Digital Camera for Vacation

[marsbound2024]

I need a good digital camera for my upcoming vacation to British Columbia and Alberta. Something not too bulky, but with good low-light performance, semi-decent zoom and overall good ISO quality minimizing chromatic abberation and retaining sharp image quality. Good battery life is a must. Larger sensor sizes are preferable to smaller sensors. HD video recording would be nice. Considered Canon G11 but it might be a bit too bulky or S90 but the battery life isn't the greatest from what I read. Preferred budget is $500 USD or less, but flexible if necessary. Any suggestions?

 

[marsbound2024]

Ideas or should I be more specific or less picky? Just needing a quality camera for traveling purposes, basically.

 

[Munky]

The g11 and s90 are only marginally better than typical point and shoot cameras, and neither is even remotely comparable to a DSLR in terms of low light image quality. If you absolutely must have something compact, go with the s90, it's cheaper and also has a "faster" lens at the wide angle. Otherwise consider an entry-level DSLR, like a Nikon d5000, or something from the micro 4/3 system, like the Olympus e-pl1, which is just slightly over $500 with a 14-42mm lens.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

Less picky, I think. G11/S90 are about the best you're going to get without going to an SLR (Nikon D3000 for $450 or Canon Rebel XS for $500) or an EVIL (almost within your budget). Amazon has the Olympus PEN E-PL1 for $525 including the 14-42 kit lens. The 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens is an extra $275, and it makes for a very slim combo, although the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7 is about the same size and a big step up in quality and low-light usage for $400.

Of course, if you are willing to buy used gear, you can step up quite a bit in versatility on the SLR side while staying within budget (a used Rebel XT, 18-55 kit lens, 75-300 telephoto zoom, and 50mm f/1.8 prime should come in around $500). The EVIL cameras haven't really been around long enough for a good secondary market to shape up.

 

[marsbound2024]

Thanks for the superb responses guys. I will take these into consideration when I make the buying decision.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I really think the G11 is a good buy. I recommend you rethink that if you're not looking at an SLR. I tried very hard to get one but they were OOS thru Canon's loyalty program. I have a G3, but the G11 is definitely more compact, and I love the G-series.

 

[Kaido]

I have a Canon SX200:

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=18329

It's fairly compact - enough for a large pocket or a small camera bag - and has a 12x optical zoom, along with 12 megapixels and 720p video. I take this thing everywhere, along with a Gorillapod mini flexible tripod. I like the superzoom and the fact that it's optical, not digital.

 

[marsbound2024]

I have the Canon SX100IS purchased a couple years ago, but the reviews don't seem to indicate that it is that stellar of a camera (purple fringing, high noise at ISO 800+, etc). I was just wondering if it would actually be worth it to upgrade or not. I planned on purchasing a DSLR but didn't want to purchase both a new point and shoot AND a DSLR. If I didn't get a DSLR, I would settle for a mid-sized camera like the G11 or another G series (G9 comes to mind).

I looked at the Canon SX200, but Imaging-Resource.com listed these cons (not terrible though and still recommended by them):

* Flash pops up when camera is on
* Somewhat soft at closest macro setting
* Moderately high chromatic aberration at wide angle; not a big factor in printed images
* Softer corners at telephoto
* Lens doesn't go as wide as some competitors
* EV setting doesn't re-zero after shutdown
* Difficulty focusing in low light
* Noise suppression softens some detail
* Flash not very strong
* Sluggish shutdown and cycle times
* No optical zoom in movies (digital zoom only)

 

[slashbinslashbash]

If you're looking for good lenses (no chromatic aberration, purple fringing, soft corners, etc.) then I doubt you're ever going to find one in a P&S (unless it is a non-zoom P&S like the Sigma DP-2). Even most DSLR lenses have these problems to some extent.

And *no* P&S (again, except for a DSLR-sensor P&S like the Sigma mentioned above) is going to have low noise at ISO 800. Or a very powerful flash (battery life and size constraints). Or good low-light focusing ability.

In other words, you can't get a DSLR in a P&S body. Might these things get better with time? Sure, improvements are constant. But in 2010, you can't "have it all" in a cheap, compact body. There's just too many compromises to be made. Maybe you should try for a DSLR + P&S combo solution? I love my DSLR's (see sig) but I also have a Canon SD780IS to carry around. It's smaller than my RAZR, takes 720p movies and has perfectly acceptable image quality when used correctly and within its limitations.

 

[alkemyst]

IMHO on a vacation <> critical shots for most people. They are just taking snapshots for memory and looking to stay in the action of the vacation, rather than properly frame a shot / etc.

Get something that you won't worry about damaging and that's pocketable.

That SD780IS is a decent camera for this job.

My brother went through photography school (whatever it's called). He's a kayaker/mountain biker. He has major dSLR crap but was never bringing it because of bulk and loss potential. He switched to a G series which he always seemed to have with him on trips, but he realized he was missing a decent camera to carry around everywhere...he then picked up an Elph.

I wish my A650IS wasn't stolen, it was a great semi-pocketable camera.

 

[ASTOCADDIDS]

Im not a professional photografer but I love to make pictures. The picturequality of a SLR Camera in compareson to a normal digital camera is incredible.I want to buy one but Im not really sure which one I should choose as a beginner.I would like to have a camera with high megapixels and a big memorycard. But for beginning its better to have one with not to many functionalities.....Can anybody suggest me a good one for my needs???

 

[ElFenix]

the only pro photog i reguarly hang out with typically carries a canon SD something (the better one, 850 or successor i think) or an iphone. more portable than her mark II and her dv cams.

 

[marsbound2024]

Im not a professional photografer but I love to make pictures. The picturequality of a SLR Camera in compareson to a normal digital camera is incredible.I want to buy one but Im not really sure which one I should choose as a beginner.I would like to have a camera with high megapixels and a big memorycard. But for beginning its better to have one with not to many functionalities.....Can anybody suggest me a good one for my needs???

Hallo Astocaddids, wie geht es dir? In my opinion, the whole concept of "megapixels" has been rendered almost moot in the past couple of years as resolution on digital cameras has more than met the criteria for most amateur photographers. Important attributes to consider now are sensor size (like micro four-thirds or ASPC, et cetera), lens quality (minimize chromatic abberation, barrel distortion, et cetera), ISO range and quality (for instance, ISO 1600, ISO 3200, ISO 6400; minimize artifacts and softness to retain image detail and sharpness), performance (fast startup times, flash recycling, zoom smoothness, continuous shooting FPS), and then features like if you want high definition video capture, stereo audio, image stitching, LCD size and resolution, battery life, media supported (SD/SDHC/MMC) and maximum card capacity supported.

I think if image quality is your first and foremost necessity, then you need to consider sensor size, lens quality, and ISO range/quality. Others may disagree or put in their two cents on this one.

 

[shortylickens]

Panasonic LX3.
Nothing comes close.