Best all round camera for social situations if budget isn't an issue

[slicksilver]

Its all in the title. I'm a P and S guy and I haven't used a digital SLR yet. I can buy one but I'm not sure if I need one coz the only reason why I want one for parties and social situations. No photography hobbies or anything like that.

What would be the best I can get if money wasn't an issue? What I'm looking for is highest image quality and good to very good low light performace.

Thanks.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[corkyg]

"Best" is a very subjective term, and is generally not equally applicable to all people. It would help to know things about size, resolution, zoom capability, etc. IOW, what is best for me may not be best for you.

Must it be pocketable or can it just be compact?

 

[Heidfirst]

probably something with the widest lens & largest sensor - possibly new Olympus PEN or Sigma DP2?

 

[slicksilver]

Just compact. Im not very picky about the zoom because most social photography situations wouldn't need it much. The higher the resolution the better.

The Olympus PEN has a poor review in low light situations.

 

[corkyg]

OK - take a look at these:

Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR 12MP

Canon SD700 IS

Both have established themselves as good low light performers.

 

[California Roll]

Lumix LX-3.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: rajkanneganti
The Olympus PEN has a poor review in low light situations.

I dunno, my friend said it wasn't as bad as reviews seemed to make it (as they were comparing mostly to DSLRs). But you can always MF =) It'll kick any other compact out of the water in IQ.

But it's costly, and doesn't have built in flash if you need it.. and it's still gunna need a bag.

get an SD880IS.

 

[Heidfirst]

there may be another alternative about to hit - the first 2 Sony compacts with backlit sensors. Supposedly that should be good for at least 1 stop.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: Heidfirst
there may be another alternative about to hit - the first 2 Sony compacts with backlit sensors. Supposedly that should be good for at least 1 stop.

oh yeah, the initial samples on those are pretty impressive at iso800. hopefully no big issues, cause it'd be nice to ramp up the point and shoot race again with something meaningful other than cramming in more pixels for numbers sake.

 

[bludragon]

An SLR would destroy a compact for low light iq, e.g:
xsi + 17-55 f/2.8 + 430 EX II
5DmkII + 24-105 f/4 L + 580 EX II
Adding a bounce flash makes for pro quality pics.

But neither package is so great to carry around at parties... so, panasonic lx-3, or maybe canon G10, but wait for G11 announcement...

 

[imported_Irse]

Nikon D3 with a 14-24 and SB900. But not so compact. lol

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: rajkanneganti
The Olympus PEN has a poor review in low light situations.

I dunno, my friend said it wasn't as bad as reviews seemed to make it (as they were comparing mostly to DSLRs). But you can always MF =) It'll kick any other compact out of the water in IQ.

But it's costly, and doesn't have built in flash if you need it.. and it's still gunna need a bag.

get an SD880IS.

welcome to the world of any DSLR...where people will point at another and talk about 'poor IQ' IMO 4/3rds gets too much of a bad rap at high ISO. Once you use it, its not bad at all. The only thing I'd be annoyed is that you were supposed to get smaller bodies and smaller sensors....and cameras like the K-7 and K-m are just as small but on an APS sized sensor

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: randomlinh

Originally posted by: Heidfirst
there may be another alternative about to hit - the first 2 Sony compacts with backlit sensors. Supposedly that should be good for at least 1 stop.

oh yeah, the initial samples on those are pretty impressive at iso800. hopefully no big issues, cause it'd be nice to ramp up the point and shoot race again with something meaningful other than cramming in more pixels for numbers sake.

I wanna see that on SLRS.

Imagine an D3 with that...another stop FTW

 

[Heidfirst]

apparently the benefits of backlit sensors decline as the sensor gets larger so you get significant benefits on small p&s sensors but on something like a FF sensor very little. we'll just have to wait & see.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

SD990 is pretty nice no? I know the SD880 was a great performer, but the SD990 (while it does bring more resolution), packs a larger sensor (1/1.7"?) as opposed to the 1/2.3 or was it 1/2.5 of the SD880. Basically the SD990 packs a G10 sensor, and some manual control. For a dumb shooter like my mom (no offense), she's seen night and day improvement compared to shooting on her old SD600.

If you want a prosumer grade, I'd get a Canon Powershot G3 or a Panasonic LX-3.

If money is no issue, I don't see why not DSLR, but I actually do recommend people to avoid DSLRs. It's not so much an elitist thing, but if you're doing casual pictures, you do it well with ANY P&S. Just learn to take pictures well. DSLRs aren't going to magically make your images better. Learn with prosumer cameras how to control exposure settings and lots of other things and to deal with RAW images. See if photography is the thing for you. Don't fall into the trap of "omg I need better equipment." Honestly, I hate seeing my friend and his XSi take some pictures and whine about how he needs full frame and "L" lenses. Some of his pictures look disgusting even after post processing. He hasn't even learned basic framing and composition. And to top it off, the images are beyond soft (probably terribly focused). I wanted to slap him in the face and take some shots on my G3 to prove him wrong, but whatever. Even casual shots with my T1i and kit lens yields better results (like not even trying to be artsy). If photography isn't your thing, better equipment won't even save you.

If you really can master that all and want more, then I see no reason why not to go to DSLRs. I'd skip the D3000/XS and jump straight to D5000/T1i/Pentax K20? But why not D90/50D? I personally went for the lightweight, but the Nikon D300 and D700 as well as the Mark 5D II are amazing. Sorry, the D3x and 1DsIII are just beyond me. They're amazing, but I can't see myself holding a machine gun walking around. I still like compactness. I'm not at the point where I need some insane equipment yet.

 

[California Roll]

Do people really take their DSLR's to parties?

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: California Roll
Do people really take their DSLR's to parties?

Frequently!

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: magomago

I wanna see that on SLRS.

Imagine an D3 with that...another stop FTW

probably not. the wiring is a significant portion of the surface of a very small chip. the wiring is a nearly insignificant portion of the surface of a very large chip. the fact that offset micro lenses have to be used on the outer portion of a 35mm sized chip means there is going to be a gap between the microlenses on all portions of the chip, and the wiring can go in that gap. so, no improvement at all on a 35mm sized sensor, and maybe only a tiny bit on an APS/DX sensor.

there is a reason sony is debuting this on pocket cameras and not on SLRs.

Originally posted by: California Roll
Do people really take their DSLR's to parties?

not too long ago i was at a party where two different people were strapped with 5Ds wielding fast primes.

 

[andylawcc]

Canon G10?

 

[slicksilver]

Will a T1i with a 24-105mm IS lens blow the G11 away?

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: rajkanneganti
Will a T1i with a 24-105mm IS lens blow the G11 away?

In terms of low light shooting? Yes. In terms of sunny daytime shooting, generally no.

 

[Kelvrick]

Canon's new S90 (i think it was 90) looks pretty good too. 2.8 on the wide end for parties like the lx3 but you get a better range when outside and you don't need 2.8 quite as much. Just a bit smaller as well.

If only it had a hot-shoe. Shove a 580ex on there and go crazy.

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: magomago

I wanna see that on SLRS.

Imagine an D3 with that...another stop FTW

probably not. the wiring is a significant portion of the surface of a very small chip. the wiring is a nearly insignificant portion of the surface of a very large chip. the fact that offset micro lenses have to be used on the outer portion of a 35mm sized chip means there is going to be a gap between the microlenses on all portions of the chip, and the wiring can go in that gap. so, no improvement at all on a 35mm sized sensor, and maybe only a tiny bit on an APS/DX sensor.

there is a reason sony is debuting this on pocket cameras and not on SLRs.

Ahh I see. I remember reading a snippet of the headline on dpreview about the announcement, but I didn't read the whole article.

Originally posted by: DLeRiumDon't fall into the trap of "omg I need better equipment." Honestly, I hate seeing my friend and his XSi take some pictures and whine about how he needs full frame and "L" lenses. Some of his pictures look disgusting even after post processing. He hasn't even learned basic framing and composition. And to top it off, the images are beyond soft (probably terribly focused). I wanted to slap him in the face and take some shots on my G3 to prove him wrong, but whatever. Even casual shots with my T1i and kit lens yields better results (like not even trying to be artsy). If photography isn't your thing, better equipment won't even save you.

Lol. I love meeting people like that. It is a hoot.

 

[oogabooga]

Originally posted by: California Roll
Do people really take their DSLR's to parties?

Definitely depends on the party/group - but it certainly isn't uncommon.

I like the Xsi cause it's compact, but carrying it around at party's can be cumbersome (as small as it is) versus a SD1000. I would say that I'd probably have a LX3 if I had the money for one - But generally i'll go with my SD1000 if I want a camera in a social situation.