[wolfetan44]

Looking for a small, compact camera. I want to be able to snap photo's really fast like a DSLR and I want one of the zoom things to look through on the camera. No digital screen that I look at to take pictures. Looking to pay $300-$500

 

[Teraflame]

You're not going to find it. Optical viewfinders on cheap compacts are a joke. Closest thing would be a Fuji X100 but that is around $750 used.

 

[GSARider]

I'd've said Sony Nex 5 apart from your viewfinder requirement as it is an awesome small cam for fast action shots plus the video quality is amazing and pricing is good. You can add a viewfinder to it for some extra bucks later of course.

 

[chrislangley4253]

Why not just get a dslr at that price range? They are pretty small and compact with a kit lens... I mean, you aren't going to carry it in your pocket, but who carries any camera in their pocket? Not I
 
*edit* What was I smokin' ?

 

 

[aqsw]

Quote:

Why not just get a dslr at that price range? They are pretty small and compact with a kit lens... I mean, you aren't going to carry it in your pocket, but who carries any camera in their pocket? Not I

 

dslr s are not small. I recommend the fuji X10. Viewfindersmall, ex iq, zoom lens. Very close to your budget.

 

[aqsw]

Quote:

You're not going to find it. Optical viewfinders on cheap compacts are a joke. Closest thing would be a Fuji X100 but that is around $750 used.

x100 is fixed lens at 35mm. op wants zoom. x10 is cheaper and has the ops needs.

 

[MistrDave]

I agree with aqsw. The high end/compact market segment has few choices. The Fuji X10 is the overall best performer that matches the posters desires. However, don't expect to achieve DSLR speed from a small sensor. It just won't happen. 

 

[outmywindow]

You could take a look at the Olympus XZ-1 (which has now been superseded by the XZ-2), which is going for around $349.99 and has great image quality for a compact. The hotshoe electronic viewfinder I think goes for around $160, so it would only just go over your $500 maximum budget. It's not the greatest setup in the world, but I think it would be at least worth considering given your requirements.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Fuji X20 now has electronic info overlay on the optical viewfinder window, including a box to indicate the focal point (I assume it's already corrected for parallax, just doesn't have the multiple boxes on the X200 to give you an idea on the DOF when focusing up close and wide open).
 
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/fujifilm-x20/3

 

[po0930]

I'm not sure what you mean with fast. It could be fast autofocus, fast continuous burst rate or fast shooting.

- If it's fps i doubt you can find a good performer around that price (who knows), most of the top cameras around that price offer 2.1~2.4 fps.
- If you mean fast autofocus, there are some good models around that price.
- If you mean just being able to take photos as soon as you press the shooter, well, that's a combination of autofocus, manual control and lens aperture.

If it's the latter, what you are looking for is manual control (Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO).

I'm more of a DSLR guy so I'm just putting my grain of salt here. I recommend you to look at several models and reviews before making your final decision (check dpreview, that a good site), I also recommend to do some research on what makes a good camera.

The ones that are popular between compact photographer around that price are

Canon PowerShot G15 - 450$ (it already comes with an optical viewfinder)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 - 389$ (you can buy an external viewfinder for 120$)

The reviews are here:

Canon PowerShot G15
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Choose wisely, but remember a camera is a camera. Good photos depend of you not your equipment. Good luck

 

[everybest]

I picked up a Sony RX100 recently and it's pretty amazing.  For sure beats out my other compact cameras that I've played with, Panasonic LX3 and Canon S95.  Perhaps a bit more than your budget but I'd consider it.
 
The mirrorless - interchangable lens systems are "compact" but not really pocketable, considering lens sizes like on the NEX system.