Best really small Digital camera?

[mallrat68]

chaps,

at the momment i've got a canon A70, good camera but just a little on the bulky side what with taking 4 x AA batteries,

a friend of mine at work has a casio exilim S500 he says its a good camera and it seems REALLY small, so thin, totally pocketable.... the only thing is some of the reviews i've read haven't been overly positive about the image quality.

all i'm really looking for is a point and shoot camera, but obviously i'd like to hear what peoples opinions are at the momment...something I can carry easily in my pocket is a must


also... does anyone have any idea what the difference is between the casio EX-S500 and the EX-Z500??

[R2-D2]

The Z500 is 5mm thicker. :)

[Dave h-j]

The best pockable camera I've had are Canon Ixus'. They really do fit into small pockets and I was able to take mine skiing, fall over and not feel it dig into me. It also keeps working :thumbs:

You might be able to pick up either a ixus 400/430 or 500 quite cheap now since the release of the 700. To be honest don;t look at the megapixel rating as they are all great cams.

[Flyer]

My Dad has SONY U3's & 40's & I have to say, these give (IMO) consistantly better pictures than the tiny Canon's mentioned here (I've had an Ixus I & Ixus i5 & currently have an a95). This coming from some one who has had nothing but Canon's since the bargain A60 a while ago! I have just bought 2 (1 for wife & 1 for me) U30's off ebay as they aren't made any more. I would suggest checking either the U30 or U40 range on ebay. That said, the ixus i & ixus i5 do give good pictures but by heck, you don't half pay that miniturisation! Don't forget the Casio will need it's docking station taking with it on trips for recharging etc. All the best...

[Dave h-j]

than the tiny Canon's mentioned here (I've had an Ixus I & Ixus i5).

I'm not talking about the Ixus i series of cameras (the x2 optical zoom mini ones), but the Ixus 400/430/40, 500/50 and 700/750. These are the (slightly) larger 3x optical ones..

[rwniel]

I can certainly recommend the Canon Ixos (- I have a '430'); all these photos (http://www.pbase.com/rwniel/ottawa) were taken with it. It's a good trade-off between size and quality.

Robert

[mhocking]

chaps,

at the momment i've got a canon A70, good camera but just a little on the bulky side what with taking 4 x AA batteries,

a friend of mine at work has a casio exilim S500 he says its a good camera and it seems REALLY small, so thin, totally pocketable.... the only thing is some of the reviews i've read haven't been overly positive about the image quality.

all i'm really looking for is a point and shoot camera, but obviously i'd like to hear what peoples opinions are at the momment...something I can carry easily in my pocket is a must


also... does anyone have any idea what the difference is between the casio EX-S500 and the EX-Z500??

I've just ordered the EX-Z500 from Ebuyer for £172, which was £50 cheaper than anywhere else. It looks tiny & will be here on Weds so I can let you know. I am slightly concerned though, as I didn't think it was officially over here yet.
MM

[thelocalman]

Ixus 50 for £199 is unbeatable - all good cams

[Flyer]

I'm not talking about the Ixus i series of cameras (the x2 optical zoom mini ones), but the Ixus 400/430/40, 500/50 and 700/750. These are the (slightly) larger 3x optical ones..

My mistake, sorry.

[Flap]

I have the sony T3 - no real complaints, pretty decent.

(Don't have experience of any others though - T1, T11, T33 and T7 are all pretty similar)

[yateyob]

I've been looking at getting the Pentax Optio S5Z. Anyone have one of these?? I'm not to sure about not having a viewfinder.

[Pistol]

I recently got the Casio Exilim S100 for £135 delivered from 7dayshop. It really is a fantastically tiny camera, so pocketable it's untrue! Takes nice pictures too :) All the Exilims get very good reviews from Steve's digicams, so no need to worry that you're buying a sexy-looking dud.

The only problem I have found with it is that the flash recharge time is pretty poor, so not very good for taking indoors shots in quick succession.

To answer your other question, the S-series Exilim's are the smallest - the 'flagship' range if you will, designed to be the most sexy, desirable Casio cameras. Hence more expensive (on the high street at least ;)). The Z-series have more advanced features (higher megapixels, newer firmware etc.) at the expense of size - putting features ahead of 'sexiness'.

[mhocking]

Well, my Exilim Ex-Z500 turned up from Ebuyer this morning. It is tiny (smaller than a pack of playing cards and slightly thinner). Haven't tried it yet, but it is supposed to take up to 500 shots on a single charge. Certainly feels well made and at £171 it seems a bit of a bargain!

M

[Pistol]

Can you post what the flash recharge time is like? I love my S100 and wouldn't change it for the world, but it may help others make a decision.