Good Quality Advanced Point and Shoot.

[TheDrake]

I was wanting to get into the SLR game due to the fact that I love how quickly you can snap photos and of course the quality are the two main reasons. I owned a Pentax K100D with kit lens at one time and loved every second of it, but when doing more research on the SLR game I realized it was too expensive for my taste. I currently have a Sony T200 P&S that I can just stick in my pocket when applicable, but I want something that I can take good quality photos in low light so I am looking for more of an Advance P&S rather than an SLR.

Am I asking too much in finding an Advanced P&S thats close to the speed of a SLR? What do you all suggest? I have heard lots on the sony H9 I think it was, but just wanted to hear what you all would suggest before I do anymore digging. Any brand is fine, I am not a sony fanboy or anything, only reason I have the T200 is because I really love the touch screen.

I mainly take pictures of animals, family events, items selling on ebay, holiday photos, etc.. When I travel I do love scenery shots at parks and whatnot as well, but that has been few and far between since I have taken on fulltime school and fulltime work. Again, any suggestions to get me pointed in the right direction would be great, I want to test trial some at a local shop here pretty soon to see if I would be satisfied with one over a SLR.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: TheDrake
I want something that I can take good quality photos in low light so I am looking for more of an Advance P&S rather than an SLR.

even the best p&s will look like sludge in low light compared to an SLR. generally slow lenses (though the advanced models often come with lenses that are faster than SLR kit lenses) combined with a 3 or 4 stop disadvantage in noise will do that. about the best compact for noise ever was the fuji f20/f30/f31 series, but it's been discontinued. it's replacement has a noisier sensor. however, it does pull in more detail, so it may be possible to resize, apply NR, and come away with a better picture (and i think more sites should test that way). then again, a 10 MP SLR could do even better than the new fuji.

Am I asking too much in finding an Advanced P&S thats close to the speed of a SLR? What do you all suggest? I have heard lots on the sony H9 I think it was, but just wanted to hear what you all would suggest before I do anymore digging. Any brand is fine, I am not a sony fanboy or anything, only reason I have the T200 is because I really love the touch screen.

H9 certainly has low lag assuming you prefocus. it has a small sensor so it isn't going to be any better in low light than any other compact camera with a similar lens.

I mainly take pictures of animals, family events, items selling on ebay, holiday photos, etc.. When I travel I do love scenery shots at parks and whatnot as well, but that has been few and far between since I have taken on fulltime school and fulltime work. Again, any suggestions to get me pointed in the right direction would be great, I want to test trial some at a local shop here pretty soon to see if I would be satisfied with one over a SLR.

you might want to look at the canon G9, fuji f50, canon A650, and any other camera with a 1/1.8" sensor or larger.

 

[TheDrake]

Yeah, thats what I was afraid of.... I may just have to invest in a budget SLR with a good walking around lens to satisfy my needs... I would look at the G9 but the zoom on it is only 6x and I would prefer 10x or higher as my T200 has 5x and thats not enough for me.

 

[corkyg]

Take a good look at the Canon S5 IS. It's a P&S whith electronic TTL viewfinder that mnakes it work very similar to a DSLR.

 

[TheDrake]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Take a good look at the Canon S5 IS. It's a P&S whith electronic TTL viewfinder that mnakes it work very similar to a DSLR.

the thing I Hate about the S5 IS is that its 8MP and a 1/2.5" sensor...

 

[soydios]

The Fuji F50 does not have the class-leading high-ISO noise performance that the F30/F31 did.

What you're looking for is a D40/D60 with an 18-200mm VR. That's a lot bigger, heavier, and more expensive than a P&S.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: soydios
The Fuji F50 does not have the class-leading high-ISO noise performance that the F30/F31 did.

The F50 has more noise than the F31, but it still has class-leading performance (since the F31 isn't on the market anymore). The upcoming Sigma DP1 has lower noise, but it's also estimated to be $1000.

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: soydios
The Fuji F50 does not have the class-leading high-ISO noise performance that the F30/F31 did.

The F50 has more noise than the F31, but it still has class-leading performance (since the F31 isn't on the market anymore). The upcoming Sigma DP1 has lower noise, but it's also estimated to be $1000.

Nevermind, just checked dpreview. You're right.

 

[touchmyichi]

F31 or F30 is your only choice for good low light P&S photography

 

[soydios]

Originally posted by: touchmyichi
F31 or F30 is your only choice for good low light P&S photography

/sigh
I wish that some manufacturer would buck the trend of the megapixel race. Hopefully Fujifilm will, as their sensors and lenses are some of the best. Problem with the F50 is, there's only so much you can do noise-wise with 12 million pixels (48 million photosites) in a 1/1.6" sized sensor.

 

[JPS35]

I got my wife the Canon G9 for Christmas after MANY MANY MANY hours of research, searching, pricing, comparing, etc. It is a FANTASTIC camera and couldn't be happier with it. It is almost like having the Rebel XTi with all the given features, modes, settings, etc., which we may step up to down the road. A great camera!

 

[TheDrake]

Hmmm, I may try it out, but I really dont like the fact that the zoom is only 6x. Its really too bad that they ahve the 15% restocking fee on digital cameras. Cant even test drive it in everyday use from BB or CC.

I was thinking about the Nikon D40 too, but is this a good time to even think about a SLR? I mean I am assuming prices will drop as soon as all the new models for 2008 are released.

 

[TheDrake]

I just seen in the Hot Deals section the BB Ad scans for this coming week and they have the nikon D40 with 55-200mm lens for $649. Its kind of tempting as I have a 10% coupon that does not exclude DSLR's. What do you all think? or should I wait til the D60 is released and prices drop on it?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: TheDrake
I just seen in the Hot Deals section the BB Ad scans for this coming week and they have the nikon D40 with 55-200mm lens for $649. Its kind of tempting as I have a 10% coupon that does not exclude DSLR's. What do you all think? or should I wait til the D60 is released and prices drop on it?

prices would not necessarily drop on the D40 due to the release of the D60. the D60 pretty much already exists as the D40x. renaming the D40x to D60 won't have much effect on the D40.

 

[episodic]

The reason I didn't want to go with the S5 IS was the red chromatic abberation

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons5is/page6.asp