Need a new camera - help needed! :)

[boBQuincy]

No camera is going to take great shots in low light without a little input from the user. Before you spend the money on a camera, it might be best to invest a little time learning a bit about photography and the exposure triangle. Reading Understanding Exposure is a great place to start.

+1, this looks like the best advice. Looking at your photos it appears that technique could improve most of them without buying new equipment. although I must admit that new equipment is a lot more fun! Knowing your limitations for slow shutter speed and how to get around those limitations is a big part of low light photography. Compensating for backlight and mixing flash/ambient light can also show big gains.

I did not care for 'Understanding Exposure" (returned the book) but many here have written that it helped them improve their photography. Either that book or others, along with a lot of practice and a camera that allows you to adjust the settings is the path to getting the photos you want.

 

[roteiro]

I'd go for d3200. I have d3100 and it's a great cam. I recommend it!

 

[bob100]

No camera is going to take great shots in low light without a little input from the user. Before you spend the money on a camera, it might be best to invest a little time learning a bit about photography and the exposure triangle. Reading Understanding Exposure is a great place to start.

+3
you could get something like a Canon Rebel T4i, etc. for less than $500 but to get the best out of a higher end camera it helps to learn more about photography other than "auto" mode

 

[Frantasmic]

Tis the Grail you seek!

You, like all of us, want the Holy Grail of cameras that does not exist.

There are compact cameras that are better in SOME of the situations you describe. There's not one that is best in ALL the situations you want.

 

[havoc315]

There is also the Panasonic fz1000. 400mm of telephoto. Sensor is the same size as the RX models. Lens is a bit slower, but still faster than most compact cameras.
But as you see, the camera isn't very small.

 

[Shazzasmd]

The Panasonic FZ1000 can meet many of the requested requirements if one is not looking for a compact - but, it is currently selling for about $900 in the US.

A camera like the RX100 could be used to get shots much better than those shown in the second group by the OP - learning to use Shutter Priority (S) mode and setting it to something like 1/400 of a second, with everything else on auto will improve most of the shots (but not necessarily the fireworks). This sounds more difficult than it is, and is the type of thing explained in Understanding Exposure.