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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Point & Shoot Advice Needed
Nik Habicht, Photographer
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Levittown | PA | USA | Posted: 7:05 PM on 02.07.09 |
->> I'm wrapping up my final semester of nursing school. We need to document class activities, including during clinical experiences for a slide show that will run during our graduation ceremonies. This will require a new point & shoot --- an area in which I have virtually no knowledge, as my last one is a Canon G3, which is unfortunately too large.
Requirements:
Digital -- I'm not shooting film.
Small --- I'm thinking Olympus Stylus/Canon Elph size. Camera has to fit into a pocket in my scrubs, and pocket space is already at a premium.
Good low light performance, ideally at 800 or 1600 ISO -- will be shooting in a hospital.
Ability to set either a color balance for fluorescent lights, or, preferably, a custom color balance.
Probably more interested in wideangle than telephoto capability.
Price -- I'm in school, so cheaper is better here. I'd love to spend more than $200, but somewhere in that neighborhood is probably the budget.
I know there's someone out there with current recommendations. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. |
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Chris Large, Photographer
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Okotoks | AB | Canada | Posted: 7:42 PM on 02.07.09 |
| ->> I have 2 P&S cameras - canon G10 which is fantastic but more money and size than you mentioned and the other is Lumix DMC FS5. Super small to carry and I've done 8x10 prints that surprised me. Full range of WB, ISO etc. |
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Tom Knier, Photographer
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Lancaster | PA | USA | Posted: 7:46 PM on 02.07.09 |
->> Like Chris, I've got a G10.
It's blown my mind in terms of image quality in such a small package.
However, because it's such a small sensor, it does get a bit noisy on the high end of the ISO range. |
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Scott Foley, Photographer
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Destin | FL | USA | Posted: 8:24 PM on 02.07.09 |
| ->> G9 is great...lasted a deployment in Iraq...and still kicking...love it and the quality if fantastic for a P&S... |
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Paul W Gillespie, Photographer
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Annapolis | MD | USA | Posted: 8:41 PM on 02.07.09 |
->> I had bought a Panasonic TZ-5 for my wife's Christmas gift and wound up selling it on EBay a week later. I was not happy with the images. They looked like they had too much noise reduction and were mushy looking, if that makes sense. Maybe I was being too critical, seeing D3 images will do that to you, but the 2 older canon P&S cameras at work seem like they shot better pics.
I am still looking for my perfect P&S. |
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Chris Large, Photographer
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Okotoks | AB | Canada | Posted: 9:09 PM on 02.07.09 |
| ->> Tom is exactly right - any P&S can shoot pretty good shots at ISO 100 in bright light and that's the compromise that you make. Small and cheap = poor quality once you start getting to low light, high ISO etc. If the P&S could deliver then why would anyone need a D3 or 1DsMk3 |
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Robert Irvin, Photographer
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| NJ | USA | Posted: 9:39 PM on 02.07.09 |
->> If you have a Circuit City near you, stop and see if they have any G10's left. I saw one today for $349, a very nice saving. B&H is $409.
Bob |
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Walter Calahan, Photographer
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Nik Habicht, Photographer
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Levittown | PA | USA | Posted: 11:40 PM on 02.07.09 |
| ->> The S710 might just work. I'm looking at the Canon Elph 880 as well --- which would appear to be the equivalent. It really comes down to size. I'd love to have a G10, or the Powershot SX10(?) for the ability to use a 550EX off camera, but that's getting into enough gear that I can't pocket carry it..... |
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Rich Cruse, Photographer
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Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 11:47 PM on 02.07.09 |
->> Ritz has a Nikon S7c with Vibration reduction and 3x optical zoom for $161 on clearance.
http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/CLR541535621.htm?bct=%3Bciclearance
I have an L11 Nikon that I love. I got it for my casual use for $79 from Ritz last year. I love that it takes movies with sound as well. |
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Walter Calahan, Photographer
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Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 8:58 AM on 02.08.09 |
->> Nik
The Elph 880 looks very similar, with a smaller pixel count on the chip.
Best thing to do is to check them both out. What I like of the S710 is the manual exposure override as I shoot. With the camera on program, you can simply adjust your exposure with the cameras circular control while see the change live on the huge LCD.
Perhaps the Canon can do the same. You'll have to do your research.
Good luck with whatever you get. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 11:02 AM on 02.08.09 |
->> Fujifilm makes the best compact cameras with high ISO performance. You can count on one hand, in fact, the p&s cameras from any manufacturer with decent high ISO. Those tiny CCDs with massive megapixels crammed on to them just don't allow for decent, high-ISO performance.
This is an area I have researched carefully and thoroughly, as I manage a "fleet" of about 50 p&s cameras utilized by my amateur correspondents and portraitists. For those that demand high ISO capabilities, I use Fuji; for most everyone else, I recommend Panasonic.
Fuji's "fd" series of cameras are the high ISO kings. Most are very small, although the line extends into the superzoom class. There's also the just-announced F200EXR, which I haven't tried yet, but promises to be stellar given my experience with Fujis. The one I'd most recommend is the F100fd. It has a 28-140 equivalent zoom, small size, good high ISO performance, and can be found from reputable dealers for under $300. |
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Rich Cruse, Photographer
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Laguna Niguel | CA | USA | Posted: 2:53 PM on 02.08.09 |
->> Chuck is onto something. The specs are incredible on the Fuji. I found the Fuji F100fd on Buydig.com for $284.88 minus a $100 rebate from Fuji! The grand total is $184.88. Jump on this if you like what you see- everyplace else is out of stock.
The rebate is from Fuji and you have to buy from an Authorized Reseller. I checked B and H and they are out of stock.
http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=FJFPF100 |
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David Sokol, Photographer
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Reading | MA | USA | Posted: 3:08 PM on 02.08.09 |
| ->> I recommend the Canon 880. I first bought a Nikon S560 and was not impressed with the image quality, to noisy and to much noise reduction at all iso's. I am very happy with the build and picture quality of the Canon 880 and the size is great. One more thing it has a nice 28-112mm lens. |
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Walter Calahan, Photographer
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Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 3:12 PM on 02.08.09 |
->> Good point Chuck about noise, high ISO, and densely packed chips. This is why the D3 is better than the D3X for high ISOs.
Nik,
I tend to not shoot at high ISOs, so my choice of the S710 is not determined by that feature.
Happy shopping. |
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Daniel Celvi, Student/Intern
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Carbondale | IL | | Posted: 6:19 PM on 02.08.09 |
->> Check out dpreview if you already haven't.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408slimgroup/
The link is to a group review they did a month or two ago on cameras right in the size and price range you're looking at. The site is really top notch for reviews—these cameras have a bit of a skimpier review than normal because there are so many of them, but they still do a great job of going over every detail you could want to know including AF and flash performance, build quality, image quality, button placement and design, etc. |
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Andrew Wheeler, Photographer
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Capitola | CA | USA | Posted: 9:06 PM on 02.08.09 |
->> Nik, I'm with Scott (Foley)
I have the G9 (so I'd look at a G10), and it does a wonderful job, and the video isn't bad either....
I find it'll fit in a jean pocket without too much trouble.
Andrew
http://www.automotophoto.com |
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Steve Violette, Photographer
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Gulf Breeze | FL | USA | Posted: 9:04 AM on 02.13.09 |
| ->> +another on the G9 |
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Debra L Rothenberg, Photographer
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New York | NY | USA | Posted: 3:01 AM on 02.14.09 |
->> why is everyone saying the G9 or G10 when he says the G3 is too large?
The G series are not small cameras, as he clearly states he wants |
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Curtis Clegg, Photographer
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Belvidere | IL | USA | Posted: 10:28 AM on 02.14.09 |
->> Canon has enshrunkened the G series recently, almost too much for my liking. I really like the size and heft of my G3, but there's no arguing I also like the results and portability of my G9. Some quick snaps of a G3 and a G9 for comparison:
http://www.cleggphoto.net/CanonG/
Luckily an auxiliary lens adapter on the G9 makes it feel more like a "real" camera.
On a budget the G7 might we well-worth considering. The G7 doesn't shoot RAW though, that was its biggest shortcoming. |
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Nik Habicht, Photographer
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Levittown | PA | USA | Posted: 10:30 AM on 02.14.09 |
| ->> The G9 or G10 or the current version of the Powershot SX10 are definitely on my list, when I think about replacing the G3 --- but they are all unfortunately too large to fit comfortably into a pocket in a set of scrubs. Hence the smaller, flatter request. I'm heading out in a few minutes to go look at versions of the Nikon S710, the Elph 880, the Fuji F100fd and the Panasonic FX37..... |
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Nik Habicht, Photographer
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Levittown | PA | USA | Posted: 8:10 PM on 02.23.09 |
| ->> I bought the ELPH 880 today --- image quality is acceptable for what I need, and I didn't have to relearn any functions, i.e. the menus were pretty logical to my Canon oriented mind. Thank you for all the help --- it definitely guided my thinking, as I looked at many of your suggestions.... |
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Robert Hanashiro, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | | Posted: 8:52 PM on 02.23.09 |
| ->> G10. |
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