Digital Compact Camera

[SacredCultivator]

Hey,

Super duper short notice (Like within 2 weeks, June 7th), but thought to be bold and take a risk at this.

Was wondering if there's any camera enthusiast that may be able to pitch in ideas/ prices for a Digital Compact Camera (Can put in your pocket) so point and shoot type.

Budget: I'd say Below $400, preferably even under $300.

Going to be using this on my family vacation to Japan.

I was looking into the Canon Powershot S95, but no deals on it since it's at tat $400, but sale => $260~ which I missed out on since I didn't pay attention to those deals at the time. But the issue with that seems to be a "Lens Error" but it packs quite the punch for its size.

Other than that, didn't know where to look at, as I've been a Canon fan for quite some time when it came to cameras. So I'd like to stick to that if possible, but open to other brands if it's more bang for the buck (if you know what i mean), but the main thing is compact/ to put in your pocket.

Thanks and hopefully can find me a new camera before the trip, currently using a Canon Powershot SD1400 IS, but the shutter speed/ taking a picture has slowed down greatly, so after you take a picture it can take up to 5-10seconds before the picture shows... and that's way too long especially if we're doing like group/scenery pictures on a tight schedule (A tour)

THanks and hope everyone has a great weekend!

[alaindc]

but the shutter speed/ taking a picture has slowed down greatly, so after you take a picture it can take up to 5-10seconds before the picture shows...

i can't help you about choosing a compact camera, since my big hand prefer bigger one (like the fujifilm finepix SL240)

but...

from this test, your camera should take about 2 seconds between pics.

could your slow shotting problem simply be a SD card problem?

did you use a good quality fast speed SD card?

a good card make a lot of difference (even more for rapid consecutive shot)

[SacredCultivator]

That's a good question on the SD Card as I've only had one, can look into getting another one.

But yeah my current camera isn't the Powershot S95, that's the one I'm possibly looking towards.

Current is the SD 1400 IS

[majithia23]

hi SacredCultivator ,

$400 is quite a sum for a point and shoot camera .

why do you need to spend so much ?

could even get a budget DSLR in this range !

considering this you mention ,

"Other than that, didn't know where to look at, as I've been a Canon fan for quite some time when it came to cameras. So I'd like to stick to that if possible, but open to other brands if it's more bang for the buck (if you know what i mean), but the main thing is compact/ to put in your pocket. "

i would recommend you --

Canon Power Shot ELPH 110 http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Stabilized-Wide-Angle-Recording/dp/B006UMM1UO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337500146&sr=8-1

i have been a Canon fan myself . always liked its color reproduction and the built factor . own 2 Canon P and S ( Canon SX220 IS - Imagine full manual controls on a Digital P and S . this has it and i love it for this . and a powerful zoom .! and one is an older 5 megapixels P and S )

so this model has it all i would require in a digital camera . Audio and Video too . Has some good reviews . and its lower than what you have set as your budget ! ;)

call it the bang for buck !

a second option could be --

Panasonic Lumix ZS20 http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-Sensitivity-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B00728ZBA2/ref=sr_1_2?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1337500869&sr=1-2

its a good one in the same budget range and also a good camera ! ;)

just dont go for a Sony ! never liked it myself .

[SacredCultivator]

@majithia23: Thanks and the Canon one looks lovely, I didn't look at that one mainly since it seems to be on the "lower tier" in terms of the Number compared to let's say the 530.

[majithia23]

i just looked at the first one you mentioned , Powershot S95 .

why did you decide on that first ?

its older and much underrated to what i mentioned ( but still more than $300 , dont know why ? )

and the 530 or 520 ones are WIFi enabled and with more Zoom power .

so , a bit expensive .

this Canon ELPH 110 is quite good .

CMOS sensor with DIGIC 5 and Full HD recording and Slim .

go for it ... ;)

[SacredCultivator]

For PowerShot S95, I mentioned it mainly because it's considered a high-end (Close to DLSR) but compact. Although I've heard some bad reviews + the newer version, S100 is actually worse than the S95.

But yeah definitely pricey, and I missed the sales that made it around the $250 range.

Definitely when looking up the specs of the 110, definitely nicely packed and seems pretty good.

The WiFi / GPS features of some of Canon's stuff seems pretty useless to me.

[majithia23]

dont worry .

be an informative buyer . review and search X 10 times before buying anything !

higher price range and advertising as close to a DSLR or anything like this are simply stupid company policies to reap greater benefits !

trying to rip a buyer or feeding an idea into the customer mind . higher the price the better ;)

( or unless you happen to choose some exclusive top of the line product . in this case , like a Leica P n S , which can cost b/w $2000 to $6000 ! )

you say Canon S95 is considered High End , where as ----

it ,

> has only 10 Mpx

> Older DIGIC 4 processor

> No CMOS sensor

> No wide angle lens

> Shoots in only 720p

> priced more !

so , dont get me wrong , but how do you say its a high end !

( just because of the price ! )

vis a vis , ironically everything is available in the other Canon models and at a lesser a price !

so , doesnt take a scientist to infer anything ! :)

either shell out your money on a proper DSLR or you can safely go for a Canon 110 or any other of its competitors like the Panasonic !

it will be a good buy !

( or if any one else has any more knowledge as to why an inferior product is priced more than a superior product or any knowledge if S95 is a better camera , kindly input ! )

[SacredCultivator]

Again thanks for all the info and if things are final I'll opt for the Canon HS 110. Just need to confirm if Dad is okay with it.

[majithia23]

ur welcome ! :)

hope it helps and happy holidays ;)

[SacredCultivator]

OoO sorry finally got the time to actually doa bit of research.

So like I mentioned about the S95 having Lens Error issues.

For the HS 110, I was reading Here And the cons scare me a bit.

So it referred to the HS 310 which seems good + a little more than the 110, and when I was checking Canon's main site, why does it feel the newer 320 HS seems worse in terms of the overall features compared to both the 110 / 310?

EDIT:

The 320 isn't that bad in price either actually, but not to sure if it's much better in comparison to 110/310.

[majithia23]

allright , first of all , i dont trust PCMag or other such corporate reviewers .

they are good to get an idea but not dependable . ;)

i usually try to look for some independent freelance reviews or trusted websites to get an opinion .

and i just checked my Bookmarked site for these purposes , and this is what it says about best P and S camera .

http://www.cameralabs.com/buyers_guide/compacts/best_compact_digital_camera.shtml

mentions the Canon ELPH 300 HS / IXUS 220 HS review as being one of the best .

the site is run by freelance photographer and reviewer , so much better ,

and more so because i bought my Canon SX210 4 years back after reading its reviews . and i am pretty happy with it !

so i trust the site . ;)

you can let go off the 320 model . its WiFi enabled and thats not what you want .

and from a quick comparison b/w 110 and 320 i could just see the 320 is more slimmer but has DIGIC 4 rather than DIGIC 5 .

so take your pick ! ;)

( and even if i give a heed to the PCMag review , then ,

be it any camera , ( barring the SLR or the high end DSLR ) , the more you increase the ISO , you are bound to get more Noise !!

that is why there are certain rules of thumb one needs to follow when shooting so as to minimize the noise .

and what is limited and noisy zoom .??

its just 5X , so it is limited . and noisy . duh :: irrelevant ...)

[SacredCultivator]

Thanks yet again for the awesome reference, and yeah the 310 doesn't seem to be that great and your emphasis on the DIGIC 4/5 seems to be the best selling point for you.

[majithia23]

the selling point is not just for me , but for any learned and informed user !

some one who knows from where to get the best cereal for his breakfast AND how to enjoy it the best way ! ;)

answer this --

would you buy a PC with Pentium 4 or a Core2Duo OR with i3 or i7 processors ?

got your answer ! ;)

( for mentioning purposes , in a very short summary ---

The new Digic 5 processor is 6X faster and creates 75% less noise than the Digic 4 processor.! )

( edit:::: and buddy i appreciate you thanking , your welcome . but if you also hit the " Like This " button , it wont cost you anything or harm anyone . after all its there for a purpose . not that i crave for such a thing , but just trying to create a healthy forum habit . and more so because its expected from senior members like us !

nothing personal and please dont mind )

[SacredCultivator]

Well just letting you know... purchased the 110 =) (Time to wait 5-8 days so should be here before June at least.)

As for the "Like This/Thanks" I rarely use those features, since they are in other forums I frequent as well, out of habit I suppose.

So thanks again and enjoy ^^

[SacredCultivator]

Hey majithia23,

Just wanted to say that I just received this camera today in the mail. And hmm unno if just me feels much lighter than my PowerShot 1400 IS.

Charging the battery now, but how useful is the Face ID feature?

EDIT:

Also for the Picture aspect ratio, noticed that for this one I have:

16:9

4:3

3:2

1:1

I rarely actually use these pictures to print on a photo, but just incase I do, which is recommended? As i know for the 1400 IS, I used to use 16:9, but when cousins from out of country went to develop them, they came out skewed because of that.

2nd EDIT:

That sucks, don't think I can change the Start up pictures ><

[majithia23]

@S.Cultivator

congrats on your new purchase !

Hmmm....

well why is it lighter , i will not be able to comment on that .

might be some new lighter but stronger alloy used for the body .

the Zoom motor inside the camera is lighter .

might be anything ...!

but the end thing is the Picture Quality !

compare the camera dynamics ( start up , shut down , flash response , controls , zooming , modes , and the picture quality ) with your previous one .

hopefully you should see a difference and for the good !

as for the picture ratio ,

i usually keep it 4:3 .

does the job most of the times , for capturing the scene and more importantly printing .

coz your are right , if shot in wide screen or any other ratio , the print will be skewed . ( either elements cut from the frame or you will get white borders )

i usually shoot in 16:9 wide screen when i want that dramatic cinematic effect , esp while shooting landscapes , distant imagery , big group images or anything like that .

and then i make sure to issue special instructions to the color lab to get the prints in the original aspect ratio ! ;)

Face ID ...

is it something like the camera auto detects the face in the scene and focuses it the sharpest .

or

something like the camera remembers the face and auto tags it in next shoots .

and as for the start up images , i think you can change them . actually i am sure you can , atleast on my camera .

what you need is the Canon Zoom software browser bundle .

the camera should have an installation CD with it or you can download it from the Canon website .

In this browser bundle you have an App which allows you to change camera start up images and system sounds .

( come to think of it . you can virtually do anything with your Canon camera by jailbreaking it . actually by installing a custom firmware which enables to unlock the hidden and locked features of the Camera hardware . like shooting the camera in ISO modes beyond what are default . and so you can set and change the apertures , shutter , flash speeds , flash power , anything ...! its quite awesome ;) )

[SacredCultivator]

Hmm yeah I tried downloading/installing both "CameraWindow DC" and "ImageBrowser EX" and there is a setting to access the Camera Start-up / sound themes, but it only allows for the preset ones and no customization to add in your own image like for my 1400 IS.

I'll try ZoomBrowser and see if it works with my camera.

EDIT:

Nopes Zoom Browser is a no-go as well. OH wells.