Point And Shooting

loi

Hello everyone,
I am currently using the Canon 40D with the 28-135 mm and 70-300 mm lenses, which I carry with me all the time and getting tired of the weight.. :cry
Am kindly requesting opinions for a good point and shoot camera, not to replace the SLR.
I have done hours of research, read reviews, and looked at hundreds of photos to compare, yet am interested in
individual experiences and am still undecided. Searched for a thread here with out luck.
Would be using the point and shoot for low lighting, such as restaurants, personal events, friends and family images.
Although the SLR's are ideal, they are bulky and heavy to carry and to use for non formal / non professional events.
All opinions / ideas are welcomed.
Some suggestions from others include Olympus (apparently the objective is of crystal), Panasonic DMC-XL5 Lumix, or the Lumix DMC FZ 100 super zoom which I like the idea of (yet the reviews stated the limitations of clarity, and high noise at 400 ISO), also the Fujifilm FinePix HS10 (with similar limitations).
Video would also be nice to have. I do not want to spend over five hundred dollars for a point and shoot either..:rolleyes
Thank you very much, :bow have a wonderful weekend,
kind regards,
L.

ps: I took a photojournalism class at a University; the professor has twenty some years of photojournalism experience and to my surprise stated that his i phone with 5 megapixels is good enough for newspaper images. :dunno

racer

I would suggest a 4/3 camera. My opinion, there really is no comparison between the four thirds and a point and shoot, the four thirds is the clear winner! Besides a slightly smaller sensor, the only big difference between a slr and 4/3 is the doing away with the mirror to fit a slr level camera into a small package, so a 4/3 camera is a very capable camera. So I would ditch the Fuji idea, and go with a four thirds or Sigmas version. The difference between the Fuji HS10 and the DMC is a big difference, seeing as the DMC four thirds sensor is over twice the size of the Fuji

Overfocused

A 4/3 system will cost you 3x-5x an actual P&S camera as well

Grainbelt

Don't discount the Canon S90 or S95 as well (true point and shoots).

Then set one on the counter with a stack of hundreds, next to a micro four thirds camera with an equally fast lens, and decide which you prefer.

dlplumer

I've been looking myself. Thapend (Mahesh) shoots the Panasonic GF1 and gets pro quality shots. Check em out on the Landscape Forum and go to his website.

loi

racer wrote: »

I would suggest a 4/3 camera. My opinion, there really is no comparison between the four thirds and a point and shoot, the four thirds is the clear winner! Besides a slightly smaller sensor, the only big difference between a slr and 4/3 is the doing away with the mirror to fit a slr level camera into a small package, so a 4/3 camera is a very capable camera. So I would ditch the Fuji idea, and go with a four thirds or Sigmas version. The difference between the Fuji HS10 and the DMC is a big difference, seeing as the DMC four thirds sensor is over twice the size of the Fuji

Thank you very much, Appreciate it Racer!

loi

Overfocused wrote: »

A 4/3 system will cost you 3x-5x an actual P&S camera as well

Thank you Overfocused!!

loi

Grainbelt wrote: »

Don't discount the Canon S90 or S95 as well (true point and shoots).

Then set one on the counter with a stack of hundreds, next to a micro four thirds camera with an equally fast lens, and decide which you prefer.

Thank you Grainbelt!

loi

richy wrote: »

Very true, good points, but then the question is would a dslr shooter be happy with the quality of shots, the functionality and the speed of a p&s? Maybe, maybe not Would they feel they wasted say $150 on a p&s when a $400 investment or less in a m43 might be better? Just a thought rather than a raw vs jpeg type religious conviction

I think I compared 4/3 to bridge cameras, it probably doesnt hold up as well as the argument against a true p&s but then you are compromising quality to some degree. Lets face it, if 2/3" p&s's delivered 1ds3 quality, who would ever buy a 1ds3 right? Youd have to be nuttier than squirrel poop to drop 8k on a camera when $100 would get you the same, so its just a sliding scale of price vs quality and where you want to fit in the scale for a 2nd camera.

Personally I am just lugging my dslr or rz67 about until the mid sensor no mirror gang come of age. The DP1 had so much promise but ultimately was a sack of hoss muck. A fast wide prime and a 1.6x sensor should have delivered insane results. Ah well, lets hope the m43 crew spur things along and the new EVIL cameras get it really interesting.

At least these days there is more of a choice in the mid range. When I got into digital the 10d was about as cheap as it went for acceptable results and that was something like 2k. Bridge cameras were about $600-$900 and fairly useless the fuji 602 pro for example. Now you can spend between $20 and $45000 and pick anywhere on the scale

Thank you Richy I appreciate it!

loi

dlplumer wrote: »

I've been looking myself. Thapend (Mahesh) shoots the Panasonic GF1 and gets pro quality shots. Check em out on the Landscape Forum and go to his website.

Thank you very much dlplumer!

Thank you everyone!

bike21

I just ordered the Sigma DP-1s, so once it gets here I will let you know what I think. I have the same issue you are having, with not wanting to lug the SLR around all the time. I am an airline pilot for my day job, so taking an SLR along every week isn't really an option as it is simply too much. I am really hoping the DP1 does the trick for me since I will easily be able to have it accessible now.

Good luck on your decision!

loi

bike21 wrote: »

I just ordered the Sigma DP-1s, so once it gets here I will let you know what I think. I have the same issue you are having, with not wanting to lug the SLR around all the time. I am an airline pilot for my day job, so taking an SLR along every week isn't really an option as it is simply too much. I am really hoping the DP1 does the trick for me since I will easily be able to have it accessible now.

Good luck on your decision!

That's really great, you must have some great air images?
Please share any photos with your new Sigma, would enjoy to see,
hope that you like it and thank you for sharing!

3power

The new Nikon P7000 looks very promising. If I was to buy a P&S this year, it would be either the P7000 or the new Canon G12. Both are built solidly, have good focal range and decent lenses, as well as more controls than any other P&S.

loi

3power wrote: »

The new Nikon P7000 looks very promising. If I was to buy a P&S this year, it would be either the P7000 or the new Canon G12. Both are built solidly, have good focal range and decent lenses, as well as more controls than any other P&S.

Thank you 3power I will certainly take a look.

kyeezie

I am a nikon girl, but not when it comes to point and shoots for some reason. My husband and I purchased the canon powershot SD790IS a year or two ago. It is nice to be able to take pictures with a smaller camera sometimes. He uses it more than I do, but I have been impressed with it. It is sturdy and has a pretty good little zoom on it. We have taken it to nascar races, theme parks, kids birthday parties, you name it. The macro on it works well too, we love messing with it. I'll post some pics shortly.

loi

kyeezie wrote: »

I am a nikon girl, but not when it comes to point and shoots for some reason. My husband and I purchased the canon powershot SD790IS a year or two ago. It is nice to be able to take pictures with a smaller camera sometimes. He uses it more than I do, but I have been impressed with it. It is sturdy and has a pretty good little zoom on it. We have taken it to nascar races, theme parks, kids birthday parties, you name it. The macro on it works well too, we love messing with it. I'll post some pics shortly.

Thank you, would like to see the photos.

Eclipsed

I adore my S90 as long as I shoot RAW. I bought mine for when I didn't want to lug my 50D around. I love it and have taken some great shots with it. I think that it is worth it to have a pocket sized camera to go with a DSLR.

I would say that you shouldn't get a P&S that doesn't shoot RAW. The JPG processing destroys the IQ.

3power

kyeezie wrote: »

I am a nikon girl, but not when it comes to point and shoots for some reason.

I actually normally feel the same way about Nikon P&S. But, this one seems much different than their past efforts. Check out some of the higher ISO samples at dpreview and you'll see what I mean. This is their attempt to build a Canon G11/12

rainbow

First, how about just picking up a small prime, like a 50mm f/1.4 or 1.8?

I shoot with a 40D and do know what lugging a DSLR being unwieldy can be like, so I purchased a Panasonic LX-3 (this model has been updated to an LX-5 with a wider zoom range on the long end). Key selling point here is that it has an f/2 Leica lens AND goes to 24mm (equivalent) on the wide end. It stays with me 90% of my waking hours, even when I have my DSLR with me. I use it only for JPegs (did not want to learn how to use their RAW processor) and on their auto setting ("iA") -- note that at 24mm you don't get good bokeh as DOF is so wide. I love being able to whip it out anytime and quickly snapping a shot and having people ignore it cuz it is just a P&S. It is fun to use because it is a P&S -- no hassle photography (especially since I am way behind on PP my DSLR RAW shots...)

kyeezie

I haven't done any research on any since we got ours. At the time, it was the one that felt the best to us. For a point and shoot, for us, that was important. We got this camera as a fun camera to take pictures of trips, and random things. I don't use this camera for technical pictures. For me, it captures our memories without breaking the bank or our backs, carrying around all my gear. If we do go someplace cool where we have never been, we usually take both. I tried to find pictures of different places and such. The hockey picture is at full zoom, not the best in the world, but our seats weren't either!




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chrisjohnson

I like the sound of the G12. I use a G9 as an alternative to my dslr and am well pleased. It should fit in a flight case

bike21

First couple of shots from the DP1s...more soon!

Kennecott Copper Mine - SLC


Early morning departure from Grand Junction