What's a good P&S Camera?

[christopher_diao1]

I have been an EOS user for many years, film and dSLR.

 

What would be a good P&S digital camera to carry around. Is Canon Powershot

a700 a good choice?

[jimstrutz]

Go to www.dpreview.com and take a look at their reviews. They seem to have more comparative info about more digital cameras than anyone. Personally, I would go for the S3 IS if I was to stick with Canon for a P&S. Panasonic FZ7 otherwise. If you find these to be too large check out the Panasonic TZ1; 10x with IS, in a small form. If you need a better camera for low light look at the Fujifilm F30.

[jimstrutz]

BTW, here's their review of the Canon A700: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona700/

 

They give it a "Recommended" rating, which is not very good for coming from them.

[godfrey]

I used to carry a Rollei 35S or Minox 35GT-E when I wanted good quality photographs but

didn't want to carry a large camera. I've not been particularly satisfied with pocketable

digital cameras yet, almost always on the basis of not being sensitive enough or

responsive enough.

 

Some have been pretty good, though. I had a Panasonic LX1 for a little bit and found it

produced very good quality photos and had decent range due to the image stabilization,

but I found it too awkward in use. I'm trying a Fuji F30 next as it seems to have good

quality at ISO 400-800 and the controls are a little more to my liking.

 

It's hard for a DSLR user to be satisfied with the pocketable digicams as yet.

 

Godfrey

[mars c]

The Canon a700 is good , you cant go wrong with it as long as you personally like it , But I think, for now, a really good p&s should have low noise at high ISO. And that would be the fulifilm f30, look it up at dpreview.com

[._._z]

For the $340, just around what you'd spend on the a700, you could get the Fuji finepix f30, which offers outstanding low-light, high ISO, low-noise images. In <u><A href =

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf30/

>this review at dpreview.com</a></u>, there was

<u><A href =

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf30/page14.asp

>little difference found between the ISO 800 images from the Fuji and the Nikon D50 DSLR</a></u>, which is much bigger (and has a much larger sensor). <p>

 

A friend has the older model F10 and loves it.

[dg1]

The Fuji Finepix E900 appears to be a very good camera, and I have one on order. It's more of a medium sized compact than a shirt pocket camera, but still pocketable. From all reports it is good handling, and fast. It shoots RAW and results at sensitivities through ISO 800 are satisfactory for large prints (13X19), depending on one's taste in noise levels and post processing. I'll see for myself next week. Another plus is that the street price is right around $300.00 +/- $50.00 (US).

 

I've also been pleased overall with the Pentax Optio 750z. It is a slowish camera for start up, which makes it not the best choice for grab shots, but the feature set is huge, with great options for customization, and in-camera effects and editing. It has very good 5x zoom lens, as well as very low noise at ISO 400 too. So far it produces the best image quality I've gotten from a compact digicam, and it will be interesting to see how the Fuji E900 compares.

[peter_t.1]

I own a Fujifilm E900 and I can highly recommend it. Besides being able to shoot in RAW

mode, another thing I like about the camera is that when its color saturation is set to

"Chrome" mode, it comes the closest of ANY digital camera I've used in mimicking the

look and feel of Velvia 50 film.

 

Its lens is very sharp and it has low noise (but probably not as low noise as the newer

Fujifilm F30).

 

Its only real drawback, compared to the Panasonic and some other P&S's, is that it doesn't

have any image stabilization (but neither does the F30).

 

- Peter

[davek57]

For about $200, hunt down a Kodak Z760: 6MP, very fast hybrid AF, nice 2.2 inch screen, sharp lens, optical viewfinder, runs forever on one battery charge, lots of user-selectable aperture and shutter-speed modes, and very well built.

 

It's not an ulta-thin compact, but it easily fits into a jacket pocket, and will run circles around the micro-sized Canons and Casios. It also uses the less-expensive SD cards. (I've resisted anything Fuji because of the reliance on xD cards.) The little bitty pocket cams and their tiny controls will be a frustration for you if are coming from an SLR body.

 

If you really need pocket-sized and you demand quality: Ricoh's GR-1 and the Olympus Stylus Epic are about your best choices, and you can load 'em with any ISO speed film you like.

 

Rock on,

Dave<div></div>

[larrybc]

I went through a similar decision process last month. I was torn btwn the Fuji F10 and the Canon A620/610. I wanted decent ISO400 performance and a camera that was easy to control because it would be used for street shooting and casual family snaps. As much as I liked the F10's high ISO performance, I ended up with an A610 because it's ISO400 output was acceptable but its control set was, imo, far greater than the Fuji's. I also really, really hated the dongle that Fuji used to charge its battery, and the fact that it didn't come with an external charger. My 610 is a bit bulkier than the F10 but I don't mind since it lets me use standard AA batteries and has a flip/twist LCD screen as well as a rudimentary optical viewfinder.

 

I use the flip/twist LCD a LOT and it provides a special utility that my DSLR lacks. Oh, it also has a Custom mode that retrieves my favourite settings so I can quickly throw it into manual focus pre-set to 7 ft, f/4, ISO400 for street shooting.

 

If you want to see some sample pics, have a look at the recent shots in my PAW page:

http://tinyurl.com/jx6uc

 

There are some ISO400 shots but unfortunately, none are 100% crops.

 

If ISO400 performance was my over-riding concern and reason for buying the P&S, I'd go for the Fuji. But if you want an all-round good performer, then I think the A610/620 and A700 is a better choice.

 

larsbc

[bengt_rehn]

First of all, take your time and think over what size of camera you would like to carry around. Cameras like Canon A610/620, Powershot S80 (which I have) and worse Canon S3 IS are not very pocketable, so there is a risk that they stay at home to much or that you would prefer your DSLR instead. Personally I prefer very much an optical viewfinder, especially i bright sunlight but also for increased stability. Zoomrange is another aspect where I find lenses often limit the wide range to much. Then we have the turnable screen. Make your prioretys and go to dpreview.com and read.

[chris_d.]

I want a P&S, but with very good manual control. I don't mind if it can't fit in a shirt pocket. Yes, quality is important.

 

How bad is Canon Powershot a700's noise.....?

[don_e]

"I want a P&S, but with very good manual control. I don't mind if it can't fit in a shirt pocket. Yes, quality is important.

 

How bad is Canon Powershot a700's noise.....?" Christopher

 

The Panasonic FZ30 has the best manual control I've found in a P&S, however the noise may be an issue for you. Its replacement, the FZ50, is supposed to have corrected the noisy sensor, but it is not yet reviewed by the usual suspects. I have an A620 as well. My wife uses it mostly and has no problem with manual control, which she prefers. It's a bargain.

 

But if excellent manual control is your priority, consider the FZ50.

 

Good Luck,

 

Don E

[don_e]

I should add the FZ30 and 50 are about the size of a small dslr. So, holster, not pocket.

 

--

 

Don E

[wilsontsoi]

I personally don't need ISO-400 peformance from P&S digicam, so <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=317651">Canon A620</a> rides in my holster in most trips (before that, it was <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=273356">Canon A80</a>.) Since you already have DSLR, you already know to put one in use if ISO-1600 is needed. A620 will fit in your coat pocket, but not your shirt pocket. Velcro belt pouch is best for fast draw and access, IMO. Fuji F30 looks like a champ in high-ISO digicam world, if you're into that arena. Good luck!

[pbizarro]

As always, it helps to considra few things:

 

1. What do you want to photograph with it? Just "to carry around" is insufficient as far as objectives are concerned.

 

2. What are your expectations? Forums are full of people who thought their nice new camera would do wonders for them, just to find out that they still need to understand photography! And the basics. And the camera.

 

3. What size printings do you prefer? Do you want to process and print your images yourself? This takes time and learning. Again, know your camera.

 

From this point of view, I can only offer a couple of recommendations. By all means, read real-world reviews, by reputable sites/users. Reviews that only spew out technical details and "noisy sensor" evaluations are useless to me. I don't ming noise if the rest of the camera helps me to get the shot! That is why I had the LX1, and that is why I now have the Ricoh GRD. The noise fanatics don't like these cameras in general, but so what? The GRD has a perfect interface, a fantastic lens, and just a tad of Neat Image will clean up any noise at ISO 400. So I highly recommend the GRD, especially if you intend to shoot street photography and travelling.

 

The other camera I have is the Powershot 800IS; I use this one for family outings, in Program mode. No fuss, good results every time. And IS is great!

 

As for the SLR, I use slide film.

[christopher_diao1]

"Neat Picture"

 

What software or software function is this?