Budget Point n Shoot Camera

[Skinner]

Its a while since I bought a pocket compact, it was a Canon IXUS 65 I think, which took compact flash cards, has to be 10+ years ago.

I'm not looking for high end, just something which will fit a shirt pocket, with a few features

WIFI as a minimum but perhaps NFC for easy transfer and printing. I use a Canon Selphy Printer and a Canon Photo Station which I'd like to maintain.

I'd also like a reasonable zoom range, perhaps 10x-ish minimum, I've never needed more than 200mm on my DSLRs.

I've been looking at the Lumix TZ90 which looks impressive in Low Light, and the starlight tech looks impressive.

Also on my short list, the Canon PowerShot SX730, The Canon Ixus 285, I really liked the Sony RX100, just over budget but the 3x zoom at the cost of the bigger sensor just too little.

My maximum budget is £300-350 but ideally like to stick around 250, so I can use the other hundred for extras batteries, cases, and probably SD Cards (current cameras are all Compact Flash).

What are you all using ?

 

[davedevelopment]

I've been looking at the Lumix TZ90 which looks impressive in Low Light, and the starlight tech looks impressive.

I got the TZ100 and have been very happy with it so far. I can't offer much in the way of details, I don't know much about cameras, it's always something I've been on the verge of getting in to.

 

[Edwin]

RX100 is a brilliant camera. Have been super happy with it since I bought it around 5 years back (I had upgraded cameras every year or two before the RX100, but have never felt the urge to since). It's not cheap, but on Amazon it's £329 at the moment so it would fit into your budget, if not your ideal budget.

Yes, you're going to be stuck if you need a long zoom but if you just want to take decent photos in various lighting conditions (including low light) you're probably going to be hard-pressed to find better, even though the RX100 is six years old now, simply because of its huge sensor and F1.8 lens.

(Added: There's one for £253.91 in "Used - Very Good" condition from Amazon Warehouse, if that helped?)

 

[dee]

Massive fan of Lumix cameras...although they dont all have Leica lens's. It makes a difference. However..... if i was buying now ( i have a lumix) id go for the Sony. A family member is a pro photographer and he swears by it. Reckons its one of the best cameras you can get even into much higher price ranges.

 

[Skinner]

I've borrowed a Sony Cybershot, WX350 with the baby sensor which many of Sony have, and I'm not impressed with low light or even using the zoom beyond 10x, its the only optical zoom I've ever seen where the quality got so bad so quick, usually optical is fine through the whole range.

I may pop down and try the RX100 and see if I can get past that zoom :/

@davedevelopment have you used it on a night out in a bar/pub/club ? that seems to where many of these pocket compacts suffer.

 

[davedevelopment]

@davedevelopment have you used it on a night out in a bar/pub/club ? that seems to where many of these pocket compacts suffer.

Just had a look through my photos and I haven't, only had it since April and most of the action it's seen have been days out with kids etc.

 

[Admin]

IMO over 90% of good photos dont use any real zoom length. A camera with a small sensor and average optics is never going to get a good shot regardless of the rest of the specs and its big zoom. Get the best sensor size you can afford and a low F number for better low light ability and better bokeh (...for sale...see what i did there lol).

 

[Admin]

in my experience most camera manuf. are dire at the connectivity and software side so the wifi, bluetooth etc implementation is often naff. I always fall back to a quick whipping out of the SD card.