The SX150 looks a bargain to me. I wonder what wdb thinks are unacceptable drawbacks at this price point.
A small camera like this with a big zoom, regardless of price, has a very small sensor, and that always compromises low light performance because high ISOs are noisy and the aperture is limited (in this case 3.4 at the wide end, 5.6 at full zoom) and while that will deal adequately with a cloudy day at reasonable ISOs you will generally need flash indoors where your range will be limited to 10-15 feet.
I see it does video which might matter to a youngster, though they'd probably use a phone for those youtube moments anyway. It has manual controls which might appeal if she becomes an enthusiast.
The long zoom might appeal, but does she need it, e.g. for sports or wildlife? If not you have more choice and can trade off for other aspects of performance.
There's no such thing as a do-everything camera at any price point. At £100 this is pretty good. If she is not an experienced photographer then it probably isn't worth spending a great deal more until she know what matters to her. My favourite camera has a maximum zoom of 60mm in old money! (it's a Pana LX3, the current outgoing model of which, the LX5, is a bargain at just under £300 - but no use at all for snapping a small bird [feathered] 30 yards away).
EDIT - and IS at £100 is also a real win, as I now see ON has mentioned above (and he has one).
The pith from the DPreview review -
"Slow performance and noticeable image noise at mid/higher ISO sensitivity settings are the two major drawbacks to this otherwise appealing camera. Other than fairly responsive face detection and autofocus (in good light), the SX150 IS feels somewhat sluggish. It takes a couple of seconds to start up, and shot-to-shot times aren't great, especially when using flash.
Battery life is bottom-of-the-barrel at around 100 shots using conventional alkaline cells, although there are a number of users who will inevitably prefer the convenience of ubiquitous AA batteries over proprietary rechargeables. Image noise is also an issue, even at ISO 80-200 (if you look close enough at shadows and areas of plain tone). But if you plan to shoot outdoors during the day, you're unlikely to be troubled by it.
Aside from these shortcomings, the camera is capable of delivering some really nice images and comes with enough controls and options for a wide range of shooters to enjoy. The fact that it can currently be found for well under $200 makes it a terrific bargain, too."
Last edited by: Manatee on Fri 3 Aug 12 at 08:20
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