Quick question before purchases

[PandaBear]

So wife is nagging for new point and shoot because she wants better photo quality. According to her, photo quality is important, look is not, LCD size is not. I agree with her but would think LCD size is important as long as it is reasonable, and if the camera is not quirky looking, that's fine.

Currently we have a 4-5 years old Sony DSC-P100 still going like a trooper, and I have no problem with it at all.

Tried a few in the stores and review online and noticed that A590is seems like a great camera for the quality and is only $109 all over the place except best buy (will ask them to price match). Going on a trip next week so I can't wait till a price drop later to buy.

Dad had an SD770is ($150, same with SD1100is) that I picked for him and he is happy, I like the idea of Li-Ion battery but I do have some low self discharge Kodak AA at home that I can use with the A590. The only thing I have problem with A590 is the size being bigger, other than that I'm happy with it.

Anything around this price range? I really like the way SX110is looks and the image quality seems to be on par or slightly better than A590, but it is much more expensive at $250 and is a bit too big.

Just found Panasonic LZ8, what is the pros and cons compare to the a590is? I checked out the sample photos in Cameras.co.uk. The color seems to be brigher on the panasonic but the Canon seems to be better in details.

 

[jpeyton]

Best Budget Compact
Sony W120 - Smaller, Li-Ion Battery, Great IQ
Panasonic LZ8 - Bigger, AA-Battery, Great IQ, More Manual Controls

The A590 is a good option, too. The only reason DPReview didn't recommend it overall is because it did poorly in the low-light high-ISO test. High-ISO testing shows Panasonic/Sony at the top. The A590 has a very blotchy noise profile at high-ISO, whereas the Sony and Panasonic had a much finer grain.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
The A590 is a good option, too. The only reason DPReview didn't recommend it overall is because it did poorly in the low-light high-ISO test. High-ISO testing shows Panasonic/Sony at the top. The A590 has a very blotchy noise profile at high-ISO, whereas the Sony and Panasonic had a much finer grain.

Thanks. I tend to agree that low light high ISO isn't great on the a590is, and that kind of concerns me.

I would love to test out the LZ8 or W120 but it seems like they aren't sold anywhere brick and mortar. I think that would be a problem because I'm leaving to Thailand next Sunday and I want to get the camera before that, or else loses the point of buying right now.

 

[996GT2]

Originally posted by: PandaBear

Originally posted by: jpeyton
The A590 is a good option, too. The only reason DPReview didn't recommend it overall is because it did poorly in the low-light high-ISO test. High-ISO testing shows Panasonic/Sony at the top. The A590 has a very blotchy noise profile at high-ISO, whereas the Sony and Panasonic had a much finer grain.

Thanks. I tend to agree that low light high ISO isn't great on the a590is, and that kind of concerns me.

I would love to test out the LZ8 or W120 but it seems like they aren't sold anywhere brick and mortar. I think that would be a problem because I'm leaving to Thailand next Sunday and I want to get the camera before that, or else loses the point of buying right now.

I have the LZ8 as a back-up to my DSLR and it's the best point and shoot in its price range.

Here are just a few of the things that put the Panasonic ahead of the A590 IS in my opinion:

-The Panasonic's lens goes a bit wider than the A590 IS, which I think is useful for group portraits and landscape shots.
-The Panasonic is much better for recording videos, since it allows 848x480 resolution at 30 FPS instead of the Canon's stripped-down 640x480 at a laggy 20 FPS.
-The Panasonic's LCD screen has twice the resolution of the Canon's.
-The Panasonic can shoot 2.5 frames per second at full resolution, compared to about 1 frame per second for the Canon.
-The Panasonic is a bit thinner and lighter than the Canon, so it's easier to fit into a pocket.

The Panasonic, just like the Canon, has full P and A/S/M manual control modes which are not found in a large majority of point and shoot cameras at any price range. The Panasonic also has an intuitive and easy to use menu system for changing ISO, white balance, continuous shooting, etc. Basically, it has all the manual control options you would find in a DSLR, but in the compact body of a P&S. As a result, it's really a camera you can grow with if you ever want to get more into photography...and if you don't, you can always just shoot with the LZ8 in intelligent auto mode, where the camera does everything for you and you just press the shutter.

HERE is a full-sized image from the LZ8 taken at ISO 1600. Even at this high ISO, it still produces images good enough for smaller prints. Not many point and shoots can do that...especially in this price range.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: PandaBear

Originally posted by: jpeyton
The A590 is a good option, too. The only reason DPReview didn't recommend it overall is because it did poorly in the low-light high-ISO test. High-ISO testing shows Panasonic/Sony at the top. The A590 has a very blotchy noise profile at high-ISO, whereas the Sony and Panasonic had a much finer grain.

Thanks. I tend to agree that low light high ISO isn't great on the a590is, and that kind of concerns me.

I would love to test out the LZ8 or W120 but it seems like they aren't sold anywhere brick and mortar. I think that would be a problem because I'm leaving to Thailand next Sunday and I want to get the camera before that, or else loses the point of buying right now.

Your location says San Fran, is that correct?

There should be plenty of places you can check. The W120 is everywhere; Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Ritz, Frys, Radio Shack, Video Only, Sony Style, etc. Frys should also have the LZ8 since they carry more Panasonic gear than most.

Or just read as many online reviews as you can stand and purchase online; plenty of stores can get you an LZ8 or W120 in-hand before next weekend.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally posted by: jpeytonYour location says San Fran, is that correct?

There should be plenty of places you can check. The W120 is everywhere; Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Ritz, Frys, Radio Shack, Video Only, Sony Style, etc. Frys should also have the LZ8 since they carry more Panasonic gear than most.

Or just read as many online reviews as you can stand and purchase online; plenty of stores can get you an LZ8 or W120 in-hand before next weekend.

Didn't realize Fry's have that, I have one near my home and I'm probably going to check it out tonight then.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: PandaBear

Originally posted by: jpeytonYour location says San Fran, is that correct?

There should be plenty of places you can check. The W120 is everywhere; Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Ritz, Frys, Radio Shack, Video Only, Sony Style, etc. Frys should also have the LZ8 since they carry more Panasonic gear than most.

Or just read as many online reviews as you can stand and purchase online; plenty of stores can get you an LZ8 or W120 in-hand before next weekend.

Didn't realize Fry's have that, I have one near my home and I'm probably going to check it out tonight then.

LZ8
W120

Fry's online stock indicator shows all their stores near San Fran have the LZ8 in stock; most have the W120 in stock, too. Please note that their in-store prices can be higher than the online price. You can find out in person or call ahead to ask. If their in-store price is higher, just order online for in-store pickup and you automatically get the lower price.

 

[PandaBear]

Just stopped by Fry's with wife.

We found LZ8 and W130 but not W120, and a few additional Panasonic that we like: FS3 and FS5. I also showed her the image quality of the mentioned cameras from camera.co.uk, and she likes the a590is image quality better. FS3, FS5, LZ8 all seems identical to us and IMO W120 doesn't seems to be worth the $199 when all others are $130.

Most likely stay with FS3 since it is I think $129 and have Li-Ion, so the flash recharge is faster, and the smaller size. Anything negative I should be aware of? Any one has it and how's its low light speed/noise/quality?