Help me find a digital compact

[fred_monsone]

Hi there, I would like to buy my partner a small digital compact that he can

take on business trips and that we can take to family gatherings where I don't

want to take my SLR. Criteria in order or priority are:

 

1. Price

2. pixelcount

3. weight.

 

I don't mind the brand. I am based in the UK but am off to Dubai in a few

days; should I wait until I get there to buy one? I look forward to lots of

suggestions! Thanks in advance, Fred

[ericreagan]

<i>Criteria in order or priority are:

<p>

1. Price 2. pixelcount 3. weight.

</i>

<p>

All those considerations are taken into account <a href="http://photofloor.blogspot.com/2006/11/cameras-for-christmas.html">on this blog post</a> from last week.

<p>

Cheers!

[steve_solomon2]

Greetings. I can recommend the Fujifilm S9100 digital compact camera...please see the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Fujifilm-Finepix-Digital-Wide-Angle-Optical/dp/B000GFWFZ2/sr=8-1/qid=1164434389/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-6301072-9792037?ie=UTF8&s=electronics

For example images, see the link:

www.totalqualityphoto.com...most of the images on the homepage were shot with this camera.

Good luck!

Steve

[simann]

S9100 small and compact?

[fred_monsone]

Eric, THanks for the tip but that blog doesn't really help when it comes to weight.

 

Also, I am not after an SLR but a small, compact (as in with no removable lenses).

 

ANy thoughts? And does anyone know whether I should indeed buy in Dubai? Thanks!

[steve_solomon2]

Simon, the Fuji S9100, while a fantastic digital camera classified as "Compact", is in reality not too much smaller than an entry-level DSLR such as the Canon XTi. It won't fit in a shirt pocket, but you must remember that it has a wonderfully versatile fixed zoom lens attached. There are many more compact cameras that do fit your shirt pocket, but I venture to say that they are not nearly as versatile as something like the Fuji S9100. You can read about it (and get specific dimensions) at a number of review sites Thanks and good luck!

~Steve

[ericreagan]

I think this is the portion I was referring to from the post I linked:

<p>

<i>

Small Camera, Big Picture

On the high side of the technology wave, there are tons of features and specs to consider. A lot of these considerations are making it into smaller and smaller packages. You can get a lot out of a camera that will fit in your pocket comfortably. That's what this category is all about. Folks who want to have high technology accessible (in their purse or pants) - but not in the way.

<p>

The Canon SD800 IS fits the bill nicely. It's 7.1 megapixels, has a 3.8x optical zoom, and has image stabilization. It also has a 2.5" LCD and only weighs in at 5.3 ounces. Price of admission? About $360.

<p>

Also, take a look at the Panasonic Lumix FX9, which is available in black, silver, or red. Personally, I like the black. 6 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, and image stabilization. It's priced in the $360 range with the SD800. You might also take a look at the Panasonic Lumix FX50, which has 7.2 megapixels and is around $350.

<p></i>

Only part of the post deals with SLRs. Can't help with the Dubai question. Hope this helps. Good luck.

<p>

Cheers!

[pbizarro]

There are literally dozens of cameras that will fit your requirements. All brands offer cameras in that category. It is better for you to go to a store and try a few of them.

 

My recommendation would go for a digicam with image stabilization, as many of these stylish pocket cameras lack a propoer handling grip.

[mark u]

Very high megapixel counts on tiny sensors result in images that are no sharper than ssomewhat lower megapixel counts, since the tiny pixels are noisy and require image processing to average them out, thus losing the benefit of the extra pixel count. Moreover, they tend to suffer from low dynamic range between black (influenced by noise) and white (burning out easily due to the small well capacity of the tiny pixel). In fact, 5MP is quite adequate for producing prints on A4.

 

If you anticipate that a significant proportion of pictures will be taken indoors, I would instead look at the Fuji F30, F20 or F31fd, which actually offer some useable higher ISO settings so you won't need to either carry a slave flash or have your subjects sit in those torture devices for holding heads still they used back in the 19th century.