sjaszczak
A Real Gentleman
Reged: 08/06/2005
Posts: 1122
Loc: York
|
|
Don't get me started on what I perceive to be the poor state of the digital compact market...I could be here for a good while moaning about the shameless marketting of useless gimmicks and the pointless and never-ending megapixel race, design of course to squeeze every last penny out of the consumer without much thought to picture qualtiy...ok...that's enough of that!
To the point... I haven't bought a digital compact for several years, the last being a 5MP Ixus. Am in the process of planning a trip to New York early next year and am thinking I don't really want to take my 40D out there. So I'm looking at some options for a suitable compact.
What's good these days?
RAW - Nice but not essential.
10MP - About that I reckon
Decent wide end is more important to me than extreme length.
Noise control - Needs to be good up to ISO400. Passable at ISO800.
Manual controls - Tend to shoot on Av with my DSLR, so a camera that can give some control over DoF would be nice.
Metering - Clever and consistent out the box would be nice.
Budget around £250....
What do ya reckon?
--------------------
Steve
My Flickr
|
IvorETower
Little Buttercup
Reged: 15/11/2006
Posts: 1759
Loc: Camberley, Surrey
|
|
Powershot G10 if you need the wide angle as bad as you say, otherwise the G9
--------------------
Too many cameras, too many lenses.......
|
sjaszczak
A Real Gentleman
Reged: 08/06/2005
Posts: 1122
Loc: York
|
|
Quote:
Powershot G10 if you need the wide angle as bad as you say, otherwise the G9
Not sure I'd be able to afford the G10...plus I worry about how noisy it will be.
Decent wide performace (as in terms of distortion) is possibly more important than going ultra-wide.
--------------------
Steve
My Flickr
|
Benchista
Wich Tyler
Reged: 11/08/2000
Posts: 37849
Loc: Everywhere and nowhere, baby
|
|
Why not take the DSLR? 
I'll be interested to see what the SX1is and SX10is can do - they're 10MP, have an enormous zoom starting at 28mm equivalent with IS, and the 1 has HD video too. These seem to have largely been ignored at Photokina, but (and it's a big but) if they can deliver decent enough results...
--------------------
Nick
www.nbrphoto.com
Light and Shade II - the new blog
|
sjaszczak
A Real Gentleman
Reged: 08/06/2005
Posts: 1122
Loc: York
|
|
Quote:
Why not take the DSLR?
I'll be interested to see what the SX1is and SX10is can do - they're 10MP, have an enormous zoom starting at 28mm equivalent with IS, and the 1 has HD video too. These seem to have largely been ignored at Photokina, but (and it's a big but) if they can deliver decent enough results...
As for not wanting to take the DSLR, it's largely down to wanting to travel light and not really wanting to be thinking about changing lenses and whatnot while there. I'm not really going with photography in mind and am really just looking forward to seeing the sights (with my own eyes) and not getting to caught up in photography while there. I think I would be able to get what I want out of the trip with spending money and a decent compact really.
I too will be interested by those two Canon models. Wonder how much they will cost?
--------------------
Steve
My Flickr
|
john_g
Pooh-bah Hoo-ha
Reged: 09/05/2007
Posts: 2536
Loc: Surrey
|
|
My limited experience of compacts is that hoping for decent control over depth of field is a bit of a pipe-dream. The aperture range will probably only be from wide open to F8 or so and, given the small sensor size, you'll have problems throwing any background out of focus. I'm sure others will disagree, but my feeling is that aperture control is useless. Shutter priority is limited given the small aperture range available. On top of this, you really want to use the lowest possible ISO setting, so what are you left with? Just point and shoot I reckon.
--------------------
John
Who could suppose that angels move the stars, or be so superstitious as to suppose that because one cannot see one's soul at the end of a microscope, it does not exist?
R.D.Laing The Politics Of Experience
http://www.flickr.com/photos/john_gass
|
alanS
Dr Dust
Reged: 30/09/2005
Posts: 3650
Loc: Up North, England.
|
|
I have used my LX2 in AP and you can limit the DOF to a degree by selecting the widest possible aperture and getting close, but it's true that you can't get the limited DOF you can get with a DSLR. You can also dial in some exposure compensation pretty easily. Most of the time I leave my LX2 in P rather than AP but with a little exposure compensation sometimes.
--------------------
Alan's defence lawyer claimed that "Booze played no part in his typo's."
|
sjaszczak
A Real Gentleman
Reged: 08/06/2005
Posts: 1122
Loc: York
|
|
This is pretty much what I was expecting to hear. I guess it's "G-series if you want to give it a go but don't expect too much"?
--------------------
Steve
My Flickr
|
dangie
Puff Pastry Connoisseur
Reged: 04/08/2006
Posts: 437
Loc: Mayrhofen Austria (I Wish..)
|
|
I'd consider a bridge camera such as the Panasonic FZ28.
--------------------
My Brain's five feet eight inches from the ground
But my mind's still in the gutter....
Dangies Flickr
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
