The time has come to replace my Fujifilm A303 digital camera, and I am trying to evaluate what are the best options available at the moment. - I am wondering if anyone has any particular recommendations on a replacement
I am looking to spend up to £300 and my 'requirements' are as follows:
- 5m pixels or more
- strong optical zoom (4x or greater would be nice)
- advanced photo options (e.g. night mode, sports etc, audio/video capture would be nice)
happy to hear anyones recommendations - there was a Sony one I liked the look of due to its size etc, but I am open to any recommendations - I'd also prefer it to be compact, so digital SLR isnt really an option for me.
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i saw this website posted by one of the members here a while ago. im thinkin of buying these slim ones. hope this helps
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Enter your requirements here (although price range is in $) and that will help to give you a shortlist:
Charlie
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hi ts_aly2000
thanks for the recommendation.... looking at it though i am not sure i want to walk round like a tourist all the time - ideally i would like a small form camera that fits in the pocket (though i know i lose something on the lens/zoom quality by doing that)
my basic drivers for replacing my A303 are as follows:
its only 3m megapixel, so i want to get a bit more up to date.
it has only a small zoom (3x i think) and when your on holiday etc its nice to have a longer zoom option
its functions are very basic - take picture/take video/view picture - i am after something that gives me more options for sports events or landscapes or whatever.....
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f1charlie
that is more like the kinda thing i'd be looking for i think - 10x zoom is good, but causes some other problems in terms of image quality @ higher end, and also the sizing......
now, what i need is somewhere below this, perhaps sacrificing the zoom a bit (5x would be appropriate for most of my needs), but making up for some of the TZ-1's apparant failings, such as the flash quality and the battery life
i realise what i am asking for probably doesnt exist for my budget ;-) - i'm in no rush to buy though so i want to make sure i get the best camera i possibly can for my money....
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i am happy with pre-set controls.... i dont know an awful lot about taking good photos, and while i am willing to learn - i dont think i'd be very good anyway so a series of options would be fine......
still open to recommendation of the best all round compact camera in my budget........
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I like the look of the IXUS800 model - anyone got anything to say on that one?
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I like the look of the IXUS800 model - anyone got anything to say on that one?
It only seems to have a short zoom. Having missed out on a really good picture last week because of only having a 3x zoom, this is something I am not going to compromise on.
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It only seems to have a short zoom. Having missed out on a really good picture last week because of only having a 3x zoom, this is something I am not going to compromise on. True. It's 4x though which is impressive for a super compact. It's the price you pay though for a smaller size camera.
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I have spent ages this morning researching this as I have also decided to switch to digital, having borrowed one last week.
I am looking at the Sony DSC-H2 or 5 or the Canon Powershot 3. There seems to be an endless amount of cameras out there and the prices vary wildly. I don't understand how a camera can vary by as much as £100 or more from one place to another, even allowing for internet sale sites being cheaper.
We are going out to Jessops to have a look at the cameras as the size is a consideration as well as the quality. If we get anything constructive out of that I will post back.
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I have settled on the Canon S3. It was a bit heavier than I was looking for but having been to a proper camera shop as well as the high street names and played with lots of cameras (sorry to all those helpful if unknowledgeable assistants who won't be getting a sale from me but thanks for your time) this for me was the best of the bunch although I have had to compromise on the size of the screen display for other plusses.
I liked the Sony H5 but it is too inflexible in relation to memory cards and was a bit too light, making it hard to keep steady, particularly with one hand.
I also veered towards a Panasonic in the camera shop but actually didn't like the camera at all once I started using it.
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Nice camera, but I think the OP is looking for a compact.
Charlie
Ooops... beat me to it
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How about the Panasonic TZ-1, 5MP, 10x optical zoom, £207 here (black or silver):
Review here:
Charlie
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How about the Panasonic TZ-1, 5MP, 10x optical zoom, £207 here (black or silver):
Review here:
Charlie
Conclusion - Cons
*Noise - and heavy noise reduction - make ISO 200+ usable only for small prints
*Noise visible in shadow areas even at ISO 80
*No manual control of shutter speed or aperture
not great for sports then which will need good performance at higher ISO
did you want manual control, or is a selection of "pre-sets" ok?
but still the conclusion is that the 10x zoom is really handy in use
The sony DSC-H series are the super zooms, but again they are not compact.
Also for consideration is the Canon Powershot S3 (and S2)
The Canon S80 does wideangle but only 3.6x zoom
Sony v3 and canon g6 are pretty much discontinued but are good for manual control and good quality pics, only 4x zoom tho.
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I'd either go for something like the Canon Ixus 800:
which has recently dropped in price, so it's a good time to buy one.
Or one of the Canon Powershot "A" range, like the A620:
I've personally got a Casio EX-Z850 which is a very good camera. It lacks the optical zoom you're looking for though. Lots of manual features, more so than any other super compact (hence why I bought it), but you need to set it up correctly otherwise shots can come out over saturated and a bit harsh (pixelated when you zoom in). Get it right though and the shots are fantastic. Any of these three would be a good choice and all get excellet reviews where ever you go.
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I have a canon s70. I paid £199 for it on e-bay (new) as the S80 had just come out. You can still get them and the price is very competitive. It is small enough to fit in a handbag or pocket. It takes Li-on batteries and comes with a battery charger. I picked a spare (non-canon) Li-on up for £8, but rarely need to use it as the battery holds its charge for ages - it is not unusual for me to shoot off 300 photos and the only time the battery has let me down is when I forgot to charge it up from the previous time!
It comes with a small CF card, but I picked up a1gb card for around £20, and it stores all the pics I need and more besides using raw format (highest resolution)
What is really good about it is that it is one of the very few compact cameras to have a wide angled lens. This means you can take group shots without having to stand on the other side of the room, and when taking photos of interiors you can get much more of the room in (if you've seen some of the poor shots on estate agent brochures, you'll know what I mean)
It has a 3x optical zoom, but this isn't a problem because the resolution is so good that you can zoom in and crop on the pc and then enlarge the cropped photo with no pixelation. For example, I took a picture of my garden pond, then cropped a damsel fly sitting on the leaf of a marginal plant, then blew that up to 10 x 8, with no loss of clarity.
This camera was recommended to me by a professional photographer who likes to keep a compact in his pocket for the times when he needs to react quickly. I am really very pleased with it, and would definitely recommend it.