Comments on: Compact Camera It Is, But Which One?

By: shimonkey

shimonkey — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 22:10:56 +0000

Wow, great timing on the topic… I’ve been scoping for a good point and shoot for a year now. I have an old 4MP one that I got great use out of (a canon s410) but I’d like a new one, in the hope that they might be a little faster in the shutter lag department. The one thing that has stopped me is the obsession with packing way too many megapixels. I mean Canon came out with a 10MP dslr and 10MP tiny compact in the same year.

Anyway, thanks for the timely article, I’m watching responses fervently and am off to check on this CHDK stuff. Sounds promising.

By: deltatango

deltatango — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:58:02 +0000

Listing the zoom of the lens as “times X” is worthless for deciding which one to buy. What’s really interesting is the (normalized to 35mm) focal length at the wide end. You don’t need that 500mm zoom anyway, nor can one really use it. What you need is wide angle. As wide as it can be - which isn’t much for most compact cameras anyway. Those 35mm of most compacts is already too less. So go for the one with the widest angle.
That’s my two cents so far.

By: Edwinek

Edwinek — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:15:22 +0000

I’d still recommend the Canon Powershot SD870 (Ixus 860IS). Depending on where you buy, it could fall within your price range.
Another reason for buying a Canon compact is the CHDK unofficial ‘firmware’ update (quotes because it’s not real firmware and the update is non-destructive), which gives you lots of extra options, especially RAW shooting. So you might want to look at http://chdk.wikia.com to check out the features and the compatible cameras.
But also without CHDK, the SD870 is a great camera.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 01:32:50 +0000

One that’s not on your list is the Canon SD750. My wife and I needed a small point and shoot that she could carry in her purse and tried 4 cameras from Costco (those were the ones we picked based on reviews) and didn’t like any of them. The last one we tried in the price range was the SD750 and we absolutely love it. I’ve found I use it more than my D50 sometimes just because it’s easy, compact and takes some darn good looking pictures.

By: jeffy

jeffy — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 06:53:18 +0000

I can’t find a Sony DSC-E90. Is that right?

I’ve got a Panasonic TZ3 and it’s nice but a little bulky for pocketing. I adore the 28mm wide. Looks like the Casio has that too.

The Canon appeals for Shutter and Aperture priority modes which are pretty rare on P&Ss. The AA batteries are nice too.

dpreview.com says the Nikon S550 has 4-1/1500 sec shutter and 2.7-5.8 aperture.

I’d probably go plug all the dimensions in sizeasy.com if it was me to factor in the pocketability. Ah heck, here you go. (Casio, Samsung, Nikon all pretty tiny compared to the relatively bricklike Panasonic and Canon)

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 06:10:59 +0000

I’d place shutter speed above just about any other feature. Most cameras take decent images, but given that the point of this one is to grab those impromptu moments, speed is everything.

By: cliff

cliff — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 05:04:52 +0000

have you checked out the Canon S5 IS? I have the S2 which I love still (been using it for two or three years now). the S5 is the “even better” version of the S2 and it is right at the top of your price range. good luck!

By: frank

frank — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:56:57 +0000

I shoot and love my Nikon D80. However when it comes to P&S I think you would be hard pressed to do better than Canon for the money. I truly believe they are the BEST compacts available for under $500 (I have an a640 which is a great camera). Given that…the DP1 is an amazing camera if you’ve got that kind of cash for a compact. I also think in the more money than they should be category, the Ricoh GR’s and GX100 are very tempting(though a little less so when compared with the DP1).

By: Clayton Jenkins

Clayton Jenkins — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:46:17 +0000

The reviews on the Sigma DP1 have lead me away from it. I was thinking it might make a nice P&S but then I read about the shutter lag. Grrrr. Why do P&S cameras have to take so long before they agree to capture the image?

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/2008/04/sigma-dp1-revie.html

By: Saka

Saka — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:56 +0000

I would definitely recommend the Canon Powershot. One of my main reasons for choosing a Powershot was because it takes AA batteries. I figured that if my rechargeable batteries ran out then I could always resort to buying extra batteries no matter where I was in the world.

My other big reason for going with the Powershot was because of developments with CHDK. Look for the info site online and see what features it can add (the most notable features being RAW support, faster shutter speed, longer shutter times, among others). The A590 isn’t supported yet but at the rate that the various CHDK developers have been working, it shouldn’t be long. Knowing what you can do with CHDK you might want to consider the other Canon compacts as well.