer a regular camera. We like to stay in the compact size (as our current model and the ones I mentioned) due to convenience, we can always have it with us. A large camera we would probably tend to not always take it along. The two I saw last weekend did not seem too old, so it's kind of odd that they are discontinued and no easy to find model that superseded them. This is an annoying aspect of the tech industry, how quick they drop good products. Some of the suggestions here might work for us, The Sony CyberShot DSC-WX350 seems good, also saw a link for Canon PowerShot SX620. BTW, I looked at the link for B&H on the WX220 and it says DISCONTINUED, could not order. Any tips on choosing between these?Also, on Focus Camera they have the Sony DSC WX-220 Bundle for $238 and the Sony DSC WX-350 Bundle for $308. Besides the price, any big differences to note. I thought I saw a comment about the 350 having the ability to continuous shoot, but now I can't find that remark. I'd be willing to spend more for the 350 if it's features really warrant it. But if it's basically the same as the 220, with just higher optical zoom, I'm not sure I need the zoom that high. The 10x seems pretty good. I'm surprised to see all of these take SD cards vs. microSD. I would think to keep the camera smaller it would be microSD.

So if I were to choose between the SX620, WX220 or WX350 which would you recommend and why?

 

[kenrivers]

I don't know that I would recommend one over the other as they are very similar. The sensor size is the same for both cameras.

Differences:
Optical Zoom
Canon 25x
Sony 20 x

Max Resolution
Canon 5184 x 3888
Sony 4896 x 3672

ISO Sensitivity
Canon Auto, 80-3200
Sony Auto, 80-12800

Not sure how important recording video is to you but here's the main difference between the two
The Sony camera is capable of recording 1920 x 1080p video at 60 fps
The Canon camera is capable of recording 1920 x 1080p video at 29.97 fps
The 60 fps (frames per second) is useful if recording fast action and you want to slow it down a little during playback. By no means is it ideal if slo-mo is important to you.

The Canon has a slightly better aperture (f/3.2) than the Sony (f/3.5) which may have some/slight impact on low-light performance.

The focus range advantage may go to Canon. You will need to look at both to see the comparison.

It's difficult to recommend either since I have used neither but based on specs alone I would probably go with the Canon.

 

[QuiGonJohn]

Thanks for the detailed feedback and the comparison page. I am a relative novice regarding photography, so not sure how to read some of these specs. I know Zoom and Resolution, the rest I'm kinda fuzzy on. How does the cheaper Sony WX220 stack up to these two? I'm sure it's "not as good" but perhaps, for a novice like me, still a big jump up from our worn-out Olympus Stylus 1010.

Besides wanting a fairly good rang of Optical Zoom (our current is 7x and the lowest I am considering, the WX220 has 10X). But either the WX350 (20X) or the SX620 (25X) are quite a step up. Anyway, the ability to quickly take another picture is probably the next most important aspect (what I call reset time).

 

[QuiGonJohn]

Just went to Best Buy and looked at the Canon Powershot SX620. I like it and am leaning towards this one. I forgot to ask the guy helping me, and I downloaded the Manual but do not see this either. Is it possible to TURN OFF the camera's wifi to help extend battery life. I foresee that mostly, we will just take pics and move them on the memory card, so I do not think we will need or use the camera's wifi much at all. Hate to waste battery on keeping the wifi scanning, searching for networks to join, etc.

 

[kenrivers]

NFC can be turned off via the menu system and I don't think Wi-Fi is used until you set it up but I could be wrong about that. There may be an option to disable it was not immediately apparent where that would be in the menu system. With the exception of the zoom the WX220 and WX350 are fairly close to each other and I doubt you would see much of a difference in image quality.

I can't help with which one is quicker between shots. If you really wan to get more zoom range would you regret going from 7x to 10x when you could have gone to 20x or 25x? If you plan on keeping the camera for a while then look at what might be important to you later as well.

Snapsort comparison between the Canon and Sony.

Another comparison at CameraDecision