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Looking for a SLIM point and shoot that's better than iPhone cameras--anything better than the Sony WX350?

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subjonas

macrumors 604
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Feb 10, 2014
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Hi, I'm interested in buying my first dedicated camera and some advice would be very appreciated.

Portability is very important for me because I want to carry it daily in my fanny pack (cross body) and maybe sometimes my front pocket. A lot of the recommended PaS cameras I've seen so far are pretty chunky. I've decided about 25mm is the thickest I want to go, and I'll just accept the best camera I can get within that limitation. I'm still not sure about weight, but for now I'd say around 150g.

The top feature I'm looking for is zoom, as much as possible, since that is probably the biggest advantage dedicated cameras have over phone cameras. But I think it should probably have better low light performance and image stabilization than phones too, right? I'm not sure what other features to look for.

The best option I could find for me is the (discontinued) Sony WX350 which satisfies my portability limit, plus it offers 20x zoom which would be excellent. But there are possible issues, like supposedly it doesn't have good low light performance. But I don't know if that means it's worse than iPhones or just worse than other PaS cameras in its class. And then of course it's really old, so I'm wondering if it's just too outdated and lacks features that I don't know about.

Does anyone have any thoughts about the WX350? Is there another camera that might be a better fit for what I'm looking for?

Price isn't a huge concern since I plan to use this thing forever. Being able to capture fleeting moments on photo/video in as many situations as possible, with the highest quality possible, as conveniently as possible--are most important to me.

Thanks so much in advance!

Edit- I should clarify a bit more what my goals are. My top priority in photography and videography is capturing information; lower priority is aesthetic beauty (I don't post on social media or anything). That's why optical zoom is important to me, as is no blurriness, and ability to capture low light and high contrast. Accurate colors is not too important to me other than the occasional sunset photo, but I can live with compromise there. I won't be blowing up or printing any photos, they're just for viewing by me and people close to me, on phone/iPad/TV.

I should also note, I'm planning to get an iPhone Air, so that camera will be at my disposal as well, so the dedicated camera's main job will be to make up for where Air camera lacks, which again is mainly zoom. Macro would also be nice.
 
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I'm not in the point and shoot segment, but I find it hard to believe that an 11 year old point and shoot camera will outperform a modern iPhone, even with optical zoom. I'm not a big phone photographer, but iPhone is going to have better lowlight performance with the computational aspect, and with the 8x zoom lens on the new 17 coupled with 48MP, you'll be able to crop quite a bit while maintaining a decent photo.
 
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mollyc said:
I'm not in the point and shoot segment, but I find it hard to believe that an 11 year old point and shoot camera will outperform a modern iPhone, even with optical zoom. I'm not a big phone photographer, but iPhone is going to have better lowlight performance with the computational aspect, and with the 8x zoom lens on the new 17 coupled with 48MP, you'll be able to crop quite a bit while maintaining a decent photo.
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The Sony has 20x optical at 18MP and bigger sensor so it should do quite a bit better zoom than iPhone 17 Pro's 8x 12MP cropped. The iPhone has more overall MP and much better computation with HDR, so I'm sure the phone can do better with lower zoom photos in good light and situations with high contrast, but not quite sure if it can beat a larger sensor for low light. Maybe depends on how low of light, how much contrast, and how steady the shot is.
The Sony being so outdated is my concern too, so I'm thinking there should be a newer equivalent that hopefully has better computation and specs, with around the same compactness, but so far haven't found it. But still got more research to do.
 
Those kinds of point and shoots aren't made anymore. In the "point and shoot" category you typically get fixed focal lengths, like a Fuji X100VI, Ricoh GRII, or Leica Q3, all of which are quite a bit larger than you are looking at.

You might look at a Sony RX100VA.

Most people wanting the kind of camera you want use their phone and therefore most camera makers don't make anything like we used to use 20 years ago.

ETA: there's a newer version of the Sony out if you are willing to shell out $1,800 (you did say price isn't a concern, so maybe that's okay for you.)
 
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I was very disappointed to see this market has completely disappeared. I was going to get a P&S with an iPhone Air but … yeah no… lol. The cameras I did want were near the $2k range. I’ll just keep my 15 Pro Max. It has been my primary “shooter” now for years and I’ve REALLY gotten used to it.

Meanwhile my wife has her R5 Full Frame for birding.

You can get some nice Canon Rebels used but it’s nowhere near as convenient as the 15 Pro Max, lol.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into them.

Boy, I didn't realize how bleak the PaS market is. I thought there'd be at least basic options, but I went to Best Buy and saw almost nothing. There were only two PaS cameras, and they were basically the same--both thick boys aimed at content creators.

I may have to make some major bummer compromises.
 
This 'review' is about 5 years old, but I believe this camera is still being made. Probably a later generation.

Does not quite meet your size criteria. It's about 40mm thick and weighs 330gms with battery installed. Uses a 1" sensor. I carry it in a soft case which resides on my belt or in a backpack depending on how light I want to travel. I would not carry it in a pocket as I would not want dust finding its way into the lens extension mechanism.

If you can live with less zoom and a smaller sensor you might find one of the waterproof cameras would fit the bill. Very rugged and meets your size criteria, Also can be safely carried in your pocket as lens mechanisms are entirely internal.

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Early Impressions: Panasonic Lumix ZS200

Why the ZS200?: So just some hopefully coherent thoughts on my new Lumix ZS200. I started out with a more formal approach, but eventually decided to dish out a little bit every so often. My dad once told me the place to start is where you're at and that's more or less how my wife and I came to...
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subjonas said:
Hi, I'm interested in buying my first dedicated camera, and some advice would be very appreciated.
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Take a look at the Nikon Z30. It is a bit thicker than 25mm, but it might be the lowest-priced camera that is better than a cell phone. If you watch the Nikon website, they periodically sell refurbished Z30+ lenses for under $500.


There is no point in buying a camera with a sensor size less than APS-C. You may as well use your phone.


The problem is that it is pretty much a matter of physics that the only way to make a better camera is to make the sensor larger, and this means a larger lens. Technology will never change this.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
….. I’ll just keep my 15 Pro Max. …..

You can get some nice Canon Rebels used but it’s nowhere near as convenient as the 15 Pro Max, lol.
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The OP has discovered the same issue I did, the p&s market is effectively dead, especially for anything that has an ultra wide lens.

This is why I kept my 16 Pro to complement my Air for those travel times.

-
 
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ChrisA said:
Take a look at the Nikon Z30. It is a bit thicker than 25mm, but it might be the lowest-priced camera that is better than a cell phone. If you watch the Nikon website, they periodically sell refurbished Z30+ lenses for under $500.


There is no point in buying a camera with a sensor size less than APS-C. You may as well use your phone.


The problem is that it is pretty much a matter of physics that the only way to make a better camera is to make the sensor larger, and this means a larger lens. Technology will never change this.
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Thanks for the suggestion and thoughts.

For general photo quality, I agree no point in getting a smallish sensor size, but would there be a point for optical zoom? I found several (used) ultra compact cameras (I'm really looking for ultra compact as much as possible because I know that's the only way I'll be willing to carry it around) with small 1/2.3" sensors that apparently have significantly better optical zoom than iPhones, I saw up to 20x. If compact enough, I'm considering getting a good zoom camera and carrying it around just for the occasional high zoom shots that my iPhone can't do. But would the quality be too bad even with optical zoom because of the small sensor to be worth it? In other words, would a 10x optical zoom with one of these 1/2.3" sensor cameras be noticeably better than a 10x digital zoom with say an iPhone 17 Pro? And 15x, 20x? Thanks
 
danpass said:
The OP has discovered the same issue I did, the p&s market is effectively dead, especially for anything that has an ultra wide lens.

This is why I kept my 16 Pro to complement my Air for those travel times.

-
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I'm considering keeping my 16 Pro Max around for the same reason (or maybe I'll downsize to regular Pro)--it's crazy to think carrying two phones might be my best option lol. But my main hesitancy with that is I want much higher zoom. We'll see--still slowly researching all my options.
 
subjonas said:
I'm considering keeping my 16 Pro Max around for the same reason (or maybe I'll downsize to regular Pro)--it's crazy to think carrying two phones might be my best option lol. But my main hesitancy with that is I want much higher zoom. We'll see--still slowly researching all my options.
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I tried the 17 Pro for a few days and the tele is noticeably better than 16 Pro.

It’s the sort of thing where I may get an 18Pro/whatevertheycallitnextyear to add to the Air.

Or maybe they’ll have an Air ProUltraMaxSuper with an expanded camera suite lol.

-
 
danpass said:
I tried the 17 Pro for a few days and the tele is noticeably better than 16 Pro.

It’s the sort of thing where I may get an 18Pro/whatevertheycallitnextyear to add to the Air.

Or maybe they’ll have an Air ProUltraMaxSuper with an expanded camera suite lol.

-
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Probably my ideal hope is for modular camera systems like Xiaomi's to catch on and for Apple to do their version.🤞(I still want something slimmer than Xiaomi's lens attachment even if it's bigger overall though)

 
Cell phones cameras are the new point-and-shoot. And even the fattest current phone is thinner than the thinnest P&S I ever had - with miles better image quality. (Even the best "slim P&S" I had was still far worse than a lower end fatter P&S.)
 
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GM1 and GM5 LUMIX are the smallest set-up I know of so far with interchangeable lenses.
 
Okay, but with a small lens or pancake you get a PaS smaller than a pack of cigarettes … but one that can work as a more complex camera with longer lenses etc and more manual composition when you need it. Especially the 5 is superb in both modes, and while the MP aren’t what we are used to today, it works nicely and gives you beautiful bokeh depending on the lenses aperture. It’s a camera I mostly have in my jacket pocket, it’s as small as the smallest Sony fixed-lens kit I had before, but as powerful as a PenF (well, almost)

Looking forward to learn what works for you in the end.
 
I use my base iPhone for everyday photography and a full frame SLR with some vintage lenses on it for more serious stuff or when I want to get creative. This is the perfect combo for me and is very rewarding when you get a great photo, but the SLR is big and heavy, so it takes planning and motivation.

If I could offer you some advice, it would be this - forget the iPhone Air + Portable Camera combo and instead just get an iPhone PRO. This will be more compact and lighter than an iPhone Air + Portable Camera and I bet the results will be as good as, if not better, than a point and shoot with your size and weight limitations. The iPhone PROs have good zoom capabilites.
 
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H_D said:
Okay, but with a small lens or pancake you get a PaS smaller than a pack of cigarettes … but one that can work as a more complex camera with longer lenses etc and more manual composition when you need it. Especially the 5 is superb in both modes, and while the MP aren’t what we are used to today, it works nicely and gives you beautiful bokeh depending on the lenses aperture. It’s a camera I mostly have in my jacket pocket, it’s as small as the smallest Sony fixed-lens kit I had before, but as powerful as a PenF (well, almost)

Looking forward to learn what works for you in the end.
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Appreciate the advice. It sounds like a really good camera. But since it requires carrying and changing out lenses, I don't think it would be a good fit for my purposes. The main feature I would miss in an iPhone Air is high optical zoom, and thus that's the main feature I'm looking for in a complementary camera, along with high portability so that it's always available.

I should make it clearer, I think I have different goals than most. I mentioned this but it's probably worth reiterating--I'm not a typical photographer, I'm not trying to make beautiful images per se because I never post my photos and I rarely share them with anyone. I'm really just a spontaneous recorder of information for myself. I mainly record things of interest (eg. an interesting-looking cloud, a funny animal interaction, etc) that I may want to personally reference later. So the aesthetics of the photo/video often doesn't matter much to me, I'm mainly just interested in capturing all the information. I guess you can think of me as some kind of recon field agent. It's all about quickly and accurately recording information in a range of spontaneous situations, which is why portability and zoom are important to me.

I do also occasionally take photos at events, on vacations, etc. like normal people, but my standard for those photos was met by camera phones years ago.

Life has been pretty hectic so I haven't been making much headway with researching options, but I have a list going and I'll be going through it. At the moment it seems like it will just end up being a (used) small sensor high zoom ultra compact. I'll be sure to update this thread for anyone curious, but again, I don't know how relatable my journey is to others lol.
 
ubinko said:
I use my base iPhone for everyday photography and a full frame SLR with some vintage lenses on it for more serious stuff or when I want to get creative. This is the perfect combo for me and is very rewarding when you get a great photo, but the SLR is big and heavy, so it takes planning and motivation.

If I could offer you some advice, it would be this - forget the iPhone Air + Portable Camera combo and instead just get an iPhone PRO. This will be more compact and lighter than an iPhone Air + Portable Camera and I bet the results will be as good as, if not better, than a point and shoot with your size and weight limitations. The iPhone PROs have good zoom capabilites.
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I've had a 16 Pro Max for almost a year haha. It's an impressive camera overall but the problem I have with it is:
1) I don't like using it as a thick smartphone which is 99% of the time
2) I've never been that pleased with the zoom power

It's true the two-in-one device is more compact and lighter overall, but it comes with those other compromises which have come to bother me even more. This is just me though, I'm more particular than most.

Right now I use a cross body fanny pack to carry my 16PM. I don't like wearing it all the time, and I don't love putting the phone in and taking it out (compared to easily slipping in/out of a pocket)--but I feel stuck doing so because I can't stand putting the bulky phone in my pocket. I tried the Air in my pocket at an Apple store and I was pleasantly surprised by how much more comfortable it was. That got me to think, if I carried an Air in my pocket, that would free me up to put an ultra compact camera with higher zoom in my fanny pack, and the fanny pack/camera could then be optional to bring.

Two devices, an optional fanny pack--it's a complicated solution, but this is the price I pay for being particular.

Anyway, nothing's totally decided yet, so we'll see.
 
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ubinko said:
If, however, you are committed to the Air + Compact Camera, the Sony RX100 VII or Canon Powershot G7X Mark II might be worth a look:

compactshooter.com

Sony RX100 VII Review - 200mm in your pocket! - Compact Shooter

The Sony RX100 series is one of the most popular compact cameras of all time. It is now on its […]
compactshooter.com

www.myleskatherine.com

canon g7x mark iii review — Blog — Myles Katherine Photography

www.myleskatherine.com www.myleskatherine.com
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Awesome, thanks! I believe these are already on my list of cameras to check out, but if not I'll be sure to add them.
 
I asked this question to a user in post #11, but I'm still awaiting an answer--would love to hear from anyone else who might be able to answer:
I found several (used) ultra compact cameras (I'm really looking for ultra compact as much as possible because I know that's the only way I'll be willing to carry it around) with small 1/2.3" sensors that apparently have significantly better optical zoom than iPhones, I saw up to 20x. If compact enough, I'm considering getting a good zoom camera and carrying it around just for the occasional high zoom shots that my iPhone can't do. But would the quality be too bad even with optical zoom because of the small sensor to be worth it? In other words, would a 10x optical zoom with one of these 1/2.3" sensor cameras be noticeably better than a 10x digital zoom with say an iPhone 17 Pro? And 15x, 20x? Thanks
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