I have not bought a camera in a good six years and I have quite a few trips lined up that I would like to capture. However I am no photo enthusiast and 'size is everything'. The last trip I went on I did not take a single picture because my camera was simply too large and cumbersome to deal with. I should have just left it in the house. With that in mind I am looking for an ultra compact that I can simply put it in a pocket and forget about until required. As I am not a photo enthusiast and I doubt I will ever print my pictures I just need something that will produce shots to upload to Facebook and email to friends/family. Video is a nice bonus but not a priority. My previous cameras have all been Canon so it is a make I can trust (or at least I could) and the last time I looked into cameras I had a serious look at the Canon Digital IXUS 100 IS / PowerShot SD780 IS. Since then the Canon IXUS 120 IS / SD 940 IS has been released. There are slight differences between them and roughly an £100 price difference. I have no problems going for the latest model but the older one does everything I need and is actually smaller. Size, despite my previous claim, is not quite everything so I would be happy to get something bigger if it was a superior product providing it was still 'pocket sized'. Has anyone had any recent experience at this size range, of the two aforementioned Canon cameras or know of any major competitors that I should be taking a look at? As you can no doubt tell my knowledge is sorely lacking in this area.
two questions: in American dollars, what is your budgetary limit? what features are musts for you? 10MP? image stabilization? 4X zoom? i like Canon, but also Panasonic. maybe take a look at this
I would go to around $500. I would not be able to justify spending more for what is effectively going to be a paperweight for most of the year. The MP would need to be in double figures, image stabilisation and other features are a nice bonus but given the form factor I know zoom will be at the low-end (around 3-5x) so it is not a priority. The only reason I started by looking at Canon was because it was the brand I was most familiar with but I know the Lumix line has been generating the headlines recently. I'll take a look at the one you linked to. Thanks for the help.
Try this thread, def some knowledgeable people there. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=874139
i have a Lumix DMC FZ8, one that shoots RAW files, which is cool, if a bit of bother, but i like the flexibility. i couldn't justify paying $500. my camera was $300, and it's the size of an old SLR, more or less, so it's a familiar heft, lighter, because of plastic rather than metal. most will tell you that optics are the most important feature in a camera, unless you really don't care what the finished print looks like, in which case, convenience, simplicity, portability, etc., are more important. i think Canon, overall, has excellent lens optics, but certain Lumix cameras have Leica lenses, which are very good. after further review, i also suggest you check out this model
I second the suggestion for Canon and Panasonic. I've been impressed by Panasonic's newer cameras as well, Leica lens and all. Though I'm seriously thinking about getting this Canon: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-S90IS-Digital-Stabilized/dp/B002LITT42/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I7L6G9LRA8SCI&colid=2SUSANMRH7IKB"]Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot S90IS 10MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-inch LCD: Camera & Photo[/ame] Couple of things: - I'm not sure what you intend to do with the pictures, but unless you're doing magazine shoots or you're doing some serious cropping, megapixels are about the most overrated digicam factor. That said, with your budget, you're going to get 10 mp or more, so I wouldn't worry about it. - I recommend getting a camera with IS. Flash photography in general, but especially with compact cameras, is horrible*. It kills color and contrast and washes out faces. I use available light as much as possible and image stabilization is essential if you shoot in low light. At your price range, you obviously care about the look of your photos - you should get IS. - Wide angle lens is nice whether you're doing panorama or shooting in tight quarters. But again, at your price range, you won't have trouble finding compacts with wide angle lenses. *The exception is using flash as fill when it's sunny out.
I wanted to say thanks for the information and the other thread suggestion. I have been swamped at work lately but I will hopefully get back to this nearer the end of the week.
Teso, I'm just gonna get this out of the way and tell you that I work for C anon, so I'm going to pimp our products not only because we maintain #1 market share of all point and shoots (US) but also because our cameras, plain and simple, kick ass. The PowerShot SD940 is a great camera. However, if you're willing to spend a little bit more, I'd go with the PowerShot SX1200 IS. The specs and features are almost identical to that of the SD940, but the biggest difference is the focal length. You get a 5.0-60mm focal length versus 5.0-20mm on the SD940. I never had the two side-by-side but it's slightly larger than the SD940 from what I remember, but no way near bulky. The SD940 is so small that the little extra width might make it seem so, but good enough to fit in your pants pocket. Shit pocket, maybe, but definitely the pants. But since you're going to be traveling a lot, you never know when that extra zoom will come in handy. Plus I just love the sorta retro look of the SX1200. Anyway, just thought I'd chime in and hope it helps. Just please don't buy a Sony.
i checked cnet.com and Google, and i cannot find a SX1200 IS. are you sure you don't mean the SX200? or the SD1200?
I don't know about you, but the shit pocket is the last place I'd keep an expensive camera. /hey-o To echo RS, you mean SX200, right? I like the style too. I notice the flash pops out of the top - does that mean flash is off by default, or does that open automatically? Because I'd almost buy a point-and-shoot with no-flash as default just on principle. Almost.
Wow. Talk about a typo. Yes, I meant SX200. Don't know why I kept typing 1200, and I definitely don't mean the SD 1200. As for the flash, if it's left on auto, it'll pop-out. I can't give all the details since I didn't play with the camera on all the settings, but as long as you turn the flash off, it should stay locked into place.
I recommend a Canon S90/95 for compactness. Nikon make junk P/S!!! If you can handle a little bulk, then shoot for a GX1/G12. Canon makes the best P/S out there. Nikon has the DSLR market for the big boys. Picture quality is paramount when one buys a camera, don't skimp on this.
Let me add to my last post, Sony has come out with the RX-100 that has a full 13.2 x 8.8 mm ((1")) CMOS sensor. 28-100mm, f1.8-f4.9 Carl Zeiss lens. The images are beautiful, trust me! This camera will eat the Canon s95 or G12/G15 for lunch.