Looking for an easy to use, small point & shoot digital camera. Currently considering the Panasonic DMC FX01, the Canon Powershot SD 700 IS and possibly a Sony (I forgot the model number). When looking at all three at Best Buy, we like the look and feel of the Panasonic the best, plus it had the largest screen on the back of the three. Anyone have any advice/suggestions or experience with these or a current model on the market they reccomend? Thanks!

 

SD700is > *

 

I bought a Canon SD630 two days ago. I could not get a clear picture 85% of the time, and I am not a complete novice. Whether in manual mode setting the exposure and ISO's myself or in auto, I had a hell of time getting good images. I had either blurry images or a LOT of noise. I returned it today and bought a Panasonic DMC FX8 instead. So far it seems pretty good. The images are not as clear as my Sony DSC F717, but thats to be expected (comparing a prosumer to a sub-compact here). It has a nice feel though, is very small with decent picture quality. I will say that the video mode is the best I have seen from any digital camera. It takes them in .mov format though, and video is not the reason I or most people would buy it, but it's a nice plus. I'll give it a few days and see how everyting goes with it.

 

I'd check out Nikon as well, I just bought a Coolpix P2 in January and it works great! The screen is definitely bigger than most others its size as well. It's at least worth looking at.

 

surprised to hear that.

 

I was surprised too. Here are a couple examples, both were taken in full auto mode. The manual mode pics I dabbled with were either no better or it was negligable:

This is a picture I took of my dog while visiting my parents (sorry for their pre-war kitchen):



This was a picture I took of an equipment rack I put together. At first I thought it was clear, but the picture completely lacks depth. At full res it also has a lot of noise, just not on the same level as the picture I took of my dog:



Like I said, 85% of my pictures ended up like the one I took of my dog there. I am guessing it was a defective camera, but I always wanted to try out the Panasonics after being impressed with their FZ line. Plus I saved a hundred bucks to boot.

 

My Casio Ex-750 was stolen (grr), so I'm in the hunt for another pocket camera.
I'm actually still leaning towards another one (or perhaps the EX-850).
I really liked the compressed movies, and the microphone on it is absolutely fantastic.

Being a secondary camera, the video features are somewhat more useful to me than the photographs since I have my main camera for that. I'd kill for a camera with compressed movies (divx anyone?) and a stabilized lens.

 

Yeah, the reason I am in the market for a new camera, is because my Canon powershot s50 was stolen, also. I'm trying to read as many reviews as possible, the fx01 seems to get high marks, except for indoor shots, there are some mixed reviews. The Canon 700IS gets mostly good marks, but is higher priced, 8.8 user rating on Cnet versus 8.7 for the Panasonic. I need to check out Sony in more depth. I don't want or need all the extra stuff. I just want a simple to use camera that takes amazing indoor & outdoor pics. The wide angle of the Panasonic is a plus.

 

wide angle is nice.

that's a lot of noise on the first pic - I will assume you have some basic understanding of your camera and set it to the best JPG compression quality (meaning lowest compression) - I think its called FINE. That makes a big difference. Tell me the resolution (e.g. 1600x1200) and filesize of the pictures you were taking? Like for instance, the original of the dog? Apology if you know this but I have to ask. The SD630 is supposed to be a really good camera. First pic does appear to be a lower-light scenario too, though.

 

I just bought the SD700 and got it here for 367. I'm awaiting its arrival and can't wait!
http://www.pcrush.com/prodspec.asp?i...54&bsrc=atomz3

 

Good price, but Amazon has had it for $354 for the past week with free shipping:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EN0K94

I put my SD550 on sale (with 1GB Ultra II SD) for $250 on CraigsList. If someone buys it locally I'm getting the 700IS as soon as I get the cash. Although the 550 kicks major ass, I'm not a fan of indoor flash use on social ocasions, and the 700 with the IS will likely whoop the 550's ass in this department.

 

I don't see the issue here. In the first shot, you're shooting in what can be deemed a relatively low light situation, so the camera bumped ISO to compensate. It doesn't appear that the flash fired, so I'm not sure what you expect. The pic looks OK. If the noise bothers you, run it through an noise reducing program (Neat Image is free and works well).

The second shot looks fine to me as well. Lack of depth? I'm not seeing it. You're shooting at some sort of panel in a poorly lit basement with the onboard flash. What sort of IQ are you looking for in this situation? IMO, shooting in auto is the least attractive option on a camera with the manual, Tv and Av capabilies the Canon has.

 

First shot is in a well lit area, plenty of light. Never had a problem with taking pictures in that room before with my Sony. The flash DID go off in that picture too. My friend mentioned when I took a picture with that camera that it looked like the flash was very dim. I am not sure how you could think that picture is of decent quality. The amount of noise I received with 85% of the pictures WITH the flash firing was unacceptable. I feel it was a defective camera. If I thought it was me, I would come right out and say it. Manual pictures in which I set the ISO myself barely improved the image quality.
The second picture is clearer with less noise, but like I said, it lacks any depth. It is in a basement, with adequate lighting though. To me it appears flat. Maybe I shouldn't compare it to my Sony, but even comparing it to my friends SD400, it just didn't cut it for me. The SD400 delivers much better quality.

 

if the flash DID go off in that dog pic... yeah there is something wrong. either the camera, or a setting, or something. and the 2nd pic... what do you want it to be, in 3D??? maybe try some of those red and blue paper glasses, lol.

 

I see a lot more detail in similar pictures with my Sony than I did in that pic. I am glad you guys like it though.

The flash went off in th dog pic, but it was very dim. Next picture, the flash went off bright, and I had a large shadow behind her. Like I said, I think it was a defective camera and the poor pictures were not necessarily indicative of that model. I know for a fact that Canon makes a good camera, and I have used the SD400 with success. At least I did save $100 by going with this panasonic, and it is also a very nice little camera. So for now I am happy and that is what matters.

 

I literally just picked up a Canon SD600. Haven't even opened it yet. Soopa kind of gave me some pointers...

At the end of the day, it came down to the SD600, SD630 and IS700. I'm such a photography novice that I didn't see the justification of the image stabalization for an extra $100. And the 630 doesn't have a viewfinder, so... I went with the SD600.

Camera, 2gig SD card and extra battery from a local circuit city. Including a $30 rebate and tax, it came out to just under $350. Yes, I did some bargaining.

 

^^^SD600 is a great little camera...i just bought mine a little over a month ago...so far i'm liking it...

 

Let's see some pics from the Sony.

 

Why, cause you don't believe me? I am getting somewhat tired of having to justify my findings. The camera was faulty. It is what it is, and I returned it so it's done with. However, tomorrow maybe I'll post some. I keep them on my external drive which is not connected now.

 

No, because this is a photography forum, and right now this particular forum is more active than it's been since I joined. It'd be nice to keep it going.

BTW, I'm more than aware of the average pixel peepers predilection for over-analysing cameras, gear and image quality. However, if you had issues with your Canon, I'm glad you were able to get them resolved. There are certainly problems with cameras from time to time, and you made it clear that you are not one of the dreaded "measurebators."

So, let's see some photos!

 

For starters, I am sorry if I was a bit brash in my last post. I was right in the middle of programming a Harmony remote for a client and their site was giving me a lot of errors so I was in a horrible mood. I'll post some pictures in a bit. I don't have any of the same setting unfortunately though. I MIGHT get a chance this weekend to take the same picture with the sony. Either way, it is pretty much irrelevant, because as I said, about 85% of my pictures were coming out with a TON of noise, even with the flash going off. As I said my friend did notice when I took a picture that the flash was very dull. I certainly wouldn't mind trying another Canon, even another Elph as I do really like them. I am very happy with the Panasonic I got however, so in the end it all works out.