Recommend a digital camera under $200?

[Anonymous]

My DD wants a digital camera and keeps sending me sales posts for used 15 year old canon elphs (thanks Kylie Jenner/influencers!). I imagine electronics have improved since then and there must be something decent for sub-200? She is taking a digital photography class this summer so needs to be 12MP or higher. Thanks for any ideas!

[Anonymous]

For what she wants to do with it, and what you're willing to pay, your best bet is probably a Lumix from the "elph era". Great little cameras with full manual settings, in addition to point-and-shoot mode, decent video and great zoom.

A modern camera at that price point isn't likely to have what she needs in terms of control/customization abilities.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't her phone have a camera? That's all she needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't her phone have a camera? That's all she needs.

You must not be a parent to a hipster teen. They all want digital cameras. I know because my son is one of them!

[Anonymous]

If she's taking a digital photography class you're probably going to want to make sure whatever camera you get her has interchangeable lenses, fully manual settings (ISO, F-stop, & shutter speed) and can shoot in RAW, because otherwise she's going to be very limited in what she can do with her photos. If this is a real photography class and she shows up with a point and shoot she's not only going to get laughed out of the class, she won't be able to participate at all because literally all of it is going to be teaching you how to do things she can't do with an Elph.

At $200 or under I'd be looking at a used Canon Rebel or Nikon. Both will be lower end for a DSLR (or very old) but they'll have everything your daughter needs to do real photography.