Canon Point & Shoot?

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for this post, but I'll give it a try!

Don't get me wrong, I love my larger Canon DSLRs. However, when we are going to spend a day at the beach or
heading to Six Flags for the day, I HATE lugging those things around.

For Christmas, I'm asking my partner for a plain ole' point and shoot. I want something slim enough to fit in a pocket,
but with photo quality that won't completely disappoint me.

Any suggestions?

 

A friend of mine just got the G10 which is pretty nice but pricey ($500).

 

I have a digital elph Powershot SD1000. I love it. The photos can be enlarged to 13 by 19 with outstanding results. I was so shocked at the good results, I reshot the scene with my 17-40mm L lens. The L lens was better but not by much. Both lenses captured my backyard snow scene in crisp detail. Some newer models with IS (image stabilization) could be even better. My elph is the size of a deck of cards and goes everwhere with me. Olympus has a model that is waterproof to 33 feet and shock resistant.

 

Another for G9 or G10, my reasoning is that the mode dials and layout is similar to the Dslr, and will also accept EX flashes. if you want smaller again an SD880/990, But you don`t need to stick with canon. I bought an olympus for the oldest as they knock things around, the Olympus stylus 1050 sw is shock proof so fairly safe in bag and water proof so takes a lil fear away when going beach

HTH

 

I have bought three Canon Powershot A590s as gifts in the last six months for friends and family.

The first one I bought was $180 and the last one was $145. It is an excellent point and shoot. Sensible MP count (8MP),
decent lens with a 4X optical zoom, image stabilization, video option and pretty intuitive controls. It's small, light and the IQ
is very good indeed. I like that it takes AAs and that you can now buy the camera, 2 Gig SD card and rechargeable AAs
with a charger for under $200 - a great buy.

 

IMHO, if you are at all particular about image quality, look at the G10. I shoot 1Ds3 and 1D3, but just bought a G10 for exactly the
reasons you mentioned. If you stick with ISO lower than 320 and print 8X10 or smaller, the IQ is pretty amazing. Check out this
article, http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/kidding.shtml .

 

Last year, I found and bought an older Canon Powershot 500 (Elph) that used compact flash (because I didn't want to carry around two kinds of memory). It was only about 5MPixel, but was very nice to use as a pocket camera for places where you didn't want the "lug" of all the gear. It also had a viewfinder which I find more useful than a "live display". It was such a good idea that my daughter talked me out of it, so now I'm back to my old Rollei 35 and the like.

 

That's a pretty impressive article Steve - maybe there is there a P&S in my own future now...?

 

I will also recommend the G10. I have a friend who is a commercial photographer who is using one for assignments and the clients are happy.

 

The `A` series arn`t too bad, when I wanted a G9 they were not in stock so got an A640 10m, a lil larger but did what I wanted. a small cam for an interstate visit. This shot a hand held in `photostitch` city of perth Oz. does good lil video clips too

 

No display try again

 

One thing I did not expect with such a small sensor, was to read signage on the buildings.

 

The G9/G10 are indeed at the top of compacts these days, but I think they are not pocketable, as the OP requires?

My vote would go for one of the current Panasonics, they offer more or less the same as the Elph range, but with the advantage of wide anlge.

 

The Canon G9/G10 are great point and shoot and has image quality that is pretty nice. However you do need a fairly large
pocket to put a G9/G10 inside. I tried to put my G9 in my pants pocket at a dinner party and I had a pretty strange looking
bulge. A true pocket point and shoot does not have a lens that sticks out. I used a Sony Cyber Shot T-200 when I spend 8
days vacationing in Japan. That was a fairly compact point and shoot that gave me fairly decent images.

You will have to decide where you draw the line in size. Most point and shoot nowadays have pretty good image quality. I
like the waterproof Olympus for the beach and boat trips.

 

Thanks, all. These are some helpful suggestions. Where have I been? I've never even heard of the G9/G10. While they do look amazing, I think they are a little larger than what I'm looking for.

I really am wanting something that will LITERALLY fit into my pocket. Again, we'll be using this rarely--just for parties, eating out, activities, etc.

 

The Panasonic LX3 is pocketable and with its Leica lens
seems to outperform most of the Canon SD models,
although they are all quite good.
You would probably be happy with the SD1100 (smaller)
or SD870 (larger).

 

In a more recent review: (The Nikon P6000 and Canon G10 Duke It Out), the same author who compared the G10 to a medium format camera stated:" As good as they can be, (see my G10 vs Medium Format article) these aren't really a replacement for a DSLR let alone a medium format camera when it comes to image quality. They're good, but not that good."

 

If you want a truly "slim", pocketable Canon P&S, the SD series are the slimmest. The A Series cameras will fit into a coat pocket or a
belt pouch. The G Series are getting into the neck or shoulder hanging class.

 

Depends on how small you want, and whether you care about video capability. Obviously the G10 is the top of the Canon line, but it isn't very small, and it isn't cheap. If want something a little smaller and/or cheaper, and can live with limited video capability (top quality is 640x480 pixels at 20 fps), I'd say take a look at the A590 IS. Personally I find the SD models too small, making them a bit hard to hold, use, and control, but that's me, maybe you'd love one.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 does look very interesting, with a 24-60mm-equivalent f/2.0-2.8 lens, optical image stabilization, and supposedly fairly decent high-sensitivity performance (apparently OK at ISO 400 and even usable at ISO 800). If you prefer wide to long, this would have to be at the top of the list.

 

In my experience, the Canon A series cameras make terrific pocket cameras for spur-of-the-moment shooting, and are capable of fairly incredible macro shots, as a bonus. They all suffer at higher ISO's, and image quality is really going to be only nitpickingly different among _any_ of them. Go to your favorite camera store, and buy whichever canon A camera is on sale or feels best in your hand, and you'll probably be pleasantly surprised. (I lucked into last-year's a720IS for just a little over a hundred bucks when Office Depot closed them out). You can see a couple of samples from that camera at my Flickr stream:

​

 

I have a Canon 710, and it has been amazing. It has IS, shoots movies, great zoom, and the IQ is far better than I had imagined possible in a PS camera. You can probably find one for a little more than $200. Highly reccomended!

 

There are many P&S cameras for way under $500. Go to flickr and look at shots taken from various cameras. Start with some of those
A series from Canon.

People like the G10 because it seems like a poor man's M8. (<;

 

dan, do tell us a little more about your shooting habit. what you mean by 'plain ole' point and shoot' means something different to each user. some might find the casio slimline bodies to be good enough. others might have a discerning taste for the so called higher end bridge camera. ricoh does not seem to have been mentioned above. the gr and gx series are no mean performers. the sweet spots in some of the ricoh models is sweeter than the canikon offerings. olympus also makes a few lovely pockatable cameras. don't just stick to canon. venture out and better deals might be available.

 

Others have suggested brands other than Canon, but I wonder if they have ever used a Canon P&S and then tried another brand. I would suggest going to a store that carries several brands and trying them in the store to see how you like the feel, responsiveness, and menus. After that I think you will end up with a Powershot SD series to meet your needs. A lot of other brands are capable of decent image quality since most P&S cameras including Canon use Sony CCD sensors. The difference is in the handling and operation. A few months ago a friend asked for advice on a P&S to use with his Nikon D200. Since he said he would like to be able to use his flash on it I suggested whatever Nikon's top P&S at the time was. When he got it I couldn't believe how slow it was, even compared to my wife's 3 year old SD 500. I wondered if it was just me who noticed this until I saw a discussion here in the Nikon forum asking the same advice, and well over half the responses from Nikon users said to go with Canon for a P&S.

Bottom line, I prefer an SLR. If I don't want to be bothered with one I use my A640. If I needed something for a pocker I would use one of the newer SD series Canons. The A and G series are more full featured and have better ergonomics, but I wouldn't call them pocketable.

 

Canon 590 for less than $150. or the newer A1000 or A2000 are smaller and easier to pocket.
Had a chance to play with an A2000 this weekend. Impresive images, light weight and easy to handle.
Good value in their class.

 

As to the suggestion of an A1000 or A2000, just remember that they don't offer much manual control. If you want to be able to use shutter-priority, aperture priority, and manual modes, well, you are out of luck with the A1000 and A2000. On the other hand, the A590 does offer these modes.
I got the A590's predecessor, the A570 IS, mainly for my wife, who is strictly a point-and-shooter, but also secondarily for myself, when I didn't want to carry a DSLR. I like it pretty well. My only question is whether we would have been happier with the A720 IS, which had a longer zoom that was somewhat faster at the long end (and slightly slower at the wide end). The 570 and 720 were both discontinued some time ago, and are not available new from major reputable sellers.
On the other hand, a year later when I went to get a camera for our oldest child's ninth birthday present, I got the A1000. I figured he is much less likely to want to use A, S, or M modes than he is to want to take video and then play it on a regular television. The A570 has 640x480 video at 30 fps, but inexplicably the A590 only shoots full resolution at 20 fps, so it probably doesn't look that great on a television. The A1000 does have 640x480 video at 30 fps, for his video use.

 

Panasonic and Casio also make quality compact compacts.

 

I have been looking around for a digital compact and the Canon IXUS 90 IS was well received by some reviewers. It doesn't get a mention here, what's wrong it?

 

Personally I wouldn't buy a P&S that didn't have a viewfinder - however limited that may be. That's the problem with the
IXUS for me, I like holding a camera to my eye to follow action and in very bright sunlight a screen can be hard to see -
holding a camera away from my face to compose on the LCD screen is just not a natural or comfortable thing for me...

That was one reason I liked the A590IS at the price.

 

Thanks John, none of the reviews mentioned the absence of a v/finder. I will not be buying.

 

SD770, SD890, SD950, SD990, SD1100, A1000, G10 are other Canon models with viewfinder.
The Panasonic LX3 has a detachable viewfinder.

 

The A590 has an optical viewfinder too.

Indeed, I think an optical viewfinder is a must-have, if you ever want to shoot any sort of movement or action or fast-developing scene on a sunny day, when it may be very difficult to see the screen. That's part of the reason I got my son the A1000 instead of the A2000; the former has an optical viewfinder but the latter does not.

 

I see Amazon has dropped the price on the A590 to under $120.

 

That is an amazing price for a seriously competent point and shoot - as mentioned I have bought three of them as gifts
paying from $145 to $180. All three people I bought these for love them and all of them rave about the high number of
keepers, the surprisingly good IQ, the compact nature, ease of use and the full feature set. For under $120 it's a steal.

 

What if someone wants a P&S that is pocketable (for daytime and/or random fun shooting as opposed to my D70) AND can be put in an underwater housing for scuba diving? Is the 1100SD or the A series still recommended? I dive down to about 100ft sometimes. I'm interested in everything in this thread but if a model can't be put in a housing then I'd have to consider something else.

 

There are lots of underwater housing for an A590 or similar from $19.00 (!) to pretty expensive...

Here's a sample of one : http://www.bizrate.com/digitalcameraaccessories/oid806364389.html

 

Since the OP wanted something that was literally pocketable... the Canon Elph/Ixus range gets my vote here.

The compact Sonys (with which I'm not as familiar) aren't bad, but having an A610 myself, I just don't think it's pocketable.

I'm about to move to a dSLR and am considering getting rid of the A610 for an Elph -- I, too, will soon begin needing a smaller camera for nights out/places where a big hunk of glass won't be quite appropriate.

 

as far as G10 in considered, read also this
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong10/page24.asp
cheers, Marco