Compact or CSC for £200

[Challo]

Off to NYC in a few weeks and potentially looking at a new camera. We normally use our smartphones but the photos always disappoint and never look good for scenery, or zooming. Budget is around £200 and seems we can get a entry level CSC or a good compact. Not fussed on the DSLR.

Argos have a a sale on and currently you can get a Samsung NX1100 or Canon EOS for that money saving around £100.

Been going through the forums and the Fuji XF1 seems to be rated highly and I think it looks great and only £130 which looks great value.

Any recommendations I should look at?

Ideally a I want something I can keep in my pocket, and use for holidays, family occasions, but also great for when we visit places on days out or take good scenery photos if needed.

Apologies I know there tends to be a lot of these types or threads but I'm a novice and get lost in all the technical speak.

[rich888]

Challo said:

Off to NYC in a few weeks and potentially looking at a new camera. We normally use our smartphones but the photos always disappoint and never look good for scenery, or zooming. Budget is around £200 and seems we can get a entry level CSC or a good compact. Not fussed on the DSLR.

Argos have a a sale on and currently you can get a Samsung NX1100 or Canon EOS for that money saving around £100.

Been going through the forums and the Fuji XF1 seems to be rated highly and I think it looks great and only £130 which looks great value.

Any recommendations I should look at?

Ideally a I want something I can keep in my pocket, and use for holidays, family occasions, but also great for when we visit places on days out or take good scenery photos if needed.

Apologies I know there tends to be a lot of these types or threads but I'm a novice and get lost in all the technical speak.

For someone who is a novice you have certainly done your homework.

Check out http://www.dpreview.com/previews/fujifilm-xf1

This is indeed a very good compact camera with a reasonably sized sensor for your budget.

Only thing I can recommend is a decent sized fast SD card and perhaps a replacement battery.

Might be worthwhile purchasing your camera abroad, especially if you are flying via Hong Kong which would save you a fortune.

[rottie102]

rich888 said:

Challo said:

Off to NYC in a few weeks

Might be worthwhile purchasing your camera abroad, especially if you are flying via Hong Kong

That's one hell of a detour

Eos M as amazing value for money as it is, might be hard to call pocketable unless with a pancake lens.

Get a Canon S110 or 120 if you can stretch your budget a bit,
$379 plus tax from my favorite NYC photo shop
http://www.42photo.com/Product/canon-powershot-s12...

or even cheaper delivered to the UK

http://www.digitalrev.com/product/canon-powershot-...

[GenePoolReject13]

I've just had this exact dilemma. A small ish budget for a good camera as a Christmas treat to my self.
I ended up buying the eos m from Argos, it's an absolute bargain. It easily compares to the 400d I used to own and is so easy to use. The build quality is top notch and the touch screen is great.
Most reviews seem to pick up on one weakness, the AF, it's renowned for being slow but when the firmware update it's fine. I consider myself to be an experienced amateur and the AF doesn't hinder my attempts very often.

If you can stretch to it then grab the 22mm lens as well, there's some on eBay at keen prices, cracking lens and makes the camera pocketable. If you stick to the kit lens though the lowepro dashpoint 30 fits perfectly.

I considered many options from a decent bridge to a used dslr and everything in between with the same budget as you and the eos m kept coming up as the best all round package for £200.

[damianmkv]

The xf1 produces some awesome images , see my album below

https://www.flickr.com/photos/59954848@N07/sets/72...

My caveat is that is can be hit with lens failure, which happened suddenly to mine earlier this month. It's under warranty and was sent away, only to come back and doesn't focus at 1.8. For me, this initial failure shouldn't have happened after only 7 months - okay, the camera is only £130 but it should last considerably longer than that.

[Challo]

Thanks for all the feedback. Just to clarify is this the Canon EOS you purchased?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2... Does it have the ability to change the lens?

I'm really impressed with the Fuji XF1 as well. Those photos look amazing. Did the quality suffer on full zoom??

[GenePoolReject13]

Yes, that's the badger. The lens is interchangeable but There are only 3 ef-m lenses currently but you can get an adapter so you can use any EF and EF-S lenses.

[Mr Will]

Challo said:

I'm really impressed with the Fuji XF1 as well. Those photos look amazing. Did the quality suffer on full zoom??

The XF1 will suffer in low-light compared to the CSC options, it's the price you pay for the smaller size. In good light there will be very little in it though.

[leemarkadams]

Apologies for jumping in the thread but I am in a similar predicament, as after a decent compact digital for up to the same amount , as we are off to Peru etc next year and want something better than the Waterproof Fujifilm we already have.

So, any suggestions ref that, criteria for me are:

Up to abut 250GBP in cost
Fairly robust
Simple to use
Good optical zoom

Thanks

Lee

[Challo]

Just been to Currys to have a look at the Fuji but they didn't have any in stock, but had some other good compacts.

What are the key things I should look at to tell the difference between good and bad cameras? Megapixels? Optical zoom?

[GetCarter]

Challo said:

Just been to Currys to have a look at the Fuji but they didn't have any in stock, but had some other good compacts.

What are the key things I should look at to tell the difference between good and bad cameras? Megapixels? Optical zoom?

That is a VERY long story. Just read up on DPReview.com - they have good reviews and marks out of 100.

[Mr Will]

Challo said:

What are the key things I should look at to tell the difference between good and bad cameras? Megapixels? Optical zoom?

I'm sure there will be plenty who disagree with me, but the biggest indicator in my book is sensor size. Full Frame > APS-C > m4/3rds > 1" > 2/3rds > 1/1.7 > 1/2.3

The downsides to a larger sensor are size and cost.

Aside from that I'd look at aperture next - the 'f' number. A smaller f number will be able to let more light in, giving much better photos indoors. Sometimes a camera (or more precisely, lens) will have two of these numbers; e.g. f/3.5 - 5.5. These are the numbers at each end of the zoom range; f/3.5 when zoomed out, f/5.5 when zoomed in.

For most people megapixels are pretty much irrelevant once you go past about 12. A typical computer monitor is about 1.3mp and a 1080p TV is only 2. Any camera you can buy these days should have enough for most purposes!

Optical zoom? Depends what you want it for. To make a lens that zooms in a long way you need to sacrifice both quality and light-gathering ability. If you are going on safari, that might be a sacrifice worth making. Since you're heading to NYC, it's probably a lot less worth it.

[Challo]

Mr Will said:

Challo said:

What are the key things I should look at to tell the difference between good and bad cameras? Megapixels? Optical zoom?

I'm sure there will be plenty who disagree with me, but the biggest indicator in my book is sensor size. Full Frame > APS-C > m4/3rds > 1" > 2/3rds > 1/1.7 > 1/2.3

The downsides to a larger sensor are size and cost.

Aside from that I'd look at aperture next - the 'f' number. A smaller f number will be able to let more light in, giving much better photos indoors. Sometimes a camera (or more precisely, lens) will have two of these numbers; e.g. f/3.5 - 5.5. These are the numbers at each end of the zoom range; f/3.5 when zoomed out, f/5.5 when zoomed in.

For most people megapixels are pretty much irrelevant once you go past about 12. A typical computer monitor is about 1.3mp and a 1080p TV is only 2. Any camera you can buy these days should have enough for most purposes!

Optical zoom? Depends what you want it for. To make a lens that zooms in a long way you need to sacrifice both quality and light-gathering ability. If you are going on safari, that might be a sacrifice worth making. Since you're heading to NYC, it's probably a lot less worth it.

Thankyou. Exactly the information I was after.

[rottie102]

Mr Will said:

Since you're heading to NYC, it's probably a lot less worth it.

He will actually want it as wide as possible!

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr Will.

[rob0r]

I bought the EOS-M for around £200 from Argos last summer and it's a total steal. Unlike the other poster about the AF, I do find it a hinderance. Trying to take photos of my dogs for example is difficult whereas it is much easier with my full size aged Canon 30d SLR with its proper AF. The EOS-M takes it time focusing, the dogs are moving around anyway and it doesn't get a lock. I've found it very frustrating. For static/ish subjects the price is ludicrously cheap. The 22mm is also a blinding lens and well worth buying, I rarely use the (decent) kit 18-55mm it comes with.

General half assed pics from mine
https://www.flickr.com/photos/126106757@N03/sets/7...

[Mr Will]

rob0r said:

I bought the EOS-M for around £200 from Argos last summer and it's a total steal. Unlike the other poster about the AF, I do find it a hinderance. Trying to take photos of my dogs for example is difficult whereas it is much easier with my full size aged Canon 30d SLR with its proper AF. The EOS-M takes it time focusing, the dogs are moving around anyway and it doesn't get a lock. I've found it very frustrating. For static/ish subjects the price is ludicrously cheap. The 22mm is also a blinding lens and well worth buying, I rarely use the (decent) kit 18-55mm it comes with.

General half assed pics from mine
https://www.flickr.com/photos/126106757@N03/sets/7...

Have you updated the firmware to the latest version? My friend who has one said it made a big difference.

[andy-xr]

Buy it when you're out there from these:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

I'd get this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022331-REG/...

Or let your budget creep a bit and get this; http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/897579-REG/N...

[Mr Will]

andy-xr said:

Buy it when you're out there from these:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

I'd get this: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1022331-REG/...

The a5000 is a great little camera, but they are £50 cheaper in the UK than the US at the moment: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-a5000-Digital-Camera-...

[GenePoolReject13]

Mr Will said:

Have you updated the firmware to the latest version? My friend who has one said it made a big difference.

Mine came pre loaded with the latest firmware and as I said in my earlier post it's fine, not as quick as I would like but quick enough to get decent results most of the time.
My opinion is based on extensive use of a 400d and huge frustration with a God awful Nikon coolpix bridge.

[Challo]

rob0r said:

I bought the EOS-M for around £200 from Argos last summer and it's a total steal. Unlike the other poster about the AF, I do find it a hinderance. Trying to take photos of my dogs for example is difficult whereas it is much easier with my full size aged Canon 30d SLR with its proper AF. The EOS-M takes it time focusing, the dogs are moving around anyway and it doesn't get a lock. I've found it very frustrating. For static/ish subjects the price is ludicrously cheap. The 22mm is also a blinding lens and well worth buying, I rarely use the (decent) kit 18-55mm it comes with.

General half assed pics from mine
https://www.flickr.com/photos/126106757@N03/sets/7...

How easy do you find the Canon to use? I think the Fuji could be quiet simple to use, but the Canon does look a great deal.