[jumpinjohn1234]

Hey I'm looking into a camera that has controls Similar to a DSLR, something with manual controls. I am on a budget beetween 200 to 280$ for a point and shoot that is compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket. Ive been looking at the nikon p50, p60. The canon g9 is out of my budget, so ive been thinking of the canon sx 100 is. I know canon and nikon are good cameras but I am open to other camera brands since I heard a few companies arent bad. Ive been researching but cant decide- any thoughts?
I feel that there are a lot out there- could someone recommend one or narrow 3 cameras for me to look at?

would be nice if the camera had
VR or a CCD shake reduction
2.5 plus lcd
a decent video capture mode
pocketable- in a jacket pocket
manual of course

thanks!

 

[Capital R]

Panasonic's Lumix line is pretty impressive for the money, too.

Also, how important is a viewfinder to you?

 

[appophylite]

My Dad recently picked up a Cybershot DSC-H10 because he wanted sub DSLR in a compact form. He's been happy with it. I've only messed around with it a couple of times, but I think it's a rather good camera.

 

[GTRacer]

Get a Canon G7. It's 99% of the G9 at a lower price.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

IMHO viewfinder is very important if you plan to use it as anything more than a casual P&S camera. I personally find the Canon S3/S5 to be the best non DSLR you can buy. But then they are nowhere close to pocketable.

Most >200$ cameras seem to have a 640x480 30fps video mode nowadays, atleast based on what I have seen. This is fairly decent for casual video.

If you havent already look at DCRP and Steves Digicam, I would recommend that you read up on those sites for comprehensive reviews.

 

[JadeEast]

Some Canon's can be hacked with new firmware opening up some features on them.
Shooting RAW,live histograms, overriding ISO, shutter speeds and other features are essentially unlocked.
A few cameras with image stabilization are supported.
With the firmware hack you can adjust the video compression but it still only shoots in standard def,
but it is motion jpg so the quality is quite good the size not so much.


FAQ - CHDK Wiki

I picked up a sd1000 as portability was paramount for me.
Here is a shot that I worked a bit in photoshop. You can see where the noise
creeps into the darkness as I tried to bring up the blacks in the shadows,
it's an acceptable level to me from a small P&S.

 

[RedLeader]

A720IS. Me and my fiance each have one (I have a 710IS) and we love them.

 

[cash68]

Canon A series. The frame and controls are like an SLR, only smaller. While it's not a true SLR, it offers a wide variety of options just like one, and you can screw on other lenses. Here's a pic:

 

[Walie]

I think the Canon Sx100, the one you were thinking is what you want, full manual controls, 10x zoom, and IS, only problem is below par continuous shooting and poor flash cycling due to using AA batteries

Its the one I plan to get in the near future

 

[glitch39]

I agree on the Panasonic Lumix line. those Leica lenses are great!

 

[jumpinjohn1234]

hmmm I always thought about CHDK, but now Im thinking of it now. But its not avaiable for the sx 100 is. I think I might just for with a 720 is? So mnay choices so hard to find the right one

 

[kodreaming]

I am looking at Nikon P5100.
It seems pretty good.

 

[skyline889]

Darn, I have the SD1000 but its firmware is 1.00c so it looks like it's not supported.

 

[shigzeo]

so many point and shoot are good these days but for that price if you really want quality, you are only going to ge good on one point; the others will be sacrifice. instant on, huge sensor, much better lenses, true anti vibration will only come with good dslr or good lenses. most of these 'anti shake' only means it boosts the iso without you knowing about it.

however, any of the above are good options in the range.

edit: you could just not buy headphones or amp for a bit and save another 300$ usd and get a real dslr with a lens like d40x for instance. it will smash the hell out of any non-dslr for anything but zoom (and that only because these small ones use tiny noisy sensors). i think that was a rubbish comment as you only want to spend 280$ sorry. i hate when people do what i just did. sorry again

 

[M0T0XGUY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo /img/forum/go_quote.gif so many point and shoot are good these days but for that price if you really want quality, you are only going to ge good on one point; the others will be sacrifice. instant on, huge sensor, much better lenses, true anti vibration will only come with good dslr or good lenses. most of these 'anti shake' only means it boosts the iso without you knowing about it. however, any of the above are good options in the range. edit: you could just not buy headphones or amp for a bit and save another 300$ usd and get a real dslr with a lens like d40x for instance. it will smash the hell out of any non-dslr for anything but zoom (and that only because these small ones use tiny noisy sensors). i think that was a rubbish comment as you only want to spend 280$ sorry. i hate when people do what i just did. sorry again

Show me where I can get a used D40X with lens in good shape for $300, and I'll buy it instantly.