[Jasvox]

My 2 year old Canon SD8000is just bit the dust. I liked this little P&S well enough and really wished it wouldn't have crapped out only after 2 years, but I guess it's time for a new one to use as my "take everywhere" camera.

Any suggestions on which one to consider other than what I may already be thinking? Features I really enjoy are wide angle (28mm min), some manual controls, must be small! (not G9 sized), bracketing would be nice, but not a deal breaker, and acceptable noise levels as I frequently shoot in lower light places such as museums, Cathedrals, etc.

At this very moment and only after 24 hours of "shopping around" I am attracted to the Canon SD880is and the Samsung TL34HD.

Ideas, suggestions, are appreciated!

Jason

P.S. I need to buy one ion the next few days as I leave the country in 10 days and cant afford to pay euro prices when back in Greece.

[Isaac314]

without going into much detail, the panasonic lumix TZ series are known to be some of the best P&Ss around

The newest one is the tz-5 and my dad and a friend both have one and get great shots out of it.

[tybeck]

The Panasonic LX-3 has one of the widest and fastest lens available on a small P&S camera. Though from the test shots I've seen indoor photos without a flash might be too noisy for your tastes. It shots in RAW and has tons of manual control options. I think it also has basic bracketing. Most of the controls are via a menu system (case is too small for more dials),

[Rener]

the Pentax A40 is a good one IMHO, just slightly bigger than a credit card and has a fantastic IQ especially for landscape.

[Jasvox]

I have checked out the TZ-5, it's definitely a nicer little camera. The only thing that concerns me is the reputation the Lumix series has had regarding noise issues. Has this been resolved/improved? Also, that body is about as large as I would want to go...the smaller the better in my case.

Jason

[deadwolfbones]

SD880 IS is a very good pick, as would be the A590 IS.

[Bart]

Small, Lens 25-125mm (equivallent), Manual controls: Aperture & shutter priority + Manual. No manual focus. No optical viewfinder.
10 M Pixels. Nice colors. Lens is somewhat soft on the longer side.
If you want to get an idea about this camera, check out this review.
or - if you don't mind a visit to the dark side : look at this comparison with the FX150 as an analogue to the FX500 (no manual controls and no 'touch screen' - which is a really nice feature by the way).

And if you want to see some of my examples: Zenfolio - FX500. I just began with this gallery.

Hope this helps.

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Last edited by Bart; 12-31-2008 at 06:44 AM.

[LaRee]

I don't have enough experience with ALL the different camera makes to say which one would fit the bill best for you. I am also not familar with the canon and samsung you are drawn to. But I can say that I've been very happy with my Panasonic cameras. I own the old Lx1, Fx01, and the fz30. The fz30 is too big for your needs though. I bought my sister the new fz28 and she likes it, but it isn't a credit card sized camera by any means. The new p&s cameras sure have a lot of bells and whistles on them!
I will be interested to hear what you decide on. Post some photos here when you've made your decision.

[edl]

The Panasonic LX-3 has one of the widest and fastest lens available on a small P&S camera. Though from the test shots I've seen indoor photos without a flash might be too noisy for your tastes. It shots in RAW and has tons of manual control options. I think it also has basic bracketing. Most of the controls are via a menu system (case is too small for more dials),

One more vote for the LX3. I just bought one, it's a great camera. I like the flash effects you can get with 1/2000 sync! The only downside is that it is not very pocketable like a SD880, but you can't compare a simple P&S with a LX3/G9/G10.

Have a look at some samples from Laurence Kim here - he's got a great blog with excellent photos:

Laurence Kim Photography Blog

[Jasvox]

Thank you for the words of advice and suggestions. After having read more reviews in the past 48 hours on about 5-6 different makes and models, I pulled the trigger and went with the Panasonic TZ5 in black. I think I must have read about 15-20 legit/reputable reviews as well as checked one out in person. The reviews were consistently positive and in most cases extremely high praise for this little P&S. Also, I must have looked at hundreds of shots online at Flickr taken by the TZ5.

I did make some trade offs, such as very little manual control, a little bigger than the SD880, no viewfinder and no RAW capabilities ( that was a long shot wish!), but what I do get is an incredible Leica lens, the best screen on the market according to several reviewers, very usable scene modes along with a consistently praised "intelligent auto" mode for the quick power up and shoot moments, as well as 10x OPTICAL zoom coupled with the 28mm wide angle and has exposure bracketing. Besides, it looks really cool in black, sort of like those high dollar Leica's...and did I mention shoots 720p HD videos?

I have a great Pentax DSLR system with half a dozen lenses for my serious stuff, but circumstances don't always allow me to have my main camera in tow. Having a nice little P&S in your pocket or "murse" allows freedom and that feeling of having something for those "cant miss" moments as they arrive, and frequently do in my line of work. I am looking forward to shooting with this new little camera and I will certainly be posting a few in the days and weeks to come...look for me in the P&S contest entries.

Thanks again for the suggestions and ideas.

Jason

[LaRee]

Thank you for the words of advice and suggestions. After having read more reviews in the past 48 hours on about 5-6 different makes and models, I pulled the trigger and went with the Panasonic TZ5 in black. I think I must have read about 15-20 legit/reputable reviews as well as checked one out in person. The reviews were consistently positive and in most cases extremely high praise for this little P&S. Also, I must have looked at hundreds of shots online at Flickr taken by the TZ5.

I did make some trade offs, such as very little manual control, a little bigger than the SD880, no viewfinder and no RAW capabilities ( that was a long shot wish!), but what I do get is an incredible Leica lens, the best screen on the market according to several reviewers, very usable scene modes along with a consistently praised "intelligent auto" mode for the quick power up and shoot moments, as well as 10x OPTICAL zoom coupled with the 28mm wide angle and has exposure bracketing. Besides, it looks really cool in black, sort of like those high dollar Leica's...and did I mention shoots 720p HD videos?

I have a great Pentax DSLR system with half a dozen lenses for my serious stuff, but circumstances don't always allow me to have my main camera in tow. Having a nice little P&S in your pocket or "murse" allows freedom and that feeling of having something for those "cant miss" moments as they arrive, and frequently do in my line of work. I am looking forward to shooting with this new little camera and I will certainly be posting a few in the days and weeks to come...look for me in the P&S contest entries.

Thanks again for the suggestions and ideas.

Jason

Congratulations on making your choice Jason. There are so MANY p&s options out there it is really hard to choose. P&S have really came a long way in the past 5 years. I look forward to seeing your entries in the P&S contest. And hey, don't wait that long if you have something to post before that, I'm sure the site wouldn't mind you sharing a couple shots right in this thread.

[kev.pride]

Jason you won't go wrong with camera, I have been using same camera known as TZ15 here in Australia as my work camera since Sept and the photos have been faultless. I take a large # of photos inside factories etc. without the flash & where previous cameras have struggled to give me clear shake free images - this one is exceptional - I have rarely had a blurred photo. Some of the closups of machinery are brilliant.

regards

[Jasvox]

The little Lumix TZ5 just arrived and I have been playing around with it. So far, it seems very straight forward and controls are laid out very logically and without clutter or confusion. The screen ROCKS on this thing..better than my K10D. I haven't taken a ton of shots just yet, but since I had a talent willing and able, I took this test shot. Everything is still set pretty much flat and from the factory. I will tweak as time goes by.

Jason