What camera?

Better than a smartphone, smaller/cheaper than a DSLR, $300 limit. Ideally a full body rather than a pocket PnS. Is there anything worthwhile in this range, or step up to a DSLR?

Currently shooting with an iPhone 6, 6s, and a 9y.o. 7mp Fuji full body S700. No Nikon, I have hated every Nikon I have had the displeasure of using.

The 6s has a pretty decent camera, no?

I would save up a bit more money and go DSLR - the compacts at the cheaper end of the price range aren't that much better than a good smartphone camera with a good camera app.

What do you want to do with it? Intended use has a huge impact on the decision.

Back to DSLR's, the Pentax K-S1 has my interest. It seems to have good specs and a nice price point. I also recall Pentax being highly recommended in entry DSLR's.

I don't think you can really go horribly wrong with any DSLR camera. That said, the majority of the longer-term expense will be in the lenses, not in the body. Check that you can get the lenses you want for reasonable money before committing to any system.

Not much more than $300 gets you into lower end dslr range. Our Nikon D3000 has been great, takes fantastic photos and is super easy to learn.

I know Brian hates all things Nikon but the wife and I have loved everyone we have owned. That would be 3 PnS and the dslr.

I love my Nikon J1. You can get one used in your price range because they are no longer made. (newer models have surpassed it) Mine was bought new as a set with two lenses and a bag, a spare battery and a charger for $500. The same set pops up on Ebay and CL from time to time for well under your cap. Even refurbished ones are only $199 from B&H.

It is a big step up from any point and shoot, much better quality and it shoots in low light and can really freeze the action. Compared to my Nikon D3200, I found that I never dragged out the big dog because it was just so big and I never learned how to use all those options anyway. With the J1, I can manually control enough things to be able to photograph in any situation. The only limitation is the 110mm lens; I would like to be able to reach out a little more sometimes but for the autocross and school plays it is plenty.

They also sold a V1 which was a step up and included a hot shoe, which again would be nice when you want an external flash. They even make a waterproof version, the AW1. IIRC from shopping for the camer, the Nikon lagged other similar mirrorless compacts in image quality somewhat, but was ahead in speed and low-light performance. So you could be just as happy with the Sony, Canon or Panasonic mirrorless compact or micro 4/3 camera.

I guess when I asked I had the Fuji S8600 in mind. Looking around $100 will get a 20mp PnS with a 10X zoom. The other end of the spectrum would be an entry DSLR, buying new both the T5 and KS1 run $450 for a 2 lense kit.

Well, I went and bought something. About 3 days before I had the money to buy, canon raised the price of the T5 kit $50. Careful shopping found a similar D3300 2 lense kit for the same $500. I must admit that crow is tasty as I'm very happy with my new Nikon.

Nikon D3300 with an 18-55 and a 55-200 lenses. Now to find the time to go and shoot. My lense wish list is a Nikon 35mm/f1.8 prime, followed by a tamaron 500, and a vivitar 85 portrait prime.

I bought a Sony Alpha SLT-A37 with the kit lens for $99 as a floor model. I'm loving it. Plus I can use the older Minolta a-mount lenses which sell for pretty cheap used. But congrats on the purchase.

Nikon AW120. Water proof, shock proof, shoots great pictures and video. I carry it swimming, boating, racing in the rain, pretty much all the time. I've pretty much quit using our DSLR.

Brian wrote: Well, I went and bought something. About 3 days before I had the money to buy, canon raised the price of the T5 kit $50. Careful shopping found a similar D3300 2 lense kit for the same $500. I must admit that crow is tasty as I'm very happy with my new Nikon. Nikon D3300 with an 18-55 and a 55-200 lenses. Now to find the time to go and shoot. My lense wish list is a Nikon 35mm/f1.8 prime, followed by a tamaron 500, and a vivitar 85 portrait prime.

Mwahhahha. Welcome to my world (D3100; had an 18-55, sold it for a 35 prime; have a 70-300 VR).

If you find yourself grabbing the zoom function on your 18-55 a lot (or you constantly shoot at 18), you might like it more than the 35 prime. I'm sad that Nikon doesn't have a cheap ultra-wide (Canon does) so don't sell the kit lens until you know the 35'll be your bread and butter. It kicks ass in low light though!

If I'm getting a Sony A7 soon (I'll be renting one for a weekend in a couple of weeks) then I will have a nice condition Nikon 35/1.8 for sale...

Just sayin'.

In reply to BoxheadTim:

I'm listening, is it an AF-S? The only downside on my Nikon is the in-lense AF motor.

Thankfully legacy glass works otherwise.