Important priority: a Viewfinder

[wanaclick]

If you are not into too much of low light/dark,unlit indoors and interiors,the Panasonic FZ150 is the way to go-you get best of both the worlds,the compacts and the DSLRs at a price and performance that is class leading and unsurpassed to this date.

[Ozzie_Traveller]

G'day GS ~ nice to meet you

Originally Posted by turtlesilk

I'm just starting to look for a new camera. I need something as small and lightweight as possible, due to arthritis in my thumbs. I shoot outdoors a lot, and cannot abide a camera without a viewfinder... I don't need the "latest and greatest". Thanks for any help and advice on where to start.

Your needs / requirements are quite common, and unfortunately, camera makers -like in so many other industries- cater for the most common denominator. For example, there are no left-handed cameras for sale anywhere in the world, thus you & I both know that there are no left-handed people here either

However the need for a viewfinder is -for me- more essential than a good zoom lens > I will not even look at buying a camera if it does not have a viewfinder. So [on your behalf] I have spent 10 minutes going thru DPReview's cameras database looking for P&S, lightweight etc cameras that have viewfinders

I have found 1/2-dozen ...
Canon Powershot 1300, 1200
Fuji Finepix S2990/2950, X series
Nikon Coolpix P7100
Panasonic FZ35, 40, 100, 150
Panasonic G2, G3
Pentax Optio I-10
Sony CyberShot HX200v

All have viewfinders, all have auto + a variety of semi/manual controls etc etc. Some of these have 5x-6x zoom lenses, others have 20x-24x zoom lenses

Some of these have been referred to above by others, so that's another recommendation for you to consider. Now it's over to you

Regards, Phil

[dnewburn]

An easy remedy for those who feel they can't live without an eye-level viewfinder is the Pana-Vue 3 slide viewer available from various sources. By removing the opaque panel from the front of the unit and then either gluing or double-sided taping the unit to the back of your camera directly over the lcd panel you have a quick, easy and cheap remedy, The lens is a little more powerful than you might like but you may be able to find one with lesser magnification to replace it. I find that it works for me just the way it is. For those who don't want to "mess" up their camera with adhesives of any kind, a simple bracket can be made which will hold the viewer in place by using the tripod socket. I have images which I will gladly forward to anyone willing to forward their e-mail address.