Help us buy a new camera!

April 14, 2007 1:32 AM

[DigitalCameraFilter] The wife and I are in the market for a new digital camera.

We don't need anything fancy. The general requirements of good quality and affordable apply, but we also have some specific requirements.

1.) No DSLR cameras if possible.
2.) Excellent low light capability.
3.) Good optical zoom.
4.) Easy for non-technical wife person to use.

The mother in law recently bought an Olympus SP-510 UZ and we really liked it, but wanted to see if there was something as good or better at a comparative price. Any suggestions would be welcome.

posted by ChazB to technology (19 comments total)

dpreview.com has alway been my one-stop shop.... browse the reviews and pick one.
posted by pjern at 2:16 AM on April 14, 2007

These should come in handy:
1
2

As far as bang-for-buck and performance quality Canon's can't be beat. Many people (i, ii, iii, iv, &c.) are pretty much in love with this guy, the Canon PowerShot SD1000 or Ixus 70.
posted by oxford blue at 3:00 AM on April 14, 2007

Cory Doctorow recently recommended: Lumix FX07 cameras - perfect pocket camera | Boing Boing

I just picked up the Canon PowerShot SD750 (I can't make sense of the naming scheme, but I think it replaces the SD630). The difference (besides a couple bucks) between it and the SD1000 (replaces the SD600) is it has a 3 inch screen and no viewfinder. So far, I'm loving it:

Here is a low light pic.
posted by boost ventilator at 4:14 AM on April 14, 2007

The rule is to buy an expensive lower-megapixel camera, rather than a cheap higher-megapixel model. You'll get better quality images.

Avoid digital zoom.

Watch out for memory cards—some manufacturers tie you into expensive proprietary card formats. Ask how much extra memory cards cost when you're buying.

I recently bought a digital camera for a friend, and was told that Fuji make cameras that are simple to operate. I used a semi-professional Fuji camera at work until recently and was very impressed with its quality.
posted by humblepigeon at 5:47 AM on April 14, 2007

I've been very, very happy with my Panasonic Lumix TZ1. One thing you might do is look at popular cameras on flickr, then check out some of the more interesting photos taken with each one.
posted by sugarfish at 6:03 AM on April 14, 2007

2.) Excellent low light capability.

The best low light capability will come from a dslr. Barring that, look for one with image stabilization of some form.

dpreview has all the info you need. (that olympus looks pretty nice by the way)
posted by caddis at 6:19 AM on April 14, 2007

Ditto on the Lumix TZ1 love. We've had it almost a year & are still impressed with the quality of the photos.
posted by belladonna at 6:22 AM on April 14, 2007

DaShiv is a fan of the FujiFilm F11 low-light performance, he knows what he's talking about. I'm sure the newer FujiFilm model that replaced it is equally good
posted by matteo at 6:39 AM on April 14, 2007

(but if you shoot RAW you gain an extra stop, so you might think about that, too -- RAW capability is pretty sweet, my oooooold Powershot still takes perfectly fine pictures in RAW mode)
posted by matteo at 6:41 AM on April 14, 2007

Fuji has a couple of models with the best non DSLR low-light performance by virtue of having a larger than normal sensor (for an all in one digicam) with fewer megapixels. The f31fd is the latest example. It just has a 3x zoom range though. Fuji has another camera with a similar sensor with bigger zoom range: Fujifilm FinePix S6000fd. It's an earlier release, and I think the noise reduction is a little more obnoxious than the f31fd.

Both are a big step up from pretty much any other all-in-one digicam in terms of raw low light performance.
posted by Good Brain at 8:57 AM on April 14, 2007

DaShiv is a fan of the FujiFilm F11 low-light performance, he knows what he's talking about. I'm sure the newer FujiFilm model that replaced it is equally good

This camera is famous for low-light ability. If low-light ability in a non-SLR is your most important requirement, then you probably want one of those Fujis.

Personally, I have the Canon A620, which has been succeeded by the A630 and A640, of which the A630 is by far the better deal. I love the camera. It's easy to use, especially in auto mode, but has very flexible manual controls, including shutter and aperture priority and full manual modes. It has very good video performance, including a low-res high frame rate mode (60 fps). It has the best macro mode I've ever seen or heard of... minimum focal length is less than half an inch. Batteries and memory are cheap and non-proprietary: SD cards and (NiMH AAs). I love the AA batteries. If they ever stop holding a charge, I'll pick up four more for $7. I'm happy enough that if my A620 died I'd go right out and pick up the almost identical A630.
posted by musicinmybrain at 9:02 AM on April 14, 2007

The f31fd is the latest edition of the Fuji F11.

From the conclusion page:
Unlike so many manufacturers that produce amazing cameras with average sensors, Fuji has an amazing sensor and - to be brutally honest - an average camera. As with the F30 this is a camera that wins a Highly Recommended only if you regularly shoot in low light - if you only ever take pictures in blazing sunshine there are competitors with far more impressive feature lists or lower prices. But you just can't take away from Fuji the fact that - at this moment in time - this unassuming little 6MP camera still sets the benchmark for image quality in the entire compact sector. It's also a surprisingly reliable 'point and shoot' model with excellent color and accurate focus/metering in most circumstances.


* Avoid digital zoom. - what this means is that you should pay attention to the optical zoom range of a camera, and ignore the digital zoom range. Just about every camera has a digital zoom feature, so avoiding it won't do you much good.

* Watch out for memory cards - The only format worth using is SD and SDHC. Compact Flash (CF) is fine too, but fewer and fewer new cameras support that physically larger format. Sony cameras will generally lock you into the memory stick format, which isn't terrible. Fuji's xD format has a reputation for high cost and slow write speeds. If you love the image quality of the F31fd, then you have to use xD.
posted by b1tr0t at 9:05 AM on April 14, 2007

i own the f30 and its amazing. i also have the fuji f6000fd, which is basically the f31 with more manual controls, and a really great 10x zoom lens. however, this camera is in similar territory as a DSLR (cheap like a compact, large like an SLR, image quality somewhere in between, also shoots in RAW mode)

also check out the canon g series
posted by kneelconqueso at 9:38 AM on April 14, 2007

I have an older version of that Olympus model (SP 500 UZ), and I've been very happy with it. The SP 510 UZ looks even better, with the image stabilization (which will help out for low-light photography.) The image stabilization will also help a lot when you're on the very zoomed-in end of the optical zoom. That particular line of Olympus cameras actually offers quite a lot if you become interested in learning more about photography as well. (Full manual controls and a lot of small useful things like the ability to shoot in RAW.) They're very flexible cameras, really.
posted by ubersturm at 9:45 AM on April 14, 2007

1.) No DSLR cameras if possible.
2.) Excellent low light capability.

FYI, these are mutually exclusive. All non-dSLR cameras are pretty awful in low light. Look at the sensor size as an indicator of low light performance -- bigger is better.
posted by knave at 10:29 AM on April 14, 2007

I just bought a Casio EX-Z1050. 10.5mp, 3x optical zoom, SD/SDHC compatible, light, very very fast, etc.

Cost £200. You don't say where you are so it might not be available on your market. It's a great camera, easy to use and very configurable.

There are cameras with much better optical zoom but past the 3x point you'll need to use a tripod or have extremely steady hands.
posted by dcbarker at 11:26 AM on April 14, 2007

The Fuji Finepix F-30 is the only non-SLR camera I would describe as having good low-light. It's what you want, I promise. Read the review on dpreview.com
posted by shanevsevil at 6:44 PM on April 14, 2007

Oh and it's pretty cheap too.
posted by shanevsevil at 6:45 PM on April 14, 2007

Holy crap that's a lot of info. Thanks to everyone.
posted by ChazB at 9:39 PM on April 14, 2007