[PentaxRev]

Pentaxians, I'm considering getting a small point and shoot camera to carry with me all the time. I want it to be small enough to fit in my pocket but still take decent pictures.

After looking at what Pentax currently has in the Point and Shoot category, there's nothing that really catches my attention. So that means I will be looking elsewhere.

I would like to know what point and shoot cameras others Pentax DSLR photographers are shooting with and what you like and find frustrating in the world of Point and Shoot.

It should make for interesting reading and will help others who are considering the same thing I am. Thanks in advance everyone for offering your two cents worth.

[Clicker]

Most might say it's the Canon S95 but there is supposedly a replacement coming soon for that model; i went Panasonic LX5 but it would depend how small or big your daily pocket is, summer it's cargo shorts and winter it's jackets in which it fits well enough.

I had a short stint with the Pentax Optio H90 and not having fully tested it, i was actually quite suprised at the quality of images it can produce but as i was/am on a small buying spree at the moment i had to clear it out to make room for new additions, Fujifilm X100 and shortly the Pentax Q system neither of which i would call "pocketable"

So i would suggest if you had to buy now, it would be the Canon S95. Also Canon 780IS if you can find one is great value lost among all the newer models.

[tacticdesigns]

Might be off topic, but . . . I've got one of those waterproof cameras. No. It's not fast. But it opens up the possibility of taking it into the water at the beach, pool or water park, shooting my girls while they play in the sprinkler (and actually get right in the middle of the water zone), or on taking pictures on rainy days. Its also good in the cold and is rugged. And because it can do this, I'm actually getting more shots of the girls. Anyone who asks me about cameras, I point this out. Since you don't have to worry about the camera getting wet you can concentrate more on taking pictures. If choosing one, compare them in store and compare their trigger delay. You might find a big difference between cameras.

As for advanced point-and-shoots, there's the Canon S95 (or its bigger brother the Canon G12, which sports a hot-shoe). I suggested the G12 to a friend down the street and he uses this much more than his dSLR now. Whenever I get my hands on the G12, I find it a really fun camera to use. And the image quality is really good. The Nikon equivalent would be the Nikon P7000.

I went out with another friend for an afternoon of camera testing and she ended up picking the Panasonic ZS10 because of its small size and larger zoom range. But I had pointed this camera out because my dad has the ZS5 which seems very responsive and he's really happy with it. The ZS8 would be the cheaper version of the ZS10 with a lesser video mode and no GPS.

And, of course there is the new Pentax Q.

[Aegon]

Sony's current sensors are great. I think they call them EXMOR or maybe backside illuminated. Anyway, if I was going small I'd be sure to get an EXMOR sensor.

[thethirdcoast]

I've acquired a Samsung TL500/EX1 and am enjoying it so far. I have become something of a Samsung partisan due to their excellent ergonomics, gorgeous AMOLED screens, and well-organized menus. I feel as though they learned a great deal from their association with Pentax.

[Christine Tham]

I'm thinking of buying the Pentax Q when it comes out.

But also looking at the new Sony - DSC-HX7V and HX9V.

All those cameras have a bokeh mode where they take multiple shots and blend them to get a defocused background.

I may also consider the GF3 with a prime lens.

Played around with the Canon S95, didn't like it. The LX5 is getting a bit long in the tooth (plus too big for me).

[snofox]

I have been using the Canon G12 for the past month. I use a very lightweight Manfrotto CF tripod with it, and I couldn't be happier. Its RAW images are excellent, and the flip screen is so useful I wonder how I lived without it. If you are thinking of this camera, I heartily endorse it.

The first few pages of my Flickr photos (below) are taken mostly with the Canon G12, if you would like to see what sort of images it takes.

[Aristophanes]

Honestly, a camera that caught my eye is the Ricoh PX.

[jogiba]

The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX9V with 24-384mm equiv 16x zoom looks the most interesting to me because it shoots 1080p60 HD video and also looks like a great P&S still camera.
Amazon.com: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V 16.2 MP Exmor R CMOS Digital Still Camera with 16x Optical Zoom G Lens, 3D Sweep Panorama and Full HD 1080/60p Video: Camera & Photo

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[sany]

you must look for something like pentax optio-x, that is small and pocketable and twistable for those difficult angles, unfortunately it is not in production.
Something like Canon powershot 990 is small and has partial control of aperture and shutter as well.

[PentaxRev]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I eventually bought the Samsung TL350. It was an incredible deal at less than $200 and it takes some really great pictures. I've been quite pleased.

This camera shoots RAW, has a 10 FPS mode and an absolutely gorgeous AMOLED screen. The little camera does have some drawbacks, it only has a 5 X zoom, but it's wide end goes all the way out to 24mm, which is quite nice. It's got a metal body, and feels very well made. It's not the absolute joy to use that my K-7 is, but I still enjoy taking pictures with it and am consistently amazed by how good the pictures are.

In addition, I enjoy the high speed video which creates interesting slow motion video. It's not the greatest quality, but it's a lot of fun. I really find it amazing that for this little money I have a pretty capable little camera that is small enough to carry with me just about anywhere. I think I'm in agreement with thethirdcoast above, I believe Samsung leanred a lot from their association with Pentax and they now offer a really nice package in their better point and shoot cameras for an extremely reasonable price. I've had the TL350 for 2 or 3 months now and would gladly buy it again.

Thanks again everyone for your input.

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

I would like to know what point and shoot cameras others Pentax DSLR photographers are shooting with and what you like and find frustrating in the world of Point and Shoot.

Have a look at the photo contests in the Pentax Compact Digital and Film Cameras. They're open to any P&S, not just to Pentax cameras. What better way to see what people shoot with than to look at what they shoot with?

[woof]

I would like to know what point and shoot cameras others Pentax DSLR photographers are shooting with and what you like and find frustrating in the world of Point and Shoot.

Panasonic DMC-LX5

Frustrating? Hmmm... not much frankly.

What do I like? Compare the following Shots. In each pair, one is a K10D with F 28 f/2.8 and one is the LX-5. Frankly, I think it is obvious, but not based on Image quality.

















Then, there's landscapes:







And City Scapes:





And creative shots:



Check out the size comparison:

Compare camera dimensions side by side

Some important Specs/features:

1. 24-90mm Leica f2.0-3.3 lens - very nice. As far as I can tell, it is very much like a 16-60mm on a crop body.
2. Usable up through 3200 ISO. i don't personally have a need past 1600. Noise is rather like that of the Kr... sort of very subtle and noise ware of various klnds take care of it well.
3. Full manual controls, including a hyper-program like mode; P/A/S/M
4. E-dial in rear works very intuitively; can click it to change mode, so in Hyper-P, clicking it changes from Aperture to Shutter speed adjustment. Just a brilliant implementation.
5. Three user-defined modes, excellent for storing settings
6. RAW
7. HD Video with zooming and CAF; not stereo and 720p though. Trust me, this is just fine really.
8. 3 shot, 2 stop bracket capability
9. In Body IS which appears to be pretty effective
10 etc., etc. Every time I reach for something, it gives something back. Love the IQ, love the FOV, love the controls, love the menus.

This is the camera that convinced me that Micro-4/3 is of interest to me. Oddly there I got an Olympus (EPL3). Camera is very nice, but there are things I really like much better on my LX-5.

It's like a small M4/3 and better it's like a tiny SLR. Take it seriously and it will do serious work.




Reviews:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Camera - Review
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Review | Digital Camera Resource Page
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Review | Digital Camera Resource Page
Panasonic Lumix LX5 Review | PhotoRadar
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 verdict, LX5 vs Canon PowerShot S95 vs Sony NEX-3 | Cameralabs
Enthusiast Compact Camera Group Test (Q4 2010) Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

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[thethirdcoast]

woof-

Those are some terrific shots!

I strongly considered getting the LX5 before picking up my EX1, but for me the slightly faster lens on the EX1 won out for me.

[woof]

@ thethirdcoast.. .thank you! and great choice in a compact!

Actually I considered the EX1 and at times still wonder if that would have been the way to go. Lens is actually quite close, but EX-1 is faster overall... f/1.8 – f/2.4 Schneider Varioplan, 24mm – 72mm equivalent. Really, really nice. If the LX-5 had been at 28mm, the Samsung would have won hands down, no question.

The ONLY reason I did not go with this camera was the video and the fact that the LX-5 has a viewfinder (read COST). The EX-1 is a beautiful camera and I'd love to see any shots you've taken with it! I got to play with it in the camera store but that rarely results in really understanding IQ.

Review of EX-1: http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/samsung_ex1_review/

Thanks again...

BTW... FWIW Numbers 1, 3, 5, 7 and the rest are the LX-5. You can tell by the 16:9 aspect ratio which I actually really like.

woof!