point and shoot recommendations $200 ~ $300 range?

kenreau · « **on:** 28 Jun 2009, 07:46 pm »

I hope this isn't the equivalent of asking for a boom box recommendation on AC?

Most of the threads here are way beyond my mission...

I'm looking for a family friendly p&s camera of reasonable quality in the $200~$300 range and wanted to inquire if there are any known winners or consensus on best manufacturer or models? Or, are they more or less a commodity digital box?

I plucked these from a recent Costco flyer. All are 12 megapixel except the SD1200 and have very similar bells and whistles. All include a 2GB SD Card.

Canon PowerShot SX200 $329

Nikon Coolpix S630 $249

Canon PowerShot SD780 $249

Canon PowerShot SD1200 $199 (10 MP)

Any recommendations or links to reviews, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Kenreau

zybar · « **Reply #1 on:** 28 Jun 2009, 07:51 pm »

A great site for reviews and more info than you will know what to do with is:

http://www.dpreview.com/

I have a few different Canon PowerShot models and I like all of them.

George

kenreau · « **Reply #2 on:** 28 Jun 2009, 09:17 pm »

That's what I needed. Thanks George.

This is from the Holiday 2008 Ratings and recommendations

When it comes to the finish line picking a winner for this group was surprisingly difficult, with few models doing everything well and few doing anything particularly badly. From an image quality point of view it's the Canon SD790 IS by a nose, though by the time you hit ISO 800 any differences are masked by noise, noise reduction or both. In a pack just behind the Canon are the Panasonic FX37, Pentax S12, Sony T700 and Nikon Coolpix T700, with the Fuji Z200fd, Casio S10 trailing behind by a couple of lengths.

Looks like your Canon PowerShot is a winner.

Thanks George.

Kenreau

JohnR · « **Reply #3 on:** 28 Jun 2009, 11:33 pm »

The model recommended is an SD790 whereas the costco one is an SD780 - unless there's a typo, there may be selling an older version. Just a heads-up - be sure of what you're buying.

srb · « **Reply #4 on:** 28 Jun 2009, 11:56 pm »

You can Google Canon SD780 vs SD790, and one of the hits is this Cnet forum

http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7593_102-0.html?threadID=341862

which has some links within it for reviews and feature comparisons.

The first reply says:
---------------------------------------
Both cameras are on for sale on Amazon.
SD780 at $250
SD790 at S210

Some people prefer the 3" LCD on the SD790.
But the SD780 has a 2.5" LCD and a viewfinder and the SD790 does not have a viewfinder.

The SD780 has 2 more megapixels, but that is no advantage unless you plan to print poster size photos.

The SD780 does have HD video and the SD790 does not.
Note: if you want to directly connect the SD780 to a HD television set, you will need to buy a $90 cable from Canon.

Selecting one over the other would have to be a personal decision based in ones needs/desires and finances.
---------------------------------------

Unlike audio equipment, these digital camera manufacturers put out new models every year. It's hard to keep all the models straight.

Steve

kenreau · « **Reply #5 on:** 29 Jun 2009, 11:22 pm »

Thanks Guys, all valid and worthy points.

I probably just hit Costco as it is near by and their return policy is like going to Nordstroms, never an issue.

Thanks again,
Kenreau

Danberg · « **Reply #6 on:** 30 Jun 2009, 02:27 am »

I did LOTS of research and I went with the Panasonic DMC TZ5. It is a bit larger than the Canon, but felt more comfortable in my hands. Also the slightly larger size will greatly reduce "camera shake" which is not so easy to avoid with a "smaller" camera. Rememver to weigh that into your decision.

Additionally, and most importantly, was the quality of the lens, the edge to edge sharpness, was excellent (a bit of a weak area on the Canon). I also liked the wide to telephoto zoom of the Panasonic DMC TZ5.

The equivilent of a 28mm wide angle lens was a real plus for my point & shoot needs. So many times there isn't enough room to take group shots easily, but the 28 mm lens acomplishes that! The 10x zoom gives one all they could ever need in a telephoto lens, all in one compact package!

Mariusz · « **Reply #7 on:** 30 Jun 2009, 02:43 am »

Quote from: zybar on 28 Jun 2009, 07:51 pm

A great site for reviews and more info than you will know what to do with is:

http://www.dpreview.com/

I have a few different Canon PowerShot models and I like all of them.

George

George,
which Canon point and shoot performs best indoors or limited lighting?
I am looking for a camera as a gift for my wife but most point and shoot cameras do very poorly with limited lighting.

Thanks
Mariusz

Scott F. · « **Reply #8 on:** 30 Jun 2009, 03:03 am »

Quote from: Mariusz on 30 Jun 2009, 02:43 am

which Canon point and shoot performs best indoors or limited lighting?
I am looking for a camera as a gift for my wife but most point and shoot cameras do very poorly with limited lighting.

Thanks
Mariusz

Hiya Mariusz,

I took this one with the Canon SD960. I was a 3 sec exposure at a f2.8.

This particular Powershot also has a pretty handy low light setting that opens the lens fairly wide and shortens the flash duration so that you get a brighter background on indoor shots. It works pretty well. I took some pretty nice indoor shots at dinner last week. Once I get them off the camera I'll post a couple so you can see.

Mariusz · « **Reply #9 on:** 30 Jun 2009, 03:10 am »

Thanks Scott and nice shot.

My other half is most concern with event shooting - especially indoors.
When she get her toy, I can get my.

P.S
your things are packed up and ready to ship. I just need to get the actual quote for shipping and I'll get back to you.

I am sure you will enjoy your new toy as well.
Carring those monsters is no joke.........

Best
Mariusz

droht · « **Reply #10 on:** 30 Jun 2009, 04:17 am »

I am a Canon P&S fan myself, but I seem to recall that Fuji gets some high marks for lower light capabilities. May be worth checking into if that is a top priority.

[/quote]

George,
which Canon point and shoot performs best indoors or limited lighting?
I am looking for a camera as a gift for my wife but most point and shoot cameras do very poorly with limited lighting.

Thanks
Mariusz

[/quote]

Mariusz · « **Reply #11 on:** 30 Jun 2009, 04:46 am »

Any particular model? droht

However, I would like to stick with Canon.
That Panasonic also looks well made but I never own one to form any opinion about it.
Specs look pretty good tho.

My wife is also leaning towards Canon for its sex appeal and size.
And yes, size does matter.

Thanks guys for your help and opinions it sure makes my life easier.

Mariusz

kenreau · « **Reply #12 on:** 30 Jun 2009, 10:20 pm »

Quote from: Danberg on 30 Jun 2009, 02:27 am

I did LOTS of research and I went with the Panasonic DMC TZ5. It is a bit larger than the Canon, but felt more comfortable in my hands. Also the slightly larger size will greatly reduce "camera shake" which is not so easy to avoid with a "smaller" camera. Rememver to weigh that into your decision.

Additionally, and most importantly, was the quality of the lens, the edge to edge sharpness, was excellent (a bit of a weak area on the Canon). I also liked the wide to telephoto zoom of the Panasonic DMC TZ5.

The equivilent of a 28mm wide angle lens was a real plus for my point & shoot needs. So many times there isn't enough room to take group shots easily, but the 28 mm lens acomplishes that! The 10x zoom gives one all they could ever need in a telephoto lens, all in one compact package!

OK, Danberg, I went with your advice and on impulse just ordered a factory Panny refurbished unit for $185 from Amazon. I figured the price is reasonable and I alway think (hope) something that is refurbished has to be thoroughly repaired and inspected to meet specifications, et al rather than just rolling off the assembly line.

The form factor, nice Leica lens, etc. looks like it will fill the family friendly needs.

Thanks
Kenreau

DTB300 · « **Reply #13 on:** 19 Aug 2009, 07:24 pm »

Quote from: kenreau on 30 Jun 2009, 10:20 pm

OK, Danberg, I went with your advice and on impulse just ordered a factory Panny refurbished unit for $185 from Amazon. I figured the price is reasonable and I alway think (hope) something that is refurbished has to be thoroughly repaired and inspected to meet specifications, et al rather than just rolling off the assembly line.

Kenreau...

How has your Panny been since you had it for a couple of months now?

The wife has an old Olympus 2.1MP 3x Zoom and wants a new one. She is the typical P&S person and usually print on 4x6 or 8x10 (rarely).

I was looking at the Panny DMC-ZR1 or the Canon PS SX200IS. Most reviews at DPREVIEW, Photo Blog, etc. all seem to point to a better picture with the Panny.

Anyone else here have experience with Panny or the Canon camera?

Dan

JohnR · « **Reply #14 on:** 20 Aug 2009, 12:06 pm »

Is the ZR1 a ZS1 with a shorter zoom? Hard to keep up...

I'd be a bit careful about brand buying in compact cameras - successor models are usually (but not always) a bit of an improvement on the previous model, but a different model line from the same manufacturer might be one to just avoid.

There's also the set of compromises that compacts inevitably have - ironically it makes evaluating your criteria even more important than with a DSLR, which will almost certainly have much better performance than any compact. For example, today a friend was asking me about a camera for an upcoming trip, and so we talked about what she wanted and came up with this list of priorities: good performance in low light (without flash), small pocketable size (TZ7 was too big, we tried one), long battery life, simplicity of use, not too expensive. Ruggedness (she is trekking in South America for several weeks) would be a plus. Not on the list are things like long zoom, fast(ish) focus, looks, manual control, or even LCD size. The question about 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios got a blank look. So I don't have a recommendation for her at this point but at least I know that my own first choices (LX3, or TZ7/ZS3 for long zoom at the cost of other features) in compacts are out.

shep · « **Reply #15 on:** 20 Aug 2009, 01:12 pm »

I bought a Panasonic TZ-1, second hand and it's a joy. I liked the feel and heft of it even better than more recent versions. Another plus was the lens cap (which nobody else liked!). When turning on the camera the lens does not extend, exposing itself. Really well made camera. It's too late if you already ordered. You will not be disappointed with any of these models though.

richidoo · « **Reply #16 on:** 20 Aug 2009, 05:19 pm »

I didn't read the whole thread so excuse me if this is redundant. But I read this story yesterday: http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=16022

I guess there's always something new on the way.

woodsyi · « **Reply #17 on:** 20 Aug 2009, 05:22 pm »

G11 means it's time to grab a G10 at a discount. aa