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Best Compact Digital Camera Opinions

post #1 of 19
11/7/06 at 9:11pm
Thread Starter 
I was looking at the Leica D-Lux 3, Canon PowerShot SD700, Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2..

I've also read that the Leica is based on the Panasonic with Leica image processing or some such..

I'll be frank, I don't know sheet about cameras. I want the best quality in a small package, for around 500 bucks. Whatcha got for me?
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post #2 of 19
11/7/06 at 9:24pm
I did a good deal of reading about 6 months ago and decided on the Sony DSC-T30. I've been pretty happy with it all around. Pictures are good for my needs. Screen is bright and clear. It's light. The batter lasts forever, and there is image stabilization which helps in low light. The price has fallen a little since Sony has a newer model out (though they still sell the 30), so you can get camera and a big memory card for under $500.

If I'm remembering correctly, the knock on the Lumix was that it was very grainy. I wanted a smaller, pocket sized camera, so that ruled out the Leica).

Edit - there are a lot of good reviews available on-line, and a lot of good cameras for sale. I'd think about what is a priority - weight? super fantastic picture quality? battery life? brand name? - and decide accordingly.
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post #3 of 19
11/7/06 at 9:27pm
The best compact point and shoot camera out there (based on quality of photos and not features) is the Fujifilm F30, which uses a 6.1 megapixel Super CCD sensor and at 1600 ISO range takes better pictures with the same amount of noise as other cameras have at 400 ISO.

Jon.
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post #4 of 19
11/7/06 at 9:31pm
i'm partial to the Canon Elph series. i've got an SD200. i've purchased 2 SD320s as x-mas gifts. and this year got an SD630 as an x-mas gift for someone else. just really great, reliable, all around fun to use cameras. my only gripe is that they're not the greatest 'action shot' cameras because of the time it takes to write to the SD media. that may or may not have been fixed with the newer models Elphs. if you're so inclined, here's a very in-depth review of the Canon you're considering: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/sd700.html -Jeff
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post #5 of 19
11/7/06 at 9:38pm
Thread Starter 
Picture quality is the priority, weight, battery life, brand name - in that order.

I've been checking out dpreview; they no have review for the D-LUX or SD900.. the Panasonic review they have is not too impressive.
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post #6 of 19
11/7/06 at 9:57pm
I've had my Casio Exilim z1000 now for a few months and have been extremely pleased with it. Great quality pics, great battery life, and great size. I also bought it for the optional waterproof case that'll go down to 130 ft. Looking to maybe try it out on a dive trip in a few weeks.
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post #7 of 19
11/8/06 at 5:26am
I have heard great things about the newest exilim cameras and I swear to god it seems that every family member who flew from Japan, for a couple different weddings that I went to this summer, had a new Exilim. Also since I am a huge fan of Canon I like the Elph series cameras, they keep on getting better and better and take great pictures. As far as both above are concerned memory is super cheap (I am selling 1gig SD cards at Staples right now for 19.99). Even highspeed memory is cheap, I picked up an ultra highspeed 2Gig SD card from NewEgg for $44 this last July. And about the write speed on the Canons, it still seems a bit sluggish with the factory memory card, better than before but still a little slow (with the exception of the Digital SLRs which can shoot a few shots a second without stopping)
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post #8 of 19
11/8/06 at 7:00am
leica lenses are like the rolls royce of all lenses
so id go with the leica
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post #9 of 19
11/8/06 at 7:11am
Second the Fuji F30 for low light situation, IQ, however for true compactness cannot go past the Canon IXUS/IXY/Elph range. I have the Canon 800IS, image stablised, very tiny, large screen, fast loadup, excellent movie mode, great battery life. ITs a camera you can put in your shirt/jean pocket or chuck in your girls handbag and therefore take it everywhere and never miss a shot. I plan to take this on my travels soon as well as my 400d, and I think i'd use the 800is more because of its size. Image quality is excellent. the SD700 you listed is very similar to the 800.
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post #10 of 19
11/8/06 at 8:29am
Fourthing the recommendation for a Canon Powershot/Elph/IXUS digital. I was recently gifted with an SD30, and for such a compact model it does really well - 5 MP, good color balance, no significant noise, easy to use - and from what I've seen, the higher-end models are just as handy.
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post #11 of 19
11/8/06 at 9:29am
Do not get a Canon Powershot sd400. It is the 5MP. I bought it on faith after seeing the 3 and 4 MP pictures, which I was happy with. The pictures on the sd400 are grainy as hell if there is no flash (even outdoors?!?!)

I want something small that will fit in my pocket too.
I am currently trying to sell my sd400. I have heard great things about the sonys, so I will probably get one of those. Also heard good things about the Nikons with the rotating lens (http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php...roductNr=25555)
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post #12 of 19
11/8/06 at 10:31am
I just bought a Nikon D80, but that's not compact.
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post #13 of 19
11/9/06 at 2:55am
I picked up the Canon SD700 a couple months ago and I like it. Previous to that I had a Canon SD100. It is nice and compact, feels solid and has good specifications. I particularly like the 4x zoom, image stabilization and the big 2.5" screen.
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post #14 of 19
11/9/06 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ratboycom
I have heard great things about the newest exilim cameras and I swear to god it seems that every family member who flew from Japan, for a couple different weddings that I went to this summer, had a new Exilim. Also since I am a huge fan of Canon I like the Elph series cameras, they keep on getting better and better and take great pictures. As far as both above are concerned memory is super cheap (I am selling 1gig SD cards at Staples right now for 19.99). Even highspeed memory is cheap, I picked up an ultra highspeed 2Gig SD card from NewEgg for $44 this last July. And about the write speed on the Canons, it still seems a bit sluggish with the factory memory card, better than before but still a little slow (with the exception of the Digital SLRs which can shoot a few shots a second without stopping)
This is exactly why I'm forever staying away from non-SD devices. I made the mistake of buying a fujifilm digital as my first years ago and got screwed with the XD memory. I moved to Nikon which uses CF but it isn't as handy/cheap as SD these days. Losing a chip, wanting more space while traveling, etc. is a matter of $20 like you said. It's a definitely plus. I was also looking into the SD700 but decided against it because I prefered the size/ISO settings on the Casio.
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post #15 of 19
11/9/06 at 3:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whodini
This is exactly why I'm forever staying away from non-SD devices. I made the mistake of buying a fujifilm digital as my first years ago and got screwed with the XD memory. I moved to Nikon which uses CF but it isn't as handy/cheap as SD these days. Losing a chip, wanting more space while traveling, etc. is a matter of $20 like you said. It's a definitely plus.

I was also looking into the SD700 but decided against it because I prefered the size/ISO settings on the Casio.

I love SD because I have the option of popping the cards into my Palm PDA and viewing the pics that way. For a recent vacation, I settled for an inexpensive Nikon Coolpix as my initial foray into digital, but now that I'm hooked on the medium, I'm already looking towards something faster and sharper, possibly even an SLR.
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