Recommendation for a GOOD Point n Shoot?

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I am in the market for a new point n shoot camera. $500 or less. Image quality is paramount. I would like something with little to no image noise at normal ISO (100, 200), good use of full available spectrum (bright, good contrast), as many SLR-type controls (speed, aperture, ISO, etc.) as possible and of course, small and lightweight.

Any recommendations?

I have been checking out a variety of Sony models, including the now extinct N1 and the whole "W" series, which seems to get good marks on image quality. However, I am not stuck on Sony, just somewhat familiar with some older ones that seemed to do a pretty good job.

Any and all recommendations much appreciated.
 
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The Panasonic Lumix series can be quite credible, you could check them out.
 
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Thanks guys. I checked out the review of the Canon model, but DPReview was quite critical of its image quality - fair amount of noise evident even at low ISO settings. I will check out the Lumix line - next.

Anyone out there "driving" any of the recent Sony point n shoots? I would love to see some qualified opinions...
 
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I had a Canon S2 IS, and loved it. Its been updated twice now, and is now called the S5 IS, and its still getting very good ratings last I saw. Its a point and shoot, but is a SLR-type camera.
 
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I just got a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K. I've had it for about a week, but I love it so far. I haven't used it enough to really give much of a review, but it has been great for how little I've played with it.
 

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I have no experience with Panasonic cameras.
In my experience, Canon has a far better image processor and friendlier GUI than:
Kodak
Minolta
Sony
I love my Canon A620. Especially attractive to me: it runs on AA batteries (vital!), and it takes common, inexpensive SD memory cards. Regarding the camera's processor, I can hold down the shutter and take 60 pictures in a minute. Other makes will choke on that.
 
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I've got a Kodak Z710 and it's quite the piece of good technology.. I paid just over $500 for it with a printer-docl, 2gb flash card, and extended warranty.
 
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Hm.. actually I just trashed my cam in a bike crash by falling on it :Grimmace:

Well, wanted a new one anyway as the old one I had (some smaller Pentax) was really slow. Not very good for action shots when you are biking.

Any experience here on quite fast cams?
 
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I have a sony dsc-w7. I bought it about 1.5 years ago and really love it. It takes awesome pictures ( though the red eye can be a problem- but easily fixed), it's also got a quick shutter time and takes awesome mini movies.

My problem is a bought it when I was a pc user and now am a mac user. The mini vidoes that sony cameras take are "muxed" and will not be recognized by programs like imovie. Also in iphoto the movies don't download the same way as the photos do and get mixed up. I wish I would have known about this before I bought my sony.

If I were you I would stay away from sony if you use the mini movie clip feature at all.

Hope this helps you :)
 
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Uhh, that's right. My pentax videos didn't work on the mac too. Had exactly the same problem. Another thing to look at when I get my new cam.

Thx for your feedback!
 
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Thanks for the advice everyone!
 
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I got one of the new Samsung NV range (the 15 actually). I know the old ones suffered from excess noise, but people seem happier with the new ones. Honestly I only bought it because I thought it was the best looking (I know, I know...), and don't have anything to compare quality to, but the pics look fine to me :p

One thing that is quite annoying is the Auto mode... I can get a lot better shots in manual (which I hear has more control than most point-n-shoots), and I only have limited photography experience... surely the camera should be better at choosing the settings than me?!
 
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I've just ordered the Panny Lumix TZ3, but it's sort of my christmas present, so my gf says no playing with it until then :/

But I'll need to make sure it works properly, so I'll post a few first impressions in a week or so.


For something with "SLR-like" controls, check out the LX2. It's NR is a bit aggressive, but it also supports RAW, so you can avoid the processing if you want. It'll probably be updated around March if you can wait a bit.
 
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for around 500 i think you can find a second hand d40 or digital rebel or somethin like that.
 
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I really enjoy my Kodak V550. I think it takes wonderful pictures.
 
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Earlier this year I picked up the Sony DSC-T100. It's a great point and shoot, very small and compact, and improves over a lot of the short comings of the earlier T models.

Sean
 
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i have a panasonic lumix dmc-lz5 and i love it. it has very goos zoom capabilities.

a review: http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_lz5-review/index.shtml

Thanks for the URL. I read is through. For me, here is the key paragraph (I added the emphasis):

Photo quality was a mixed bag on the DMC-LZ5. On the positive side, photos were well-exposed, with vibrant colors, good sharpness, and minimal purple fringing. The biggest downside is noise, in addition to the vignetting and soft corner issues that I just mentioned. Noise is noticeable in most of my sample photos (most of which were taken at ISO 80), especially on flat surfaces, details like grass and leaves, or in the sky (which looks mottled). Now, this noise isn't going to be a problem if you're making smaller prints (4 x 6 or 5 x 7), but if you're doing larger prints (or just like to view your photos at 100% on your PC) then it may bother you.

"Noise" is the bug-a-boo I am trying to banish. I am looking for a point n shoot that takes good clean shots at 100 to 200 ISO.

Any recommendations?
 
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i just got the sony cybershot dsc-w80. awesome camera to say the least.
 

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