Top Pocket Camera - Suggestions?

[computeruser]

OK, I think it is finally time for a new camera. I've been suffering through a Fuji FinePix E550 that I've never liked (and was repaired 3x under warranty before being replaced with a refurb), and getting satisfactory performance out of the Fuji S5000 I bought from Scott last year. Even at 3mp, the S5000 has produced some great images.

Lately I've been leaving the E550 in the car, and it has been nice to just have a camera around. But it takes mediocre pictures, at best, and is too big to carry around in a pocket comfortably. So I'm thinking that I'd like a smaller, shirt pocket-sized camera capable of taking good pictures. I'd probably be shooting 90% outdoors, and a fair bit would be at moving objects - vehicles and dogs, mainly.

I only shoot in .jpg at this point, and rarely bother to fire up Lightroom. I don't have the time to go full-on into photography right now, but I am not satisfied with the level of control that my E550 provides. My biggest complaint with my current photos is perpetual overexposure in medium or bright light, even when I try to make adjustments in the camera; the E550 is terrible, the S5000 is better. So a camera that gets this stuff right on its own better would be preferred.

I may add an updated Fuji S-series or DSLR at some point, but right now I think that a compact pocket-sized camera capable of taking good pictures is in order. I've been considering Canon SD800is, SD870is, a couple Panisonic Lumix (models escape me at the moment), and Sony's Cybershot W300.

What do you think I should I be looking at?

 

[Michael Slade]

Pick your pricepoint and buy either a Canon, Nikon or Sony. Whatever one you can operate and feels good in your hand is the one you should buy.

 

[TheGillz]

I got a sony because it had a faster shudder speed than the others when I was looking, I hate the digital delay, however the memory cards are propriatory, so you can't just buy generic SD cards. Something to think about.

 

[Michael Slade]

shudder - what you do after you take a good long leak
shutter - what goes 'click' when you make a photograph

eepwall:

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Canon Powershot....choose the one in your price range with the features you want.

 

[TheGillz]

shudder - what you do after you take a good long leak
shutter - what goes 'click' when you make a photograph

eepwall:

It didn't look right when I typed it. Thanks. I am not an expert that is for sure.

 

[Michael Slade]

It didn't look right when I typed it. Thanks. I am not an expert that is for sure.

It's on my radar just 'because'.

You'd be surprized how many misspell that word. Spell-checker doesn't read your mind.

The Powershot line is very powerful. You definitely wouldn't go wrong there.

 

[sinuhexavier]

Slade you will like this...

My pocket camera is a Nikon 7100... Love it!

 

[Michael Slade]

Funny thing about that, I don't know a dang thing about Nikon's pocket cameras. I've just been lusting after that G7, then G9...now wondering if I ought to wait for that soon-to-be-released G10.

Too many cameras to worry about. Now I learn my 39mp Hassy is obsolete. 50mp! Wow!

 

[nwoods]

I'm kinda in the same boat. My wife's PNS Nikon is about to retire and I haven't started to look around much yet.

Criteria that we learned to look for thanks to a less than satifactory Nikon experience includes:

1. Battery door that is relatively stout, or at least has a decent catch on it. Her's is taped on now.
2. Battery duration. Her's is absoultely terrible
3. Battery shape. Something relatively standard would be good
4. Rear screen size. bigger really is better since the view finders all stink.
5. Rear screen that you can still see when turned sideways..with polarized sunglasses on. Most of her outdoor shots were taken blind because of this problem
6. Adjustable flash strength. Her's has one setting: NUCLEAR SUN. Any indoor or nighttime shot is totally blown out because the flash is WAY to strong for most settings.
7. Minimal amount of moving parts when turning on. Her's slides open, telescopes, then energizes various items. Takes forever, sucks down the battery, noisy (scares away animals, bugs, sleeping kids, etc..)
8. Low noise, good low light sensitiveity. Her's sucks. period.

But then, I only shoot with a Canon dSLR, so I have a hard time getting used to the limitations of the POS, I mean PNS cameras.

 

[dnellans]

I recently picked up a Nikon S600 because I didn't like lugging my SLR around all the time. It was particularly bought because it was small and would fit on my fishing kayak without taking up much room. I went for the s600 because it is one of the only Nikon point and shoots that has optical vibration reduction. The battery lasts for a weekend of fairly active shooting on the water and the screen on the back is great. The controls are a little bit small on the back, but that is what you get for buying a small camera. Its 10MP, but I could care less 5 or 6MP would give me more pixels than I need. Overall I'm definitely happy with the camera, my only complaint is that the automatic focus area selector sometimes will change at the last minute and when I look at the photo on the back, the wrong subject has been selected where depth of field is an issue. There may be some settings to tweak to help this, but hey its a point and shoot, i didn't buy it to tweak. So I just snap a 2nd shot and it always has worked out.

Here are some reduced size examples taken with the camera recently.

If you want to see full resolution shots or more examples you can look here: http://david.nellans.org/gallery/2008/07-04/

http://david.nellans.org/gallery2/external/15019-2/DSCN0053.JPG?g2_GALLERYSID=8b5558d32bdfdb114ab46cf8028d05f6

http://david.nellans.org/gallery2/external/15068-2/DSCN0065.JPG?g2_GALLERYSID=8b5558d32bdfdb114ab46cf8028d05f6

http://david.nellans.org/gallery2/external/15062-2/DSCN0064.JPG?g2_GALLERYSID=8b5558d32bdfdb114ab46cf8028d05f6


(ARG - again my links to photos won't show up inline... does anyone know why? they work with other forums/places on the net)

 

[tdesanto]

...Now I learn my 39mp Hassy is obsolete. 50mp! Wow!

You're right. It's definitely obsolete. You should send it to a good home to retire. I might just know of a good place that will take good care of it.

 

[sinuhexavier]

Too many cameras to worry about. Now I learn my 39mp Hassy is obsolete. 50mp! Wow!

That's why I just rent the high end gear when the job calls for it. I use this great company Image Mechanics for all my digital captures and rentals. The one stop shop aspect of it is really fantastic. I get a tech, camera and lens package, 30inch Monitor with G5 tower and .raw processing for one fee, which is transferred to the client with a 28% mark up.

 

[olympiccop2002]

I have the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS.

I really like it. The screen on the back is great so I don't even worry that it doesn't have an optical viewfinder. It is about the size of a deck of cards. Easily slips into a pocket. The wide angle is very nice in the outdoors. I would recommend it.

Bjorn

 

[chet]

for outdoor travel shots a Panasonic TZ5 is amazing. you get 10x zoom, image stab. and a nice big screen. I will never go back to a crappy 3x zoom camera again.