Which camera?

[Dreamseeker]

Hello everyone

I have been lurking for a while and admire all of your wonderful shots and impressive skills.

I am looking at buying a new point and shoot camera and was wondering if you could help me make a decision.
I would like a camera that is easy to manage and one that takes decent pictures in bad lighting. I KNOW that a point and shoot will never compare to the results you get with a DSLR, but there are still huge differences in cameras out there. I had a Sony DSC T1, which did GREAT in daylight but very poorly in the dark (like clubs and bars, or character meet and greets in places like Toontown, etc.)! Can anyone help me decide?
These are some of the cameras I am looking at:

Sony DSC W50/N2

Olympus Stylus 750

Panasonic DMC-FX07K

Fuji FinePix F30


Do any of these look good to you? Any other suggestions?
Thank you in advance for your help!!

 

[jann1033]

Hello everyone

I have been lurking for a while and admire all of your wonderful shots and impressive skills.

I am looking at buying a new point and shoot camera and was wondering if you could help me make a decision.
I would like a camera that is easy to manage and one that takes decent pictures in bad lighting. I KNOW that a point and shoot will never compare to the results you get with a DSLR, but there are still huge differences in cameras out there. I had a Sony DSC T1, which did GREAT in daylight but very poorly in the dark (like clubs and bars, or character meet and greets in places like Toontown, etc.)! Can anyone help me decide?
These are some of the cameras I am looking at:

Sony DSC W50/N2

Olympus Stylus 750

Panasonic DMC-FX07K

Fuji FinePix F30


Do any of these look good to you? Any other suggestions?
Thank you in advance for your help!!

well, it always depends on what you are looking for..i don't have first hand experience with any of these but i think the only one with a even close to decent optical zoom is the olympus ( 5x) but the one review i read for that said it was sluggish...which to me would make me crazy. i hate to have to wait to take a shot. plus it had no manual controls which might help in low light as you could set your own shutter and aperture( i forget what the panasonic was)
have you considered the canon a710? that has a better zoom and image stabilization and the review said very good in low light http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A710/A710A.HTM ...i am guessing you want something really small or else i'd suggest the canon s2 or 3 IS models ( 12 x zoom)

 

[I'mNoPrince]

I had the same problem with my Sony N1 also as it didn't have anti-shake Dw had real trouble even getting a decent shot.I think the N2 is the same only more Pixels

We just picked up a Pana FX3 and boy what a difference this camera made we got a lot of great shots at Disney on our Dec trip.

I think the FX 7 has a bit more but most of the same settings and stuff and I got the FX3 real cheap on Black Fri presale.

 

[Dreamseeker]

Thank you both so much for your suggestions
It is such a difficult choice buying a new camera, but it sure is fun.

yes, I have been looking at the Canon s2 but it does seem a little big for a camera that I want to carry wherever I go
I will have a close look at the a710, thanks for the suggestion.

I'mNoPrince- so you're really happy with your FX 3? Is it pretty easy to handle, menu wise?

 

[DisneyGirlie]

Dreamseeker-
I am in almost the same position.
I need a new digital camera, preferably beofre the P&PP on march 2nd and I want one that takes decent dark/low light shots because the party and character meet and greets will obviously be in the dark.
I'd also like it to be sort of easy to use.
I don't really care about the size of the camera, I'd just like some awesome pictures!
any reccomendations?

 

[YEKCIM]

Dreamseeker-
I am in almost the same position.
I need a new digital camera, preferably beofre the P&PP on march 2nd and I want one that takes decent dark/low light shots because the party and character meet and greets will obviously be in the dark.
I'd also like it to be sort of easy to use.
I don't really care about the size of the camera, I'd just like some awesome pictures!
any reccomendations?

If you are looking for good low light performance, and have deep enough pockets, you may want to consider a dslr. Paired with a fast prime lens, using ISO 800-1600, you should be able to do well, without an accessory flash. Nikon's D40 and D50 both have good low light performance, and I believe Pentax has a couple of moderately priced dslr's as well, including the K100D, which has in-body stabilization.

Just a little food for thought.

~YEKCIM

 

[Dreamseeker]

Hey DisneyGirlie

I actually think the Canon A710 does look pretty good. Going to go to Best Buy to try it and see how hard/easy it is to operate, but I think this might be a great choice!

thanx again for the help, guys.

 

[YEKCIM]

Here's a review of the A710IS:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/a710.html

Check out the noise on the ISO 800 picture on the samples page. If you need low-light capability, you need to know what kind of noise levels to expect. Even ISO 400 shows a great deal of noise. Otherwise, it appears to be a very capable camera, with a good zoom range and IS.

~YEKCIM

 

[DisneyGirlie]

Thanks everyone!
sorry to hijack the thread but if anyone has any thoughts on the Olympus SP-510 UZ please share.
I was talking to a fellow DISer who had posted some beautiful pictures of the P&PP parade and I asked what camera she used and her answer was the Olympus SP-510 UZ.
I checked it out and it seems nice enough.
If anyone else has any thoughts on the camera or anything please let me know.
BTW- sadly enough, a DSLR is not in my budget. But, if anyone else has some suggestions for a nice low light digi cam, I'm open to suggestions.

 

[donaldduck1967]

The only draw back to hte Olympus is it uses xD picture cards. They generally write slower and are usually more expensive then other types of cards.

 

[DisneyGirlie]

The only draw back to hte Olympus is it uses xD picture cards. They generally write slower and are usually more expensive then other types of cards.

Thanks for pointing that out.
you are quite right.
I noticed that it wasn't a regular storage card thing [wow i really use technical terms...].
I'll keep looking for other digi cams.
Its really ahrd though because you want a great one and if you see one bad review, then you want to change your mind. Its pretty hard shopping for something that has certain features that you really want.

 

[YEKCIM]

if anyone else has some suggestions for a nice low light digi cam, I'm open to suggestions.

I have (finally) entered the dSLR universe, but prior to that, used a Fuji S5200 and was pretty happy with it. Took over 2000 pix in six park days last July, including a few at ISO 800 that I think did pretty well, considering I paid $225 for the camera and it does have a pretty generous zoom, and is quite sharp. Here is one of the ISO 800 pix:

I shot probably 15 shots of the identical subject, same settings, etc, handheld, with the idea that probably one would be a little sharper, due to less camera shake. This one was the best of the bunch. One of the nice things about digital is being able to shoot more, and just delete, or not print, the "culls".

Here is another, made in COP, w/o flash:

Ths S5200 is "SLR-like" in shape and is pretty comfortable to use. It has its limitations, but for the money, I have been generally pleased with it.

Here is the entire album, weeded down from 2000 to about 250, if you are interested:

http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j11/fasteddiew/DisneyWorld 2006/?start=all

Price on the S5200 is now around $245 from reputable online dealers. Fuji also has a newer model, the S6000fd ($330 online). Both these cameras have been discussed on this board in the past. If interested, you might want to do a search. Fuji has a good reputation for good low-light performance on their P&S cameras; however, they do *not* have image stabilization. Fuji also uses xD cards, but I do not necessarily see that as a huge disadvantage, since memory prices have come down so much.

Good luck!

~YEKCIM

 

[DisneyGirlie]

wow those are amazing.
I couldn't believe you said you took that pic in COP without a flash!
And that EPCOT one is really pretty.
I just might have to take a look at that camera then.
I have 2 questions though.
I'm not too familiar with ISO, so is it pretty easy to adjust the ISO on that camera?
& did you use a tripod when you were taking that picture of Spaceship Earth?

 

[YEKCIM]

wow those are amazing.
I couldn't believe you said you took that pic in COP without a flash!
And that EPCOT one is really pretty.
I just might have to take a look at that camera then.
I have 2 questions though.
I'm not too familiar with ISO, so is it pretty easy to adjust the ISO on that camera?
& did you use a tripod when you were taking that picture of Spaceship Earth?

Thanks for the kind words. ISO is not difficult to adjust; there is an "f" button on the back of the camera that accesses a menu with a few settings, ISO being one of them. ISO range is 64 to 1600. The 1600 is pretty noisy by dslr standards, but at least it has one. Most P&S's do not have 1600, and many are not really usable beyond 400 anyway.

Shot of SSE was handheld, no tripod. As I said, I took about 15 identical shots to be sure I got one that was (reasonably) sharp. IMO, I succeeded.

I did have one problem crop up during the week that I'll mention. The power switch, which is a rotating collar around the shutter release button became very stiff and required a lot of effort to turn on/off. It did not break, and the camera never became non-functional so was a worrisome nuisance, more than anything. I returned it to Fuji as soon as we returned and they repaired it at no charge. I don't know what caused it, unless moisture, heat, or a combination of both. Or something else...I simply do not know.

Anyway, I like the camera and actually will miss its all-in-one convenience when we go back in July. My 8 year old daughter will probably "inherit" it, actually. For more info, you may want to check out some reviews on either or both of the cameras. Just google "s5200 review" or "S6000fd review"

Good luck with your search!

 

[DisneyGirlie]

Thank you for all your help!
It certainly is an option!

 

[YEKCIM]

Thank you for all your help!
It certainly is an option!

My pleasure; good luck with your search, and be sure and post some examples when you get back from Mickey's World!

~YEKCIM

 

[DisneyGirlie]

I certainly will!

 

[Snurk71]

Still looking for a compact PnS backup to XT since our Sony DSC developed a "spot".

At first I thought I should stick with Sony, since I already have the media. Someone pointed out that SD is so cheap now to not make a decision based on that. I looked at the SD prices, and memory is cheap. So I opened up my possibilities.

Read about everyone loving the Canon SI3. Went to BB to check it out -
don't think I like it for what I'm looking for. It wasn't compact, slip in your pocket size. The zoom would be nice. But I have an XT - so I should be using the XT with changeable lenses if I want zoom. Probably get it for a little over $300.

Earlier in the week I read in a thread about the ISO performance of the Fuji F31. Went to dpreview, and see that it's their top rated camera. But is that rating weighed to heavily on the low light performance? Again, I have the XT for low light performance. So would I be crossing over the line again. It does appear to fit the "compact" portion of what I'm looking for though. Can get it for $200 with rebate form Beach. Haven't held one yet.

I'm tempted to just buy the F31 and be done with it. It's only a couple hundred bucks, and it's really only going to be used as a back-up and "quick need".

Anyone want to talk me out of it?

 

[Master Mason]

Anyone want to talk me out of it?

Yes save the money and put it towards some new glass. It doesn't matter what P&S you get after using a dSLR your going to be disapointed.

Or if you don't have one, use the money to get a 430 flash...