Who can recommend a compact with an optical view finder?

[rbarry]

Do any of the major manufacturers make a compact digital camera with an optical view finder?
It's for an elderly woman who wants to be able to see the image presented through a viewfinder rather than on a large LCD screen, which she finds hard to see in sunlight and uneasy with when trying to frame a shot.

I thought the Canon Ixus 980IS fitted the bill perfectly, probably over specced but that doesn't matter. Yesterday afternoon I looked in Comet, Currys, Tesco electrical, Staples (getting desperate), Maplin (even more desperate!) to no avail. It transpires the canon was released in mid 2008, so may no longer be a current model. I ran out of time to try Jessops and LCE, the more obvious places to try, so I still need to check them out.

She doesn't want a bridge camera as they are too big and bulky for her now. Does anybody have a personal recommendation or an idea of whether such compacts still exist?

Many thanks for your help,

Rick.

[rbarry]

Bump

[GeoffWessex]

Canon G12?

[rbarry]

Hi Geoff,

I appreciate the reply, but the camera has to be a light weight digital compact camera that would easily slip into a pocket or small handbag. The G12 is a great camera but too bulky for the job.

It's a shame so few manufacturers include a viewfinder in the design of slim digital compacts. The Canon 980IS fits the bill just right, but she doesn't want a second hand one from ebay or the like for fear of buying someone else's trouble.

Something like this design and size is ideal:

[GeoffWessex]

OK - I'll have another think. (Though I keep my G10 - identical in size to the G12 - in my jacket pocket).

How about one of these..... Canon PowerShot A1200. Difficult to find a compact camera with an optical viewfinder and be 'pocket-thin' at the same time - I wonder if an optical v/f has to be of a certain 'depth' to be worth having.

I don't use ebay at all, nor any other auction sites, but a dealer may have that Canon 990 Ixus - it certainly fits the bill and would hopefully be at a decent reduced price (possibly a used one - where do all those compact cameras go???)..... it doesn't get great reviews, mainly because it's very noisy above ISO200.

[Markulous]

Just my 1/2p's worth on optical viewfinders: when I was looking for a suitable 'dog-walking' camera, I went for the G11 as I'd decided that I needed an optical viewfinder having used one for years (but I also got it at a great s/h price!). Since I got the camera, I've never used it, always using the LCD screen!

[rbarry]

Thanks Mark and Geoff again.

I suppose the problem with an optical viewfinder in a compact (non slr) camera is down to keeping manufacturing costs lower. Unlike an SLR, a compact will display the magnification when zooming in/out directly back to the screen only and not through the viewfinder. Given that most compacts zoom range is much greater than 3x, it would make reproducing this additionally through the viewfinder an optical "extra" they could do without.

[GeoffWessex]

I recently noticed a new camera that came out quite recently, with an 'optional' viewfinder (like the Leica). It's the Panasonic Lumix LX3.... looks like a first-rate camera, using a Leica lens. It's detailed on the dpreview site. The optional (optical) viewfinder, which fits on the hot shoe, doesn't get much of a description on the dpreview site, but it was covered in the magazine article I read. It has traditional exposure modes (M/A/S etc), HD movies, Raw..... looks like a good all-rounder. Around 400 pounds, v/f extra.

I'm tempted to get one myself - much better high-ISO performance than my Canon G10.

[rbarry]

Geoff,
What a great compact! A tad over specced for what I had in mind, but many thanks for posting this link.

[ianpinion]

You'll find pretty much every camera manufacturer removed the optical viewfinders from their compact cameras to allow them to fit larger lcd screens on the back. However, Which? surveyed their membership and got an overwhelming response in favour of having an optical viewfinder fitted to a compact. They have presented their findings to the camera manufacturers and a few are now developing models that will feature one.

It's just a case of being patient and waiting for them to be released.