Which Compact SLR?

[Davey S2]

Any suggestions for a good compact SLR / bridge camera?

Budget is up to £500 but obviously happy to spend less if I can.

Its just going to be used to take on honeymoon and for general pics so like something thats easy to carry around and isnt too bulky.

Something like this seems like the sort of thing I'm after

http://www.johnlewis.com/nikon-coolpix-p510-bridge...

Thanks in advance.

Edited by Davey S2 on Tuesday 26th February 11:21

[marctwo]

I'd go mirrorless rather than SLR.

How about a Panasonic GF5 and some change?

http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/8078/Panasonic-Lu...

Actually, you might be better off with a decent compact. How about

Sony RX100
Panasonic LX7
Olympus XZ2

Edited by marctwo on Tuesday 26th February 11:25

[Gad-Westy]

SLR's are all slightly bulky. If it is an SLR you want you won't go very far wrong with any of the low end stuff with a kit lens. Canon 1100D, Nikon 3100/3200/5100 or 5200. Pentax is also worth a look as they tend to be a little smaller whilst offering excellent sensors.

[Mr Will]

marctwo said:

Actually, you might be better off with a decent compact. How about

Sony RX100
Panasonic LX7
Olympus XZ2

This ^

Unless you have a particular reason that you'll want to change lenses, a top end compact will keep up with a compact system camera (aka mirrorless) but will actually fit in your pocket.

I'd avoid bridge cameras - their main advantage is the long zoom which hampers image quality and you are unlikely to see the benefit of.

I'd also avoid SLRs unless you want to do photography, rather than just take photographs. You'll soon get bored carrying it and the other options (top end compact or CSC) will provide 90% of the image quality with a much higher level of convenience.

[Davey S2]

Thanks for the tips chaps. Will have a look at some of the suggestions.

[PJ S]

Fujifilm X20 is due in a few weeks, as too the X100S - that'll mean cheap X10s and X100s on ebay and the like.

[the-photographer]

My shortlist was;

Sony RX100
Panasonic LX7

With the LX7 winning purely on price, you can pocket the RX100 in a coat/jacket, something you can't do with the LX7.

[Mr Will]

the-photographer said:

My shortlist was;

Sony RX100
Panasonic LX7

With the LX7 winning purely on price, you can pocket the RX100 in a coat/jacket, something you can't do with the LX7.

You should add the Canon S110 to that list - the price of the LX7 with the pocket-ability of the RX100.

[the-photographer]

Mr Will said:

the-photographer said:

My shortlist was;

Sony RX100
Panasonic LX7

With the LX7 winning purely on price, you can pocket the RX100 in a coat/jacket, something you can't do with the LX7.

You should add the Canon S110 to that list - the price of the LX7 with the pocket-ability of the RX100.

True, I was looking for something better on the sensor/lens/control front. But I think the S100/S110 is even smaller compared to the RX100.

[Mr Will]

the-photographer said:

Mr Will said:

the-photographer said:

My shortlist was;

Sony RX100
Panasonic LX7

With the LX7 winning purely on price, you can pocket the RX100 in a coat/jacket, something you can't do with the LX7.

You should add the Canon S110 to that list - the price of the LX7 with the pocket-ability of the RX100.

True, I was looking for something better on the sensor/lens/control front. But I think the S100/S110 is even smaller compared to the RX100.[/quote

Don't discount it just because it looks like a point & shoot, it's on a par sensor/lens/control-wise with the LX7 (which are both admittedly a step behind the RX100).

[the-photographer]

I used the comparo-meter on http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dm...
and to me it looks like the LX7 has better "definition" compared to the S110, I didnt
manage track both down in a shop to compare myself.

[Mr Will]

the-photographer said:

I used the comparo-meter on http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dm...
and to me it looks like the LX7 has better "definition" compared to the S110, I didnt
manage track both down in a shop to compare myself.

I'd agree with your assessment of that test, which surprises me because I've not seen such a distinct difference between them before.

I own an S95 and have spent a lot of time using an LX5 and both have their plus and minus points. I can't detect a lot of difference in image quality between them. The LX5 is noticeably faster when zoomed in, which frustrates me slightly with the S95 (which drops to 4.9) especially as there is no option to add an external flash (the built in one works, but is a little direct). Swinging things back the other way the S95 seems a little less noisy at higher ISOs and will go in a trouser pocket whereas the LX5 won't. It's also faster to pull out and shoot, main due to the lack of lens cap.

It's horses for (main?)courses really though and don't think you made the wrong decision in the slightest.

[StuH]

I went from an S100 to an RX100. S100 a great small compact camera, but the RX100 really is in a different league in terms of IQ. You get what you pay for.

[the-photographer]

Mr Will said:

the-photographer said:

I used the comparo-meter on http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonic-lumix-dm...
and to me it looks like the LX7 has better "definition" compared to the S110, I didnt
manage track both down in a shop to compare myself.

I'd agree with your assessment of that test, which surprises me because I've not seen such a distinct difference between them before.

I own an S95 and have spent a lot of time using an LX5 and both have their plus and minus points. I can't detect a lot of difference in image quality between them. The LX5 is noticeably faster when zoomed in, which frustrates me slightly with the S95 (which drops to 4.9) especially as there is no option to add an external flash (the built in one works, but is a little direct). Swinging things back the other way the S95 seems a little less noisy at higher ISOs and will go in a trouser pocket whereas the LX5 won't. It's also faster to pull out and shoot, main due to the lack of lens cap.

It's horses for (main?)courses really though and don't think you made the wrong decision in the slightest.

I would have liked to handle both of them in a shop, but dpreview is a reasonable compromise.

But, its clear when you look at the blue watch dial in the corner or anywhere where there is fine detail.

I had a LX3, tried the LX5 but thought it had a soft lens.

The LX7 is great (for a compact) and I think has the sharpest lens of all the LX series, certainly better than my LX3 in direct comparisons.

[ecsrobin]

I've heard lots of very good reports on the sony RX100 so worth a look.

The best tip I ever got was the majority of cameras within a price range have similar performance/features but its all about how it feels in your hands. There's no point buying what an online comparison says is the best. If you find all the buttons positioned in awkward places or menus that are unusable.