Favorite pocket camera

[notso bad]

I am looking for a pocket size digital. I have a canon 20D, and a sony H3(which

I hate for slow lag time, unwieldy size, horrible flash recycling, and lousy

button layout. I am always inadvertently putting the camera in macro mode or

changing the flash mode)

 

I tend to gravitate towards the canons (loved my S45 which is on its last

leg)but the dpreview reviews are a bit unflattering for the newer small SD

models. The A models are less desirable because I much prefer Li batteries to

any AA type. I'd prefer to stick to around $300 or less before cards and extra

batteries (so ricoh gx100 is out)

 

I have read good things about the Fuji 31fd.

 

Any opinions?

[joe_williams3]

I don't have any experience with the Fuji you cite, but some of my best shots have come with an SD500, which has now been superseded by newer models with IS and a wider ISO range. It is great for surreptitious shots, and easily fits in a pocket.

[Greg M]

While not as small as a Digital Elph, a Panasonic TZ3 does fit in a pants pocket, has a much more versatile 28-280mm image stabilizaed zoom, very good controls set for a point & shoot and image quality in a wide range of ISO's is very good to excellent. Here are several images I've posted to my website over the past few weeks..

 

http://gmchappell.smugmug.com/gallery/2900447#156043664

[Greg M]

at 28mm, this lens is extremely well corrected compared to any other digicam such as this with a lens that goes this wide. Actually, at every focal length this lens is excellent, but look especially close at the files captured at 28mm. There's been no post processing assistance in getting the lines straight at all. You could not ask for better performance from a camera like this.

[pbizarro]

There are dozens of cameras that fit your description for pocket-size.

These days, the differences are minimal in terms of JPG output from different brands, just pick the one you like best, and that offers some degree of control over JPG compression.

[jjordi71]

F30/31d is a very nice camera (I am a happy owner of a F30). The good thing is its capabilities in low light. The bad things are the limited control you have on the picture (the camera has few buttons to play with) and the ugly design. Overall this has been a winner camera and I would recommend if you are taking pictures indoors, or if you don't care too much about settings. Otherwise, if you like to take control of the settings, I would suggest a Canon G7. or some Digital Elph...

[steve_dawson1]

I've been playing with an F11 over the past couple of weeks which is a generation older, but is a very similar camera. IMO its biggest advantage by far is its high ISO capability. You really can produce decent prints from images shot at ISO 800. At least a two stop advantage in terms of noise. Whether that is a greater benefit than the image stabilisation of other models depends largely on whether your subjects move.

 

Good battery life and fast start up make it refreshingly like an old fashioned film camera: just pick it up and it'll be ready straight away.

 

These cameras have been criticised for PF and burned out highlights when used in sunlight. I've not seen that. My problem with it in bright light is that you can't see the screen and there is no viewfinder. It would not be my choice if my applications were all in good light.

 

Detail and sharpness seem pretty good. Print a landscape at A3 and you immediately see its limitations in this regard. I guess that's also true of all of this class of camera. i suspect those Leica lensed Panasonics may capture more detail.

 

Josep finds the limited control a problem. You get aperture and shutter priority which is enough for me in this kind of camera. You don't get a full manual mode.

[michaelging]

I bought my sister a Canon, Digital Elph ,powershot camera. It is smaller than a pack of cigarette's ,sharp lens, nice size files.We went around Croatia last year and I think I shot more photos in it than she did. I was impressed.

[fldawson]

I can recommend the Kodak V570 if you want a really pocketable digital. Its a 5 megapixel unit, which means you can easily blow up to 16x20. My only quibble is that it takes a Kodak KLIC7001 battery, which I find annoying as I can't find replacements at the corner grocer. But you can find spares and a charger easily enough on ebay, so it could be worse!

 

Larry

[fp_anderson]

Hi Notso-

 

 

I have been using an A540 and also have the wide adapter. I use AA nicads and they have long life. The lens range is 24-135 when you take along the tiny WA lens.

 

 

Prior to that I had an S45 like you. The JPEG files from the A540 are terrific in comparison - with the S45 I needed to shoot RAW for best results. Plus the A540 is more pocketable than the S45.

 

 

 

If however you really need small size try an SD700 or SD800. Forget the reviews and just try one. They are so small you will not know you have it and image quality is just fine - after all no compact is going to have 20D quality but you will have it with you. The only really hard part to accept is no manual operation or even read out of what the camera is doing - the histogram is all you have.

 

 

Try a search on flickr for shots made with the SD800, I was impressed.

 

 

http://flickr.com/cameras/canon/powershot_sd800_is/

 

 

http://flickr.com/photos/angies-birds/466522462/

 

 

 

F.P.

[dgfassett]

Olympus Stylus 750. Small, excellent system with good zoom,

[notso bad]

thanks.

 

All good advice. Since I will not be doing 100% crops like the testers, I will not get too worried about the reviews. I guess I will go to my local bestbuy and/or circuit city and play around with a few.

[vincent_daly]

pictures look really sharp greg sorry to hijack this forum with a critique but they do look good.

[philip_dygeus2]

I'd like to put in a good word for the small Lumix Fx-07 and Fx-30/Leica C-Lux 1 and C-Lux 2 digital compacts. I have the C-Lux 1 and am very pleased with the following characteristics (which are more or less the same for the Lumix version):

 

- 28mm wide angle with good and sharp results

- Image stabilisation

- Great macro function which together with the 28mm can take quite dramatic shots

- Very good battery time (400 pictures, camera used normally with zooming, focusing etc)

- It's light and very well built, all in metal. It's discrete too

- It's fast, no shutter lag, and has a quick autofocus

- Brilliant screen (which at least the Fx-07 seems to lack)

 

Bad point:

 

- Picture quality at ISO 400 and using the "high sensitivity" mode. However, with ISO 200 and image stabilisation the pictures are good so this is not a big problem.

 

good luck

[phule]

<<If however you really need small size try an SD700 or SD800. Forget the reviews and just try one.>>

 

The SD700 is getting difficult to find as it has been replaced by the SD850, but I agree with the above answer. It might be helpful to download sample photos from reviews and print a couple at sizes you like. Pixel peeping is interesting but is not very helpful unless you're planning on using the point and shoot to print 16x20's.