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Need compact camera
- Thread starter bruleke
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To be quite honest, I don't know
The vast majority of Canon point and shoots are ELPH cameras just with different names, more megapixels, etc. I'm no camera junkie so I couldn't tell you what the primary differences are. DPreview.com has tons of reviews on cameras so you could take a gander over there if you've got some free time and see what the differences are.
When I first bought my SD780 IS, I was all about the megapixels. I had a 4 MP camera before which was just plain old crap. I figured the higher the MP's, the better the images. This, as I found out later, wasn't so true. While the high MP's do help when it comes to printing photos, doesn't help so much when taking pics. As others have mentioned, the S95/S100 or even the G12 are superb P&S camera all around though they are significantly more expensive than the ELPH series camera.
So it's really up to you in what you want as far as your camera goes. Do you want something that's okay and can take decent pictures here and there or do you want something more "pro" like the S series cameras? If you're concerned with price then the ELPH series are the best choice however it's a slight downgrade in the picture quality.
Also, I know nothing of Sony, FujiFilm or other camera manufacturers (I'm a Canon whore) so my knowledge is somewhat limited here.
Wow, beautiful and really good cameras!
But way too expensive for me =/
Also, I am not a pro (and dont intend to be).
I just want to take some night shots (with no grainy or blur) at parties and day shots in my trips =/
The SX230HS would probably be a good choice, or at least a better one than the ELPH cameras.
Your main issue is with the camera being able to take good pics in low light situations. Most of the ELPH cameras have a f/3.5 aperture which ain't all that great in low light. The SX230 has f/3.1 aperture which isn't much better but still should help out a lot more in low light. The S95 everyone talks about has a f/2.0 aperture which is fantastic for low light. They're all variable apertures cameras but the lower you can get, the better. Since the SX230 is somewhat low, it should work ok for your needs specifically for low light conditions.
Hmmmmmmmmm...
To be honest, this is the first time I read something about aperture! Didnt know what the "f" mean eheheh!
Well, I guess I will save some more money and buy a S95.
Dont want to have crappy pictures like the A570 Canon takes during night (and day... I must say!)
Neither did I
People always kept talking about "an extra stop of light" or f-stop or whatever. I had no friggin clue what they were talking about until someone pointed it out to me. Then it was like "Oh, that's what that f something or other meant "Seriously though, I'd highly recommend saving up for the S95. It is sorta expensive but you'll be getting one of the best point and shoot cameras out there. Since the S100 just came out, the S95's should be dropping a bit soon, maybe even in time for Black Friday/holiday shopping. Since I have a crappy SD780 IS, I've been eyeing the S95 for awhile. Will be nice to have that when I can't take my DSLR with me. Once it gets to like $250, I'm snagging one up.
You should temper your expectations. The two cameras mentioned in this thread that will give you the BEST image quality while being compact are the S95 and the Panasonic LX5. BUT, sorry to disappoint you, both of these cameras will still be noisy in low light and night time, especially when shot with an ISO over anything past 400 (which is what is going to happen when you just point and shoot using auto settings). The only real way to get images from either of these cameras with little noise in low light is to use a tripod so you can shoot with slower shutter speeds, but even then you will still suffer noise because of the smaller sensors on these cameras.
BUT, both of these cameras are great and can be had for pretty cheap used these days. They will also reward you greatly if you spend some time with them and start to learn a little more about manual photography, shooting RAW, etc., allowing you to get some pretty stellar results.
Good luck!
Thats it!
Bought the S95! Congrats to me!
It happens that I had a very special help ($$$) from a special person
Cant wait to have it!
Fantastic. I think you have bought the right camera. I really hope it works out well for you.
I've owned the Canon S95 since it came out. I think it is a great camera for a point and shoot and I took it everywhere with me. Now I own an Apple iPhone 4S and find it satisfactory for my needs to carry everywhere since I mostly just post online to forums, Twitter and Facebook under the axiom the camera you have with you is the best camera. So I will probably relegate the S95 and my Olympus E520 DSLR to special needs only.
My primary interest are nature photography (the DSLR with telephoto lenses) and low-light non-flash restaurant food photography (my go to S95). I'm still up in the air deciding if the iPhone 4S is going to cut it for food photography. I think it will with natural daylight but difficult for a night time bar/grille situation. The 4S is probably the best low-light cell phone camera available.
Here is a web site that compares an iPhone 4S with a Canon S95:
http://campl.us/posts/iPhone-Camera-Comparison
The web site also compares the improvements of all the iPhone camera iterations which shows how much they have improved. The iPhone 4S is probably better than my previous to the S95 point and shoot cameras.
My primary interest are nature photography (the DSLR with telephoto lenses) and low-light non-flash restaurant food photography (my go to S95). I'm still up in the air deciding if the iPhone 4S is going to cut it for food photography. I think it will with natural daylight but difficult for a night time bar/grille situation. The 4S is probably the best low-light cell phone camera available.
Here is a web site that compares an iPhone 4S with a Canon S95:
http://campl.us/posts/iPhone-Camera-Comparison
The web site also compares the improvements of all the iPhone camera iterations which shows how much they have improved. The iPhone 4S is probably better than my previous to the S95 point and shoot cameras.
Really impressive!
I dont have an iPhone 4S and cant pay for one, but is it possible to change ISO? f-stop? Exposure time?
Although the comparison is impressive (super quality on iphone 4S), I am not sure if S95 can be replaced by the Apple's new phone in ALL situations...
Just for the record, I am enjoying my S95 since this morning!
I dont have an iPhone 4S and cant pay for one, but is it possible to change ISO? f-stop? Exposure time?
Although the comparison is impressive (super quality on iphone 4S), I am not sure if S95 can be replaced by the Apple's new phone in ALL situations...
Just for the record, I am enjoying my S95 since this morning!
EDIT: I posted before reading the whole thread.
The S95 is a good choice, but I'm curious why you chose to buy the S95 which came out last year vs the S100 which was just recently released?
The S95 is a good choice, but I'm curious why you chose to buy the S95 which came out last year vs the S100 which was just recently released?
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Really impressive!
I dont have an iPhone 4S and cant pay for one, but is it possible to change ISO? f-stop? Exposure time?
Although the comparison is impressive (super quality on iphone 4S), I am not sure if S95 can be replaced by the Apple's new phone in ALL situations...
Just for the record, I am enjoying my S95 since this morning!
On the iPhone, the ISO, F-Stop cannot be changed (I think). With all the photo editing apps you can "alter" the image to make it appear that the ISO is different. It's not really the same thing but sorta close. F-Stop is what it is and that can't be changed. The Exposure time can be altered (again through apps) so that shouldn't be an issue.
As far as camera needs go, it's different for everyone. While the 4S may eliminate the need for a normal P&S for some people, others will still chose to keep both. I like having different options since my iPhone 4 won't take as clear a pic as my P&S. Eventually, the cameras on the phones will get better and better however the P&S's will also get better and better. I think each has its own application so, for me, a camera phone will never completely replace a P&S camera. For lots of people it all boils down to convenience. Would you rather carry a P&S and a camera phone or just one device?
Even though point and shoots offer means of adjusting exposure settings, many owners of them dont know how to do that and rely on the trusty auto mode, much like an iPhone. Using an iphone in low light is poor but many users react the same way with their point and shoot, turn on flash. Which isnt the best way to get your exposure on your point and shoot but the only way they know.
Therefore, the only real feature they lack is zoom. But many users dont know the difference between optical and digital zoom and will use the zoom built into the iphone. These people are not pixel peepers and so dont care if they have lost resolution.
So, I think the iPhone is definitely a contender for many people when looking for a point and shoot camera (should they be looking for a phone at the same time).
For people who want more control, bring an advanced point and shoot with you, such as the G12 mentioned above.