I have an ancient Cannon Powershot digital camera that takes horrible low-light photos and bad close-up photos(WH,HVAC model/serial). I need recommendations on a new camera!
Use your flashlight in those situations to illuminate the numbers. I have 4 Powershots. It is the only camera I use.
Compact super zoom (30x optical) from Cannon, Nikon, Sony or Panasonic. At the moment, I am using a Nikon S9700. I shoot in program mode and manually turn flash on/off as needed and augment with an LED flashlight for across the attic shots.
I used to use Panasonic, but a while ago they changed to a CMOS sensor and the images were too soft (they may have fixed it, but I haven’t gone back). The Cannons and Sonys tend to burn out flashes on me. The Nikons don’t fare well if you drop them on concrete (the olde metal bodied Panasonics were tough buggers, but now they’re plastic too)
The S9700 can be had for under $200 now that Nikon has released the S9900 (I haven’t researched what has been changed between the models)
Thanks for the recommends! I might need to research my Powershot to change the low light mode? My hand isn’t steady enough when the flash is manually turned off - all the pictures come out blurry.
Mine is the same and when getting serial #s, so I use just the flashlight seems to work better and the photo doesn’t get washed out.
This just happened to me last week with my Nikon S3300 and no longer works.
Have dropped my Canon PowerShot at least twice from the attic opening and it still works fine.
Zoom is not as good but all else is better, Olympus Tough!
Might want to consider a camera with WIFI capabilities.
I have an olympus tough and like it. It also has wifi built in.
Pentax WG2
Newest version of the Pentax WG2 is now called Ricoh WG4. Good inspection camera.
I just purchased a new Canon Powershot with 30x zoom…best images so far with all of the cameras I’ve had in the past. Low light, close up, far away, they’ve all turned out great! I had Nikon before, it lasted me 3 months before the zoom button fell out, the pictures weren’t even half as good as the Canon also.
Hate Nikon and Pentax.
Always loved Sony but the higher end camera with that goofy scissor jack flash are now a deal breaker.
Wish I could purchase more old HX series Sony.
Might look at Cannon next.
My last 3 sony cameras have a half sensor and want to get back to better optics with a solid non popup flash.
I use an Olympus Tough (since 2011 and still going strong) and a Lumix Wi-Fi for Spectroscope (poll) shots. Both great cameras.
G
Canon Power Shots … Current one is the 160is
16mp / 16x zoom. Low light, close up, far away, they’ve all turned out great! I had Sony, Olympic and Panasonic before. The pictures weren’t even half as good as the Canon and harder to use.
Check the fujifilm Finepix S1, is weather resistant, dust, water, etc. plus you have a 1200x zoom!!. That’s the one that I will buy.
JB
I don’t think you will be very happy that camera. It is quite large, bulky and fragile, the long zoom is useless unless you use a tripod, you need to hold the camera very steady when using a long zooom, it has a slow lens and small sensor, so low light picture quality will be poor, weather resistant is not weather proof, it also seems to need a removable lens cap which can be a pain to use.
See the post about the Olympus tough http://www.nachi.org/forum/f60/olympus-tough-tg-3-a-104577/
It’s a non identical twin to the Pentax / Ricoh WG series, both use the same lens and sensor and cost about the same as the fuji. For low light you want a ‘fast’ or high speed lens, with a low f number, anything less than F 2.8. The Olympus and Pentax have an f 2.0 lens, which is about the best you will find for a small sensor camera.
Another way to get better low light performance is to use a larger sensor, and a fast lens, for a small physical size camera suitable for inspection you would be looking at the Sony RX100, which should be called the RX1000 because that is what it will cost you 
or maybe the Canon S90 to S120 series which take great low light pictures and are more affordable than the Sony. You would not want to drop or get any of these wet. A rugged camera is the best choice for home inspection, they are water proof, you can drop em in the toilet or off the roof, they are dust and mud proof and they work when its very cold out, which most regular cameras won’t.
Fujifilm xp 60/65. Drop proof, waterproof and most importantly it has a protected concealed lens that cant break or get dirt in it. And it’s less than $200 at your local big box store. Walmart or Target. The 60 and 65 all the same camera just different colors. We’ve used them for a number of years in a water damage mold fire damage company and they stood the test of time.
Every Fuji I see has terrible images.