Help me pick out a camera

[asianflava]

Judging by some of the pics I see on here, there are probably some camera buffs. I'd like to throw something out to get some suggestions.

I want to get a camera that is in between my DSLR, and my PnS. One that excels in low light, which means a fast lens and large sensor are high on the priority list. I also prefer something compact and under $500, high power zoom is nice, but not a must have. Interchangeable lenses are OK, but I prefer not to have them, as some venues don't allow cameras with removable lenses and I'm likely to buy more than I need. The ones I've been looking at are the Canon G15, Olympus XZ-2, Nikon 1, Sony NEX, and Fujifilm X-10. There are a couple others out there, I'm kinda diggin the retro style of the X-10.

The halo camera would be the Sony RX-100, but it's price is much higher than the others and is out of my range.

[eamarquardt]

I've never heard of places not allowing SLRs with removable lenses but I'm not surprised with all the silly security concerns. I've never heard of a camera bomb or camera gun being used.

If your limit is $500 and you really want the Sony here is one for twenty bucks more than your limit. I'd go for it. I find that when I compromise, I sometimes end up with two of what I wanted. The one I bought first, and the one I should have bought.

Check this out:

http://www.bigonfoto.com/item.asp?id=29688

It might be too good to be true but you're pretty safe if you use a charge card.

Good luck.

Gus

[asianflava]

I wonder if that's their "Today's sale" price. I won't get the money till next weekend, I'll check them next week.

[Thawley]

That Sony appears to be in a league of its own for a low light compact. It's got a huge sensor for a camera that size.

I typically recommend the canon S100 to most people over the G11 or whatever number they're up to now. (I'm a college photo instructor and 20-year commercial photog.) The S100 has the same sensor as the G-camera, a faster lens at widest focal length and is the same size as a pack of cigarettes - so it gets USED more. It shoots RAW, so if you really want to pull the most out of low-light shots you can use Lightroom, Photoshop or Aperture for processing. Makes a BIG difference. The S100 belongs in every new parent's purse or diaper bag, IMO. I've got the earlier S90 and it goes with me everywhere.

[eamarquardt]

I wonder if that's their "Today's sale" price. I won't get the money till next weekend, I'll check them next week.

If you're sure you're gonna have the funds and have a charge card if you buy it now, by the time you get your bill you'll have the money in hand. You just gotta be sure or else you'll end up paying their usury interest rates.

Good luck.

Cheers,

Gus

[Thawley]

I haven't updated it in years, but everything on this photo blog http://thawley.posterous.com was taken with a Canon S90 – to give you a feel for real-world use. The S100's low light performance is better still. Canon's currently selling refurbished units for $365.
http://shop.usa.canon.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_10051_310255_-1

[wagondude]

I've never heard of places not allowing SLRs with removable lenses but I'm not surprised with all the silly security concerns. I've never heard of a camera bomb or camera gun being used.

That requirement is a pre-digital/pre-terrorist rule that was most enforced at concerts wherer the artist didn't want concert goers to be able to get high quality shots that could be sold without paying royalties to the artist or band. It is in the fine print on the back of most concert tickets.

[eamarquardt]

I've never heard of places not allowing SLRs with removable lenses but I'm not surprised with all the silly security concerns. I've never heard of a camera bomb or camera gun being used.

That requirement is a pre-digital/pre-terrorist rule that was most enforced at concerts wherer the artist didn't want concert goers to be able to get high quality shots that could be sold without paying royalties to the artist or band. It is in the fine print on the back of most concert tickets.

Thanks for the explanation. I'm now just a bit smarterer.

Cheers,

Gus

[robfisher]

I've never heard of places not allowing SLRs with removable lenses but I'm not surprised with all the silly security concerns. I've never heard of a camera bomb or camera gun being used.

That requirement is a pre-digital/pre-terrorist rule that was most enforced at concerts wherer the artist didn't want concert goers to be able to get high quality shots that could be sold without paying royalties to the artist or band. It is in the fine print on the back of most concert tickets.

Just ran into the rule at the BSU football stadium yesterday in Boise. The cameras were allowed. Just no big lenses.

Rob

[JuneBug]

The ones I've been looking at are the Canon G15, Olympus XZ-2, Nikon 1, Sony NEX, and Fujifilm X-10. There are a couple others out there, I'm kinda diggin the retro style of the X-10. The halo camera would be the Sony RX-100, but it's price is much higher than the others and is out of my range.

I've also in the preliminary stages of searching for a good camera in the same price range, but my one requirement was an optical/digital viewfinder. My last great camera was an Olympus OM 1, and you could compose nicely and focus clearly. There was a very long hiatus on the camera scene for me and when we got a point and shoot for Christmas from one of the kids, I found that the large screen on the back was useless for me.
A viewfinder may or may not be important to you. These types of preferences may be generational/age related. My vision at this point in my life just does not work with the large screen on the back of both P/S cameras I've had. Also, the delay between when the shutter is pressed and the picture is taken meant I had took a lot of pictures of my husband's rear tire at mtn bike races. No, my husband is not that fast on the bike; the camera was really sloooooow!

The camera that popped up for me was the Fufi X 10. Great reviews. Now time to head to the camera store and see what it weighs and if the viewfinder is indeed the answer. I want to take the camera mountain biking, so it needs to be reasonably light weight and sturdy.

What kind of uses do you have in mind for your camera?

[asianflava]

Mostly interior shots, either general use indoors, or concert/sports venues and night time photos. The viewfinder, take it or leave it for me. The beef I've had with them is that they aren't always accurate. When you compose a shot in the viewfinder, the actual photo isn't exactly the same. Sure you can crop it out in post, but I don't really want to go to the trouble. By the time I get to a computer to do it, I have already forgotten what I was going for.

It's really going to be difficult to decide without actually putting them in my hands and playing with them. Played with the Sony NEX yesterday, (the display Nikon 1 was broken) it felt good, and had good features, and had a touch screen on the back. That feature felt useless to me, scrolling thru the modes was a pain to do thru the touch screen, luckily the multi-function dial allowed you to change modes also. I may go to an actual camera store to check out the others.

[PubUltraStar]

I am partial to Canon cameras, and have a Canon 5D Mark II, 7D, G11, and SD900 point and shoot. I also shoot with a Sony NEX-5 for Kite Aerial Photography as well as Pole Aerial Photography. I also have multiple GoPro cameras. So, I have experience with cameras at multiple levels. If you're looking for something not as bulky, but gets similar image quality to a dSLR, then I would suggest an interchangable lens camera like the NEX models from sony. The APS-C sensors will get you the low level performance that you desire in a smaller body. However, lenses are still expensive. Since I use my Sony for aerial photography, I almost always have the 20mm pancake lens on there to get as wide as possible.

Since you brought up the G15, I would like to point out how nifty certain canon point and shoot cameras are because of CHDK. CHDK, http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK, is an alternative, non-obtrusive firmware you can run for many canon cameras to add functionality such as scripts, motion detection, intervelometers, etc. I use it in Kite aerial photography, time lapse sequences, and sometime lightning detection. If you want something portable, the G series canons are a bit more bulky than a normal point and shoot, but have the retractable lens to help keep it portable. The ability to create time lapse sequences with your canon would be cool when going on road trips with your tear.

Others have recommended the S100 as an alternative to the G series. Same sensor, smaller compact size without some of the manual controls. The S100 has GPS built in while the S110 has Wi-Fi built in, but are pretty much the same. I know of a lot of other photographers who carry a S90, S95, or S100 as their pocket camera becuase the quality is very good. Amazon just dropped the price of the S100 to $249: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-S100-Wide-Angle-Stabilized/dp/B005MTME3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355890971&sr=8-1&keywords=S100

If you have any questions about my experience with either the Canon G series, Sony NEX series, or photography in general, let me know. Here are my credentials: http://www.m2-photo.com/Epic/2012-Art-Fair-Gallery/23624404_NG5mn4#!i=1410143545&k=fZsDXM5

[GPW]

I second the viewfinder idea .... We do a lot of “proof of concept” outdoor photos/videos , and seeing /tracking anything with the small screen is nearly impossible ... in sunlight , forget it ... viewfinder works so much better for our application ...

[jstrubberg]

I'm a real duffer when it comes to photography. Nevertheless, I bought a new portable early this year before we took an Alaskan cruise.

I'm completely sold on this little Samsung! It's a WB150F, set me back $150 and takes FANTASTIC shots! As good in most circumstances as my daughters $1500 DSLR. It's quick, small enough to keep on hand at all times and still lets you make adjustments for odd lighting situations. The only time it doesn't equal the DSLR is in very low light situations (think dark of night here, not sunset). The shutter speed gets a bit slow then and you need some way to stabilize the camera to get good pictures.

A good quality 8gig SD card and I have 1400 or so shots on the highest quality setting. I shoot pictures now just because I MIGHT want them.

[Thawley]

Others have recommended the S100 as an alternative to the G series. Same sensor, smaller compact size without some of the manual controls. The S100 has GPS built in while the S110 has Wi-Fi built in, but are pretty much the same. I know of a lot of other photographers who carry a S90, S95, or S100 as their pocket camera becuase the quality is very good. Amazon just dropped the price of the S100 to $249: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-S100-Wide-Angle-Stabilized/dp/B005MTME3U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355890971&sr=8-1&keywords=S100

Great camera, fantastic price.