Best Point & Shoot for Low Light

[karen_s]

A friend who runs an animal sanctuary needs a new camera as hers bit the dust last week. Most of her pictures are of people in a barn visiting her animals and kissing her camel. I told her I would help her find the best one for her needs but unfortunately I am not too up on point & shoots and need a bit of help.

Here is what I am looking for, in order of importance (and no, I don't expect to get them all):

1. Good onboard flash. Her barn can be quite dark so a quality flash is important.
2. Good high ISO performance. I'm not expecting DSLR quality, just looking for the best of the point & shoots.
3. Easy to use. She will be shooting 100% on auto mode.
4. Reliably quick focus. Again, just the best of the point and shoots.
5. Large screen on back for composing and reviewing pictures. She doesn't have a useful computer at the moment (unless of course you consider a Windows ME computer useful ;-) so this is the only option for review before going to the store to order prints.
6. Regular batteries instead of re-chargable internal pack preferred.
7. SD card.
8. Price range $300'ish but am willing to go go higher if it's worth it.

I lean towards Canon although I am open to any brand and model.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

[OsmosisStudios]

Canon S90, if you can get one before they go. S95 otherwise.

[gturner]

and if you rob a bank- Leica M9.
(sorry, just happened to have seen one today)

[RichardTaylor]

The problem is:
(1) Regular batteries instead of re-chargable internal pack preferred.

and

(2) Good onboard flash (I wouldn't call any P&S built in flash good)

For me, meeting your criteria as much as possible. would be a
Canon Powershot SX10 IS as it uses AA cells and has hot shoe for an external flash gun.
I would add a Canon external flash.

If you are willing to not use AA cells but a rechargable battery than can be replaced by a spare if need be the Canon G11 (I own one) or it's new replacement the G12).
Again it has a flash shoe for Canon flash guns.

[sk66]

What is more important, flash or high ISO? You don't usually need both.

Personally, the G11 with a shoe mount flash that can be bounced would be my recommendation for poor lighting situations....(I use the Sunpack RD2000 on my G10)

The S90/95 is basically the same camera with menu driven controls and no ability for external flash.

If I were to choose today for a new P&S it would probably be the S95.

HOWEVER...technology in the upper end of P&S cameras is changing VERY quickly right now and APS sensors are showing up all over the place. The G10/11/12 is already about "outdated" for their intended market. Anything you buy will very soon be completely obsolete.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by sk66

...The S90/95 is basically the same camera with menu driven controls and no ability for external flash.

If I were to choose today for a new P&S it would probably be the S95.

Ok. I seriously don't recommend this as a way to do Strobist work, but I was just curious to see if I could.

First, you buy one of these.

Then you get a set of cheap radio triggers where the transmitter can be triggered via a (female) PC port. I haveYong Nuo RF-602s.

You connect the optical slave to the RF-602 transmitter's PC port. Then hold/tape the optical slave over the S90/95's pop-up slave, being careful not to stress the relatively fragile pop-up flash's support.

Place RF-602 receivers on the hotshoe of your flash(es).

Good to go.

Cumbersome and a PITA, but it's cheap. And it works.

I would also recommend an S90/95, simply because the lens goes to f/2 at the wide end, vs. the f/2.8 of the G11/G12, and it's about $330 right now.

[sk66]

Originally Posted by inkista

Ok. I seriously don't recommend this as a way to do Strobist work, but I was just curious to see if I could.

First, you buy one of these.

Then you get a set of cheap radio triggers where the transmitter can be triggered via a (female) PC port. I haveYong Nuo RF-602s.

You connect the optical slave to the RF-602 transmitter's PC port. Then hold/tape the optical slave over the S90/95's pop-up slave, being careful not to stress the relatively fragile pop-up flash's support.

Place RF-602 receivers on the hotshoe of your flash(es).

Good to go.

Cumbersome and a PITA, but it's cheap. And it works.

I would also recommend an S90/95, simply because the lens goes to f/2 at the wide end, vs. the f/2.8 of the G11/G12, and it's about $330 right now.

Wow....
Why not just get cheap slave strobes and set the S90 to fill flash with negative exposure comp?

[karen_s]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are going to the store to look at them this afternoon so hopefully we'll be able to get our hands on all the models suggested. The S90 is looking pretty nice with the f2 and looks like the ISO goes pretty high. The SX10 IS and G11/12 would be nice with the hot shoe option but not sure my friend would be able operate an external flash. She's more of a "where's the button thingy to take a picture?" kinda person.

To answer your question sk66, I would say flash is more important because my friend will be reluctant to venture off the Auto setting. (She's not a photographer and is really just looking to be able to take respectable quality snapshots of visitors to her sanctuary. I pitch in and take shots for her bigger events.) If I can convince her to try Program, well it would be nice to have some high ISO options so she wouldn't have to use a flash all the time.

And if I rob a bank, I will be sure to buy a Leica, or two. I wouldn't mind having one of those myself :-)

inkista, I always find your responses fascinating. It's never even crossed my mind to try to trigger a flash unit with a P&S built in flash. Just fascinating stuff.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions, they have really helped me to narrow the field of options before going to the store.

[sk66]

If flash is more important, then an external flash bounced in auto mode will be better than any popup type flash.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by sk66

Wow....
Why not just get cheap slave strobes and set the S90 to fill flash with negative exposure comp?

I'm mostly shooting fountain pens in macro setups. The on-board will still register, even if it's dialled down. Also, I already owned a 580EX, 430EX and the radio triggers. A $15 optical slave is a lot cheaper than going for two more slave strobes.

But you are right; if I just need one light and normal distances, I don't go through all this malarkey, I just flip the the slave switch on my SB-26 and let 'er rip.