I need a super zoom camera for use in places where its impossible to bring my DSLR (mainly gigs / concerts / shows etc).
This seems to be an impossible quest. Ive done a fair bit of research and within my budget (under £300) seem to have ended up with 3 possibles - the Canon SX210 IS, the Fuji S200EXR and the Panasonic TZ10. All have pros and cons - Im not really interested in video capability, my primary concern is obtaining good quality images at the long end in low light.
The Canon SX210 seems an awesome little bit of kit -14x zoom and full manual control in a very tidy compact package. I like the "dial" wheel to easily change settings but not been able to find anyone who has used it in situations that Im interested in. I took a few test shots in the store (max zoom, no flash, fairly low light) and it seemed just OK but it was difficult to tell on the back screen if everything was sharp or had excessive noise issues. I use a little Canon Ixus now and it suffers TERRIBLY from noise even at a fairly modest ISO of 800. Im worried I might be headed back down the same path with another small Canon.
The Fuji is £30 more and considerably bigger but with the same zoom range. I could put up with the extra size and price if the results were worth it....it seems pretty well received in reviews but again, none really mention its performance in low light. Does anyone know if the sensor on the Fuji would be bigger because of its larger build size?
Finally the Panasonic. It has a slightly smaller zoom than the other two models at 12x (and to be honest I could do with all the reach I can get). Its main selling point seems to be its HD video capability but that is something Id rarely, if ever use. It probably a back runner but Ive seen some pretty good results on Flickr from these cameras in low light which is why Ive included it.
Anyone got any experience with any of these or can point me in the direction of other models to look at?
REALLY need to get this sorted out as I need it for an event Ive got coming up in just over a week so ANY help would be gratefully received from you lovely people
.
This seems to be an impossible quest. Ive done a fair bit of research and within my budget (under £300) seem to have ended up with 3 possibles - the Canon SX210 IS, the Fuji S200EXR and the Panasonic TZ10. All have pros and cons - Im not really interested in video capability, my primary concern is obtaining good quality images at the long end in low light.
The Canon SX210 seems an awesome little bit of kit -14x zoom and full manual control in a very tidy compact package. I like the "dial" wheel to easily change settings but not been able to find anyone who has used it in situations that Im interested in. I took a few test shots in the store (max zoom, no flash, fairly low light) and it seemed just OK but it was difficult to tell on the back screen if everything was sharp or had excessive noise issues. I use a little Canon Ixus now and it suffers TERRIBLY from noise even at a fairly modest ISO of 800. Im worried I might be headed back down the same path with another small Canon.
The Fuji is £30 more and considerably bigger but with the same zoom range. I could put up with the extra size and price if the results were worth it....it seems pretty well received in reviews but again, none really mention its performance in low light. Does anyone know if the sensor on the Fuji would be bigger because of its larger build size?
Finally the Panasonic. It has a slightly smaller zoom than the other two models at 12x (and to be honest I could do with all the reach I can get). Its main selling point seems to be its HD video capability but that is something Id rarely, if ever use. It probably a back runner but Ive seen some pretty good results on Flickr from these cameras in low light which is why Ive included it.
Anyone got any experience with any of these or can point me in the direction of other models to look at?
REALLY need to get this sorted out as I need it for an event Ive got coming up in just over a week so ANY help would be gratefully received from you lovely people
.
