What to buy?

[crazy4purple]

I currently own a Sony p&s (about 2 yrs old) as well as an Olympus DSLR (about 5 yrs old). I'm in the market for a new camera. Both of these cameras are good, however the p&s doesn't give me the quality photos nor the zoom range that my DSLR does; and the DSLR is to heavy to carry around different places (especially Disney...been there, done that, got the t-shirt!).

I was originally looking at the line of bridge cameras because of their zoom capabilities and the size of the cameras. But after shopping around this past weekend, was introduced to the line of compact system cameras. Again, small in size, but more of a DSLR, with having the interchangeable lenses.

I'm no professional, just your average photographer that likes to take lots of pictures. Just when I think I've made up my mind, I read about something else. And I know, once I purchase something, it will be obsolete and something new and better will be out.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I want something that will take good quality photos, in all sorts of conditions (especially low light); HD movies; as well as having some artistic special features (miniature/diaroma, etc).

We are heading to Disneyworld in Dec (our first time to see it decorated for the holidays) and want to make sure that I have a camera that will capture the lights & decorations.

 

[WDWFigment]

Although it's not going to help with the zoom range issue, a Canon S95 might be good. If you absolutely need the zoom, maybe a Canon G12?

I review both cameras, and many other P&S cameras here: http://www.disneytouristblog.com/best-point-and-shoot-camera-reviews/

 

[JoeDif]

You might want to check out the new mirrorless system camera's, such as:

Olympus PEN system

Sony NEX system

Panasonic GF2. GF3 & G3

Smaller in size with DSLR comparable sensors and interchangable lenses.

 

[zackiedawg]

I'm in the market for a new camera. Both of these cameras are good, however the p&s doesn't give me the quality photos nor the zoom range that my DSLR does

You do sound like someone the mirrorless system cameras are fairly well tailored to.

I was originally looking at the line of bridge cameras because of their zoom capabilities and the size of the cameras.

These can sometimes do a little better than your pocket camera, but stil don't approach DSLRs, mainly due to the fact that they still use the same tiny sensor that the P&S does.

But after shopping around this past weekend, was introduced to the line of compact system cameras. Again, small in size, but more of a DSLR, with having the interchangeable lenses.

Precisely - they are basically somewhere near the size of the superzoom cameras - not really pocketable (some models technically can fit in a pocket with one particular small lens, but are still heavier than most folks would prefer sitting in a pocket), but far smaller and lighter than DSLRs.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I want something that will take good quality photos, in all sorts of conditions (especially low light); HD movies; as well as having some artistic special features (miniature/diaroma, etc).

Well the mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras could answer - but you need to make sure you know both the advantages and disadvantages of them. Yes, they can match DSLRs for image quality - some can even match DSLRs in low light/high ISO image quality. All will do better than any P&S camera will. And yes, you can change lenses, and maintain all the manual controls of a DSLR, while still getting all of the HD video and scene mode fun. The downside? They won't focus as fast as DSLRs. Even the newest, fastest mirrorless cameras will still fall down in lower light compared to a DSLR. None can shoot as fast in continuous mode as DSLRs, and none can even come close in tracking focus. The Micro 4:3 models are a bit behind in low light/high ISO ability compared to DSLRs, as is the Samsung APS-C version. The Sony NEX models can match DSLRs in high ISO performance since they share the same sensors, but won't focus as fast in low light. For sports/wildlife/action shooting, none of the mirrorless models are all that great.

Accepting those differences though, the mirrorless cameras do provide a more P&S like convenience and portability, while maintaining DSLR image quality and lens interchangeability. And as a side perk, all the mirrorless system cameras can work with nearly any camera mount ever made - so with a simple cheap adapter, you can use any old manual focus lenses from any mount or brand ever...lots of cheap fun for some great lenses.

I have traveled to Disney twice now with my mirrorless NEX system - once in June alongside my DSLR, and once in July where I was on a business trip and brought the NEX exclusively for portability. It performs admirably, including low light, indoor shows, and dark rides. Have a browse of my NEX3 gallery, which includes the shots from the two Disney trips - you'll see a lot of shots up to ISO6400 to show how good the low light performance is:

http://www.pbase.com/zackiedawg/sony_nex3

It might help in your decisions.