What camera

[Mobsta]

Im after something super small, its important to me to have a camera which I can comfortably put in my pocket.

Im not looking to scrimp, and would like the best camera my money can buy me, as far as size goes. Ive always liked/used canon, and found the Canon PowerShot SD780 IS... which looks rather good/small?

Does anyone have any other suggestions of other models I might be missing?

Also, regarding memory, it says "SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HD MMCplus"
Which is the best/fastest memory for that camera?

Many thanks for the help in advance

Edited by Mobsta on Tuesday 26th May 13:38

[robinhood21]

Have a look at This Thread as it might just have an answer to your question.

[GetCarter]

As per the above thread... and if money isn't a problem, I HIGHLY recommend the Leica D-Lux4. Comes with a super sexy case FOC if you buy it from the right place, and even though it's much bigger than 'super small' it's results are way better. I guess it's depends on how small your pockets are! (In both senses).

...and before people jump in... it has almost the same insides as a Panasonic, but the body is smaller. And let's face it - a Jag has almost the same insides as an Aston.

Edited by GetCarter on Tuesday 26th May 15:07

[Simpo Two]

GetCarter said:

...and before people jump in... it has almost the same insides as a Panasonic. But then a Jag has almost the same as an Aston.

I know, it's annoying isn't it! A £3 plastic badge and we fall for it every time

[GetCarter]

Not the only difference, in case you are wondering.

Longer warranty, much better looking camera, smaller, better jpeg compression, pick of the sensors, great FOC case, better residuals, and yes, a better badge. If you are looking to save money, buy the cheaper camera. If you are looking for the best, buy the more expensive one.

http://reviews.photographyreview.com/blog/leica-d-...

Edited by GetCarter on Tuesday 26th May 15:26

[Simpo Two]

GetCarter said:

If you are looking to save money, buy the cheaper camera. If you are looking for the best, buy the more expensive one.

A perfect summary.

The decision of course is where you draw the line. Twice the loot for twice the performance is great, but there comes a point where you can double the money for only 5% improvement. It's a decision only the OP can decide.

[GetCarter]

Completely agree with that.

[GetCarter]

By the way... to the original poster - great though it is, the camera to which we refer might be too big. I carry it around in the case over my shoulder, and do put it in my pocket, but if May West saw me, she'd think I was pleased to see her.

[Mobsta]

GetCarter said:

By the way... to the original poster - great though it is, the camera to which we refer might be too big. I carry it around in the case over my shoulder, and do put it in my pocket, but if May West saw me, she'd think I was pleased to see her.

I ALMOST post in my original post, dont mention lecia. Honest!
Now I'll be tactful, and state that I simply dont like the look of them. Its the only brand of digital camera which I wouldnt buy.

Like a caterham, great car. Best of the best in some senses. Does what it was build to do very, very well. But its just not for me.

I decided to keep an open mind, and look anyway.
And Im going back to read the reviews on the lecia tonight.
One thing that I might struggle with, is the lens. I really am looking for something in the ultra compact department, and the protruding lens might rule out that choice.

I fully deserve to be flamed until only a crisp of me remains, but Ive been honest. Going to do some more reading tonight.

What type of memory does that canon take, can anyone explain the difference between the compatible cards, and which is best?
I saw that it takes "SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HD MMCplus"

98% of camera use will be regular shots, 1-2% will be HD movies (which will not be great quality on any camera that size, I understand).

Is one type of card better than the other? Again, I will do some more googling of course if no one has answers to hand.

Thanks ever so much for the comments so far, and apologies for being a stick in the mud. I already have an SLR which I use for proper shoots, I just wondered what super slim compacts I might be missing.

[GetCarter]

Honestly, the Leica/Panasonic is probably too big.

I bought a Rioch as it's so small it'll fit in any pocket. It was regarded as the best ultra small last year... but it's crap. So now it sits in a drawer, never used. Ultra compacts are not yet good enough to carry around as a 'replacement' for a DSLR, so you'll have to decide if you want 'proper pics', or a point and shoot. If it's the latter there are hundreds! (Small Panasonic Lumix looks good).

By this time next year I'm sure there will be an ultra compact that delivers, but at the moment the sensor size they use is TINY, so no matter how many mega pixels, the print quality can't match big sensors.

[SamHH]

Mobsta said:

What type of memory does that canon take, can anyone explain the difference between the compatible cards, and which is best?
I saw that it takes "SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HD MMCplus"

Hadn't heard of all of them until now but here's some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MultiMediaCard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital_card

Generally, given how cheap flash memory is now, I'd recommend going for a card from a well known manufacturer like SanDisk, Kingston or Lexar. I don't know how much less likely they are to fail than a no-name card, but the price difference isn't too much to warrant taking the risk.

[Simpo Two]

GetCarter said:

Honestly, the Leica/Panasonic is probably too big.

I bought a Rioch as it's so small it'll fit in any pocket. It was regarded as the best ultra small last year... but it's crap. So now it sits in a drawer, never used. Ultra compacts are not yet good enough to carry around as a 'replacement' for a DSLR, so you'll have to decide if you want 'proper pics', or a point and shoot. If it's the latter there are hundreds! (Small Panasonic Lumix looks good).

Lecias and Riochs? I'm floundering here...

Anyway, if the OP fancies a Leica(sonic) that's truly compact, there's always the C-Lux 3:



I have the C-Lux 2, which is a Panasonic FX30 under the skin. Cute.

But if you don't like it, buy the Panasonic version instead

Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 26th May 18:00

[Mobsta]

GetCarter said:

Honestly, the Leica/Panasonic is probably too big.

I bought a Rioch as it's so small it'll fit in any pocket. It was regarded as the best ultra small last year... but it's crap. So now it sits in a drawer, never used. Ultra compacts are not yet good enough to carry around as a 'replacement' for a DSLR, so you'll have to decide if you want 'proper pics', or a point and shoot. If it's the latter there are hundreds! (Small Panasonic Lumix looks good).

By this time next year I'm sure there will be an ultra compact that delivers, but at the moment the sensor size they use is TINY, so no matter how many mega pixels, the print quality can't match big sensors.

Its a shame the sensors are so small, still. The canon suffers from over compression in camera, I think the 12 megapixel pics are around 2 meg in size, in fine mode... There is no "superfine" mode!!

Keeps the noodleheads buying and upgrading I suppose, because after all, "more mega pixels is better!"

I quite fancy all the in camera vivid processing and sharpening, as I just dont have time to process anything. Whatever I buy will purely be used as a happy snaps camera. So wrong, but thats how it has to be with this purchase.

SamHH said:

Mobsta said:

What type of memory does that canon take, can anyone explain the difference between the compatible cards, and which is best?
I saw that it takes "SD/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus/HD MMCplus"

Hadn't heard of all of them until now but here's some info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MultiMediaCard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital_card

Generally, given how cheap flash memory is now, I'd recommend going for a card from a well known manufacturer like SanDisk, Kingston or Lexar. I don't know how much less likely they are to fail than a no-name card, but the price difference isn't too much to warrant taking the risk.

Yes, good advice. I always go with sandisk.

Thanks for the links! I guess SDHC is the way to go with this camera.

Wiki said: "The SDXC (eXtended Capacity), a new specification announced at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show, will allow for up to 2 TB capacity cards!!!!For the "keen" photographer

Does anyone have enough experience with HD video on compact cameras, to make a rough guestimate on possbile 1280x720p file sizes, at 30fps, on a P&S camera?

Edited by Mobsta on Tuesday 26th May 22:52

[Mobsta]

Simpo Two said:

GetCarter said:

Honestly, the Leica/Panasonic is probably too big.

I bought a Rioch as it's so small it'll fit in any pocket. It was regarded as the best ultra small last year... but it's crap. So now it sits in a drawer, never used. Ultra compacts are not yet good enough to carry around as a 'replacement' for a DSLR, so you'll have to decide if you want 'proper pics', or a point and shoot. If it's the latter there are hundreds! (Small Panasonic Lumix looks good).

Lecias and Riochs? I'm floundering here...

Anyway, if the OP fancies a Leica(sonic) that's truly compact, there's always the C-Lux 3:



I have the C-Lux 2, which is a Panasonic FX30 under the skin. Cute.

But if you don't like it, buy the Panasonic version instead

Its a very good/close comparison, between that and the canon.
Do you know what the panasonic equivalent model number is Simpo?

[Simpo Two]

Mobsta said:

Its a very good/close comparison, between that and the canon.
Do you know what the panasonic equivalent model number is Simpo?

I don't, but it's 10Mp which should help you get close. Have a look at www.dpreview.com > Buying guide > Side-by-side and play about. I deliberately chose the older model as it's 7.2Mp so each pixel is bigger.

The word 'compact' also means 'compromise' - you get convenience and pocketability but at a price. Having said that, compacts do a great job in most normal situations when you just want acceptable JPGs with minimum fuss.

The Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR might also be worth a look if it fits your budget.

Edited by Simpo Two on Tuesday 26th May 23:13

[Mobsta]

Simpo Two said:

Mobsta said:

Its a very good/close comparison, between that and the canon.
Do you know what the panasonic equivalent model number is Simpo?

I don't, but it's 10Mp which should help you get close. Have a look at www.dpreview.com > Buying guide > Side-by-side and play about. I deliberately chose the older model as it's 7.2Mp so each pixel is bigger.

The word 'compact' also means 'compromise' - you get convenience and pocketability but at a price. Having said that, compacts do a great job in most normal situations when you just want acceptable JPGs with minimum fuss.

The Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR might also be worth a look if it fits your budget.

I always understood super compact to mean super crap. Im after the worst camera I can buy in that sense

Nope, really after super small.
Ive done my reading. Am all read out. The canon does the necessary shít etc.
The uber pocketable and instantly printable (shame shame on me!!!) Canon it will be etc

Where is the best place to buy it, along with a bigger mem card. Its been a few years since I spent any real money on camera clobber, cant remember where I used to buy all my junk from.

ETA: Im sure I can find 100 places to buy it from, but IIRC there were a few favoured camera shops which always sold their gear at rock bottom prices.

[/footnote]

Edited by Mobsta on Thursday 28th May 12:32

[Simpo Two]

Just before you go: www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q408slimgroup