Where is the Point & Shoot I NEED?!

[MadilynnsMomma]

I just bought the Nikon Coolpix L110 and it is great... OUTSIDE! My indoor and flash pictures are just coming out over exposed or blurry or... just UGH!

I am now looking for a pocket-size point and shoot for under $200 that people think is good for indoors. I have looked at: Canon SD1300 and Canon A3100IS, Panasonic Lumix FH20, or Kodak 340... but am really looking for my DIS peeps to help guide me!

Any help?

Thanks in Advance!

 

[ukcatfan]

I think your DIS people might have to let you down as easy as possible on this one. I just don't think the camera you want exists. There are not any p&s cameras that do really well in low light. There are some that do decent though, so it might just be a matter of your expectations. There are some Sony models that have a special mode that helps. The downside is that while exposed properly, the noise is still kinda high and detail is low. You might want to check them out.

 

[webshark3]

I think your DIS people might have to let you down as easy as possible on this one. I just don't think the camera you want exists. There are not any p&s cameras that do really well in low light. There are some that do decent though, so it might just be a matter of your expectations. There are some Sony models that have a special mode that helps. The downside is that while exposed properly, the noise is still kinda high and detail is low. You might want to check them out.

MadilynnsMomma: Rather than write my own post from scratch, I'll let you re-read ukcatfan's a second time. It just that true....

I've had great success with a small FUJI but ONLY in Manual mode paying close attention to shutter, exposure, and noise (ISO). In essence, you need to learn these key topics, what trade-offs you'll expect (even prosumer $$$ P&Ses have issues) and pick a camera that works well for you.

 

[Frantasmic]

If you'd double your price, you'd have better luck.

Under $200, all the point and shoots are the same. With ANY point and shoot, you will need to learn manual control. In AUTO, your camera has logarithms that increase ISO automatically (blur/noise) in low light.


Here is a list of cameras that might give you better results, but they will cost you about twice what you've indicated is your limit.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q210grouptravelzoom/

I'll cut to the chase and give you this sites' top three choices:

Ratings and recommendations

Of the 13 cameras in this group, there are a handful that consistently did very well in our tests. One of the best all-round performers (and one of the most popular amongst dpreview.com staff looking for a compact to take out for the weekend) is the Casio Exilim FH100. The Casio combines excellent build quality, a very broad feature set and a versatile 10x zoom lens with sharp, detailed images in a range of situations. It's video image quality is genuinely outstanding, too, and rivals footage from some DSLRs for detail and clarity.

All of the cameras in this group belong to the 'travel zoom' category, and of all of them, the Samsung HZ35W offers the most versatile lens. Covering an astonishing 24-360mm (equivalent) the Samsung truly is a jack of all trades, as comfortable picking out distant details as it is with sweeping landscapes or interiors. The Samsung also delivers excellent image quality, and like the Casio FH100, it boasts an exceptional feature set. Our main gripe with the HZ35W is that it's built-in GPS is quirky to the point of being (in our sample at least) non-operational, but fortunately there is a lot more to the Samsung than this feature, and even without it, the HZ35W is an excellent camera.

The Sony Cyber-shot HX5 very narrowly misses out on a gold award in this test, primarily for the reasons that we mentioned on its individual page. Although it is capable of extremely good results, slow operational speed and a quirky interface did cause us some frustration. Treat it as a primarily 'auto everything' camera, however, and you won't be disappointed.

 

[Groucho]

If you are looking for better quality indoors without a flash... well, you will probably be disappointed no matter what PnS you buy. Their sensors just can't hack it. Even DSLRs can struggle a little unless you turn up the ISO or use a "fast" lens.

Here is my often-posted sensor size comparison chart. Most PnS cameras use a 1/2.5" sensor. You can find some (and they are slightly more common nowadays) that use a 1/1.8" or maybe 1/1.7" sensor. (The smaller the number after the slash, the bigger the sensor - it's a fraction.) If you move from one camera to another with the same size sensor, you will probably get similar indoor results. Some cameras do have faster lenses, too (like F2.8 or F2 instead of F3.5), which can help - the lower the number, the better for low-light photos. I haven't paid much attention for a while, but when I was, Fuji was generally the leader in this field, and Sony has competing strongly.

Often, if the advertising material mentions the sensor at all, that's probably a good sign.

 

[tmagg]

I've been having some pretty good results with a Canon SX210 IS that I just got. At least it is a lot better than the Olympus 720SW I had been using before it leaked under water. Many pictures that would have automaitcally flashed with the 720SW don't require a flash with the Canon.

 

[seashoreCM]

My indoor and flash pictures are just coming out over exposed or blurry or...

If the flash washes out your picture, some cameras (I have a Canon SD model that does) will tone down the flash if you minus the exposure compensation. Now this will make the background darker too.

 

[webshark3]

Hey, I have a nice example from a few weeks again in the China Pavillion in Epcot.

To highlight the importance of understanding your flash and ISO:

Fuji F100fd (small sensor P&S, but known for good low-light performance)

ISO 400 with Flash:

ISO 1600 no Flash:

You can see that the there's less noise in the ISO400 photo (although still miserable compared to DSLRs). The flash lightens up my son, but ISO400 wasn't able to capture enough light to bring out the background.

The ISO1600 shot is noisy. But the background and and son are evenly exposed, and the atmosphere of the moment has been saved. While I prefer this shot, my DSLR would have put this to shame.