Pocket camera for SLR user?

[sethlazar]

Hi everyone,

I'm considering buying a pocket camera; I've got a full slr kit but obviously don't always have it with me when the right moment arises. I'd like something to have when I'm not thinking of taking pictures and I get surprised by something. My main aims are aperture and shutter priority modes, minimal noise, and minimal in-camera processing. I'd also like a wide angle, 28mm equivalent. Don't really mind about the long end. I've looked around but nothing seems to fit, does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks!

Seth

[heez10]

Check out the Canon Powershots, from the A540 on.

[jdepould]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Ricoh/ricoh_gx100.asp

This one looks interesting, although I don't know where it would be available.

[alrmj]

Hi there,

Forget the canons and the Ricoh, they are sooooo heavy. Having tried them, my preference is the Samsung NV10 or NV7, which comes with optical stabilisation at half the weight of the competitors in a full metal body which is amazingly built.

Or try the really good optics on the Panasonic Leica lensed compacts again with optical stabilisation.......

http://www.pbase.com/alrmj

[jdepould]

Only problem with the panasonic lumix line is noise. Those Samsungs don't have much in the way of wide angle either.

[supersignet]

The samsung cameras do look nice, but as cameras they don't work so well. Really bad noise issues and poor wide angle lens perfomance.

Look at some fujis....

[jestev]

I just won a Canon PowerShot SD850IS at a competition at the Dallas Zoo (it was the Grand Prize) and I think it works pretty well... of course nowhere near as good as my SLRs, but still does what it's built to do well.

[sethlazar]

thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'm wondering whether the constraint of manual controls is worthwhile--after all, i'm right in thinking that compact cameras with small sensors can't do shallow DOF am I not? and scene modes might enable rough control of shutter speed.

I've a new constraint as well: don't want to spend too much money. Seems silly for me to spend £350 on a Ricoh GX100 (though it looks very nice indeed), when that could get me a smart new tele lens for my slr. Something around or below £200 would be easier to justify.

Any thoughts on the dual lens wide kodak, v705? or the fuji f31, or the powershot s80?

Thanks again!

[ride_the_spiral]

I'd probably go for the new Canon A720is if anything..

6x optical zoom, opt. image stabilisation, 2.5 inch LCD and a viewfinder.. with a manual slr-like wheel. It's pretty cheap at $350 odd Australian dollars.. which works out around 150 odd pounds.

You're right in thinking the DOF will be a lot shallower.. 6 times shallower at the same aperture that you'd get on a 35mm SLR..

[jdepould]

You're right in thinking the DOF will be a lot shallower.. 6 times shallower at the same aperture that you'd get on a 35mm SLR..

I think you're backwards.

[ride_the_spiral]

You're right in thinking the DOF will be a lot shallower.. 6 times shallower at the same aperture that you'd get on a 35mm SLR..

I think you're backwards.

oops 6 times more depth.

[andrys]

I'd probably go for the new Canon A720is if anything..

6x optical zoom, opt. image stabilisation, 2.5 inch LCD and a viewfinder.. with a manual slr-like wheel. It's pretty cheap at $350 odd Australian dollars.. which works out around 150 odd pounds.

You're right in thinking the DOF will be a lot shallower.. 6 times shallower at the same aperture that you'd get on a 35mm SLR..

But with the 6x zoom, you can use that to get shall depth of field,
relatively speaking... I like that you can get great DOF close up but the
zoom will get you the opposite. Just took one recently with the A710is,
which is the model just before the new A720is you recommend.

http://www.pbase.com/andrys/image/87487888

I'll add that I made a gallery for a710 shots with links to updates.
Reviews indicate the A720 has new in-camera processing but that
otherwise the performance is almost the same, except that at iso400
it may be better. Flash waits between shots are just as slow due to
its use of only two AAA battery types.

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras ... 71270.html
or, http://tinyurl.com/2rpw65

[sethlazar]

Hiya,

thanks for all the suggestions. I've followed them up and eventually decided that size and versatility were my real priorities: IQ just seems pretty poor on all small sensor cameras, manual controls come at too much of a premium when there's so little you can achieve with them. I've gone for the V705: point and shoot, but with a 24mm wideangle. Decent IQ, comparatively little processing in-camera so hopefully respond okay to post-processing. Very small. And £140 from Amazon (refurb, damaged box). I'm also quite keen on the in camera stitcher; if it works, it could save me a lot of time on photoshop (i can't believe it can stitch shots at 24mm; that would be impressive). It's even got distortion correction built in, obviously tuned to the specific lens.

Man it's going to be nice to be able to take a camera with me everywhere now!

Thanks again for the help

Seth