When it's time to replace my Olympus I'll also be searching for one with a viewfinder. I never use the display screen.

Here is a link that might be useful: cameras with viewfinders in your price range

Here's another list. These are considered point & shoot cameras: zoom lens but not interchangeable, pocketable.

P&S with viewfinder

It's fast & easy to change the search criteria if you want to check out other kinds of cameras. Let us know what you get. I love oohing & ahhing over other people's cameras!

If you don't mind buying used or an older model, this is a lot of excellent camera bang for the buck:

Canon G9

Thank you so very much for the links. I will be reviewing reviews and comparing. Hope to make a decision soon.

Hi Walnut,

A couple of years ago, after extensive research, I bought a Canon Powershot SX10 which comes with a viewfinder, swivel screen and 20x Wide angle optical zoom. I paid about 500.00 and its definitely more camera than I needed but it came highly recommended by the professionals and included the criteria I was looking for, a viewfinder and as much zoom as possible. The camera is great but the viewfinder is basically useless. That's because now due to the digital technology, the viewfinder is just a mini reflection of the LCD screen and since itâÂÂs so small, there is no detail in the view. In fact its so small, it basically looks like youâÂÂre looking through a screened window. Sadly, they're no longer like the older cameras where the viewfinder actually helped you to see the shot better, the extended zoom on cameras has sort of taken over that feature.

I use my camera almost daily and haven't used the view finder once. Yes, using the screen on the back does take a little getting used to but once you adapt to it you won't miss the view finder at all; I didn't anyways. What I do use a lot is the zoom. And just as with phones, the bigger the screen is on the back, the better. I also seldom use the swivel to get a shot, though it's handy for protecting the screen.

Unless you want an extra amount of zoom which is a feature that will increase your price, then one of the less expensive point and shoot cameras will serve you equally as well and have a lot of photo options. They are compact enough to fit easily in your bag or purse and will take drop dead gorgeous pictures. Both my sister and brother in law just got small pocket size Canons and ended up choosing the same model (without knowing it). She took these shots a couple of weeks ago with hers and texted them to me. If youâÂÂre interested I can find out which one they bought. I also posted the link to the camera I bought, just in case you or anyone else is interested in reading about it.

Here is a link that might be useful: My camera

Thanks for the info, lukki. It was posted after I had already made a purchase. When the camera arrives, I will try to get used to using the LCD screen. I know that in the future, there will no longer be any cameras with the optical viewfinder, so might as well get with the program as soon as I can.

Looks as if you have a very nice camera. The pictures you posted are absolutely beautiful, so your sister must have a really good camera, too. I would love to have the information on it to share with my granddaughters who are looking to purchase cameras.

The camera I purchased is a Sony DSC-HX200V with a 20x zoom from Abes of Maine. I purchased from Abe's simply because they had the best price. Spent a bit more than I had planned, but it has what I think I want. There were good reviews of it at the links above, as well as the customers at Amazon.

I am so grateful for the wonderful people on this site who are willing to share their knowledge and expertise and advice. Thank you all.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sony DSC-HX200V

walnutcreek, that looks like a terrific camera! Hope you lots of fun with it. Post some pics when you get it.

Your welcome! Sorry my post was too late but that looks like a great camera with some really fun features. 3 inches is a good sized screen and I'm sure you'll enjoy the zoom. I love being able to take a shot of something I can barely see on the other side of a large lake :c)

I'll get the name of the camera my sister got, I'm almost positive hers was under 200.00.

Well, I certainly hope I did not make a mistake by ordering from Abes of Maine. I received a call from one of their employees trying to high-pressure me into purchasing additional items, he would just not stop. I was gracious to him and many times told him that I would stick with my initial order. He just kept going on and on. Finally, I believe he became convinced that he was not going to convince me to add additional items and an extended warranty.

I sure hope I receive my order within the next week.

Walnut,

Wow, that must have been frustrating! Sorry for the delay, I finally got the name of the camera my sister and BIL bought, it's a Canon S95. It's actually a little pricier than I thought but they both swear it's a fabulous camera. -Lukki

Thanks for the camera info, Lukki. I will pass it along to my granddaughters.

lukki, I have the predecesor, the S90. It is a fantastic camera, amazing capability. It takes low light pictures that I can't get with my DSLR. In fact, the S90 & S95 are somewhat legendary. You can find devotees all over the net.

One camera blog called the S90 the best pocket camera in the world until the S95 came out, only to be replaced by the even newer S100
Canon S100

Yeah, that doesn't surprise me AWM, the pictures I posted here from the camera have been sent over the net, enlarged a bit and then saved as pdfs, uploaded into tinypic and therefore lost some resolution (I think) because they're not quite as vibrant. But wow, the original shots she texted me to my IPhone are amazing.