Point and Shoot Camera Body Color for DSLR Owners (Sony, polarizer, adapter)

[LauraC]

For those of you who have small/thin point and shoot cameras as the second camera you carry around with your DSLR, does the camera's color play any role in your selection when purchasing other than you just happen to like the color? I'm especially interested in responses from people who use the viewfinder on their DSLR but have to use an LCD screen on the point and shoot to take photos. Does the color of the P&S camera body have any impact on your ability to see the screen better in bright sunlight? For example, is black better than silver or vice versa for screen contrast or sun reflection? Tell me if you wear glasses. Is there any other reason why you would choose one camera body color over another?

[EinsteinsGhost]

I have three digital (and three film SLR) cameras at home. All are black. However, I am open to a different color, potentially off-black with my current consideration for yet another camera, the Sony NEX-3/C3. IMO, the color decision is really based on my personal preferences.

Counting the NEX, I would have two digital cameras with view finder (Sony F828 and Sony A55) and two with LCD only (Panasonic Lumix and Sony NEX-3/C3). With F828, I use EVF in bright light, keeping up with moving objects or fiddling with circular polarizer. On the SLT-A55, I use the view finder most of the time, and on occasions that I don’t, it is to take advantage of some features that are available only on the LCD display (Live histogram, for example) or when taking a shot at an inconvenient angle.

Having said that, would I miss view finder on NEX-3/C3? Ideally, I would like to have the EVF (which is optional attachment on NEX-3) but mostly when using manual focus lenses and taking advantage of focus peaking feature. Within the NEX-series, only NEX-7 has (a fantastic) EVF but the idea will be a tougher sell at home considering that I might be able to get the NEX-3 for about $200.
Color of the camera may play a role, but it would also depend on quality of the LCD display more.

[kerafaith]

Okay well, I can't speak as a dslr owner but I can say that the color of the body of a point & shoot camera has absolutly nothing to do with being able to see the screen or not in bright light. I own a silver, a grey/black, & even a pink point & shoot cameras & I can't tell a dimes difference in being able to see the picture on the screen. The different colors of the bodies of the point & shoots has more to do with being able to choose a camera that fits your personality more than anything. And no I don't wear glasses. In fact during a clear sunny day I usually have to take off my sunglasses to see the picture on the screen.

[PhotogGal]

I personally don't think the color of the camera body makes a bit of difference whether or not you can see the picture on the LCD screen. I think it's a matter of personal preference, just like selecting a cover color for a Kindle or picking a purple iPod Nano vs. a silver or pink one.

I personally prefer even my point-and-shoot to have the option of using the LCD or a viewfinder, but I realize those are becoming harder and harder to find these days.

[EinsteinsGhost]

I managed to pickup a Sony NEX-3 for $320 with kit lens (18-55 OSS) for backup duties. I would have preferred black as the rest of my cameras, but this one is close (graphite). While the kit lens is pretty good (and surprisingly small, compared to Sony Alpha kit lenses), I must now wait for adapters for various mounts since this will also be my (mostly) manual lens camera. I wish, like Sony Alpha DSLR/SLT cameras, the NEX too had in-body stabilization (NEX relies on optical image stabilization).

Here's first quick shot out of the camera (cropped), using the kit lens in manual focusing mode:

[LauraC]

Okay, thanks. I was just thinking perhaps silver or white, for example, caused the sun to reflect off it making it harder to see the screen or unrelated, red framed the image differently after all, we don't use red in the background when we post photos on the Internet or use red foam core board. You know, who posts their outdoor photos against a red background so wouldn't you look at the image in camera the same way if the screen was surrounded by a red camera body?