[markpeterson59]

Hi

I am looking for a digital camera for everyday use... I'm no expert, I've been looking around for some and I really like the canon powershot G9. Price isn't too bad either. I read a lot digital camera reviews on alaTest. So something with those characteristics is what I am looking for and I don't want to spend over 500 USD... Good quality picture, zoom, etc.... what do you guys thing... I don't care much about brands either, but I've mostly been researching canons. what about the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50? or others similar? Please Suggest me if any.

Thanks.

[shuttertalk]

Hey Mark, and welcome to Shuttertalk!

I think the Canons are an excellent choice and the Powershot G9 (or the G family) are highly regarded for their image quality. The G series are directed squarely towards those that want a high degree of creative control over the settings.

If you're after just a basic camera for everyday use, then perhaps the S series or even the A series may be more suitable.

Jules

[Pavel]

Check out www.dpreview.com. They review very competently consumer, professional and semi-pro cameras. Depending what you shoot, your priorities may differ and it is hard to advise. I would go for a camera which has optical viewfinder (LCDs are hard to see in bright light and electronic viewfinders do not give good detail), I would want a camera that can shoot at least 28 mm wide (in 35 mm equivalents), that offers RAW (this may not be important to you, if you do not process your images yourself in software) and which has relatively low noise in high ISO setting. G10 does well except for this last category. You may also consider entry level Olympus with a kit lens. It is a small camera with a small lens and not much more expensive than Cannon G10. It has a larger sensor than the cameras with fixed lens, so noise is generally less of a problem. The camera is of course a bit heavier. I use Nikon DSLR myself, but my needs (wants, really) are different than yours and Cannon and in fact most other brands are just fine too. You can pretty much rest assured that the camera will not be what limits the quality of your photos - you will be the weak link. Pavel

[enviroguy]

Hi, Mark! I have 4 Canon digital cameras, from point and shoot to DSLRs, so I have a bit of experience here. They are all fine for their purposes. The G series are good because they have a hot shoe for an external flash (nice for flash shots beyond 8 feet) and the ability to take images in RAW format. (I had my G2 for several years before I discovered the amazing advantages of RAW.) If those things are not that important to you, there are many point and shoot cameras with plenty of manual controls. Just make sure the camera has a good optical viewfinder (the LCD display is often useless outdoors) and that the shutter delay is minimal to avoid frustration in missing the shot.

Regards.....Dennis

[NT73]

I had a Panasonic Lumix FZ5. It is a hot little camera for just about anything. Will fit in a pocket if your pockets are fairly large. It does not weigh much and you can carry it around all day. Optical view finder & Lcd screen.
Any of the FZ range should be very good. They all have Leica lenses. They won't cost an arm and a leg either.
My wife has it now.

[camperbc]

I would highly recommend the Sony H-50. A better camera cannot be had in that price range... period! I have been using the H-50 to earn my living as a landscape photographer for the past year, and have never found any fault with it. If you have any particular questions about this camera, I would be happy to answer them for you. If you would like to view my photographs taken with the H-50, just go to my website.

Glen B.
Fogo Island, Newfoundland
www.focusonnewfoundland.com

[markpeterson59]

I would highly recommend the Sony H-50. A better camera cannot be had in that price range... period! I have been using the H-50 to earn my living as a landscape photographer for the past year, and have never found any fault with it. If you have any particular questions about this camera, I would be happy to answer them for you. If you would like to view my photographs taken with the H-50, just go to my website.

Glen B.
Fogo Island, Newfoundland
www.focusonnewfoundland.com

Is Sony H-50 is good camera ? can u explain some reviews and some features about Sony H-50

[markpeterson59]

Hey Mark, and welcome to Shuttertalk!

I think the Canons are an excellent choice and the Powershot G9 (or the G family) are highly regarded for their image quality. The G series are directed squarely towards those that want a high degree of creative control over the settings.

If you're after just a basic camera for everyday use, then perhaps the S series or even the A series may be more suitable.

Jules

Thanks for suggestion, I have another one question is How is Powershot G10 ?

[Wedding Shooter]

I would strongly recommend the Panasonic Lumix LX3 if you don't mind losing some zoom it is a wonderful wide angle camera and it has a very fast lens.

[Kombisaurus]

Interesting you mention the LX3 Chris. I've been toying with the idea of a good P&S to have for situations where I won't want or won't have a DSLR.
I'm really torn between the Panasonic LX3 and the Canon G10.

If you've got an LX3 Chris I'd be interested to hear how you feel about using it, particularly as you're approaching it from the point of view of a Canon DSLR shooter (and I'm sure you would've considered the G10 when choosing the LX3 too).

I love the lens, compactness, and higher-iso performance of the LX3... but the versatile focal length of the G10, the ergonomics and the ability to fit seamlessly into my existing workflow are pulling me in that direction also.

Is it true that Lightroom and Photoshop can't open RAW files from the LX3? If so then that might be a deal-breaker for me as I depend on Lightroom to manage all my photos.
But then there's the G10 which has great IQ in good light, but seems behind the LX3 regarding high ISO shooting. That is almost a deal-breaker for me on the G10 right there. I realise any P&S camera won't perform like a DSLR when it comes to high-iso performance, but I looove shooting at 3200iso and don't want to go backwards any more than is absolutely necessary.

I guess all this is telling me I should probably hold off for the replacement models for each camera to see if they can offer me the best of both worlds.

Any thoughts?

EDIT: I just googled and discovered that Lightroom does support the Panasonic LX3 from Lightroom v2.2 onwards... hmm.. that swings the pendulum towards the LX3 for me.

[Wedding Shooter]

Confirming that Lightroom does work. For me it came down to the lens and the 16x9 aspect ratio.

It is no DSLR, but it is an awesome little camera. Feel free to drop by some day and borrow it for a day or two.

Cheers,

Chris

[Kombisaurus]

Thanks Chris

[Toad]

My son recently bought a Leica D-Lux 4 which is very similar to the Panasonic LX-3. It is an amazingly good camera - I may never have moved from point and shoots if the quality had always been like that...

[Kombisaurus]

I just put an order in for a Lumix LX3. It should get here tomorrow hopefully.
Discovering that Lightroom handles LX3 RAW files from v2.2 onwards pretty much sealed the deal. The LX3 lens and sensor seem just too good to go past. For my purposes, faster, wider glass and better high-iso performance is more valuable than the longer zoom range and better ergonomics of the G10. The smaller form-factor and HD video ability of the LX3 are also a bonus.

woohoo.. All I need to do is make sure I always carry it with me like a mobile phone. The whole point of this camera is to take photos I would otherwise miss by not having a DSLR handy.

[Wedding Shooter]

When I went to the zoo in Singapore I was able to leave a normal zoom at the hotel and just brought a telephoto on the 5D as well as the LX3. Took some great video with at the zoo too.

Cheers,

Chris

[Kombisaurus]

My LX3 arrived on Friday.

While it's definately no DSLR, for a pocket compact camera it's full of surprises.
So far it's lived up to it's reputation and although the 24-60mm (equiv) zoom is a bit limiting at the long end compared to other similar cameras like the G10, the low-light performance is fantastic for a compact camera and perfectly usable up to 1600iso. Overall I don't regret it one little bit.

Here's a shot I took on Sat night of Kate Miller Heidke performing at the Fly by Night Club in Fremantle. Shot at around 40mm equiv, 800iso, f/2.4, 1/13th sec.



I also picked up a really neat little Manfrotto ModoPocket to go with the camera on Friday. It is a tiny little fold up "tripod" (it doesn't have 3 legs but it performs the function of a tripod) that you can leave permanently attached to the bottom of the camera. It's brilliant! It provides excellent stability and adjustments for table-top photography. It screws into the tripod thread of the camera and just folds up or unfolds when you want to use it. It doesn't get in the way, it has an extra thread hole so you don't need to remove it if you want to attach the camera to a real tripod, and on the LX3 at least it is even still possible to open the battery/memory card door without removing it.

[shuttertalk]

I had quick a play with the Canon G10 at a shop on the weekend, and was blown away by the controls. I love how they've made dedicated dials for exposure compensation and ISO - it's so convenient to see what settings are set and to change them is just a click of a dial.



Wish they had the same on my D80... for me it's a hold-down-button-and-spin-wheel type affair...

[Wedding Shooter]

Glad you liked the LX3 Kombi.

[kizzy21]

I will recommend Sigma D camera for you and you will enjoy the use of it.....I have one of the item in particular for sell, if you are interested in buying it just send me pm ok...

Thanks

Daniel Lucky

[lizzie01]

My first camera and my baby! Introducing Canon EOS Rebel XS Digital camera - SLR - 10.1 Megapixel - 3 x optical zoom - Black! Got it for a whooping $439! A dream come true!

[shuttertalk]

Nice one lizzie! What lens did you get with it?