[Don_S]

I currently have a Sony DSC-H5.  It has served me well.  My only significant complaint is it only has a 12X zoom.  I like to hike in the mountains and along rugged beaches.  I would like a camera with a longer zoom and one that is lightweight and compact.

I saw a Canon PowerShot SX500 IS (frequently on sale for $200) and was immediately attracted to its small size and 30X zoom. Some user reviews of the camera were not that kind.  Displays at Target were not operational so I did not get to play with focusing.

Today I saw a newspaper ad (Target) for an Olympus SZ-15 with 24X zoom and CMOS low-light sensor ($170).

I remember reading about CMOS and some other type of sensor but I forget which was better.  I also question if 30X zoom is asking too much of a camera and photographer. I am no steady-Eddie.  I wonder if cameras with less zoom are inherently better optically when not at full zoom. Or maybe they focus better and faster. 

I am not looking for max zoom but I do want something significantly more than my current 12X. Most of my shots would be at significantly less that max zoom. What is a practical zoom limit for good camera performance and hand holding.  For all of my inside shots my current 12X has been more than adequate. I would also like low-light performance for audio shows etc.

Suggestions are welcome and are not limited to just the two cameras I listed.  They are just examples of what I am considering.  I know some of you are awesome photographers and love gear---But please, I don't want a $500 five pound brick. I think my max price would be $250 before tax and memory, etc.  And that would only be if the camera was clearly the right one for me.  Otherwise I am more comfortable at $200 or less.

[JohnR]

"Only" 12x...  ? I read that and thought

Wow I'm really out of touch. 30x is incredible.

[Mag]

I noticed in a flyer the price drops of these cameras. They are neat little cameras but they lack one thing and that is use in RAW mode. That is why I purchased the Canon S100 for approx. $500.00. It was the only model that I know of that had RAW for this size camera. There may be others on the market by now.

Anyways I strongly recommend that whatever camera you purchase to also purchase a photo editing program. I use CS6 but you could go with something cheaper.

With a photo editing you can then zoom in, crop, adjust lighting etc.., but you have learn the software.

These little cameras are limited in there ability to zoom in on distant shots. So you have to be mindful of that when using them. You can only zoom in so much even with an editing software before the image distorts.

[srb]

Zoom lenses compromise quality for convenience, and my experience has been the higher the zoom, the poorer the quality.  Particularly in the realm of several hundred dollar digital cameras, you may find the image quality of a typical inexpensive 30X optical zoom lens adjusted to 12X zoom to be less than that of a 12X zoom lens at 12X.

Steve

[SET Man]

Hey!

   Well, if you need a very long zoom P&S cam you are in luck. Lately I noticed that the pixel war is cooling down and mega zoom war is coming back again... I now see P&S cam with 200mm, 300mm and even 1200mm. 

    If you are talking about mega zoom quality. Longer zoom will have more lens elements and this will effect the picture quality. And not to mention that most P&S cam with megazoom tend to be slow (small aperture) at the long end of the range. And also that ... 12X, 30X can be confusing. A P&S cam with 24mm-240mm and 35mm-350mm will be labeled as 10X zoom but they have different zoom range. For me I like zoom starting at 24mm at the wide end. If you going to take lots of picture in lower light than maybe you might want to give up a bit of longer zoom for a faster (larger aperture) zoom. Shooting RAW is useful but at I don't know any $200 P&S cam that can do this.... I wouldn't worry about this.

  As for which camera? There are tons to choose from these days. Personally I like Sony and Panasonic for P&S. If you can go to a big camera store and play around with some, and buy what you like best. Do check out B&H Photo for selection.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Take care,
Buddy