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1. Jay dickinson says

   September 23, 2013 at 12:28 am

   The newly announced Nikon Coolpix P7800 includes a 921k EVF.

   Reply

   • admin says

     September 24, 2013 at 11:03 am

     Hi Jay,
     Thank you very much for taking the time to let me know about the new Nikon P7800. It’s great to hear that Nikon have re-introduced a compact camera with a viewfinder and I’ll certainly now include it in the site for the benefit of all.
     Harry

     Reply

2. Eric says

   November 27, 2013 at 5:30 am

   Thank you! Exactly what I’ve been looking for. I’ve been killing myself trying to find a small P&S with a viewfinder for an older relative who won’t like the LCD screen aiming.

   Reply

   • admin says

     November 27, 2013 at 11:50 am

     Really glad that you found my site to be of some use Eric. And Many Thanks for taking the time to say so!
     Harry

     Reply

3. Pauline Hayton says

   February 26, 2014 at 1:15 pm

   Thank you for the information. Viewfinders are essential when it’s impossible to see the subject/view through LCD screens because of bright sunshine. Now I can buy a new camera after holding onto my ancient Canon Powershot A710 for years because I couldn’t find an inexpensive compact with viewfinder.

   Reply

   • admin says

     February 27, 2014 at 2:52 pm

     You are most welcome and glad my little site was of some help. Thank you for taking the time to post a comment.

     Reply

4. Beatrice says

   March 14, 2014 at 9:39 am

   Hello! It was really helpful to look at your page, thanks! I’m thinking of buying a Canon PowerShot A1400, but I would prefer to buy a 35-140mm camera – I don’t suppose you would know any other model apart the Fujifilm X100? I have searched extensively, but I don’t find anything that has the three characteristics: optical viewfinder, 35mm lens (I don’t like the way things are distorted by wide-angle lens) and… well, a price that would be around 250 dollars at most.

   Reply

   • admin says

     March 15, 2014 at 8:40 pm

     Hi and thanks for your interest and I understand what you mean. The current range of compacts all seem to come with a zoom lens with a 28mm setting at the default “wide” end. The Fujifilm X100 has a fixed (non-zoom) 35mm lens and is very expensive.

     I don’t know of any current models that would match your three main criteria but perhaps you would be willing to consider another option?

     Previous compacts with a viewfinder often had a zoom lens starting at 35mm and two of the upper-end models that spring to mind are:-

     Canon PowerShot G9
     Nikon P5100

     Both of these were the top models in their range around 6 years ago and they are often available on eBay today. If you have a search on eBay and sift through the listings looking for a good honest description, decent photographs and a seller with good feedback you could easily pick up a bargain.

     Hope that might help.

     Reply

     • admin says

       March 15, 2014 at 9:08 pm

       Just had another thought on the above… Amazon have sellers that sell used cameras etc too. So it’s worth a look at both eBay and Amazon. Try doing a search using the search boxes I’ve included in the right-hand sidebar.

       Reply

   • togwood says

     April 26, 2014 at 1:15 am

     Hi Beatrice, I own a Canon G15, it has a step zoom feature which when set up correctly allows me to use the front dial to make the zoom “step” through common focal lengths like 28mm, 35mm, 50mm etc. Unfortunately the A1400 does not have this feature. I think I am correct to say that the other cameras in this list that have a step zoom feature are the G16, G1X, LF1 and P7800.
     The G15 has 2 custom positions on it’s mode dial. I have my 35mm shooting settings saved to the C1 position. I have set it up so that when I turn the mode dial to C1 the camera zooms to 35mm, uses the Program Auto mode, uses auto ISO, turns off the screen and disables the review. When I use those settings it reminds me of how I used to shoot when I had a cheep automatic 35mm film camera

     Reply

     • admin says

       April 26, 2014 at 11:20 am

       Thanks for your input “togwood” and a good point you raise there. It reminded me of something that I would mention too about the two Fuji models (X10 and X20). They both have a manual zoom lens rather than a button on the camera to zoom in and out. In fact, twisting the zoom ring on the lens is also how the camera is switched on and off. So when it comes to taking a shot, it’s pretty easy to turn the camera on and move it immediately to 28, 35, 50, 85 or its maximum zoom of 112mm… and all in one simple action.

       I think the Fuji X10 is something of a bargain at the moment and it still seems to be available from Amazon as I write this (April 2014).

       See also this Blog post – https://www.compactcamerawithviewfinder.com/fuji-x20-manual-zoom-lens/

       Reply

5. Duane Mayhew says

   November 10, 2014 at 8:21 pm

   Thank you for your evaluations and analysis. My current P & S has developed a ‘lens error’ problem which might be an expensive ‘fix,’ so I am in the market for a new one (my Nikon DSLR is great but sometimes problematic to carry). I’ll look further into the Panasonic Lumix and the Panasonic LFI. Thanks again, DGM

   Reply

   • admin says

     November 10, 2014 at 9:30 pm

     Thank you for taking the time to post a comment. I think you are probably right about a “Lens Error” problem fix being expensive. I wish you well with your further research and trust you find a suitable compact for use when out and about.

     Reply

6. Sue Wood says

   November 28, 2014 at 7:52 am

   I have read your review with interest. On a sunny day I can’t see the screen and looking to up grade to a compact with a view finder. I will definitely look at the Fuji’s, thecanonA1400 and the Lumix LF1. Can any one tell me if the canon G15 has a view finder? I note that your page says 2014. have there been any new models out since you wrote this.
   Thank Sue

   Reply

   • admin says

     November 28, 2014 at 8:25 pm

     The Canon G15 does definitely have a viewfinder Sue. The G15 has been discontinued by Canon and was replaced by the Canon G16 model which is very similar. If you want to find the Canon G15 model, eBay would be a good place to look. Why not try the search box on the fight-hand side of any page on this site.

     Note that some of the cameras I’ve included for comparison in this site have an electronic rather than an optical viewfinder. Nothing at all wrong with this in my mind and it’s useful to have some information available when looking through the viewfinder (it’s a mini version of what appears on the rear LCD screen). This is perhaps subject to individual preference of course but why not try out an electronic viewfinder like in the Panasonic Lumix LF1 in a camera store to see what you think. The Canon G15 and Canon G16 models both have an optical viewfinder.

     Harry

     Reply

7. Manny says

   February 5, 2015 at 7:06 am

   Thanks so much for the info. You gave me a springboard to jump from. As far as your next update, you may want to include the Sony rx100 m-3 or m iii. It sucks about the a1400. I bought two for my daughters. No manual controls but you could “trick” to the settings you wanted through the scene modes for purposes other than what they were intended for. Thanks again!

   Reply

   • admin says

     February 5, 2015 at 5:54 pm

     Many Thanks for your input Manny. I’ll be sure to include details of the Sony RX100 Mark 3 when I update the site. You’ve just given me the incentive to update things and I thank you for that. My plan now is to complete the update by the end of the month.

     Harry.

     Reply

8. Arnoud says

   February 24, 2015 at 8:37 am

   I guess you don’t like Olympus??

   Olympus Stylus 1 is about the same size as the Canon G1X.
   Not that compact, but has almost everything an enthusiast amateur photographer wants/likes.

   Reply

   • admin says

     February 27, 2015 at 1:52 pm

     Thank you for your input Arnoud. I appreciate all feedback and will certainly include details for the Olympus Stylus 1. As a matter of interest, I do very much like Olympus cameras and used to own an OM2 when using 35mm film. It was an excellent camera and the Zuiko lenses were/are superb.

     The Stylus 1 may very well be a camera that would be of interest to readers of this site. It’s a bit tricky to decide whether to have the details showing in the Home Page or in the Bridge Cameras page. Which do you think would be best?

     I don’t pretend to include details of all the Bridge cameras available as that would be outside the scope of what this site was really intended to be about. I do take your point though about the Stylus 1 being about the same size as a Canon G1X and on that basis it is certainly worth including.

     I do wish there were more truly compact “shirt-pocket” size viewfinder cameras available. I think there is a market for this type of camera as not everyone wants to carry around something bigger all the time. I’m thinking here of someone who is interested in photography but needs something smaller than an SLR or Bridge camera (or indeed quite a few of the ones I’ve included above) when on holiday or just when out and about.

     Harry

     Reply

9. Daria says

   April 10, 2015 at 12:17 am

   Thank you very much for your job! I found your site simply by searching “viewfinder cameras”, but apart of the information about them there are so many interesting things which I never understood before (about sensor size, lenses, etc).
   The information is concentrated and clear! No need to read those huge articles.
   I still haven’t found a camera of my dream and budget, but this site is of big help!
   (and of course any advise is welcome: 250€, viewfinder, not AA batteries, better than Samsung Galaxy II mobile phone camera )

   Daria

   Reply

   • admin says

     April 10, 2015 at 12:41 pm

     Thank you Daria for your kind words. Much appreciated. As regards finding your dream camera, a famous photographer (can’t remember who) once said that the best camera in the world is the one you have with you at the time. You are one step ahead of the game with your Samsung Galaxy II in this respect but I think you might possibly be looking for something with more options?

     It’s hard to know what to recommend as a lot depends on how you view things (pardon the pun). Personally I think a viewfinder is essential and a camera with a useful zoom range is very useful but that leads us on to physical size and weight. If you want something really compact and light in weight the Panasonic Lumix LF1 has a 28-200mm zoom lens and is what I would describe as a shirt-pocket size camera. At the other end of the scale, and if you want something really quite impressive with lots of features, there’s the substantial and chunky Fuji XS-1 Bridge camera as featured in the “Bridge Cameras” page of my site. It has a 24-624mm zoom range and I think is something of a bargain at around £250 compared to what an SLR with lenses covering that sort of zoom range would cost.

     Either of these cameras are around your budget figure, both have a viewfinder, rechargeable Lithium-Ion batteries and offer lots of features. Try to imagine how you would want to use a camera though. A large camera like the Fuji mentioned above can be quite cumbersome to carry around. Even to the point of thinking that you don’t want to take it with you on an outing. And this kind of takes us back to “the best camera in the world is the one you have with you at the time”.

     Harry

     Reply

10. Daria says

    April 13, 2015 at 12:29 am

    Thanks for your kind answer Harry! Panasonic Lumix LF1 seems what I need! Meanwhile I also read about Nikon V1, despite it has ambiguous characteristics and can be bought only used, still looks quite attractive.

    Daria

    Reply

    • admin says

      April 13, 2015 at 11:50 am

      The Nikon V1 is a very good “Compact System Camera” with a 1″ sensor. The 1″ size sensor is much larger (that’s a good thing for ultimate image quality) than that fitted to the usual compact type cameras featured in my site. If you want to see a visual representation, have a look at the chart on this site:-

      http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikonv1j1

      You will already know I guess that it is an interchangeable lens type camera and this is something to bear in mind. A quick check on eBay shows quite a number available (some body only) but this would give you the opportunity to choose the type of lens (or lenses) that would best suit your needs.

      Might be worth checking on the physical size with a lens fitted as depending on intended use, it might just be a little bit larger than you imagine.

      Just trying to help and I’m sure you’ll be able to pick up a bargain on eBay if you decide to go for one. I think the Nikon V1 was around £1,000 (with kit lens) when it was introduced and I reckon you could probably buy one now for a quarter of that. Just have a good read at the eBay listings and check on seller feedback and look for good honest descriptions and detailed photos.

      Harry

      Reply

11. Daria says

    April 13, 2015 at 12:59 pm

    Hi Harry,

    Today I ordered Nikon V1 from eBay, seems the seller is good and the camera described “as new”.
    If you don’t mind, I will share my opinion concerning Nikon V1 (and electronic VF in particular) here. Besides my mob.phone, I have used both – very simple compact cameras w/o viewfinders and SLR cameras of my friends. This Nikon seems to me interesting alternative of both. Will see…

    Best regards,
    Daria

    Reply

    • admin says

      April 13, 2015 at 7:50 pm

      Good for you Daria in taking action and I hope you have great fun with your new camera. I’ll be delighted to include a guest post from you after you have got to grips with the Nikon V1. Your findings could well be of interest to other visitors to this site. Just let me know in due course what you would like to say and I’ll include it in the Blog section.

      Harry

      Reply

12. David Knapp says

    April 22, 2015 at 5:27 pm

    Thank you, Harry! This is wonderfully useful.

    Reply

    • admin says

      April 22, 2015 at 8:54 pm

      Thank you for taking the time to comment David. It’s much appreciated and I’m really glad that you found my little site useful.
      Harry

      Reply

13. Rhona says

    May 5, 2015 at 6:55 pm

    Great website, gave me lots of information I needed to make an informed decision about my next compact camera with viewfinder. I am finally homing in on the Sony Cybershot HX90V – which seems pretty similar to the Panasonic TZ70. The Sony has to be pre-ordered so I am guessing it has just been launched (so no reviews sadly either), but from the spec, do you or indeed anyone have any comments or thoughts I should consider before splashing out? Thanks a lot

    Reply

    • admin says

      May 6, 2015 at 12:36 pm

      First of all thank you so much for letting me know about the new Sony Cybershot HX90V. I’m “a one man band” and started this site off to try to help others who were trying to find a compact camera with viewfinder. This new Sony model fits the bill perfectly and I’ve updated the site to include details.

      I know there’s not much in the way of reviews for it yet, but coming from Sony, I’m sure it will be a proper little gem of a camera. I did a little bit of research and came across an early “hands-on first look” review by the respected UK Amateur Photographer Magazine and have included the link below for you to check out.

      http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/reviews/compacts/sony-cyber-shot-hx90v-review-hands-on-first-look

      Many thanks again for taking the time to post a comment and I’m sure it will be of great interest to other visitors to the site.

      Harry.

      Reply

14. Nick Leapman says

    May 20, 2015 at 8:11 am

    Thank you for this excellent site. Until recently I had one of the first Lumix bridge cameras with a 3.2 Mp sensor. I just loved this camera because it had a good zoom, was much more compact than modern bridge cameras and had a great EVF and felt wonderful in the hand. I must have had it nearly 10 years and unfortunately it has just died. I hate carrying large cameras so a new bridge is not for me. I thought the solution would be the Panasonic TZ 70 from looking at the specs but having tried it in the shop it does not feel brilliant high quality in the hand and the EVF seems so small. I live in the middle of rural France so getting to a big camera shop is a problem and even if you do there is no guarantee you will find the camera you want to try and even when you do the cameras often don’t have batteries in, so you can’t test the EVF. My question is simple – you recommend 3 really good compacts – would the Lumix LF1 or Sony HX90V have better viewfinders or feel any more solid than the Lumix TZ 70? The Sony of course has the advantage of better zoom capabilities than the LF1. What do you think?

    Reply

    • admin says

      May 20, 2015 at 2:08 pm

      Thank you for your very interesting input Nick. I understand and appreciate the conundrum you have and will try my best to help. Rather than give a hasty reply, I’ll mull it over for a few days and as I’m due to visit a large shopping mall later in the week I’ll visit the large Currys/PC World store and try to get my hands on the models you mention to try them our for “feel” and viewfinder quality.

      I’ll then include an entry in the Blog section of the site with anything I can discover as the interesting point you raised will no doubt be of interest to others too.

      Harry.

      Reply

      • Nick Leapman says

        May 20, 2015 at 7:16 pm

        Thanks a lot Harry – I hope you can do that but from what I understand the Sony won’t be on sale until end June. No rush for me anyway – I will look forward to reading what you discover all the best Nick

        Reply

        • admin says

          May 26, 2015 at 7:53 pm

          A quick update and sorry for delay Nick. I’ve published an entry in the Blog Section and hope you find it to be of some use:-

          https://www.compactcamerawithviewfinder.com/lumix-lf1-or-sony-hx90v/

          Harry.

          Reply

          • Nick Leapman says

            May 29, 2015 at 6:54 am

            Thank you Harry – I have read your report and I found it very useful. It pretty much confirms what I thought from my brief handling of the TZ 70. It also confirms what I find more and more with electronics and some other consumer products too – you can’t just rely on specifications. It makes buying the right kit more and more difficult in particular as few shops, even big ones, can stock everything. And it gives me a problem – I don’t like going to a shop to try something and then buying it online. I think that is unfair unless the shop prices are significantly higher. But if you can’t find a shop with all the models you want to compare, what do you do? Do you intend to try the new Sony as soon as it comes out in June? I would be very interested to hear your verdict as I doubt I will find one to try out for some time here in rural France. Thanks again Nick

          • admin says

            May 31, 2015 at 2:45 pm

            Nick, I managed to get my hands on the new Canon HX90V model. Please see the undernoted post (and the email I sent you):-

            https://www.compactcamerawithviewfinder.com/sony-hx90v/

            Regards,

            Harry

15. Harry R. Meyer says

    June 17, 2015 at 8:25 am

    Thank you very much – finding this site was a real breakthrough for me. My current Nikon P7100 is getting rather worn and I hadn’t been able to find a replacement, partly because I was searching for ‘optical’ rather than ‘eye level’ viewfinder. I have now ordered a Nikon P7800.

    Reply

    • admin says

      June 17, 2015 at 10:04 am

      From one Harry to another:- Thank you for taking the time to post a comment and I’m so pleased that you found this site to be useful. It makes such a difference to me when I receive comments like yours and gives me great encouragement to try to keep things updated for all of us viewfinder fans.

      Harry.

      Reply

16. Tim Williams says

    August 3, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    I just found this website, which looks really handy.

    With reference to the Canon A1400 Powershot, this is definitely discontinued. I bought one of these in 2014, but it developed a fault which required a warranty return after less than a year (Feb 2015). The replacement offered by Canon was an alternative model with no view finder, the reason being that they no longer made an equivalent to the A1400. I refused the replacement, making it clear that I considered the view finder to be a critical feature and got them to give me a refund instead.

    The last time looked, the remaining new stock of the A1400 was retaliating for about 2x what I paid, and 2nd hand eBay examples were also selling for prices in excess of what I paid (which was about GB £60).

    Right now I haven’t bothered to replace my camera, a viewfinderless compact doesn’t offer enough of an advantage over the camera in my mobile phone to make it worth spending the money.

    Reply

    • admin says

      August 3, 2015 at 8:00 pm

      Many thanks for that information Tim. I’ll add a note to the site to confirm that the Canon A1400 has definitely been discontinued.

      Thanks again for your very useful input.

      Harry

      Reply

17. John says

    August 14, 2015 at 12:41 am

    The fuji X30 has the same size sensor as the X20 not “Four Thirds” as you stated

    Reply

    • admin says

      August 15, 2015 at 3:05 pm

      Good spot John and many thanks for letting me know about the error. (I’ve corrected it now).

      Harry

      Reply

18. David says

    September 13, 2015 at 1:19 pm

    Thanks for publishing this. I don’t always want to take my SLR (and 4.5 kg of gear), but I do regard a viewfinder as essential. Unfortunately it seems that one can have a viewfinder, or a larger sensor, but not both in the same package…

    Reply

19. Leo says

    January 21, 2016 at 12:03 am

    Hello!
    Thanks for this page i had a hard time finding compact models with an optical viewfinder. Would you recommend any of the cameras with optical VF as the best one in hinsight of picture quality?

    Reply

    • admin says

      January 22, 2016 at 8:10 pm

      Thank you for your question. If you are looking for the best possible image quality the answer is to look at the models with the largest sensors. Unfortunately, this tends to mean high prices, larger (less compact) cameras and with more limited zoom options.

      It’s the physical size of the sensor that matters – not the pixel count and these details are shown in my site for each of the models that I’ve listed.

      Are you sure that you need ultimate image quality? Printing out very large prints etc? Just a thought.

      Hope this helps.

      Harry

      Reply

20. Erik Ohlson says

    June 23, 2016 at 4:00 pm

    ANY camera can have a good eye-level viewfinder: it’s called a Clearviewer – a fairly inexpensive device that attaches to the camera’s tripod socket and magnifies the image while shading the LCD.

    Here are two posts on the subject, with photos:

    http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/42244601

    http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3517628#forum-post-51813710

    Years ago, I was a huge advocate for a small camera with an electronic viewfinder (EVF) bur when a real “Travelzoom” came out and I bought one, I discovered that I already had a far better viewfinder in the Clearviewer.

    -Erik

    Reply

    • admin says

      June 26, 2016 at 2:00 pm

      Many thanks Erik. I’ve approved your comment (I get loads of junky non-sensible comments) and will make a blog post on this topic with credit given to you.

      Thanks again for your input.

      Harry
      PS
      Blog Pst – https://www.compactcamerawithviewfinder.com/any-camera-can-have-a-viewfinder/

      Reply

21. Geoff says

    August 5, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    I’d just like a light weight compact camera with a short zoom with which to take snapshots of butterflies/dragonflies – a 7x or 8x zoom would be ample; an optical/electronic viewfinder and a ‘larger’ sensor – LF1 perhaps or current equivalent
    Any ideas?

    Reply

    • admin says

      August 7, 2016 at 7:43 pm

      I really like the Panasonic LF1 and it could be a good choice. Something else to consider before deciding though is the aperture range of the lens that would be best suited for your subject matter. The LF1 lens starts at a bright f2 aperture at the wide setting of the lens but this closes down to f5.9 at the telephoto end. There’s more information on this topic where I tried to explain this in more detail on this page:-
      https://www.compactcamerawithviewfinder.com/what-do-aperture-numbers-of-a-lens-mean/

      Hope that might help Geoff.

      Reply

22. nha hinh chu l dep says

    August 15, 2016 at 4:17 am

    My family always say that I am killing my time here at net,
    however I know I am getting know-how everyday by reading
    such pleasant articles.

    Reply

23. www.wao.or.jp says

    September 3, 2016 at 10:59 am

    WOW just what I wwas looking for. Came here by searching for Canon A1400

    Reply

24. T.J. says

    December 9, 2016 at 9:19 pm

    One criterion that photographers who wear eyeglasses should keep in mind is the material the viewfinder eyepiece is made out of. Many eyepieces are hard plastic that will scratch a photographer’s very expensive eyeglass lenses. That’s why I may be sticking with my Olympus Stylus 1: the camera body is bigger than I’d like, the sensor is on the small side, and there’s no in-camera HDR, but I can rest the soft, rubber eyepiece right against my eyeglasses–more camera stability, and no scratches on my glasses.

    Reply

    • admin says

      December 10, 2016 at 6:00 pm

      Good point well made and thank you for taking the time to post a comment.

      Reply

25. Greg says

    February 2, 2017 at 6:49 pm

    Great website!
    Here is my opinion for what it’s worth – if you are going to buy a camera, a viewfinder, be it optical or electronic is an essential feature for any photographer.
    I have owned many, many cameras since the early 1980’s and a decent viewfinder has always been at the top of my list when l have been contemplating a purchase. It took me a long time to buy a digital camera even when film photography was no longer the supreme ruler of the photographic world because there was very little choice when came to buying a digital camera with a decent viewfinder at a reasonable price.
    My first “real” camera was a Pentax MX 35mm SLR and that had arguably one of the best viewfinders ever designed for a camera as it was big bright and covered 95% of the field and that set the standard for me when I was looking at buying a camera, but in the mid 2000s the average mid priced digital SLR had pokey pentamirror viewfinder systems which are inferior to pentaprism systems, though pentamirrors are cheaper to make and lighter, so that explains their popularity with camera manufacturers.
    At that time anyway, I was no longer interested in investing in a digital SLR as I wanted something smaller and lighter for general family photography and so I was looking a good compact digital camera with a fixed zoom lens but you only had the choice of cameras with a simple optical viewfinders, with no information for aperture, shutter speed etc, or you had just the LCD screen on the rear of the camera. The LCD screen gave you all the exposure, focusing and other info you needed but in bright Australian sunlight where I live, they are very difficult to use as they are hard to view and of course holding a camera at arms length goes against everything you learn in regards to holding a camera steady to take a photograph and that’s really your only choice when you are using the rear LCD screen and that technique is fine for video shooting but for still photography its really not suitable especially when using slower shutter speeds.
    So I waited several years and finally a camera maker came out with the sort of camera I was looking for that had a optical viewfinder with exposure and focusing information and the manufacturer was Fujifilm and the camera was the X20.
    At the time it was the only mid sized, zoom compact with this viewfinder type and despite a few issues with parallax and the fact the accessory lens hood that could be used with the camera, partially obscured the viewfinder at certain focal lengths, it was a very good system.
    So I took the plunge and bought the Fujifilm X20 and I was happy with my purchase for a while but then Fujifilm released the X30.
    Initially I thought the X30 was an inadequate replacement for the X20 as it had the same sized image sensor and a identical zoom lens, which was pretty much the same opinion of most experts who reviewed the camera but it wasn’t until I happened to actually pick up a X30 in a camera store one day and look through the new electronic viewfinder, that I realised how much superior it was.
    No more parallax problems, no issue with the accessory lens hood blocking the viewfinder, its a decent size, the information for exposure, etc is clear and well placed, so it doesn’t clutter the viewfinder and it is easy on the eyes as I seemed to find the X20’s optical design was a bit blurry.
    That’s not to say EVF’s aren’t perfect – they can struggle in low light and image lag can be a problem, more so with action photography, but they are getting better and better as the technology advances and I love the fact you can view your cameras settings and menus through them and with my typically poor middle aged eyesight its much better than fumbling with eye glasses to read the settings on a LCD screen or find out which dinky little button or dial does what.
    So now the X30 has been discontinued but I will hang on to it for the foreseeable future as Fujifilm have given up on introducing a “X40” and while other camera makers have similar type cameras with bigger sensors, it really doesn’t give me an adequate enough reason to replace it.
    I have rambled on enough, so all I can advise any reader of my too long comments is this : if you decide to buy a new digital compact, try and purchase one that has a viewfinder. It will most likely be an EVF type as optical ones as far as I am aware no longer exist in compact cameras but whatever the case may be despite the extra cost a digital compact with a viewfinder will be more useful for you in the long run.

    Reply

    • admin says

      February 2, 2017 at 8:27 pm

      Hi Greg,

      Thank you so much for this great article and I completely agree with all that you say. As a matter of interest, the digital camera that I use is the Fuji X10. Not as good as the later X20 and X30 models but I like the decent lens and the old school look and feel.

      Now here’s an admission – I missed my old Nikon F2as so much that I decided to take a “backward” step and bought a Nikon F4. It’s big and heavy (really heavy) but it’s such a pleasure to handle and use and has a wonderful viewfinder. So it’s back to good old Fuji films (Amazon) and the joy of man-size controls.

      Quite an admission from me as the author of this site and most readers will think I’m nuts… but there you are.

      Thank you again for your great article. It’s much appreciated.

      Harry

      Reply

26. Gerald Gerling says

    February 21, 2017 at 4:31 pm

    Hi, I know that when these little cameras have a large sensor they do not have a very large zoom range but I don’t know where to make the best compromise. I would like the largest sensor which still gives a decent zoom range. Do you have any test results showing where a good cut-off point would be?

    Reply

    • admin says

      February 24, 2017 at 7:23 pm

      A good question Gerald. Larger sensor cameras need larger lenses to be able to deliver the image. This in turn means a bigger and heavier camera. That’s just the way it is and as you say there needs to be a compromise somewhere along the line if you want something that’s not too cumbersome to carry around.

      I don’t have any test results as such but what I would say from experience is that a wide-angle lens is much more useful than telephoto lenses of more than around 100mm (35mm equivalent). So on that basis, a camera (that’s not too heavy) with a really useful 24mm wide angle view to around 100mm telephoto along with a bigger than usual sensor might fit the bill.

      One camera that would fit the above brief would be the Canon G5X. It has a bigger than usual 1″ sensor, a 24-100 zoom range and weighs in at just under a pound in weight.

      Quite expensive and if something more affordable would appeal then a look at an older model like Canon G1X might be of interest.

      Harry.

      Reply

27. Edward Melko says

    February 24, 2017 at 4:07 am

    I have a Nikon D50 with three lenses that takes fantastic pictures. But I got tire of carrying all that hardware on overseas trips. So I bought a Nikon Coolpix L820 which also takes great pictures and is much easier to travel with. However at 75 years old I found it very frustrating taking pictures in the very bright sun in tropical countries like Thailand and Mexico. It got even worse when I needed to take the shot in a hurry because of something moving. I like the size and features of the L820 and would like to find a comparable viewfinder camera. I also like using standard AA size batteries. I use rechargeables but like that I can buy AAs anywhere in the world if I need them. I would like to keep the price around $300 -400 or less. Any suggestions?

    Reply

    • admin says

      February 24, 2017 at 8:01 pm

      Hi Edward,

      The Nikon P610 or newer B700 might fit the bill but they do not use AA batteries. This might not be a deal-breaker though and this link will show what I mean:

      https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Extended-Replacement-Batteries-Protectors/dp/B00KAG34DY/ref=pd_sim_421_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E6RRTSRQXJRR20FQ0CT5

      Harry

      Reply

28. Renato Cunha says

    April 16, 2017 at 9:13 pm

    Hi Harry,
    I like to travel very much and take photos of my trips. However, I’ve always done that with the smartphone and now I am looking for a camera to start improving my pictures. I am looking at the compact cameras not really for the size but because I want an all-in-one camera (that I dont have to add flash or lenses, etc.) that can fit in one bag, so I dont mind buying the more bulky ones. So, I would like to know if there is a camera that you would recomend for travelling, for a beginner, around 400€ and that does standout from the best smartphone cameras, like the most recente samsungs or iphones?
    Thank you!

    Reply

    • admin says

      April 28, 2017 at 4:29 pm

      Hi Renato,
      First of all my apologies for the delay in replying. Second apology is that I need to update this site as I have neglected it somewhat recently.

      You are quite right about smartphones having very good cameras now. That being the case a smartphone may be all that you actually need. They have a couple of fairly significant disadvantages though.

      The first is that they do not have a viewfinder (I’m a fan of a viewfinder – see this page:- https://www.compactcamerawithviewfinder.com/advantages-of-a-viewfinder-camera/ ). The second is the lack of a good optical zoom lens. What I mean by an optical zoom lens is where the lens does the work of homing in on a distant view and delivering a good quality image to the camera. That’s opposed to the digital zoom method of enlarging a portion of an image as that results in a loss of quality.

      Are you sure about size? I have a Fuji X10 (since replaced by the X20 and then X30). I really like it and it delivers really good quality images but sometimes I find myself somewhat reluctant to carry it around when travelling light as it’s just a little bit too big for anything other than a large jacket pocket or in a case with a strap.

      Anyway, to answer your question, a camera with a good specification (and not too big) that I think would suit your needs is the Sony DSCHX90. Or another option could be the Panasonic Lumix TZ70 or TZ80 or TZ90 depending on your budget. The “TZ” in the title I believe signifies “Travel Zoom”.

      Hope the above might help a little and thanks for your enquiry.

      Harry

      Reply

29. Perry Bennett says

    August 15, 2017 at 3:54 am

    To anyone listening; I have a question for you concerning compact cameras. I am wanting to upgrade from my Nikon L-120 to a camera with more up to date features such as: EVF, Tilting LCD screen, Wi-Fi and NFC, and at least 30X zoom. I understand that the Panasonic DC-ZS70S does not have NFC or GPS as does the Sony DSCH-X90V, but the Sony camera does not have LCD touchscreen. Shooting RAW is not that important to me. Which of the two cameras would you choose?

    Reply

30. Dian says

    September 5, 2017 at 9:06 pm

    I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everybody else
    encountering issues with your blog. It looks like some of the text on your content
    arre running off tthe screen. Can somebody else please commet aand let
    me know if this is happening to them too? This
    mmay be a problem with my web browser because I’ve had
    this happen before. Thank you

    Reply

    • admin says

      September 10, 2017 at 4:02 pm

      Thank you for commenting Dian and I’m sorry that you are experiencing problems with text running off the screen. It’s not a problem that I’ve heard of from anyone else but that is obviously no consolation. I’m keen to try to sort it out for you and as a first step can you please advise me which browser you are using and what size of monitor you have.

      I would be very grateful if anyone else who might happen to come across this post could comment to say whether they have (or have not) experienced any similar problems.

      Reply

31. Lucille Celestino says

    April 10, 2018 at 3:32 pm

    Dear Harry,
    I am so grateful to have found your blog. You speak a language that I find most accessible and understandable for my level of photographic practice and knowledge. I found your response to Renato very helpful. I enjoy the feel of a camera in my hand and composing a shot through a viewfinder as opposed to a flat phone with no viewfinder. I prefer the simplicity of a point and shoot. I’ve done without for the past few years because I couldn’t find a small affordable point and shoot with a viewfinder and it didn’t make sense to lug around my old Kodak Easyshare Z740 anymore. I’m looking for something bigger than a cell phone but not bigger than my old camera. I’ll research the ones you list and if you have any other recommendations for me I would appreciate hearing them.
    Thank you.

    Reply

    • admin says

      April 10, 2018 at 8:56 pm

      Hi Lucille,
      Many thanks for your kind words and you have given me the incentive to update this site. I’ve neglected it somewhat for a while now and your encouragement has prompted me to get things up to date.

      The camera that I think that would probably have suited you well (Panasonic LF1) was discontinued a couple of years ago. It may be available used but sellers seem to expect a very high price for it bearing in mind that it was available new for around $200 or £200 in 2016. Moving on now to 2018 the most affordable Panasonic models are the Lumix DMC-TZ70 and DMC-TZ80 models. https://www.compactcamerawithviewfinder.com/lumix-lf1-or-sony-hx90v/. There is also the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX90V but it is more expensive and the pop-up viewfinder might not suit everyone https://www.compactcamerawithviewfinder.com/sony-hx90v/.
      The TZ part of the Panasonic models name means Travel Zoom and this is important I think as a small size is important for travel or even for casual use out and about.

      I’m not aware of really affordable compact cameras with a viewfinder now since the demise of the little Canon A1400 model a few years ago but when I update this site after carrying out some research I may come across something. Plan is to have the site updated by the end of April 2018.

      Hope the above might be of some help and thanks again for taking the time to post in my little site.

      Regards,

      Harry

      Reply

32. Green Screen Studio says

    September 25, 2018 at 7:23 am

    I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was curious what all is required
    to get set up? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny?
    I’m not very internet savvy so I’m not 100% certain. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly
    appreciated. Many thanks

    Reply

    • admin says

      September 25, 2018 at 8:44 pm

      It’s quite inexpensive to set up a website or blog. The two basic things you need are a suitable domain name and web-hosting.

      If you are UK based and don’t intend to attract US or other visitors a .co.uk domain is probably all you need. A .com domain name is the most desirable and a little bit more expensive but the availability of popular names is more limited. Take your time and try out various names to see what’s available.

      As regards costs, web-hosting costs a few dollars a month from companies like Bluehost.com. That’s the one I use and have found it to be very reliable.

      A. co.uk domain name would cost about £10 per annum and a .com about £15 per annum.

      You can combine the purchase of the two components with Bluehost or other web-hosting companies but I always prefer keeping the two things separate as that gives more control rather than having your domain tied up with the web-hosting company. So you might want to buy a domain from a domain name site and your hosting from a hosting company.. It’s quite easy to link the two together when setting things up.

      Once you have a domain and a web-hosting facility set up, you can quickly set up your site using the WordPress tool that’s freely available from Bluehost or other web-hosting companies. No extra cost involved here as the WordPress set-up includes designs to choose from for your site. These are perfectly suitable but If you want something a little bit different then have a look at studiopress.com (or other sites selling WordPress themes) for different designs (or themes as they are called). There is a cost involved in this which is not really necessary but it’s a personal choice.

      Once you have your WordPress site set-up with your chosen domain name and a theme that you like, the main thing then is content, content, content. Not just text but pictures, images, videos etc. to brighten things up and make your site more interesting.

      Hope this helps,

      Regards,

      Harry

      Reply

33. Ruth Cyr says

    October 24, 2018 at 9:35 pm

    It is frustrating to not finding a Canon Point & Shoot small camera with an optical view finder. The one I had for
    many years is not usable. I have larger Canon Cameras but wanted a small Power Shot one once more. Recently, I
    purchased a Canon SX 720 HS, but it doesn’t have an optical view and it is extremely frustrating when using it for
    distance shots. It is nearly impossible to zoom in and keep an object still. The camera appears to not have any patience.
    I have read your complete column and will appreciate any comments or advise.

    Reply

    • admin says

      October 25, 2018 at 6:37 pm

      Alas, Canon no longer make an affordable Point and Shoot small camera with a viewfinder. As far as I know the last ones were the Canon A1300 and A1400 from a few years ago. Have a look here for details:- https://www.compactcamerawithviewfinder.com/canon-a1400-powershot/

      Apart from them, there was the Canon G16 Powershot which had an optical viewfinder but it was a bit bigger, more expensive and even it has been replaced. There is the Canon G5X currently available. It is bigger than the small camera you are probably thinking of and it has an electronic viewfinder (these electronic viewfinders are very good now).

      Panasonic made a small and neat (electronic viewfinder) model called the LF1 which was discontinued in late 2016 and I think it was an ideal “shirt Pocket” size camera.

      Your best bet might be to look for a used Canon A1300 or A1400 or a Panasonic LF1 using eBay.

      Sorry, but that’s the best I can advise.

      Regards,

      Harry

      Reply

34. Sandra says

    January 6, 2019 at 8:49 pm

    Hi there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues wit hackers?

    My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months of hard work ddue to no back up.
    Do you have any solutions to protect against hackers?

    Reply

    • admin says

      January 6, 2019 at 10:24 pm

      I have used the “Wordfence Security” plugin and have had no problems. It’s free for the basic version that I use.

      Reply