Advice for buying a new p&s camera

[chimommy]

Im looking at getting the Sony rx100, canon s100 or canon sx260. I want something that has great color, image quality, shoots well in low light, and with be able to quickly take pictures of my fast moving toddlers. Rx100 sounds amazing just wondering if it is too much camera for me? I'm willing to pay the price if it's easy to use. Any input or advice would be great... Going to the world soon and I want to get a new camera before our trip!!! Thanks!!!btw I have never worked with anything in raw.... I just use iPhoto... So I need a camera that will work on my mac

 

[SplashMo]

I like the RX100 and S100 for the world. You can read the reviews on www.dpreview.com . I find that a great way to learn a cameras controls...

 

[havoc315]

You can see my thread of rx100 Disney pics. I'm only shooting in jpg, and doing minimal editing on the iPad. For difficult shooting situations, such as dark rides, it helps to understand basic photography and shoot in the manual modes.
You also get the most out of the camera if you play with some of the creative controls. (see the HDR painting pic of Tower of Terror).
For most other situations where everything is still, the superior auto works great. But it often stacks multiple images, which doesn't work great on moving rides or for candids of moving kids. But in most of those situations, there are scene modes that work very well. (I find myself using the action mode to keep up with kids, portrait mode, and gourmet mode as I like taking food pics).

So in sum-- with the rx100 you can just "point and click" but if you want to get the most out of your investment, you need to do a little dial shifting sometimes. Though very very often, the superior auto mode takes pictures better than I would take manually.

 

[havoc315]

You can see my thread of rx100 Disney pics. I'm only shooting in jpg, and doing minimal editing on the iPad. For difficult shooting situations, such as dark rides, it helps to understand basic photography and shoot in the manual modes.
You also get the most out of the camera if you play with some of the creative controls. (see the HDR painting pic if Tower if Terror).
For most other situations where everything is still, the superior auto works great. But it often stacks multiple images, which doesn't work great on moving rides or for candids of moving kids. But in most of those situations, there are scene modes that work very well. (I find myself using the action mode to keep up with kids, portrait mode, and gourmet mode as I like taking food pics).

So in sum-- with the rx100 you can just "point and click" but if you want to get the most out of your investment, you need to do a little dial shifting sometimes. Though very very often, the superior auto mode takes pictures better than I would take manually.

 

[photo_chick]

Im looking at getting the Sony rx100, canon s100 or canon sx260. I want something that has great color, image quality, shoots well in low light, and with be able to quickly take pictures of my fast moving toddlers. Rx100 sounds amazing just wondering if it is too much camera for me? I'm willing to pay the price if it's easy to use. Any input or advice would be great... Going to the world soon and I want to get a new camera before our trip!!! Thanks!!!btw I have never worked with anything in raw.... I just use iPhoto... So I need a camera that will work on my mac

All cameras will work on your Mac.

Cameras are like shoes, you have to find the right fit for you. It's all about finding one with features you need at a price you can afford. Low light is a tough one, and even with a camera that can technically get the shots you often still have to have just a little bit of knowledge realize where it can and can't get them. I've also seen a ton of out of focus shots posted from the RX100 and again, this is the type of thing where learning just a little about how the camera works will go a long way. But that really holds true with any camera.

I don't think working with RAW files is a requirement for any kind of photography. Certainly RAW makes it easier to make global changes, but if you're happy with the jpegs your camera gives you then by all means, stick with jpegs.

 

[chimommy]

Thanks for your replies and advice everyone! I can't wait for a new camera so I can get back into doing some photography... I definitely have lots to learn. My mom will be on the trip with us and knows a lot about photography.... so Im planning on getting help from her! Thanks again!