Which compact to sit beside DSLR

Gary Kinghorn

Gary Kinghorn

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I'm looking for a compact camera for occasional use. I already have some nice DSLR kit and L lenses, so that end is covered.

The camera would be for use here and there. Yesterday I went to watch the Quins play Rugby, I wasn't going to take a DSLR so a compact would have been ideal.

If Emma takes the kids out for the day, she would want the compact to use.

Out to a pub with a group, compact.

Family holiday - perhaps easier to take compact than sitting on sun bed with 5d and big lens.

Criteria.

14mp and above.
Decent zoom.
Quick to take the shot after the shutter release has been pushed.
Decent Video.
Some funky features perhaps.
Budget is £200 give or take £20.


The guy at my local camera shop who I respect says he is very much pushing this at present. He is selling loads of them and reckons within the price bracket it's the one to have.

http://www.castlecameras.co.uk/sony-dsc-hx9

Anyone have any experience with them, or suggest an alternative you think is better?
 
Have a look at Canon S90/95/100 or G12.

Do you really need 14MP on a compact?
 
Panasonic TZ10 or TZ20, both cracking camera's. I have a TZ10 that I carry everywhere. TZ20 has a touchscreen so if you're not bothered by that get a TZ10.

Both camera's can GPS tag your photo's, have a great Leica zoom lens and are very easy to use. Image quality is excellent too and very little shutter lag.

And remember megapixels aren't everything ;)
 
Canon powershots, turn the settings to natural, you will be surprised.
 
350wedge said:
And remember megapixels aren't everything ;)
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I'd go further, due to interpolation to claim big MP numbers I think it''s often best to not even use the highest resolution.
 
Gary Kinghorn said:
Anyone have any experience with them, or suggest an alternative you think is better?
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I have an HX9V and use it alongside film cameras and usually instead of a DSLR rather than alongside it.

If you're a pixel-peeper, then look elsewhere it's a touch over-aggressive on the noise reduction. But if you look at practical resolutions it's more than fine. I haven't had any shots printed yet, I think I'll send some off next week.

But it is absolutely amazing with video. I'm extremely impressed by the HD video performance.
 
Gary Kinghorn said:
14mp and above.
Decent zoom.
Quick to take the shot after the shutter release has been pushed.
Decent Video.
Some funky features perhaps.
Budget is £200 give or take £20.
Click to expand...

You don't need 14mp and above on a compact.

Nikon P300 is within your budget (@£186), is good in low light and has decent video.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...0&creativeASIN=B004LRO71Q&ref_=cm_rdp_product

Canon S95 video is average.

Panasonic TZ8/10/18/20 have long zooms but are not as good in low light/indoors as the P300 and S90/S95.

So it depends what you mostly take pictures of - every camera is a compromise to some extent. :)

Good comparison here of the Nikon vs Canon S95 and Panasonic LX5. The Nikon is around £100 cheaper than the other two cameras, so the only one of those 3 within your budget.
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/panasonic-lx5-vs-canon-s95-vs-nikon-p300-15928
 
applemint said:
You don't need 14mp and above on a compact.
Click to expand...
Arguably the same for a DSLR. Depending on what you are doing with the photos. Happy enough with 6 on my old D70.

I'm finding for any old shot out and about a mobile with a good camera is used more than my compact which I can't be bothered to bring with me. Mobiles are getting to the point of crossing over with compacts, and they also have massive processing power to do some pretty cool stuff with intelligent tracking, face and object recognition, stitching in camera in seconds. Shove the power of a mobile in a compact or DSLR and we'll have some amazing cameras.

Still, decent zoom compact has it's use for some events where a DSLR is not allowed or is impractical. Have been using them for my MTB rides too including the video functions, though the DSLR gets better shots. However sports video cameras like GoPro are taking over here and take some great HD video.
 
The Olympus pens (and other four thirds) are good, but only if you want interchangeable lenses. If you already have a DSLR, it's unlikely you want to shift that amount of gear around as it defeats the purpose surely? The best DSLR companion is the Olympus XZ-1 in my opinion...

The sensor is bigger than a normal compact. Though not as big as say a four thirds sensor, it does have an f/1.8 lens which means which more than makes up for it's lack of low light capability due to the sensor size when compared to the stock four thirds lenses. Additionally due to the big aperture it's even better at reducing depth of field compared to the stock lenses on the four thirds cameras.

If however you need it to fit in your jeans then it might be a tiny bit to big. The S95 is your best bet then.
 
I have a TZ10 and think its great. Feels good in the hand, has good zoom and the battery life is quite good. Comes in under budget as well.
 
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Valleyman said:
The best DSLR companion is the Olympus XZ-1 in my opinion...
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I agree - if I was buying a compact camera now and willing/able to spend the £300 it costs, that is probably what I would get (or possibly Fuji X10 if latest firmware update has fixed the white blob issue) - but OP said their budget is £200/£220 max which rules out the Olympus (and the Canon S95 unless the price drops again). :D
 
I have had the Sony HX9V for a while now and can definitely recommend it. Zoom results are really very good. It has many features that you may not use, such as GPS etc. but this can be easily turned off to extend battery life. The intelligent auto setting is brilliant too. All in all a well made, capable and robust little camera. No raw facility but I never use it anyway.
 
The Canon s95 is a very compact camera and worth a shout. Compared to DSLR and pro lenses I do find it not as good as I had hoped, but then I am talking about a D300 and 24-70 which was over £2k new so not fair to compare to a £300 compact! As a compact its pretty good though.
 
applemint said:
I agree - if I was buying a compact camera now and willing/able to spend the £300 it costs, that is probably what I would get (or possibly Fuji X10 if latest firmware update has fixed the white blob issue) - but OP said their budget is £200/£220 max which rules out the Olympus (and the Canon S95 unless the price drops again). :D
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I picked up a second hand one for £175, 6 months old, still under warranty.

If I was limited to £200 I wouldn't hesitate to go second hand from a reputable source (i.e these forums, or another similar forums)
 
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Valleyman said:
I picked up a second hand one for £175, 6 months old, still under warranty.

If I was limited to £200 I wouldn't hesitate to go second hand from a reputable source (i.e these forums, or another similar forums)
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You got a good deal there. I am a new member here so cannot view the for sale section - do they come up for sale quite often?

Rumour is that a new model/models will be released soon, so the price of the XZ-1 should drop then.

"Looking to the future, Olympus pointed to the release of its OM-D E-M5 in late March, adding: 'Several new compact models are scheduled for successive launches from spring, using [the] same image processing technologies as micro SLRs [sic] for high sensitivity, low noise and fast autofocus.' "
http://www.amateurphotographer.co.u...ating_loss_sales_rise_update_news_311432.html


"Olympus XZ-1 successor will arrive in early summer" (rumour/unconfirmed) from: http://www.43rumors.com/hot-new-olympus-m43-cameras-coming-in-spring-says-financial-report/

One thing I would like to see on a new model is a 24mm wide angle rather than 28mm.
 
My Dad was able to pick up a Canon refurbished S90 from the Canon refurb store on eBay for £145, so there bargains to have.
 
There's plenty of choice. I'd look at the Canon S90/95, which are very capable cameras and small/light too. The SX200 might be worth a look. I have the Panasonic TZ9 - my wife does, actually - and it does most things quite well, but it's noisy at higher ISO levels and is larger/heavier than the Canons. I don't find the big zoom all that useful, but it goes to 25mm at the wide end which is well worth having.

No compact will do everything well, but that's also true of DSLRs. There are always going to be some compromises. I wouldn't worry too much about it, there are very few poor cameras around nowadays.
 
applemint said:
You got a good deal there. I am a new member here so cannot view the for sale section - do they come up for sale quite often?

Rumour is that a new model/models will be released soon, so the price of the XZ-1 should drop then.
Click to expand...

Not from here, from another forum classifieds. Though I just noticed the XZ-1 is available for £202 delivered new from an amazon marketplace seller with good reviews. That's an awesome deal for a brand new one.

I personally think the XZ-1 was rather ahead of it's time. The new one couldn't offer a great deal more without seriously intruding on the PEN cameras. A slight increase in sensor resolution (Hopefully not at the detriment of low light capability), maybe 12MP, and yeah maybe a slightly wider angle lens. Maybe they'll make the body slightly smaller.... but at the end of the day what else can they offer without treading on their own toes?
 
Have you considered the Sony HX9V it takes good pictures and has high quality video.
 
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