Sony A5100 vs Canon G7X vs Panasonic FZ200

<p>Which of these 3 cameras should I buy? Sony A5100, Canon G7X or the Panasonic FZ200? Which camera would you guys buy? A Large camera zoom is important to me so maybe I should get the FZ200 with it's larger zoom. But low light performance is also important to me, The G7X and the A5100 have better low light performance than the FZ200 because they have larger sensors. Is a larger zoom important to you guys? The G7X and A5100 have small zoom. I am not sure which camera to buy. Happy New Year <img title="Big Grin" src="http://forums.steves-digicams.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif" alt="" border="0" /></p>

<p><a href="/casual-conversations-forum/00dew9">What is the best bang for the buck Camera?</a> <a href="/casual-conversations-forum/00dew9">http://www.photo.net/casual-conversations-forum/00dew9</a></p>

<p>I think this belongs more in the Beginner question forum or Mirrorless Forum... that being said, you should consider the Sony DSC Rx100 which I think has qualities of all the cameras you mentioned here: large sensor, decent zoom range etc. They can be had quite cheaply these days on the 'bay or keh </p>

<p>Those three cameras have almost nothing in common apart from their price bracket. So what made you pick those particular cameras to compare Kenny? Your question is a bit like asking if a banana is better than an orange or an apple.</p>

<p>What's most important to <em>you</em>? Long zoom range (Panasonic), image quality and low light ability (Sony) - somewhat offset by a slow lens with a miserable 3x zoom - or pocketability with a 4x zoom range but faster lens (Canon).</p>

<p>My own favourite compact is no longer made. It's a Kodak with a 12x zoom and excellent colour rendition. Only 12 megapixels, but that's plenty for a little carry-anywhere camera. The top ISO is a poor 1600 ISO by today's standards, but remember that's equal to the fastest film you could ever buy.</p>

<p>I purchased an FZ200 a couple of years ago as my 'walkaround' camera because the zoom range and low constant aperture were important to me. It has certainly served its purpose, and it's the camera I prefer when on a trip where photography isn't the focus. I have a flickr album with shots from it: https://www.flickr.com/photos/107794064@N02/albums/72157644216394417</p>

<p>However, I find I'm using it less than my original enthusiasm dictated because of the amount of noise from the smaller sensor, so now I usually take my Pentax DSLRs and a 17-70 and 55-300 lens when I'm out and want to put some emphasis on photography, usually getting the most use out of the 17-70. If I were to make the choice for an 'all-purpose model again, I'd probably consider something with a smaller zoom range and larger sensor, though I have no idea what's out there now. The zoom range on the Canon you list would not be enough for me for an 'all-purpose' device. I'd personally want something that at least reached into the 200mm range. The sony is an interchangeable lens camera, so not in the same category as the Canon and Panasonic.</p>

<p>In spite of my reservations with the FZ200, it is still a great all-purpose tool, and you might even want to look at the newer FZ300. I believe Panasonic also make some models with larger sensors that have decent zoom but not the 2.8 constant aperture, so you might want to examine those as well. Both low light ability and high zoom might be a tough combo to come by, but I'd personally put the high zoom at a higher priority. Of course, I might have a different opinion about that tomorrow.</p>

<p>I can't tell you which camera to buy. For me zoom range is not important. In fact if a camera have very long zoom but doesn't perform well at high ISO then the long end of the zoom is pretty useless. At the long end of the zoom the aperture gets smaller, the shutter speed has to be higher to prevent camera shake without good performance at high ISO it's not usable. </p>

<p>Just a point re what BeBu said above. On the FZ200, the aperture is constant, starting at 2.8, so shutter speed will remain the same as you zoom. That's one of the major selling points of that model.</p>

<p>You might want to go to <a href="http://www.dpreview.com"><em><strong>http://www.dpreview.com</strong></em></a> and just poke around a while on some of the cameras that you have mentioned.</p>

<p>--Lannie</p>