Canon SD4500 vs Panasonic LX5

[Fall1]

I'd love an opinion here...I have a Canon SD 880 that I absolutely love, but the flash is broken. I love this camera because I don't have to play with any settings and it gives me beautiful, crisp, clear and bright color photos.

I went to a reputable camera store today and they suggested the Canon SD4500 or the Panasonic LX5 as a replacement. Does anyone have any opinion on these? I really want a camera that will give a beautiful, true-color, crisp photo without me having to play around too much. Thanks!!

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

Have you thought about the Canon Loyalty Program? If you contact their customer service dept., they offer factory refurbished upgrade cameras at reduced cost. They are warrantied, but I don't remember the length. I have used it twice with my DD's P & S' and have had great success. They usually offer three choices at differing costs.

 

[Fall1]

Have you thought about the Canon Loyalty Program? If you contact their customer service dept., they offer factory refurbished upgrade cameras at reduced cost. They are warrantied, but I don't remember the length. I have used it twice with my DD's P & S' and have had great success. They usually offer three choices at differing costs.

Thanks for the idea....I can't do that because I have a $400 credit at a local camera store that I need to use.

 

[kshark]

If you are considering the Panasonic LX5, then I would also consider the Canon S95. I actually bought both to be able to compare them for a week and settled on the Canon. While the Panasonic has a few features over the Canon that are nice, the image quality was very similar and the usability and size of the Canon were much, much better. Since you already have a Canon, the camera operation will also be more familiar (the Panasonic has tons of menus).

I was very surprised with the shots SOOC, and in reasonable light the shots from S95 hold their own against my 7D. The ability to shoot RAW is also a plus, and allows for further editing if needed.

Here is a sample image from my flickr photostream that I posted yesterday. This was a RAW file converted to JPEG in Lightroom. There were no tweaks other than one preset applied for the effect.


Jack and Maverick by Brett Kiger, on Flickr

And here is a fun Disney shot using one of the built in scene modes, so this is a JPEG straight from the camera.


Midway Mania! by Brett Kiger, on Flickr

Good luck with the search!

 

[Fall1]

Thanks kshark! Do you know if the flash is the same on both the LX5 and the S95? It bothers me a little on the LX5 that I have to automatically turn the flash on if I think I need it. I wish the camera was smart enough to do that on it's own. Does the S95 flash turn on automatically?
Thanks!!

 

[kshark]

No problem! Yeah, the flash on the LX5 was annoying because it doesn't have a motor to activate it and you're stuck pushing that little button when you think you need to. Nice to keep the flash from going off when you don't want it to, but for the most part it's just annoying. The S95 is automatic and the camera is smart enough to know when to use it, but...

There is a minor annoyance with the flash on the S95. Since there isn't a grip on the camera, you end up holding the camera where the flash pops up. If it's down, and you're not expecting it, it can surprise you and bump your finger out of the way. Not a big deal, and something you get used to (and there is a really nice aftermarket grip, but I haven't tried it yet).

The ring on the front of the camera is amazing, and really sets the camera apart. If you haven't read about it, check out one of the review sites, but basically it allows changing aperture, shutter speed, EC, etc. Combined with the jog wheel on the back, you have very SLR like control. Then again, the automatic modes work really well too without all the fussing!

 

[coloneldebugger]

Here's one break down of the sd4500 and lx5


looks to me a better canon comparison in relation to this panasonic may be the canon s95 or g12.


new digicams are always a tough choice, but mainly in the end the good thing is most of them will deliver good photos.