p7000 and/or TL500?

[eric_arnold]

<p>hi, i am considering a hi-end compact for candids, travel, and light PJ use, including product/food shots and static portraits.</p>

<p>i've narrowed the choice down to the nikon p7000 and the samsung tl500. please dont recommend the LX5 or G11/G12--they have already been considered. also, not interested in NEX, EVIL, or m4/3 at this time.</p>

<p>both cameras have their strong points. i own nikon DSLRS and flashes so that's an edge for the p7000, but the TL500's 1.8 lens looks pretty good too.</p>

<p>anyone used both cameras?</p>

<p>how good is the TL 500 in low-light, in real-world conditions?</p>

<p>and is the TL500's AWB a major issue?</p>

<p>anyone considering between the two? if so, what would make you choose one over the other?</p>

[lisa_lowden]

<p>i have the tl500. indoors to my eye its good. outside in bright lite it shines. colors are spot on. i havent tried it on a tripod doing landscape at nite tho. id say get the nikon if you want the zoom range. but if you want the build quality the great lcd and great lens and other niceities at a great price get the ex1. oh autofocus is fast and shot to shot is good to. samsung is so underrated as a company but they are starting to put out some really nice cameras. btw this got a siver award on dpreview. i think the awb works perfect for me. i think its on the mark 9 times out of 10. the build quality is top shelf too. the nikon hasnt really been rated yet. the ex1 last i checked can be had for 369 us dollars. if you go for it you wont regret it. ll</p>

[lisa_lowden]

<p>i should have said verygood indoors too. listen im a girl and most men think i know nothing about cameras. its been my expensive hobby since the 70s. ive had like 75 cameras since then most digital in search of the holy grail of cameras. when i say the ex1 is good i mean good. it comes close. cameras ive had in the past include d1,1d,f5,f4s,d200,f100,f1,e1,e10,g5-g10,5050,5060,8080,n2020,l1,lx2,ae1 and the list goes on and on. if i say a camera is good it usually is. btw i couldnt care less about the p7000 or g12 or lx3 or lx5. the ex1 is a very close to near perfect camera. ll</p>

[leslie_cheung]

<blockquote>

<p>im a girl and most men think i know nothing about cameras. its been my expensive hobby since the 70s. ive had like 75 cameras since then most digital in search of the holy grail of cameras. when i say the ex1 is good i mean good. it comes close. cameras ive had in the past include d1,1d,f5,f4s,d200,f100,f1,e1,e10,g5-g10,5050,5060,8080,n2020,l1,lx2,ae1 and the list goes on and on.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Ok, 75 is alot and you must have a lot of experence with different cameras but...uhh, can two different people have different opinoin on the same camera? And...if you haven't tried one, how would you know that you wouldn't like it?</p>

<p> </p>

[james_kennedy9]

<p>I held the P7000 and the G12 in my hands this weekend at a camera shop. The salesman said that he had owned a P6000 and had been disappointed in the lens and the P7000 was quite a bit better. I didn't have a chance to compare imagery, but the P7000 felt plasticky to me and the G12 much more solid.</p>

<p>Over the past 6 years, I have gone Nikon for DSLRs and Canon for P&S. My take everywhere camera is a Canon A650IS in which I use CHDK so it has a live histogram and can shoot raw as well as jpeg. My only complaint is that it does not go wider than 35mm equiv.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>@lisa, do you have any indoor shots you can post? and how sharp is it @1.8? also, what, in your opinion would make it more perfect?</p>

<p> </p>

[pbizarro]

<p>FWIW, the latest issue of Chausseur D'Image (reputable franch magazine) tested the current 4 top "serious" digicams: EX1, G12, P7000, and LX5.<br>

The winner was the EX1, but at the end of the day, they were all considered as recommended cameras to buy. So, I think that it comes down to two factors:<br>

1. Do you prefer 24mm or 28mm?<br>

2. How do the different cameras feel in your hands? there is no point in having the "better" camera, if you can not operate it as you like it.<br>

Me, I went for the micro 4/3 GF1 plus 20mm panckake. In practical terms it's about the same size as the above... with a gigantic sensor by comparison...</p>

[steve_solomon2]

Greetings. I agree with Paulo regarding the m4/3 sensor Panny GF-1. I use the Panny G2 with the Panny 20mm f/1.7

pancake, and it's a stunning combination, easily superb to any 1/1.7 compact sensor system in overall image quality,

with a small increase in size/weight. But still much smaller/lighter than your average DSLR.

[eric_arnold]

<p>aaarrrgh! steve, you're not helping me decide. i think a pancaked GF1/G2 would be a highly capable street shooter. i would expect the image quality to be a little better than 1/1.7 sensor cameras. but i already have a nikon d90 and a 35/1.8, which is a fairly small combo, though not as small as the gf1/20 combo.</p>

<p>i guess i'm saying i want something with a zoom, and once you get outside of the pancake lenses, the m4/3s and EVIL cameras start to lose their size advantage--also the wide-angle and tele lenses start to get expensive.</p>

<p>and paulo, for me it comes down to: </p>

<p>1. <em>do you prefer a fast, wider lens, or a longer, slower lens?</em> answer: there is no right answer. but speed has its advantages. of course if all i wanted was a fast lens, i would have gone for the GF1+20/1.7. also, 1.8 at 24mm vs. 1.7 at 40mm (equiv.) is a big difference. the fact that the tl500 is still f/2.4 fully racked out at 70mm is also a big plus IMO. OTOH, the p7000 has a 28-200 VR lens, which is a nice range for travel.</p>

<p>2. ergonomics on both the tl500 and p7000 look great. to me that is a big part of enjoying the camera. i'm more familiar with nikon's menu system, which seems a little bit more intuitive than the TL500, but both cameras seem to have a high level of manual control and customization options, as well as P&S simplicity when you need it.</p>

<p>i may end up getting both, and doing a head-to-head comparison. if i can find enough difference to justify keeping both, then maybe that's what i'll do.</p>

<p> </p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>Okay, Eric, I'll share my paralysis analysis if there's any consolation:) I won't hijack this thread but maybe someone can help (though doubt it) us see the light here...</p>

<p>I'm interested in the TL-500 and the LX5 instead of the P7000. How did I come to this? I'll keep it short...</p>

<p><em>Canon G11/12</em>--- my friend had one, I used it. <strong>Too big for me</strong>, don't need a OVF and too big for me. Besides, AF too slow, I <strong>want a 24mm equivalent...</strong><br /> <em>Canon 90/95</em>--- AF too slow, <strong>want a 24mm equivalent...</strong><br /> <em>Nikon p7000</em>--- <strong>too big</strong>, <strong>want a 24mm equivalent...</strong><br /> <em>EP1, EP2, EPL1</em>--- a little too big and it has big sensor but<strong> AF too slow</strong> though it has IBIS. <strong> Additional lenses isn't cheap</strong><br /> <em>GF1</em>--- not great OOC Jpeg but <strong>no IBIS</strong>...though a little big but very fast AF. <strong> Additional lenses isn't cheap</strong><br /> <em>Samsung Nx10/100---</em> <strong>No in IBIS</strong>, noise isn't all that great for apc-s sensor, small but useful lens road map...</p>

<p>TL-500 vs. LX5...Neither has the LX3 battery (currently a LX3 user) Love the swivel amoled LCD of the Samsung but the sluggish and huge RAW and in-camera charging battery among other kinks keep me worry waiting. The LX3 has a really fast AF though it has no swivel LCD...</p>

<p>If the AF on the Samsung is fast, I'll sway toward the Samsung. If not, I'll go LX5 and lose the swivel, lovely amoled LCD. The 1/3 stop lens difference don't sway me at all...Or I could wait much longer for the fuji X100...Paralysis Analysis:)))</p>

<p> </p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>hijack away, leslie. i can see its pointless to try to keep other cameras out of this discussion. if the GF1 w/20/1.7 falls to around $500, that would almost be a no-brainer, regardless of what other cameras one owns. at $700, though, still a little steep.</p>

<p>agree with you on the EP-series and the NX.if i didnt own a DSLR system, the G2 would be much more attractive as well.</p>

<p>but i I liked the g10/g11's form factor a lot, and almost bit a bunch of times, but i kept hoping nikon had something comparable in the pipeline. i just didnt expect them to be almost the same exact camera. even so, i think the nikon has the better menu system and overall ergonomics and seems to be more competitive in IQ than the p6000 was.</p>

<p>for me, the LX5 is out because 1) the buttons are too small (ditto s90/95) and 2), low-light performance should be better. i dont know that i'd be compelled to upgrade from an LX3, either.</p>

<p>but the TL-500 does kind of clear some hurdles, doesn't it? it seems very well-thought-out, and looks to have the best build quality out of any of those bodies--though i wish the silver version was available in the US.</p>

<p>i think with almost any of these cameras, you can't really go wrong as long as you know the limitations going in. for instance, the TL500 and p7000's slow RAW write speed suggest they are best used for jpeg snaps, and i dont have a problem shooting jpegs as long as WB adjustments are fairly easy to do. the P7000 seems to excel at jpegs over the Canons, which is a plus for me. similarly, the p7000's slow aperture compared to the competition is easily mitigated in low-light if you have the sb-400, which then allows you to bounce, rear-curtain sync, and dial down exposure to 1/64.</p>

<p>any way, my paralysis right now is purely economic: i'm waiting for the TL500 to go back down to $350, but in the meantime, i see the p7000 is already down to $450...</p>

<p> </p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>Good luck with either one or both...I'm actually happy that there's no easy choices. It save me from buying period:) I'll wait for the fuji X100, a d40 like FX, a GF2 with IBIS or a EPL-2 with faster AF...</p>

[lisa_lowden]

<p>leslie. 2 different people can have differing opinions on the same camera. btw if i had all the money in the world i would buy every camera out there or certainly all the ones that were of interest to me. ll</p>

[lisa_lowden]

<p>eric i dont have any samples right now but maybe this we. it is very sharp at 1.8. what would make it more perfect maybe a longer lens and better video. i bought a 3rd party charger for the ex1 which helps alot. for the money its the best out there. i would have loved the gf1 also but settled on the nex 5 so i have both the nex5 and ex1. these 2 cameras work well for me. ll</p>

[lisa_lowden]

<p>last i saw ex1 was 369 at compusa. ll</p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>The EX1 is about $450-550 in my part of the wood...Samsung has a much better reputation in China than the US...</p>

<p>Lisa, why didn't the LX3/5 interest you? I'm just curious...</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>@lisa, yeah $369 isn't bad for TL500. there was a refurb for $319 two weeks ago but its gone. i'm actually ok with the focal range, i can live with that for 24/1.8 and 70/2.4. and video isnt a high priority, although both those issues would be solved with the p7000.</p>

<p>looks like i'm getting both, i can't decide between the two until i have them in my hot little hands.</p>

<p>and leslie, XL100 looks great but it's not out yet so no need to sweat that one.</p>

<p>(<em>must...resist..urge..to..buy...GF1+20/1.7...at least... until...price...drops</em>)</p>

<p> </p>

[lisa_lowden]

<p>leslie i didnt get the lx3 or 5 mainly for one reason only and that was the great display of the ex1. having had an lx2 at one time i was very open to either especially lx3 but i couldnt resist ex1 after seeing some shots on some of the forums. i am throwing a suggestion to eric about either a ricoh gx100 or gx200. they are both really fine cameras also as i had the gx100 too. btw the gx100 can be had for 299 at amazon and it comes with the vf. it is built like a tank and takes really sharp pics also. you might want to check them both out. very highly recommended and very highly underrated. ll</p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>Thanks, Lisa...I have the GX100 and GRD2. Ricoh has the best UI in the business IMO. The GX100 does certain things better while the LX3 excel in other areas...</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>hmm, okay, lisa...but the gx100 is over 3+ years old, and has a weaker LCD and a slower lens than the TL500 at the long end. the samsung seems to be at least one stop better at noise above ISO 400, according to dp review, which would be a major concern for low-light pics. it's probably a better deal at $300 than $600 or whatever it was when it came out, but just like the sigma DP1s, which is also $300 now, to me it's like an "almost." i'm going to have to go with your earlier recommendation of the TL500 as the best P&S currently on the market, or close enough, thereabouts.</p>

[lisa_lowden]

<p>i was just giving you other alternatives because price seemed to be important to you. if i were to get an enthusiasts camera today, a point and shoot, it would still be the ex1 for the screen, build quality, lens, reviews and picture quality among other things. ll</p>

[lisa_lowden]

<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-TL500-10-megapixel-Digital-Camera/dp/B003N2YVKW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288395865&sr=8-1">http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-TL500-10-megapixel-Digital-Camera/dp/B003N2YVKW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288395865&sr=8-1</a></p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>thanks lisa, 'precciate it.</p>

<p>price isn't the major consideration, but it is a consideration, IYKWIM.</p>

<p>the tl500 was $350 a couple months ago, so i've been waiting for the price to drop again. it was $419 last week.</p>

<p> </p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>Love to hear a report, particularly the AF speed, Eric. How would you rate the AF speed with the EX1, Lisa? I hear the LX5 is as fast as entry level dslrs...that is the one reason why I'm still considering the LX5 over the EX1... </p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>Well, I love panasonic's UI also. Close second to the ricohs IMO</p>