Decent compact, £150-£200 - S95?
Discussion
Posting on behalf of a friend and I've not kept up with compacts. Looking for a decent compact, £150 but can stretch to £200. Won't be used in manual modes much (if at all) and main use will be something for holidays. I've seen S95's in that price bracket second hand. Sound sensible or should he consider something else?
S95 does very well - or if full HD video is not a concern the S90 is otherwise the same camera afaik.
They can get through batteries fairly quickly (small betteries) especially if using flash so worth getting some spares. Not expensive if one buys compatibles but since the Royal Mail stopped taking Li-On batteries it's a little more expensive to order from well priced sources.
As a slightly off the wall suggestion - Canon G11 or G12? Basically the same internally I beleive but has a slightly longer zoom (though a little slower at the wide end and a tad faster at the long end) and an articulated screen - which might be rather handy for holiday shots from awkward angles, over crowds or just seeing how your self portrait is composed. It also has an easy to use options for positioning which part of the frame you wish the AF (and metering depending on mode) system to use which I find rather useful on my G11). And a built in ND filter.
Also a bigger battery!
My S90 is my always carry camera on a "just in case" basis and for its f2 at wide angle. But I find I use the G11 much more when I set out with taking shots in mind. Not so much for the features as for the general usability and handling.
Yes it's bigger and heavier - but not by that much really.
The image quality of any of them should be easily sufficient based on your comments.
They can get through batteries fairly quickly (small betteries) especially if using flash so worth getting some spares. Not expensive if one buys compatibles but since the Royal Mail stopped taking Li-On batteries it's a little more expensive to order from well priced sources.
As a slightly off the wall suggestion - Canon G11 or G12? Basically the same internally I beleive but has a slightly longer zoom (though a little slower at the wide end and a tad faster at the long end) and an articulated screen - which might be rather handy for holiday shots from awkward angles, over crowds or just seeing how your self portrait is composed. It also has an easy to use options for positioning which part of the frame you wish the AF (and metering depending on mode) system to use which I find rather useful on my G11). And a built in ND filter.
Also a bigger battery!
My S90 is my always carry camera on a "just in case" basis and for its f2 at wide angle. But I find I use the G11 much more when I set out with taking shots in mind. Not so much for the features as for the general usability and handling.
Yes it's bigger and heavier - but not by that much really.
The image quality of any of them should be easily sufficient based on your comments.
After a year with a Panasonic TZ30, I quite like it but given the choice again, would probably go for something Canon again. I had an A710iS before which was half the MP and half the zoom but the photos that rotate on my 24" computer screen always had a nice quality to them and the camera seemed to be able to take more consistent nice photos. I think the 20x zoom lens may be the issue.
I haven't tried the SX240 to compare. The great thing about the TZ30 is it is very compact and slips into the pocket and it has relegated ny Canon SX1000 bridge camera to a barely used status.
Similarly, though the Panny has 60fps video in two formats vs the Canon's 30fps, the difference isn't hugely obvious if you're not linking it to a huge TV. I also prefer Canon Zoombrowser software.
I haven't tried the SX240 to compare. The great thing about the TZ30 is it is very compact and slips into the pocket and it has relegated ny Canon SX1000 bridge camera to a barely used status.
Similarly, though the Panny has 60fps video in two formats vs the Canon's 30fps, the difference isn't hugely obvious if you're not linking it to a huge TV. I also prefer Canon Zoombrowser software.
If you can handle something a little bigger I think this is a bargain:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panasonic-LUMIX-DMC-GF5-...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panasonic-LUMIX-DMC-GF5-...
marctwo said:
If you can handle something a little bigger I think this is a bargain:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panasonic-LUMIX-DMC-GF5-...
That is a bargain!http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panasonic-LUMIX-DMC-GF5-...
I can't justify a new thread for the sake of me.
I'm looking at the same question - which compact - but instead of a friend I'm looking at something for the missus as something a bit more useful than her SGS3. And it goes without saying that I'll be stealing it from time to time when weight is an issue - so people and landscape work will be the main uses. So RAW, decent IQ etc are high priorities. Probably too much of a long shot to ask if any decent compacts have a RAW mode whilst in full auto? Might sound daft but I like the idea of letting the missus take photo's, then I'll process later. My waffling on about apertures etc is slowly leeching into her head though, so I might get away with just leaving it in aperture priority.
So, choices. S95/G11 are the ones that spring to mind - I'll be buying second hand in all likelihood. Given the slight chance in requirements to the original post should I look at something different?
I'm looking at the same question - which compact - but instead of a friend I'm looking at something for the missus as something a bit more useful than her SGS3. And it goes without saying that I'll be stealing it from time to time when weight is an issue - so people and landscape work will be the main uses. So RAW, decent IQ etc are high priorities. Probably too much of a long shot to ask if any decent compacts have a RAW mode whilst in full auto? Might sound daft but I like the idea of letting the missus take photo's, then I'll process later. My waffling on about apertures etc is slowly leeching into her head though, so I might get away with just leaving it in aperture priority.
So, choices. S95/G11 are the ones that spring to mind - I'll be buying second hand in all likelihood. Given the slight chance in requirements to the original post should I look at something different?
An S95 won't do RAW in Auto but will in Program (P) which should do the trick. I'd imagine most of the competitors are similar.
The other option I'd be tempted by is the Fuji X20 - slightly larger than an S series but that's not an issue if it's going in a handbag rather than a pocket and it's supposed to produce pretty fantastic JPGs straight out of the camera.
The other option I'd be tempted by is the Fuji X20 - slightly larger than an S series but that's not an issue if it's going in a handbag rather than a pocket and it's supposed to produce pretty fantastic JPGs straight out of the camera.
tenohfive said:
So, choices. S95/G11 are the ones that spring to mind - I'll be buying second hand in all likelihood. Given the slight chance in requirements to the original post should I look at something different?
Quite a big size difference. I have S90 and G11. Main difference between S90 an S95 is for Video use.They have slightly different capabilities but the image quality is very much the same.
I use the G11 most. I find the articulated screen and the ability to control the focus point useful. Plus I have a filter adapter for it that uses some existing filters and is rather handy, albeit it adds to the size of the gear somewhat when in use.
However unless I have a distinct expectation of taking some shots the S90 is my permanent carry. It's no lightweight though, for its class.
If what you take can make use of the extra wide-openess of the lens the S95 may the one to go for (but don't expect shallow DoF with ease.) If you are more into landscapes and stuff get the G11 (if the missus is likely to accept the size) and a quality travel tripod, the filter adapter (about £20 for something that is OK) and enjoy what it can do. It's not a "image noise" free camera at higher ISOs but you have to be shooting some tricky light for that to be a problem that recent editors cannot address.
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