[BenderBends]

I am buying a digital camera to go with me everywhere I go.
I have my d20 for more intense shooting, but I cant carry it around so much, especially to china everyday for my job.

So...

I am looking for a really top-notch digital compact or ultra-compact.
any ideas?

My biggest concern is that it needs to do well in low light and in these bright hazy days too.

My top 2 contenders right now are:

- Panasonic Lumix LX2
- Fuji Finepix F31 FD or F30 if I cant find the F31. F30 is same as F31 minus the face detection (i think).


any suggestions or thoughts?
also...anyone know street price for these or where to buy for best price.

[BenderBends]

also....i really would like it to have RAW support and manual controls...but its not a must

[BenderBends]

no one uses compact cameras here or has any suggestions?

[martyn]

I don't think there are any compact or ultra compact digital cameras with RAW support.

How about the Canon? SD800 IS - not sure if you need the image stabilizer or how well it works.

[Bungle]

If you're interested in low light performance I would stay away from the LX-2. The in-camera noise reduction at higher iso values is very sever, blurring details and bleeding coulours. For some reason it can't be switched off. It's also quite a big camera compared to others.

I recently faced the same decision and spent lots of time browsing the dpreview.com forums. In the end I bought the Canon 850IS. I love the versatility the wide angle (28mm-105mm) gives (my bigger cam is a Panny FZ30 with 12x zoom, so I don't need such a big zoom on my compact.) The build quality is great and it has usual punchy canon colours without needing any post processing. It also has face recognition, very effective Image Stabilisation (good for lowlight with no flash) and decent performance up to iso 400, even 800 is usable. Major complaint from users is slightly soft corners when using the 28mm wide angle. If you don't fancy the wide angle and would prefer more zoom, you could also get the 800IS (35mm-140mm). Review of 800IS is here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd700is/


The Fujij F30 is undoubtedly the best low light performer - bar none - though many have complained that exposure is very hit and miss outdoors in good light - often not metering well. With the canon every shot is a keeper - not so with the Fuji.

[Shenzhener]

I would highly recommend the Casio ultra compacts. They look a bit girly but they are great cameras. Take a look at EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z850. (I have the older 7.2 mega-pixel version, paid around $3000 for it a over a year ago.)

http://www.casio.co.uk/Products/Digi...Exilim%20Zoom/

It is tiny, has lots of manual controls, very good focussing, easy access to controls such white balance etc. Best of all is the battery lasts for very long time. I can easily take my casio on holiday for a week without needing to take my battery charger or spare battery and take a good few hundred pics. The battery on the Canon compacts I have used in the past struggle to last a full day.

Though the camera does not have IS, it does offer many featurues and qualities which other cameras do not have. One annoying thing about the camera though is that you can only charge the battery through the dock. But I would not let this put you off.

[Bungle]

I have to agree the new casios are very user friendly little cameras, producing good results. Some are also exceptionally thin. The reason I didn't buy one is exactly as you say - because of the reliance on the dock. I also like to connect the cam up to the tv in hotels etc. when on holiday, or to my mum's tv when I go home to visit, so I can look at the photos at a decent size. Most (though not all) of the casios also require the dock for this. I already have to carry 6 or 8 chargers with me on holiday - I don't need any more junk.

I would say that the benefits of physical lens image stabilisation are very apparent in every day shooting. To be able to get sharp pics handheld at 1/8sec is a revelation.

[Shenzhener]

Bungle,

Yes dock is a bit annoying but battery is good enough for my requirements that it does not bother me. I only need to charge my camera up once every two months for normal use. I never connect my camera to the TV so that does not bug me either.

I traded in my Nikon N70 DSLR for the baby Casio. The N70 was so big and heavy I never used it. I have not regretted the decision one bit. I have also realised that I have no photographic skills whatsoever and regardless of how expensive or good the camera I use, the results end up being the same anyway.

[BenderBends]

id rather stick with the tried and trusted (canon or fuji or panasonic)
casio is a hit and miss company...my opinion

so...im down to the:
- Fuji F31 or F30 (seems to be my top contendor as it seems like HK / China never has good lighting anyways so it seems like it shouldnt be much of a draw back...plus fuji films usually have great colors)

- Canon (not sure which model is best) (it seems many reviews have complained that photos at even ISO 400 are barely usable...and that scares me big time)


any last minute advise before i go to shops?
also....what shops in wanchai / central / causeway bay are good to buy this camera?

[BenderBends]

and....

how do i know if its a grey import? whats the difference?