Which camera?

v-man · 21st August 2012, 21:07

Hi all

I have a hankering to buy a new digital camera, which was set off by seeing a presentation on TV for a Canon Powershot SX240.

Looking around there is plenty of choice, so much so I am getting confused

What I could make use of is decent zoom (say 12x upwards), compact size, decent image stabilisation, maybe ability to take clips (preferably still able to use zoom). Any thoughts? Edit: Budget £200 ish.

My current digital cameras (in order of purchase date) - Jenoptik JD 4100 z3s, Praktica luxmedia 4008 (nice, but quite chunky and heavy battery useage) and Kodak Easyshare M530 (great for having on you).

Rocket · 22nd August 2012, 07:29

I don't have experiance of this type of camera but after a quick look around my favourite review sites etc. I'd say the canon is excellent. I'll just throw another in the mix, It's the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30. It costs a little more but worth a look.

A review here Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 Look at other review sites on the web.

The Canon looks a fine camera.

MrDoodles · 22nd August 2012, 07:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocket

I don't have experiance of this type of camera but after a quick look around my favourite review sites etc. I'd say the cannon is excellent. I'll just throw another in the mix, It's the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30. It costs a little more but worth a look.

A review here Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 Look at other review sites on the web.

The Cannon looks a fine camera.

That would be my choice too!

Excellent camera!

tigers1941 · 22nd August 2012, 08:30

I have a Panasonic Lumix TZ7 which is a great compact camera, this is the second Lumix camera I have owned.

You can't go far wrong with any of the Lumix TZ range of cameras, I also own a Nikon D40 which is a digital SLR camera and I would not part with it.

Gate Keeper · 22nd August 2012, 17:10

Do have a look at the super zoom Bridge cameras as they are slightly bigger than the compact ones and there are lots of offers/specials around at the moment. Sorry to complicate! Do the 'try before you buy' scheme.

I went through all of this in January this year like yourself looking around and ended up getting a Canon Powershot SX40 HS a superzoom bridge camera. Since then it has dropped in price to about £205. I hate it when they do that sort of thing!

In terms of image quality the Panasonic is the best. For super zoom it is beaten by the Nikon P510 and then the Canon SX40 HS.

Fuji is competitively priced with many star awards.

The Canon HS has image stability, auto focus, an ultra quiet wide angle lens with an optical zoom x 35 magnification which goes all the way up to x 140 (digital), full HD video on board.

The bad stuff about the Canon SX40 HS is that it is not very good for taking photos in low light (unless the flash is used) there is no RAW or remote control, manual focus is fiddly. Apart from these little niggles, for a small camera it has not let me down.

If you look at the Moon photos in the photo section here, you will see how it performed.

All the other cameras which the guys have written about are also excellent.

What ever you end up going for, I am sure you will have loads of fun trying it out and don't forget to post up the pics on here

Spinal tap · 22nd August 2012, 21:01

I second the Lumix to. It's a great camera and at this price to have a Leica lense is amazing. I'm a land Surveyor by trade and use Leica Total Stations ( theodolite in old money!) and they have the best optics by far.

v-man · 22nd August 2012, 22:08

Thanks for the replies, more food for thought as it were.

Had I started looking a few weeks ago I could have maybe snagged a bargain as the local Panasonic dealer was selling off his stock.

I hadn't seen anything about the Canon SX40HS, but a quick read of a couple of reviews and it looks promising. It is similar in size and weight to my Praktica Luxmedia 4008. Though I cannot find it as UK stock for less than about £270.

Edit: Have just been reading how the Canon can be made to save RAW images and do other things that it normally cannot, without making any modification to the camera or its firmware. See http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK for details

Gate Keeper · 23rd August 2012, 08:07

Thanks Ian for the link to CHDK. I did look at it and maybe I will try it out sometime.

There is currently an auction on the bay for a Canon SX40 HS and it stands at £31 with 3 days left to run on it. The seller is called ukdigitalcameras.

I have not worked out how to put links from here to there. Sorry.

richardwjackson · 23rd August 2012, 09:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spinal tap

I second the Lumix to. It's a great camera and at this price to have a Leica lense is amazing. I'm a land Surveyor by trade and use Leica Total Stations ( theodolite in old money!) and they have the best optics by far.

I have to put up with a Trimble S8

I recently bought a Fuji 'bridge' camera with 24x zoom from Comet in the sale. It was reduced from £200 to £139 and takes great pictures. The zoom is excellent.

v-man · 23rd August 2012, 09:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gate Keeper

Thanks Ian for the link to CHDK. I did look at it and maybe I will try it out sometime.

There is currently an auction on the bay for a Canon SX40 HS and it stands at £31 with 3 days left to run on it. The seller is called ukdigitalcameras.

I have not worked out how to put links from here to there. Sorry.

Thanks I found it, I expect it will go much much higher in the last few hours though.

21st August 2012, 21:07	#1
v-man I really should get out more....... Ford Fezza Poverty Spec & ? Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Lincolnshire Posts: 2,892 Thanks: 526 Thanked 349 Times in 275 Posts	Which camera? Hi all I have a hankering to buy a new digital camera, which was set off by seeing a presentation on TV for a Canon Powershot SX240. Looking around there is plenty of choice, so much so I am getting confused What I could make use of is decent zoom (say 12x upwards), compact size, decent image stabilisation, maybe ability to take clips (preferably still able to use zoom). Any thoughts? Edit: Budget £200 ish. My current digital cameras (in order of purchase date) - Jenoptik JD 4100 z3s, Praktica luxmedia 4008 (nice, but quite chunky and heavy battery useage) and Kodak Easyshare M530 (great for having on you). __________________ Report potholes, flytipping, broken streetlights - www.fixmystreet.com Find cheaper diesel/petrol - www.petrolprices.com 2001 Rover 45 1.8 Impression S owned for 15 years, now scrapped. Last edited by v-man; 21st August 2012 at 21:41..

22nd August 2012, 07:29	#2
Rocket Posted a thing or two ROVER 75 CONNOISSEUR SE HIGHLINE TOURER MANUAL 2.5 V6 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Midhurst Posts: 1,680 Thanks: 679 Thanked 735 Times in 530 Posts	I don't have experiance of this type of camera but after a quick look around my favourite review sites etc. I'd say the canon is excellent. I'll just throw another in the mix, It's the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30. It costs a little more but worth a look. A review here Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 Look at other review sites on the web. The Canon looks a fine camera. __________________ Paul http://www.paulstickley.com/ Last edited by Rocket; 22nd August 2012 at 08:09..

22nd August 2012, 22:08	#7
v-man I really should get out more....... Ford Fezza Poverty Spec & ? Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Lincolnshire Posts: 2,892 Thanks: 526 Thanked 349 Times in 275 Posts	Thanks for the replies, more food for thought as it were. Had I started looking a few weeks ago I could have maybe snagged a bargain as the local Panasonic dealer was selling off his stock. I hadn't seen anything about the Canon SX40HS, but a quick read of a couple of reviews and it looks promising. It is similar in size and weight to my Praktica Luxmedia 4008. Though I cannot find it as UK stock for less than about £270. Edit: Have just been reading how the Canon can be made to save RAW images and do other things that it normally cannot, without making any modification to the camera or its firmware. See http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK for details __________________ Report potholes, flytipping, broken streetlights - www.fixmystreet.com Find cheaper diesel/petrol - www.petrolprices.com 2001 Rover 45 1.8 Impression S owned for 15 years, now scrapped. Last edited by v-man; 22nd August 2012 at 22:33..

22nd August 2012, 08:30	#4
tigers1941 Loves to post Rover75 Saloon Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Worksop Posts: 273 Thanks: 11 Thanked 28 Times in 20 Posts	I have a Panasonic Lumix TZ7 which is a great compact camera, this is the second Lumix camera I have owned. You can't go far wrong with any of the Lumix TZ range of cameras, I also own a Nikon D40 which is a digital SLR camera and I would not part with it.

22nd August 2012, 17:10	#5
Gate Keeper This is my second home 4X4 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Nairobi Posts: 20,144 Thanks: 8,286 Thanked 7,017 Times in 4,160 Posts	Do have a look at the super zoom Bridge cameras as they are slightly bigger than the compact ones and there are lots of offers/specials around at the moment. Sorry to complicate! Do the 'try before you buy' scheme. I went through all of this in January this year like yourself looking around and ended up getting a Canon Powershot SX40 HS a superzoom bridge camera. Since then it has dropped in price to about £205. I hate it when they do that sort of thing! In terms of image quality the Panasonic is the best. For super zoom it is beaten by the Nikon P510 and then the Canon SX40 HS. Fuji is competitively priced with many star awards. The Canon HS has image stability, auto focus, an ultra quiet wide angle lens with an optical zoom x 35 magnification which goes all the way up to x 140 (digital), full HD video on board. The bad stuff about the Canon SX40 HS is that it is not very good for taking photos in low light (unless the flash is used) there is no RAW or remote control, manual focus is fiddly. Apart from these little niggles, for a small camera it has not let me down. If you look at the Moon photos in the photo section here, you will see how it performed. All the other cameras which the guys have written about are also excellent. What ever you end up going for, I am sure you will have loads of fun trying it out and don't forget to post up the pics on here

22nd August 2012, 21:01	#6
Spinal tap Regular poster 2004 MG ZT T + 160 Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Leigh Posts: 71 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I second the Lumix to. It's a great camera and at this price to have a Leica lense is amazing. I'm a land Surveyor by trade and use Leica Total Stations ( theodolite in old money!) and they have the best optics by far.

23rd August 2012, 08:07	#8
Gate Keeper This is my second home 4X4 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Nairobi Posts: 20,144 Thanks: 8,286 Thanked 7,017 Times in 4,160 Posts	Thanks Ian for the link to CHDK. I did look at it and maybe I will try it out sometime. There is currently an auction on the bay for a Canon SX40 HS and it stands at £31 with 3 days left to run on it. The seller is called ukdigitalcameras. I have not worked out how to put links from here to there. Sorry.