Home Forums Gear Photography How 'bout some point and shoot camera help?

I want a simple, compact point and shoot digital. Picture quality is the most important criteria, video is the least important. I've been looking at the Panasonic Lumix Zs5, Fuji Finepix S200 EXR, and Coolpix 8000. Can someone recommend a good one? I'm primarily wanting a lighter weight compact to do some amateur digiscoping with. No SLR's right now. Thanks.

Canon or Nikon

I've used several coolpix over the years, they take quality pictures and are pretty tough. Things to consider in addition to the optical quality is the autofocus and the speed of the camera.

Which ones? There's like 50 models from each.

I've been pretty happy with my Panasonic and I think I'm going to upgrade it a couple notches to the ZS5. Take a look at dpreview.com.

[color:#000099]P&S shootout[/color]

From low light to daylight to reflection in water, stopping action, to closeups...The Canon Power Shot SD800IS Digital Elph has been a great camera. It is fully automatic, and completely manual if you choose.

I researched cameras extensively to find what the best recommended camera would be and it was agreed that the Canon was that camera.

The last photo is just a couple days ago. I dropped it into the river when I was taking the picures of the Salmon. I tried my best to dry it out and it must have worked, as I have taken dozens of pictures with it since the dip in Alaska...














[img]http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee202/bridgershooters/100_4246.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee202/bridgershooters/100_4016.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee202/bridgershooters/Antelopeb.jpg[/img]

Nikon Coolpix. I have an older 6 megapixel, but they are good cameras.

they are all getting pretty close. I like the lumix zs5 myself.

Not to hijack the thread, but what the devil is that rifle?

I have held my share of old rifles, but that is sure beyond my experience!

Details, man, we need details!

John

That's the one I'm leaning toward myself.

That is a Burgess rifle that is "one of a kind". It is a prototype that never made it into a production gun by Burgess Gun Company, in New York. Mike Venturino is writing an article on it right now, along with a Burgess shotgun that I got since.

They are both very unique guns made by a prolific gun designer by the name of Andrew Burgess. Burgess has hundreds more patents than even John Browning. He is little known, but very influential in the gun designs that are still in use today by companies like Marlin.

The article should be out in the December issue of "Rifle" magazine...

Well, that is about an 11 on a 1-to-10 scale of cool!

Thanks for the info!

John

Nikon is coming out with a new camera the S8100 in about a week. It is awesome. Much faster then the S8000, better sensor and better in low light. High speed shooting up to 10 frames per second and 1080 HD video
Figure the camera with a Nikon case, 2 year extended warranty, 8 gig card and an extra battery would be 299.99 shipped for forum members

I use a Panasonic Lumix zs5 at work almost daily and I liked it enough that I bought one for personal use. Great picture quality, solid, 12 megapixel, excellent 12x zoom, useful settings, and easy to use. I also bought a Canon Powershot SX20IS and I'm kicking myself for not buying a Panasonic FZ35... The Canon sits on the desk because its been that much of a disappointment. I don't have any personal experience with the Nikons.

Here are a few Panasonic Lumix pics. It looks like the compression settings on the host site have taken some of the clarity away but the originals are crisp enough that they could be 16x20 prints and turn out good.

And since you mentioned digiscoping--these are freehanded through a Nikon Prostaff 16-48x60 with the Panasonic.





And here's one of those dreaded "back of the pickup" trophy pics, just because I killed him near where the digiscope pics were taken with the same camera.

Here are a couple using the self-timer on the Panasonic. I would have been a lot happier with the result if I hadn't been in such a hurry and had thought about where the light was coming from. Proof that composition has as much to do with picture quality as the camera itself...

Hopefully this gives you an idea of what you can expect with the Panasonic--I tried to cover the bases.

I just got a ZS5 from Camera Land and this is my second Lumix camera. Looks and feels like another solid unit.

Doug....between the new Nikon 8100 and this Zs5,what are the noticeable differences and what would make one select one over the other if the person was basically a snap and shoot K.I.S.S beginner?

Bob,
Looks like the Nikon 8100 will have a better (larger, more dots) LCD screen than the ZS5. But the Panasonic zooms from 25mm as opposed to the Nikon 30mm. You will find the extra 5mm wideness of the Panasonic significant, especially in a room or even doing wide angle landscape. Both do HD move clips.

DPreview is a decent place to compare camera specs and look at some more technical reviews.

Nikon 8100
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_cps8100.asp

Panasonic zs5
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmczs5.asp

Reviews test of compact super-zooms.
From this review, I like the Casio FH100, but certainly wish any of these compacts came also with a viewfinder and not only an LCD screen. Note that this reviews the Nikon 8000, not the newer 8100
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q210grouptravelzoom/

Hope this helps some,
from another Doug

Nikon has a model P100 that is an amazing camera. It always depends on price and features but this camera has terrific programming abilities and a 26X zoom that is super. <$400.00

First couple of pics with the ZS5 on full auto. I'm very pleased with this little camera and most will agree that you don't get the full potential of the camera until you go to the manual settings..

I have several "point and shoots", and one DSLR. As far as the point and shoot cameras go, my favorite is an Olympus Stylus Tough that I got from a fellow Campfire member. It takes some of the better pics, and is easy to carry in a shirt pocket as it is flat. Here are a few pics I have taken this year that I think came out good!!
Ken

I researched the whole camera lineup again, and Canon wins. The only problem I had with my SD800IS is when I dropped it in the river in Alaska. It did work again after drying it out, but became a bit unreliable.

We are still speaking of point and shoot cameras, the new one is the Canon SD4500IS. It is manual/automatic, depending on your preferences. It has an honest 10X zoom and 10 mega pixel quality. The camera is only 4" X 2 1/4" X 3/4" and has more features than you could possibly use.

We went Antelope hunting this past weekend and got some good photos...

Up close...



Telephoto...





Inside the Jersey Lily, Ingomar, Montana...



Outside with bright light in the background...



Detail of a blown up liver...



I even have video of the bear I took on the same camera, It is 195 megabites, will post it another time, but this camera just plain works great!

Cannon always seems to get good ratings and they were on the list when I was shopping. I wanted a camera with a good wide angle lens and almost all Cannon's were lacking in that area. The problem with all these new P&S's to me anyway, is all the BS they are cramming into a "camera". If I wanted a movie camera or a GPS unit, I'd buy one. It seems like when you read all these reviews, they seem to focus on all the extra BS as well. The wide angle lens was important for me using the camera for my daughters soccer games. I guess the downside to the Panasonic/Leica's is that they are heavier than the Cannon's but I think that is because they use metal frames. They just felt more solid built than the Cannon in the event you drop one.

I dropped mine plenty and had it in my backpack for 3 years of hard use...the only thing that happened when I dropped mine was it fell into water. Concrete is O.K., water isn't.

Panasonic...

















best in the world............

Panasonic



CANON

Two from today with the Panny ZS5. Thanks again, Camera Land...

Pocket-sized Panasonic LUMIX DNC ZS5; good 12x optical zoom, intuitive controls and not bad pic's.

Canon G-11 and a leetle midnight sun (cropped).

Just sayin'.............

Have borrowed a couple of Canon's compacts to try out of late, and have been dissappointed with both. The last was a Powershot A480, I took up to Scotland on a stalking trip and I just couldn't get pin sharp pictures.

Below is a typical example:



Camera was steadied on shooting sticks, and even so, nothing is pin sharp in the picture..This is one of the better shots as some were very soft..I also notice similar softness in some of the pics above...

While camera shake could be a factor, I do wonder if the lens of a typical compact simply don't STOP down enough?? I think most seem to range from f2.8 to f5.6 and f5.6 is still only going to give a very short DOF when compared to say f16/f22 on a typical (D)SLR lens...

1/80 is fairly slow and you were at F/4.

Have yet to see a Canon P&S camera disappoint and I still think highly of my aged and beat to schit S40 PowerShot Dinosaur.

One that particular camera, there is very little in the way of manual override...In hind sight, I should have perhaps tweaked the the ISO setting to gain either more speed or another STOP...

But looking at your picture above, its a nice picture, but point to one part of it that is in pin sharp focus??

[bleep], maybe its my monitor thats the problem?? lol

Now have a G12 courtesy of Santa, so hopefully that will cure some of my woes...

It's purty damned crisp on my new Imac.(grin)

I'd say a stop and an ISO bump in conjunction,woulda done you favors.

Shoot AV on the '12 and air her out,I'll be curious to watch you freak yourself out............

Should get a chance to try it on Wednesday, and then hopefully on New Years day I will be travelling down for 4 or 5 days stalking, chasing Roe does and possibly Muntjac, depending on the weather.

Will throw in a tripod and then use the self timer to eliminate any possibility of camera shake...

Do tell,after the fact.............

Liking my Canon s95 a lot. Same sensor as the g12, f/2 lens, shoots RAW and fits in my back pocket.

Pics man...pics................

Pheasant hunt, an old water tank, and a commute to work. All with the s95. Workflow is RAW files run through Lightroom.

Wish the camera had less shutter lag and shot 9 fps but then I wish that about all P&S's. The back wheel is a bit too easy to bump/move accidentally. But shooters who used older SLR systems with the f/stop ring on the lens will enjoy the front ring that can control f/stop in the manual mode.

If I lived in a place where I needed a coat or rain jacket often I'd probably carry the G12 instead full time because the swinging/reversible screen is sweet, but this camera will fit in a shirt/jeans pocket.

Stick, You like the new iMac? I'm pondering one.