Which compact digital camera?

[mattyp]

Hi All,

I currently have a Nikon D40x SLR (amazing pictures, can't fault it) and a compact digital camera in the shape of a 6/7mp Casio Z600, which is great, but can produce overexposed images, the anti shake is a bit of a pain and I would like sharper pictures.

As I am going to Australia/New Zealand e.t.c next year I want to make sure I have a camera which is up to the job (and also take advantage of all the current sales!)

Any suggestions for a compact camera up to around £200?

It needs to have great battery life
Sharp Pictures
Great stability control
Needs to be compact (unfortunately not one of these inbetween cameras, as they are too large)
I would prefer a Nikon camera but not sure of the quality of the current range (I was looking at an S700 but the battery life was very poor)

Is there a real shining star out there?

Thanks :D

[driver8]

there's 4 great group reviews over at dpreview - look for HOLIDAYS-08 from REVIEWS on the left. Winners :

Enthusiast: (1) Panasonic LX3 (2) Canon PowerShot G10
Premium: (1) Fujifilm F100fd (2) Canon SD880 IS (Ixus 870 IS)
Compact: (1) Canon SD 790 IS & Panasonic DMC-FX37 (2) Sony DSC-T700 & Nikon Coolpix S210
Budget: (1) Panasonic Lumix LZ8 (2) Sony Cyber-Shot W120

The Panasonic LX3 seems to be the current darling, as a quality pocket camera for dSLR owners.

Personally, I'm a Canon fan, so would consider these current bargains and spend any difference on accessories (large memory card/s, decent case & poss extra battery) :
£117 - Canon IXUS 960 IS Digital Camera - Titanium (12.1MP, 3.7x Optical Zoom) 2.5" LCD from this thread - http://www.thedvdforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=530447
£109 - Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS Camera - Silver (8.0MP, 3x Optical Zoom) 2.5" LCD (http://www.thedvdforums.com/affiliatelink.php?localaffiliateid=8&url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0012ZEDV4/thedvdforums-21)
£229 - Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera - Black (12.1MP, 6x Optical Zoom) 3.0" LCD (http://www.thedvdforums.com/affiliatelink.php?localaffiliateid=8&url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000V9D6FQ/thedvdforums-21) :thumbs:

[mattyp]

there's 4 great group reviews over at dpreview - look for HOLIDAYS-08 from REVIEWS on the left. Winners :

Enthusiast: (1) Panasonic LX3 (2) Canon PowerShot G10
Premium: (1) Fujifilm F100fd (2) Canon SD880 IS (Ixus 870 IS)
Compact: (1) Canon SD 790 IS & Panasonic DMC-FX37 (2) Sony DSC-T700 & Nikon Coolpix S210
Budget: (1) Panasonic Lumix LZ8 (2) Sony Cyber-Shot W120

The Panasonic LX3 seems to be the current darling, as a quality pocket camera for dSLR owners.

Personally, I'm a Canon fan, so would consider these current bargains and spend any difference on accessories (large memory card/s, decent case & poss extra battery) :
£117 - Canon IXUS 960 IS Digital Camera - Titanium (12.1MP, 3.7x Optical Zoom) 2.5" LCD from this thread - http://www.thedvdforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=530447
£109 - Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS Camera - Silver (8.0MP, 3x Optical Zoom) 2.5" LCD (http://www.thedvdforums.com/affiliatelink.php?localaffiliateid=8&url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0012ZEDV4/thedvdforums-21)
£229 - Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera - Black (12.1MP, 6x Optical Zoom) 3.0" LCD (http://www.thedvdforums.com/affiliatelink.php?localaffiliateid=8&url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000V9D6FQ/thedvdforums-21) :thumbs:

Thank you for the information, excellent link and I am just about to look through all the reviews.

I have also come across the Ixus 90 (sd970?) for around £130 which seems fair value but I see some great reviews and some less so.

[mattyp]

Had a quick look and there appears to be little touching the Panasonic LX3.

It hits so many spots

Wide Lens
HD Video
Great picture quality in a compact body.

I was also looking at the Lumix FZ5 and Lumix FX37 but they just dont appear to hit the ultimate quality button that I need.

Now when can I expect the LX3 to drop to £250 ish ;)

[driver8]

Now when can I expect the LX3 to drop to £250 ish ;)well, looking at this you might be in for a wait !

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e317/Driver8_pics/graph1.jpg

[chrisns]

Panasonic TZ5? The images not as good as the LX3, the lens isn't as wide and it doesn't have the manual PASM priority exposure controls, but it's well built, stabilised, sharp and the lens covers a greater distance. It does HD movies, too, with optical zoom while recording movies.

Price around £170 online. I love mine and haven't really missed having the manual PASM controls.

[steven07968]

Panasonic TZ5? The images not as good as the LX3, the lens isn't as wide and it doesn't have the manual PASM priority exposure controls, but it's well built, stabilised, sharp and the lens covers a greater distance. It does HD movies, too, with optical zoom while recording movies.

Price around £170 online. I love mine and haven't really missed having the manual PASM controls.

I bought a TZ5 on Friday, love it!

Got it from John Lewis, as they had it as sold out online, so I called 2 of their stores, 1 had them in stock, and they were still price matching Jessops pre-Christmas price of £176, plus you can pick up a form instore to extend the warrenty to 3 years for free :) Just get them to stamp it when you buy it.