I don't want RAW. What's a good p&s digi?

[Ducky]

I'v had both the G-10 and the G9 and considered the LX-3. I never use RAW so why spend the big-bucks? The Canon A series has almost the same features as the G series and Panasonic has some good little digis.
Any suggestions?
I sold or am trying to sell (see classifieds) the G models since I consider them a bit heavy for my limited style of shooting.

 

[BillBingham2]

If you do not need zooms then the Ricoh GRD II or the Sigma come to mind. A used GRD I is a bargain these days.

If you need zoom not sure where to point you.

B2 (;->

 

[photogdave]

Any of the Panasonic FX or TZ cameras have great lenses, great IQ and are super compact.
Anything in the Canon Powershot A series gives you good IQ, manual exposure and optical VF. They run on AA batteries and are cheap, but bulkier than the Panasonics.

 

[navilluspm]

My suggestion is WAIT A FEW MONTHS.

Fuji is going to release their first EXR super ccd sensor camera this year and it is billed to be a better low light shooter than the F30. Fuji has great colors (at least I like them on my s6000fd). Take a look at their September press release. It looks like it will be a great camera.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08092308fujifilm.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08092210fujifilmexr.asp

 

[__hh]

I am sure you can pick up a Canon G7 quite cheap these days. Great build, nice lens, and no RAW 🙂

 

[sojournerphoto]

I am sure you can pick up a Canon G7 quite cheap these days. Great build, nice lens, and no RAW 🙂

But still too big for a pocket. I've got a ricoh GX100 that I like -stil shoots raw though if you wanted to...

 

[peter_n]

The current best OOC JPEGS come from the Fuji S5. It needs to be set up right but they are about 6MB in size and of amazing quality. The S5 is a Nikon D200 with a Fuji sensor and Fuji firmware.

 

[wlewisiii]

I really like my A590. Good glass, good sensor, reasonable size, runs on AA's & has IS. All for less than $150 new, even cheaper used. Makes a good light meter too 🙂

William

 

[MartinP]

I have also got a Canon "A" digi-compact, in my case an A720IS. Unfortunately the viewfinder doesn't match the image, although you can eventually get used to the v/f being 70% of what you get I suppose.

More importantly, there is a lot of barrel distortion on the lens, and there is also a flare problem which will definitely be visible if you shoot anything dark with a bright area nearby. Then again, it is very small and it has the option of the Image Stabilisation (which works well).

If I was looking again (and I won't be) then I would look for something better, but still small and pocketable. Due to the low price (especially with a cashback deal that was running 🙂 ) I tend to think of it as a semi-disposable, rather than for 'serious' pictures, when I would be using 35mm or 120.

 

[NickTrop]

My suggestion is WAIT A FEW MONTHS.

Fuji is going to release their first EXR super ccd sensor camera this year and it is billed to be a better low light shooter than the F30. Fuji has great colors (at least I like them on my s6000fd). Take a look at their September press release. It looks like it will be a great camera.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08092308fujifilm.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0809/08092210fujifilmexr.asp

If you want to go cheap, I'd say a used Fuji F10,11,20,30, or 31. These cameras have the best lowlight capabilities 10,11: ISO 1600, 20:2000, and 30,31: 3200. Fuji didn't go crazy trying to cram too many megapixels into their sensor and the specially designed CCD was designed to capture more light. 3X zoom is a good one and is a "fast" (for a digicam) f2.8 when it's at its widest. Used, these cameras are plentiful. Figure a 10 you can get for $70. 11's (ap/sh priority) are hard to find; 20 (no manual control) are plentiful and cheap - $80-$100, 30,31 - $160/70-ish? I'd go with the 20, personally. In fact, I did. Waiting for it to come in the mail. I also recently bought a 30 that I gave to my daughter.

Beauty of these cameras? Good image quality, cheap, plentiful, pocketable, great battery life, and they're arguably the best digicam for natural light shooting.

Or - you can wait for the new one. But you can pick up the 10's and 20's for well under $100 and they're fine for digitals.

 

[Ducky]

Lots of good advice and some thinking to do.
Thanks.