Best, Ultracompact Digital Still Camera?

[foogledricks]

I'm in the market for a small digital camera with the following requirements:

 

• -Must be really small, so that it is convienient to take places
  
• -Must not be Sony. Because I want the media to be CF or SD and not memory stick.
  
• -Must take outstanding pictures. My current camera takes surprisingly outstanding pictures. I would be highly dissappointed with a camera that doesn't take pristine pictures.
  
• -Must have a viewfinder. LCDs are fine, but not as the sole way of taking a picture.
  
• -Must have a removable rechargeable battery, or allow standard batteries to be used
  
• -3x Optical Zoom
  
• -4.0+ MGpx
  

Any ideas. It seems that every camera review I read, either has some fatal issue, or if a camera comes highly recommended, I then read on a forum that it breaks really easy, takes fuzzy pictures unless you hold it completely still, or gave someone cancer. This is pretty much my experience when buying an HDTV too. Sometimes the Internet has TOO much information.

[ChoiceStriker]

I'm also in the market for just such a camera before I head for Japan, although I personally wouldn't mind a Sony. I'm considering the Canon Digital Elph SD500 and the Sony Cybershot DSC-P200. Both are 7.2 MP ultracompacts. I think the Sony retails for about $399 and the Canon for $450.

 

I assume you've already checked out dpreview.com ? they're a great source for in-depth reviews of a lot of cameras.

[foogledricks]

THanks. No, I haven't see that site. I've only looked at PCworld, CNet, and digitalcamera-hq. And they had conflicting reviews.

 

The reason I don't want a Sony is because I already have several CF that I don't want to waste, as well as some SD cards. If I'm going to get a camera with a different card format, I'd want it to be less expensive, and from what I understand, memory sticks have a higher premium. That's why.

 

And wow, you really need a 7MP camera?! My current camera is 3.2 and is fine for 8x10 pictures. That's why I'm only looking for a minor upgrade to a 4.0MP camera, because I think much above that is overkill - unless you're looking to printout posters. Do you have a different perspective on resolution? Thanks again.

[foogledricks]

The edge softness and purple fringe in the Canons really bothers me. I'm now considering the Sony because of this. You know, as a matter of coincidence I do not own a single Sony product in my house. Nothing against Sony, because I always let reviews direct my purchases. This might be my first Sony electronics device. Damn the memory sticks though. Damn them.

[ChoiceStriker]

You're welcome! I understand your wanting to stick with a memory format you've already invested in. I personally don't mind as much because I only have a 128 MB CF card for my old camera. I compared SD and Memory Stick prices the other day and found them to be pretty comparable. Although now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether I was looking at regular or Pro Memory Sticks. But anyway, I can also understand not wanting to use a proprietary format like Memory Stick.

 

Yes, 7.2 MP is probably overkill for what I'll be using the camera for. I was honestly happy with the resolution on my old 3.1 MP for just making 4x6 prints. But my girlfriend is an artist, and she's insisting on no less than 5.0 MP for what she wants to do with it (though I don't know exactly what that is). And we all know how important it is to keep the gf happy.

 

Also, steves-digicams.com is another good review site.

 

Edit: You're right about the purple fringing on the Canon. Did you see that mentioned on the dpreview site? They have a few sample images where it's pretty obvious.

[foogledricks]

I compared SD and Memory Stick prices the other day and found them to be pretty comparable.

Good to know. This was my chief concern. But also, of course, if I buy an expensive memory stick, I have to submit to the fact that I'm never going to use it with any other device down the road, which sucks.

The Sony looks good. I wish there were a cheaper 5MP model though. And god, we take a lot of pictures. THose huge 7MP files will start to add up.

[rustyjaw]

DP review is an amazing site, they do very in-depth reviews. But I found when I was shopping for a camera last year that they had very few consumer level reviews, leaning more toward pro.

 

I also narrowed my choices down to Sony and Canon (mayb not the same models, though), I went with Canon mainly because the Sony had more barrel distortion, slightly darker corners, and no tripod mount (the last is a biggie for me).

 

I'm extremely happy with my Canon S500, there is a purple fringe, but the only time I see it is in extremely high contrast exposures (which are usually bad exposures any way). Otherwise, I love the camera.

 

EDIT: Oh the flash on the Canon is its weakest point, IMO. But I detest flash photography, so it's not a big problem for me. If forced to use it, it's not pretty though.

[ChoiceStriker]

The Sony looks good. I wish there were a cheaper 5MP model though. And god, we take a lot of pictures. THose huge 7MP files will start to add up.

Edit: I was mistaken about the DSC-P150 having a lower resolution. The DSC-P100 is the one with 5.0 MP. You should be able to find one for around $300 now.

 

DP review is an amazing site, they do very in-depth reviews. But I found when I was shopping for a camera last year that they had very few consumer level reviews, leaning more toward pro.

I agree, Ed. They do tend to skew toward the prosumer crowd - sometimes I wish they would review more of the cameras you usually see in stores.

 

I went with Canon mainly because the Sony had more barrel distortion, slightly darker corners, and no tripod mount (the last is a biggie for me).

I can see how that would be a deal-breaker, but I'm pretty sure the new models have tripod mounts.

[ChoiceStriker]

Hey K,

 

I don't know if you were still considering one of the Sony's, or how soon you were thinking of getting one, but I found a great deal on a 1 GB Sony brand Memory Stick Pro at newegg.com - it's $97.73, which is a good price anyway, but if you buy the stick between May 1 and May 8, you can get a $20 mail-in rebate from Sony. So $77.73 is an even better deal. I think FedEx saver shipping is about $5.

 

Just thought I'd let you know in case you were interested!

 

Eric