david_craig1 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I need to buy a good quality pocket-sized digital camera for work and would be interested to know what similar Leica M users have bought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_fang Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I'm very close to picking up a Canon A80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikep1 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I sold my Nikon D100 and now use a digital Elph - the worlds BEST pocket camera - for my current digital needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notraces Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I also use the Canon A400. Nice little camera. There is now a 5M version - not sure if it's been released -- but that should drive down the price of the A400, which is more than enough camera for travel and family snaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic_. Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I too have a Canon Digital Elph. Size of a thick credit card. takes great pictures. Caution: I gave mine to one of my wife's daughters, and I don't know what she did, but the zoom won't work anymore, so now it's a fixed focal length camera. I had bought a newer one, so of course gave it to her and have the old one back. So in the end, these digis are not as solid as Leica M's. They have since come out with an even thinner one. I read a review in the Wall Street Journal last week, where they tested a few of these cameras and the Minolta X (something like that) came out the best, even though it had a smaller count of mega pixels. And on top of that its lens does not protrude out of the body, even while zooming. Sounds more solid, and will probably be my next small digi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m_. Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Olympus C5050. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_perlis Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 How good does good quality have to be and how big are your pockets? I picked up a Canon SD100 and a small Op/Tech (http://www.optechusa.com/) pouch that fits it perfectly. That rig lives on my belt just in case Elvis or the aliens appear. There's no mistaking the pictures for shots with a Leica but it serves its purpose.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charles_stobbs3 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I find the Canon SD10 interesting because of its apparent simplicity and compactness while still ofering 4mp. However I don't like the limitations of jpg format. It may be my ignorance but any manipulation of jpg (such as rotating the picture) seems to produce odd effects like banding in a clear blue sky or produces moire patterns in brick walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_martin3 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Try the Canon S50. It is a bit bigger than the Elphs, but has some advantages in my experience -- 5 Mp and fits the hand better. It may not fit in your pocket, though, but I think it will. Luminous Landscape has a useful review. For tinyness the Minolta Dimage X series (I forget the latest model number) is worth a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jorn ake Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I'll double the vote on the Powershot S50. Most places are running specials bundled with a 512 compact flash card, usually for a pretty decent price (under $500.) Image quality and the shutter lag both beat the elph cameras by a smidge. Sliding cover on the lens makes it coat pocketable. And it is cool black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 contax tvsd -- the best i've tried in term of lag time (when pre-set) and image quality in a leica style p&s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sliu Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I took this with my wife's new Canon Elph SD10. In terms of image quality, it can not beat my 4 year old coolpix 800, still far from Stylus Epic. My wife bought this as a movie camera. Belive me, the one mintue movie (14 MB) is very impressive. ;-)<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sliu Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I think the camera is too small for M users =8-)<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_brewton Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I have been happy with Sony for digital. Always highly rated by DP Reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grg Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Hi David. I think the Panasonic LC33 is a fantastic pocketable digital camera. It offers 3.2 megapixel resolution and utilizes a Leica-designed zoom lens. I found the shutter response to be quite snappy. Controls and menus were well laid out. It had a nice grip integrated on the side - like a mini M-grip. Most importantly, I was satifisfied with the images taken with it. They can be found on ebay for less than $200. See <a href="http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/lc33.html">Steves-digicams.com</a> for a review. There is also a newer version, the LC43, which offers 4 megapixel resolution.<p> Here are some links to shots taken with the LC33, <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00741x">HERE</a> and <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0075t4">HERE</a>. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_perkins2 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I have an EOS 10d, with 28 f1.8. It's bigger than a Leica, but compared to the Nikon D1 with 17-35 f2.8 it's a little baby. Not quite pocket sized though. What kind of work do you need it for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaj_froling Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I bought a Minolta Xt, a couple of weeks ago because of its small size, and a startup time of 1.1 sek. This fits a shirtpocket fine and image quality is OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brian304 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Canon S400. I went through half a dozen other ones including the S50 which had too much noise for my tastes. There is a new 5mp S400 but if it has the S50 sensor I would watch the noise. It may not bother some folks but I like the cleaner 4mp files better. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barry_mabery Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I guess it depends on your needs and size of pocket (and pocket book?). I've had a Canon A40 (2.0 MP) for about 2 years and use it primarily to record parts, assemblies and packed work that we do for various customers. Used to run a roll of film through and hope that I got the details that we might need to check on a future repeat of the same type custome products. Digital is much more efficient and I like the4 rechargeable AA batteries that this camera takes as a trade-off for smaller size. Barry Mabery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff voorhees Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 I can't speak to the noise of the Canon S50, but I was in a similar situation as you awhile back. I bought the S40, for most things it does a remarkable job. It's not as slim as the Elph line, but is small enough for a jacket pocket. It has full manual controls, not in the traditional M way, but manual none the less. My only real complaint is the shutter lag common to most P&S digitals. Shooting in manual with the shutter press halfway, shutter lag is something like .04 seconds. Not an M, but quick enough most of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_rosenstein2 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Pentax S4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sliu Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 It is a beautiful camera, a piece of gem. But if you are a "camera control freak", this camera is not for you. 1. No optical viewfinder. 2. No aperture control, except for +/- EVs exposure compensation. 3. No manual focus. 4. Absolutely useless at ISO 400 (due to noise). Suggest ISO 50 + flash. 5. No zoom, only 49mm/f2.8. (Perhaps this is the only merit that Leica guys appreciate ;-) 6. It does have shutter-lag. But improved compared to other digital P&S. Oh, BTW, for only $329 in J&R, it is way too cheap for a deluxe camera with leather case.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredus Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Amyone heard of the new Contax SL300R T* Digital Camera with their RTUNE technology to reduce shutter lag ?? I am as well looking for a smal P&S for my wife (and well, myself .. :-) ) and this looks like a winner to me ... <img src="http://www.photographyblog.com/images/products/contax_sl300r_t.jpg"> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karim Ghantous Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 Roger wrote: "contax tvsd -- the best i've tried in term of lag time (when pre-set) and image quality in a leica style p&s." I'd believe the lag time advantage. But that camera puts out woeful images. You are surely joking about "image quality" right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim bob Posted March 3, 2004 Share Posted March 3, 2004 I own and recommend the Canon A80. Check out the following review. http:/albert.achtung.com/cameras/A80/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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