best point and shoot

[katie_clarke1]

<p>I'm looking for the best point and shoot on the market. What I mean by that is I'm looking for a camera I can take with me anywhere which has the best optics. I will take my bulky SLR on field trips but for tooling around town, I'd like to have a point and shoot. I realize there are many posts on various subjects regarding what is best but I just wanted a more up to date response. Thank You Much! K.C.</p>

[ariel_s1]

<p>There's no such thing as "best." Also, you are correct in that this has been covered a ton of times already. If you want the most expensive point and shoot options, the higher end ones with larger sensors, look at the:<br>

Olympus XZ-1<br>

Fuji X10<br>

Canon S100<br>

Canon G12<br>

Panasonic DMC-LX5 / Leica D-Lux 5<br>

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but if you research these cameras, you'll come across the other ones. You need to decide which features, style, and price are most important for you, and go from there. Alternatively, you may want to consider one of the EVIL cameras, such as Samsung NX200, Sony NEX-5n, Panasonic DMC-GX1, etc.</p>

 

[luis_g]

<p>I would agree with Ariel's list. I love my LX-3 and am chomping at the bit to use my newly acquired LX-5 (thanks to a kind PN member who advised us that it was on sale at Amazon), but am very attracted to the Fuji X10 and Canon S100 for its diminutive size.</p>

[lachaine]

<p> There are many inexpensive P&S cameras now that take pictures as well as their more expensive siblings. They just might not have such features as raw files and full manual controls: both of which I think are of limited use on such cameras anyway.</p>

[Brad_]

For me it's an iPhone 4.

 

Have been shooting exclusively with that for around four months, with my "serious" camera and lens in the

closet.

[leslie_cheung]

<blockquote>

<p>I'm sure I'm forgetting some</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I would add the Ricoh IV , Samsung TL500 and Nikon P7100...But personal preferences and usages do much matter. If usages are in abundant light, for example, the lowlight capability of the mentioned pack sorta goes out the door and many long range zooms could be better, as suggested by Pierre.</p>

[katie_clarke1]

I am looking primarily for a camera with good

optics. I realize this will be limited as

compared to good glass from Canon or Nikon

etc. The other features are less important. If

one camera has better color fidelity or a wider

ev range, that would be important as well but

perhaps those differences are not so big with

the better p&s cameras. Megapixels is less

important as anything above 8 works perfectly

for me. Thank you. K.C.

[leslie_cheung]

<blockquote>

<p>I am looking primarily for a camera with good optics. I realize this will be limited as compared to good glass from Canon or Nikon etc. The other features are less important...</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>I'm afraid good optics (by canon and nikon) isn't the limiting factor of P&S like dslr lenses. IMO they are more limited by other factors, actually. The lenses on these P&S are really wide (think 4mm, 5mm) to accompany their puny sensors. They are all distorted and corrected by software in camera or by, say, photoshop, if you shoot RAW. The Samsung has a Schneider Kreuznach and the Panasonic has a Leica lens for that matter. If you are not familiar, google them. They both have a much better reputation than the japanese nikon/canon stuff. Without getting too technical, you shouldn't worry too much of those optics in point and shoots. Shoot RAW and post process them to their absolute limit, if you want to squeeze every IQ gram out of the camera...</p>

<p>Simple stuff like battery life, zoom range and shutter lag would worry me more on P&S...</p>

<p>Hope I'm not confusing you...here are what some pros <a href="http://blog.photoshelter.com/2011/11/digital-point-and-shoot-cameras-used-by-pros/">use</a>. You can aways just buy the latest canon/nikon:)</p>

<p> </p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>...Or look into<a href="http://www.sansmirror.com"> EVILs</a></p>

[michaelchristensen]

<p>A + vote for the Panasonic LX5 .. neat little camera. Panasonic has a software version update on their webpage which adds a few features over the version 1.0 that comes in the camera. I think the current price is a bargain for the quality of pics this little gem produces.</p>

[ariel_s1]

<p>Katie, Canon or Nikon aren't producing any better optics than any other brand mentioned in this thread. Just because those are the two brands you're most likely to come across at a Best Buy or Walmart doesn't mean that they're the best cameras. Among serious photographers, Fuji is currently the one taking the enthusiast market by storm. No one can get enough of anything they've been making recently. They're a powerhouse and have been known and relied upon for many many many many many years by professionals. Olympus' Zuiko line of lenses is just as good as what you'd get on a comparable Nikon or Canon, but it has the advantage of having a great aperture to work with. As Leslie mentions, optics aren't even the weak point in the image quality chain on these cameras; the sensor is, and the Olympus allows you to shoot at lower ISOs and preserve some of that already-compromised image quality compared to an interchangeable-lens camera; having a zoom lens that preserves an aperture of f/1.8-2.5. Panasonic's camera is good enough that Leica decided it was worth rebranding as their own model, and even the Panasonic versions are marked as having Leica lenses. If you thought that Canon and Nikon had good optics, seeing "Leica" on the front of a camera should be giving you whiplash right about now from sitting up in your chair. In addition, they are a powerhouse when it comes to professional video; there's a good chance that what is currently playing on your TV is coming through a Panasonic lens. As mentioned, the Samsung lens is branded Schneider Kreuznach. Hopefully you've heard of them, they are a comparable company to Zeiss, and personally, I hold them in a bit higher regard. Ricoh is one of those companies where if you walk in to a room with one, all of the knowledgeable photographers will immediately know you're discerning about your equipment. Just check out the Flickr groups for photo examples taken with their cameras. Any camera mentioned in this thread will be more or less comparable and will serve you well, except for the Nikon P7100 funny enough. I love Nikon and use more of their equipment than any other, but they've never gotten their act together with regards to pocket digicams.</p>

[katie_clarke1]

<p>I'm surprised that the Panasonic LX5 is compared well to the Leica D-Lux 5. The Leica comes with Adobe Lightroom 3 which is a $300 program but I have photoshop cs5. My interest is the camera, not the software. I would like to shoot raw images. I like the idea of having a camera that can shoot at f2.0 if I need that at times.</p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>F2 lens or faster:</p>

<ol>

<li>Samsung TL500</li>

<li>Panny LX5</li>

<li>Oly XZ1</li>

<li>Ricoh GRD IV</li>

<li>Fuji X10</li>

<li>Canon S100</li>

</ol>

<p>...Pick another parameter</p>

[leslie_cheung]

<p>Or just read up on these six...there are quirks in each and everyone. Off the top of my head...</p>

<p>Samsung shoots RAW sloow<br>

OLY doesn't have AEL<br>

Ricoh is a fixed prime<br>

Fuji is in mirrorless territory price wise at $599<br>

Canon has slow/questionable AF shutter lag<br>

Pany's jpeg engine (color / AWB) is an acquired taste</p>

<p>Good luck tho!</p>

<p> </p>

[katie_clarke1]

<p>Thank you Leslie, Ariel and everyone else. I have to look at some of the specs more closely. Being that I shoot with Canon L glass, I'm going to be disappointed with any p&s in comparison but I'll have my camera with me at all times. K.C.</p>

[Brad_]

>>> Being that I shoot with Canon L glass, I'm going to be disappointed with any p&s in comparison but

I'll have my camera with me at all times.

 

Maybe not. I used to shoot with a 5DII and 35mm f/1.4 L. I'm now shooting with an iPhone 4 and am not

disappointed in the slightest, and have a project in the works. It's your eye and what you capture that matters...

[katie_clarke1]

I like that thought Brad. I've taken shots with a 3 year old Sony Cybershot 8mp and was disappointed with

the results when I wanted too print them as compared to my canon lens. I hope these newer models are

better but I agree with you on having in essence the vision first as more important then the equipment.

Not to minimze the value of good equipment though depending on what you want to use it for. K.C.

[katie_clarke1]

<p>I wound up purchasing the Panasonic, LX5 from Amazon at about $365.00. It seems like a nice little camera and weighs only 9.8 oz. Thanks very much for all your help, it was invaluable. K.C.</p>

[boinkphoto]

<p>I think the very first post, by Ariel S., was dead on...</p>

[ty_mickan]

<p>Nearly every camera made today can be classified as a 'point and shoot'. But for what you are after, two categories come to mind; a compact, or an EVIL camera. The EVIL camera is going to bulkier, but should be a able to produce superior results to a compact, and can even produce better results than a typical SLR for certain genres. The Olypmus EP series are generally considered to be the standard EVIL cameras, although Sony may also be worth a look.</p>

[doug_nelson3]

<p>If price is a consideration, the Canon S95 can be had for $300 or less as it's being closed out. I went this route because I couldn't see $129 more for the S100.</p>

[jose_rivera9]

<p>I have been using the Canon G11 and it does it a good job when I shoot RAW. It is limited but it is better than any of the P&S's I tested before choosing the G11. Read up on reviews especially those that give low marks to get an idea.</p>

[zack_lau]

<p>I got an LX5 because I like to use a wide angle lens (24mm equivalent). Plus I got in on the Amazon sale!</p>

[andie]

<p>I like the Canon sx30is very large optical zoom</p><div></div>

[bill_tuthill]

Andrea, did you post the wrong photo? That was Dog On Bed with very bad chroma noise at ISO 800.