Very Compact P&S when not using DSLR

[southernbelle]

Ok, so I think I have settled on a Nikon D40 for my DSLR...should be buying that soon. I now need advice on the best very compact P&S that falls within the $200-$300 range. I will have my Nikon with me whenever I know I will be shooting; however, I like to keep one in my purse and my P& S now just isn't cutting it. Thanks!!!

[Doug Pardee]

my P& S now just isn't cutting it.

What isn't working for you with your current digicam? And what do you like about your current digicam?

Unlike DSLRs, which are much of a muchness except for special applications, digicams are quite different from each other. Some are good at one thing, others are good at something else. None are good at everything, so it would help to know what you need it to be good at and what you don't really care about.

(Yes, we'd all love a tiny camera that will fit into a hip pocket, with a 20x zoom lens and image stabilization, that takes great pictures under all conditions. If such a thing existed, we wouldn't be buying DSLRs though.)

[southernbelle]

My camera now is just too big to take everywhere in my purse. It takes sharp pics and everything...I just want something more compact.

[mattdm]

How tiny do you need it to be? And how much image quality are you willing to give up for that? What functionality do you consider critical? High-ISO shooting? Decent flash? Wide or telephoto zoom range? Battery life?

[southernbelle]

I would like it to be pretty small...flat at least(pocketsized). I think that image stabilization and flash are important. I know I will have to give up some of the quality for the size but I just need it when I go out or am somewhere that I cant take my big one.

[T-Will]

I'm in the same boat, I'm planning to take some vacations this year, but don't want to lug around my DSLR, so I'm looking for something that is small enough, but has a really good lens.

One of the Canon P&S I was looking at has a 28mm wide-angle lens which is a huge plus, but I wonder about the quality of shots it takes.

[T-Will]

After a little more research, it appears that both the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=15655#ModelTechSpecsAct) and the Nikon Coolpix S600 (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25594) have a 28mm lens. I wonder if it's worth it to have that slightly wider lens though?

The other cameras that are intriguing to me are the Samsung NV series (I'm looking at the NV30 and NV40). It looks like they've integrated a lot of innovative features (optical IS and digital IS, innovative menu system, ISO 3200, auto-macro, etc.). Also the Kodak Easyshare V1273 is innovative with a touchscreen.

The thing is I really have to sit down and play with these for a bit to see if the interface is quick and easy to use, and to tell if the camera feels right, so I might have to make a run to Fry's to check some of these out in person.

I was also hoping to find a camera with an automatic continuous timer release (set it to take a picture every 1/2/5/10/etc. minutes), anyone know off-hand which cameras do this?

So here are the cameras I'm debating right now, I've only included bullet points for the features that I think matter or that stand out (who cares about digital zoom, megapixel isn't an issue anymore, I think all these are 8 or above, and price isn't an issue as long as it's around $300 or so, etc).

Samsung NV40 (not out until March 2008)
http://www.letsgodigital.org/images/artikelen/47/samsung-nv40.jpg (http://www.livingroom.org.au/photolog/reviews/samsung/samsung_nv40.php)
- Optical IS and digital IS
- 3x optical zoom
- Innovative menu system
- ISO 3200
- Auto-macro
- Schneider lens (same brand as Kodak V1273)
- One of the reviews mentioned that this camera doesn't take the best quality shots (can't remember which review)

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS
http://www.letsgodigital.org/images/artikelen/6/canon-ixus-860is.jpg (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=15655#ModelTechSpecsAct)
- 28mm wide-angle lens
- 3.8x optical zoom
- Off to record = .9 secs (tried this out in the store, it has an extremely fast startup)
- Virtually unlimited continuous shooting mode
- No aperture/shutter priority
- One review mentioned that this camera takes really great shots overall without having to mess with manual settings much.

Nikon Coolpix S600
http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/441678.jpg (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25594)
- Optical IS
- 28mm wide-angle lens
- ISO 3200
- Claims "World's Fastest Startup in Its Class"
- Haven't had a chance to mess with a Nikon P&S yet, but read in a review that they have a great DSLR, but don't make the best P&S

Kodak Easyshare V1273 (out in March 2008)
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/documents/32/0900688a80837a32/V1273_FL_grey_250x200.jpg (http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/11920/31/12431/12432&pq-locale=en_US)
- Schneider lens (same brand as Samsung NV40)
- Touch-screen LCD
- 16:9 HD format for pictures and video (do I really want to have non-standard sized photos?)
- ISO 3200
- Panorama stitch mode
- Haven't found this one yet (not out until March 2008)

[mattdm]

After a little more research, it appears that both the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=15655#ModelTechSpecsAct) and the Nikon Coolpix S600 (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25594) have a 28mm lens. I wonder if it's worth it to have that slightly wider lens though?

For what it's worth, while both Nikon and Canon make great dSLRs, when it comes to point & shoots, Nikon has really missed the mark since about 1998 when they had their interesting CoolPix 9#0 series. If you're deciding between these two, the Canon is really the winner.

The other cameras that are intriguing to me are the Samsung NV series (I'm looking at the NV30 and NV40). It looks like they've integrated a lot of innovative features (optical IS and digital IS, innovative menu system, ISO 3200, auto-macro, etc.)

ISO 3200 is a checklist item on these cameras, unfortunately. They don't actually do very well even at lower ISOs. They're very pretty cameras, but shame about the results.


I was also hoping to find a camera with an automatic continuous timer release (set it to take a picture every 1/2/5/10/etc. minutes), anyone know off-hand which cameras do this?


Not sure offhand, but this is called an "intervalometer", so you know what to search for.

[T-Will]

Thanks for the input! :)

I'm leaning towards the Canon (the wide-angle lens is a plus since my DSLR has a 1.6x sensor, so even with my 28mm lens, it's actually only giving me 44mm). But Samsung makes good products, I'm just not sure how their cameras are. Currently I have a Kodak P&S and have been really happy with it, so at this point I think I need to somehow get my hands on these and try them out.

[southernbelle]

I have a Kodak right now and am happy with it...just need more compact... I think that new kodak is definitely worth looking into

[mattdm]

I'm leaning towards the Canon (the wide-angle lens is a plus since my DSLR has a 1.6x sensor, so even with my 28mm lens, it's actually only giving me 44mm). But Samsung makes good products, I'm just not sure how their cameras are. Currently I have a Kodak P&S and have been really happy with it, so at this point I think I need to somehow get my hands on these and try them out.

Samsung's DSLRs are rebadged Pentaxes, so they're really good. Their current line of point and shoots is a nice effort, but they've really been panned in reviews for image quality. This may change in next generations as Samsung's sensor tech improves, but we'll have to see. For now, eh.

[T-Will]

Samsung's DSLRs are rebadged Pentaxes, so they're really good. Their current line of point and shoots is a nice effort, but they've really been panned in reviews for image quality. This may change in next generations as Samsung's sensor tech improves, but we'll have to see. For now, eh.

Do you know if the NV40 will have an improved sensor?

[CanuckNicole]

This is a great thread so far...I've also been looking for something to throw in my purse when I can't take my camera with me. I've been looking and looking but just can't decide :(

[mattdm]

Do you know if the NV40 will have an improved sensor?

I haven't heard that it will, so I assume not. They're claiming "improved processing", so there may be some improvement, but I'd wait for the reviews.

[T-Will]

And a few more to add to the contender list:

Fujifilm FinePix F50fd
http://a.img-dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf50fd/Images/fuji_f50_3q-001.jpg (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf50fd/)
- Aperture/Shutter Priority settings
- 0.02 sec shutter lag
- Off to record time = 1.9 secs
- Its predecessor, the F31fd, has slightly better image quality
- Played with a similar version (I think it was the F50sd or something like that) and this seemed like a pretty decent camera. I might have to go try this one out again. The startup lag is a little more than the Canon SD870IS.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3
http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/assets/9583.jpg (http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=3065&review=Panasonic+Lumix+DMC%2DTZ3S+%28silver%29)
- Wide-angle lens
- 10x optical zoom
- .1 sec shutter lag
- Leica lens
- Played with this camera, it's a little larger than I was looking for, and UI seemed a little clunky or out-dated. The build quality didn't seem the greatest either. The 10x zoom+ 28mm wide-angle lens was great though.

[T-Will]

I had a chance to try out most of the cameras I wanted to look into (I've updated the previous posts with notes), but right now I think it's between the Canon SD870IS and the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd. It seemed like the was something I didn't particularly like about the Fuji, but I can't remember now (I'll have to go and play with this one again), it doesn't have the 28mm wide-angle (this is a big negative for me). But I'm really leaning towards the Canon SD870IS at this point.

Has anyone looked into those wide-angle lens adapters that fit on P&S lenses? Are they any good? Is there a fish-eye adapter available for P&S?

[T-Will]

I went with the Canon SD870IS. :)

I'm planning a trip coming up in April and wanted to have some quality time with a new P&S camera. I was originally going to pick it up through Gateway (since I have a $150 gift certificate), but they don't even carry the black version. :(

So I did more searching of local stores (Fry's, Best Buy, etc.) and none of them had the black version. Finally I checked out Circuit City who ended up having 1 black one in stock at a store a little ways away from my house.

I ended up getting it for $303 (before tax, retail is $350), so that's a great deal compared to the other stores (Fry's had a $319 deal going)!

It seems like a very solid camera after playing with it a little at home. I was surprised when I took a self-portrait (in "portrait mode" with the flash) how natural the skin tone was. My Kodak would almost completely wash out the skin tone on people indoors with the flash.

Just a few last things, should I buy a screen protector for this camera?
Any recommended cases?

I have a largish case that I used with my Kodak, but I'm thinking I might not even really need a case since I'll probably just carry this in my pocket (that's why I'm thinking a screen protector might be a good idea). Although, I've been carrying my Dash Smartphone in my pocket for about 1.5 years without a screen protector, and the screen is still in pretty good shape (you don't even notice any scratches when the screen is on).