Best compact camera for less than £500

travellingcello

travellingcello

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Hi all,

Because of what I do, I travel relatively often which is great but it also means that I can't carry a big dslr everywhere. It doesn't stop me but its frankly a right pain and it would make a lot of sense for me to have a good compact camera.

Now I realise that the size means a tradeoff and I won't achieve DSLR quality but what would be the best compact for under £500? It would be ideal if the camera would fit in a largish jacket pocket.

I was looking at the Fuji X10, and the general consensus seems to be that there's not much for under £500 that can beat the X10 for image quality.

Can anyone advise? I'm not currently interested in going micro 4/3.
 
Before people start throwing rocks at me, I know the X10 is a terrific camera and has plenty in its favour but I've tried a Fuji X10 and Nikon J1 and was far more impressed by the Nikon. It has a few daft features and lacks the fashionably retro vibe of the X10 (and viewfinder) but it focuses like lightning and with a much larger sensor than the X10's is capable of cracking photos. it is a tad smaller too.

At a few quid under £500 for the twin lens and just over £400 with the kit zoom, it might be worth a look.
 
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How compact is it? being a Canon user I do have reservations about going and buying Nikon but if its a good camera then I would consider it.

Do you own the J1?
 
travellingcello said:
How compact is it? being a Canon user I do have reservations about going and buying Nikon but if its a good camera then I would consider it.

Do you own the J1?
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It's slightly smaller than the X10. Depth will depend on the lens you have fitted. Put the 10-100mm on and you need a suitcase rather a pocket. Really quite compact but not tiny like an S100.

No, I don't own one, I'm a Fuji man :lol:

Here's a review by somebody who usually talks sense: Steve Huff

I'm seriously tempted by a V1 - but that's a bit more money. And I don't have any. The evf is surprisingly good.
 
Have you looked at the Canon G12 ? I have one and use it for magazine feature production. I have a colleague who works all over the world - he is in Brazil at the moment, he only takes the G12 now, and does professional video with it too.

I have a G12, but I am seriously looking at the Nikon P7100 (NOT the P7000, definitely NOT the P7000:gag:) It has a bigger sensor, similar everything else, but also has AF and zoom during video mode, which the G12 does not have.

If you can wait a bit, the new Canon coming out is supposed to be a game changer. The G1X - it has the CMOS sensor from an EOS in it, I can't remember which EOS, but it is 6x larger than other compact sensors. It is going to be a bit more expensive than your £500, but only by a £130 or so, which if it is that much of a step up would be worth it.

You'll just have to do like everyone else and scour as much as you can in front of the square window.:thumbs:
 
Actually the Canon G1X sounds great on paper. Sensor comparable to m4/3, fairly large zoom range (if quite slow at the long end) good construction and plenty of features. It is not out yet and not sure how much the $699 RRP will translate into in pounds but it definitely is worth considering even if you have to wait for a little while. IQ/Noise levels is the question mark here as it has not been reviewed yet.

BTW if you consider the J1 you might as well consider the m4/3. m4/3 has a much bigger sensor and very compact lenses compared to Nikon's 1 system. The lenses for these are scarily big. The GX1 with the pancake zoom comes in under £600 and has the same good sensor as the G3, I am sure you will soon be able to get the replacement of the G3+the 14-42 pancake for less than £500.
 
travellingcello said:
Hi all,

Because of what I do, I travel relatively often which is great but it also means that I can't carry a big dslr everywhere. It doesn't stop me but its frankly a right pain and it would make a lot of sense for me to have a good compact camera.

Now I realise that the size means a tradeoff and I won't achieve DSLR quality but what would be the best compact for under £500? It would be ideal if the camera would fit in a largish jacket pocket.

I was looking at the Fuji X10, and the general consensus seems to be that there's not much for under £500 that can beat the X10 for image quality.

Can anyone advise? I'm not currently interested in going micro 4/3.
Click to expand...

Ricoh GRDIV looks good but then I much prefer a prime lens to a zoom.
 
Having looked at the GX1 it looks too big to be classed as a compact camera..... I'm starting to think that actually a compact camera will leave me feeling unsatisfied as I would be wanting dslr quality from it, which obviously won't happen... :(
 
Another model worth considering is the Nikon P7100. It's compact enough for a jacket pocket, it's firmly aimed at the enthusiast market, and its picture quality is really quite good.
 
nikon p7100 is similar to g12, gx1

GX1 promises dslr quality, you will have to compromise somewhere
 
How much quality do you want or need? I have a G12 and it does A2 perfectly well from RAW. Straight jpegs are good enough for A3 printing to a good standard. Front covers for magazines are no problem, neither are DPSs. That is good quality in my view. The files are nearly as big as from the D3. It is slower to use than an SLR though, but in situations where you can contemplate the picture it is fine.
 
I'm a Canon fan through-and-through but for £500, you'd be hard pressed to better the X10. :)
 
I believe the Canon s100 has similar if not better image quality than the X10 (Apparently)? But the canon is a lot smaller and lighter than the X10, and should seriously be considered.
 
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