OT photographers/camera competent people, basic camera question

Just use your cell phone.

If you really want a camera, how much money do you want to spend?

Honestly, just carry your phone for pictures. For $150 I don't think the quality is going to be any better than your phone. I guess it depends on the type of phone you have, but most newer phones have really good cameras. It seems like a waste of $150

GoPro for starters. Otherwise Nikon Coolpix AW130.

Paging Luckysonsi and Jeff

Get a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX9 or (for about $100) the Canon PowerShot A800. Both are easy to use point and shoot cameras.

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We recently bought my mom the Nikon Coolpix L840 for her trip to Ireland.

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Nikon Coolpix cameras are really good at macro photography. The first photo I had published in a magazine was a close up of a bee taken with a Coolpix camera.

Look for a camera that has a good zoom range, especially on the wide angle end for travel. You will want something with an equivalent wide angle of 24-28mm in 35mm.

Choose the one with the largest sensor and fewest megapixels if image quality is your concern. Wide angle will likely be way more important than telephoto on a European trip (unless its a cruise and you are trying to take pics of things on shore from the ship).

Here are some good choices IMO:

Canon Powershot ELPH 170 IS
Nikon Coolpix L31
Olympus VG-160
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS30
Samsung WB50F
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W800

I haven't researched all of these, but they are from good manufacturers, have zoom ranges that start with a 35mm equivalent of 28mm or lower and fit your budget. If you don't mind a little more bulk, consider a used Olympus PEN Digital with a 14-42 lens.

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GoPro for starters. Otherwise Nikon Coolpix AW130.

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GoPro's are not the best for still images (low megapixels) and the good ones are more than his $150 price range.

LINK

Buy a used one from amazon.