Recommendation for goodish camera

Discussion in 'Digital Photography' started by PsYkHoTiK, Aug 14, 2011.

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What (type of) camera should I get

  1. Get a P&S/Prosumer. Fits in your pocket!

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  2. Suck it and get a DSLR you pansy weaksauce

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  3. Meh, just use your Google Nexus S...

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  1. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    Hi Guys... :wave:

    (LOL it's like I'm making my first post here 15k posts ago)

    So my ancient dinosaur pre-historic DSLR (first gen rebel) looks like it's really on life support now (and the sigma flash I had finally called it quits - lol almost lasted a decade), I need to buy a new camera.

    I've been thinking long and hard, and I might shy away from another DSLR. I just don't like carrying gear with me if I go hiking (I'd rather carry its weight in water on full day hikes) or when I go on the race track. I've shifted to more of a guy that does stuff worthy of taking pics (and hoping that someone does), rather than the dude waiting for something to take a pic. :lol:

    I like the slimness and portability of a P&S, but I also want fancy features and 'power'. So good zoom, IS, etc. Good image quality is paramount though. :mrgreen:

    So thoughts? Good P&S or should I just suck it and get a DSLR. And of course, recommendation for either way please (I've been very detached from cameras these last couple of years).

    I hope to be buying in a month or two and don't worry too much about budget (i'll do the price vs performance later).
     
  2. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Canon S95, one of the best compact point & shoot. If you don't mind something bigger, you can consider Panasonic LX5 or Canon G12.

    Sorry, didn't notice that you mention you want a super zoom. Not too sure about that range of cameras...
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2011
  3. PsYkHoTiK

    PsYkHoTiK Admin nerd

    Yeah my ex-GF had the Canon G12 and it was pretty cool.

    For my mom's bday I actually bought her a Canon SD 4500 IS and that is actually a pretty awesome camera (10x optical zoom and IS). Battery life sucks major ass though...

    Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : PowerShot SD4500 IS

    Wondering if there are any other equivalents from other manufacturers or anything too I suppose.

    I am kinda leaning on a Canon PowerShot SX230 HS...
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2011
  4. Adrian Wong

    Adrian Wong Da Boss Staff Member

    I would suggest going for a P&S unless you need the flexibility of a DSLR and/or an external flash.

    I recently bought the Sony DSC-TX10 for my father. It's really small (can be a real disadvantage though), shock-proof, and water-proof up to 5 m (16 feet). It also takes full HD videos and direct panoramic shots.

    Check it out here - DSC-TX10 : T Series : Digital Still Camera : Sony Malaysia. It's pretty cheap. I got it at around RM 1150 (US$ 383) with a 4 GB SD card and a rubberized case.
     
  5. Falcone

    Falcone Official Mascot Creator

    For PnS nothing beats the S95, even a grandma can shoot like a pro with this. Serious. Only drawbacks is you are limited by the lens range.

    Or you can go for the m4/3 or Nex. m4/3 has a dated sensor but functionality wise is pretty decent, just skip the GF2-GF3. Nex is alright.
     
  6. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    Mirrorless "SLR" is still too big IMO. NEX body is really small, but that's not the case for the lenses, sad...
     
  7. alyy8128

    alyy8128 Newbie

    Ya, i agreed that Canon S95 is the winner. My bro can shoot the photos almost as good as my beginner DSLR skill.

    If you like the super zoom, I just notice Fujifilm released their F600EXR, which include a GPS module somemore. But the quality wise I'm not sure.

    Else, go for Fujifilm X100.
     
  8. Falcone

    Falcone Official Mascot Creator

    Or u can wait for 1 week or 2 :)
     
  9. peaz

    peaz ARP Webmaster Staff Member

    Or you can get a 'sort of rangefinder' camera like the X100 (attached) that I recently got. :)
    But then again, it's not a one size fits all camera. Fixed focal length at 35mm is either a pro or con for you. I like it because it challenges me to compose my shots vs being able to frame anything from anywhere which makes me lazy.

    Alternatives: A better prosumer compact like the Canon S95. That's not too shabby for a compact camera. But i think the zoom range is a bit limiting on that compact.

    An alternative with long zoom ranges: Fuji FinePix F600EXR that was mentioned above. Fuji's EXR sensors isn't all that bad. It's no DSLR of course due to the smaller sensor size.
     

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  10. Chai

    Chai Administrator Staff Member

    S95 has limited range because it uses bigger sensor for a compact.

    But since zoom range is a priority, both X100 and S95 is out. F600 is a better choice.
     

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