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Suggest a P&S for a pro photographer??

C

Crawn2003

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 8, 2005
444
0
Santa Rosa, California
Does anyone have a suggestion for a decent point and shoot digital camera?

When it comes to DSLR's I know what the heck I'm looking for but I'm looking for a P&S to take around with me where my professional DSLR's won't go, i.e. an amusement park, to the bar with friends, etc.

I'm looking for something 8MP and above and isn't "handicapped", meaning not so easy to use that it's made for my parents that still use an old Polaroid camera. I want something that still has great features but in a P&S format. LOL, kind of like my Fuji S5 Pro or D300 in a P&S format.

Thanks for any help and suggestions!

~Crawn
 
juanster

juanster

macrumors 68020
Mar 2, 2007
2,238
0
toronto
i know you said over 8mp, and by no means i am not a pro- photographer, I have a Canon SD 1000 and i have a couple of friend that are pros and they have been pretty impressed by many shots i have taken with it...hope it helps, if not...i tried...
 
Doylem

Doylem

macrumors 68040
Dec 30, 2006
3,858
3,642
Wherever I hang my hat...
When I'm out taking landscape pix (camera bag, big fancy camera, tripod = guy who knows what he's doing ;)), I'm often asked to shoot pix of people I meet with their own p & s cameras. And it's embarrassing to admit that I really haven't a clue how to use them. I hate the idea of holding a camera at arm's length, instead of up against my eye.

Some day soon, when I've got some spare cash, I'll be looking for a decent small camera too... but one that will deliver really good pictures (I can't see the point in compromising on that, just for 'pocketability').

Have I any suggestions for you? Erm, no. But I'll be interested to see what other folk suggest. :)
 
L

Lorem Ipsum

macrumors newbie
Jan 13, 2008
3
0
Canon G9. I have the G7 and it is superb. The G9 adds RAW, making an already killer, full-featured point and shoot, the one to have. Highly suggest googling the specs and reviews.
 
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HomeingPigeon

macrumors regular
Aug 1, 2007
227
0
I am not quite sure the name of it but a friend of mine just got a new cannon with pretty much all of the dslr features. He is still figuring it out but it looks really nice. It definitely does not have a handicap.
 
Father Jack

Father Jack

macrumors 68020
Jan 1, 2007
2,481
1
Ireland
Go for the Leica Digilux 3 ... unbeatable Leica lens quality .. :)

Henri Carlier-Bresson and all Magnum Photo Agency photographers can't be wrong.
 
Abstract

Abstract

macrumors Penryn
Dec 27, 2002
24,870
903
Location Location Location
Fuji F31fd. ;)

Since they're a rarity and everyone else is looking for them used, I'm going to suggest the recently announced Fuji F100fd, even though they never should have moved beyond 8 MP (they're at 12 MP now). Their cameras were the high ISO kings. In the point and shoot world, they still are, but their dominance isn't as great as before.
 
Scarlet Fever

Scarlet Fever

macrumors 68040
Jul 22, 2005
3,262
0
Bookshop!
Lorem Ipsum said:
Canon G9. I have the G7 and it is superb. The G9 adds RAW, making an already killer, full-featured point and shoot, the one to have. Highly suggest googling the specs and reviews.
Click to expand...

+1, or if you want bigger zoom, get the S5. It's not as compact as the G9, but it is a killer camera. Have a look at my deviantart page for pics taken with an S3. You can download them in all their 6MP glory :D
 
M

mr.666

macrumors member
Aug 13, 2007
67
0
IMO while the Leica is nice, the things i dont like about it are the aspect ratio of the photos and the lack of an optical view finder. yes i know the leica/pana offer other ratios but at the expense if MP's. i like the G's as wll but they're so big for everyday. i found for me the perfect compact p&s was the canon SD800is. 7.1 MP though is borderline for letting in enough light on a compact so some noise will be there, and i also lacks RAW my only 2 issues.
 
Padaung

Padaung

macrumors 6502
Jan 22, 2007
470
104
UK
G9 recommended by me too, and a friend/colleague. Both of us are pro photographers.

Great camera, all the features you would need/expect - and probably more too!
 
freebooter

freebooter

macrumors 65816
Feb 24, 2005
1,253
0
Daegu, South Korea
I'd recommend a Fuji F31d or a Canon A640. I have both, and each have their own charms. They both have build quality, sharp lenses and good jpegs, the Fuji for low light/high iso and the Canon for manual features and its tilt/swivel lcd. The very latest compacts have gone over the top on the megapixels, hence noisy.
Having said that, i'm selling them both the Fuji and Canon, not because i dislike them, but because i never use them any more--DSLR all the way. Have you considered a small DSLR and a pancake lens or light zoom? I last year I ran up and down the local mountains with a D40 (sold, now D40x) with a Micro 105 on it in a fanny pack all the time-no problem.
 
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amik

macrumors regular
Dec 11, 2007
162
0
freebooter said:
I'd recommend a Fuji F31d or a Canon A640. I have both, and each have their own charms. They both have build quality, sharp lenses and good jpegs, the Fuji for low light/high iso and the Canon for manual features and its tilt/swivel lcd. The very latest compacts have gone over the top on the megapixels, hence noisy.
Having said that, i'm selling them both the Fuji and Canon, not because i dislike them, but because i never use them any more--DSLR all the way. Have you considered a small DSLR and a pancake lens or light zoom? I last year I ran up and down the local mountains with a D40 (sold, now D40x) with a Micro 105 on it in a fanny pack all the time-no problem.
Click to expand...

Don't sell your P&S. I find that even though I use my D50 for a lot of tasks, the F31fd fills a different niche. Namely, the photos that I take when I wasn't out looking to shoot. This is especially true at social events where toting around a DSLR removes you from the scene somewhat, where a P&S is easily pocketable, and doesn't scream "photographer" when you pull it out. It also doesn't scream "mug me" like a DSLR and a bag of lenses.
 
C

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,831
2,034
Redondo Beach, California
Leica D-lux

Crawn2003 said:
Does anyone have a suggestion for a decent point and shoot digital camera?

When it comes to DSLR's I know what the heck I'm looking for but I'm looking for a P&S to take around with me where my professional DSLR's won't go, i.e. an amusement park, to the bar with friends, etc.
Click to expand...

If you know cameras then you know about Leica.

Of course the M8 does what you ask but the price is out of the question for most of us. And a Leica "M" can hardly be called a Point and Shoot. The M8 however likely has better image quality than your pro level Nikon or Canon DSLR. For one thing it has a quite large senor, bigger then the Nikon/Canon crop bodies but not "full frame". But this is just to expensive unless you really need a pro-level camera that is silent and pocketable for stealth photography.

But look at the Leica "D-Lux 2". It has a native format 16:9 sensor. That alone sets it apart. Most P&S camera have the 4:3 format but the 16:9 is more like you are used to with 35mm film or DSLRs You can set the aspect ratio down too to match your SLR's 3:2 at to other formats. The abilty to shoot wide without cropping is a great feature.

Lots of pro feature and settings like your find on an SLR And of course Leica optics

Panosonic makes another version of this camera but with a few changes
(1) A rubber grip on the front and (2) Built-in image processing is "tunned" for "consumer taste" that is more color saturation and contrast. The Leica version is more accurate. (3) lower cost, you are not paying for the "leica" logo.
 
freebooter

freebooter

macrumors 65816
Feb 24, 2005
1,253
0
Daegu, South Korea
amik said:
Don't sell your P&S. I find that even though I use my D50 for a lot of tasks, the F31fd fills a different niche. Namely, the photos that I take when I wasn't out looking to shoot. This is especially true at social events where toting around a DSLR removes you from the scene somewhat, where a P&S is easily pocketable, and doesn't scream "photographer" when you pull it out. It also doesn't scream "mug me" like a DSLR and a bag of lenses.
Click to expand...
I've had both the fuji and canon p&s for over a year and have used them almost never since I got my DSLR 11 months ago. I thought I'd still find a use for them, but no. Time for them to go.
There are no muggers where I live, Korea, or my homeland, Canada, unless you go to the worst part of the biggest cities at night, even then....pretty rare. People in some places (the States?) must think mugging is universal; it's not, at all.
 
theBB

theBB

macrumors 68020
Jan 3, 2006
2,453
3
Casio has nice P&S cameras. Some are almost credit card sized, very thin, some are slightly thicker, but with more manual control. One of them has 7x optical zoom, I forgot the name, something like EX-V7. I am happy with the image quality of my pics.

The best feature for me is MPEG4 or H264 video shooting (30fps, 640x480). Clips take up little space, so you can actually use it, but quality is not any worse than MJPEG cameras.
 
C

ChrisA

macrumors G5
Jan 5, 2006
12,831
2,034
Redondo Beach, California
yeroen said:
Until you pick one up in your hands and realize it's just a plastic Panasonic with a Leica badge.
Click to expand...

Leica and Panasonic collaborated on this camera and each company sells their own version of the camera. The Leica and Panasonic version are close but not identical. Lots of cameras use plastic for some parts even high end pro SLRs.
 
S

scotpole

macrumors member
Apr 4, 2006
38
0
Camera to get

I like Canons. I like their software and usually their software is backward compatible with previous cameras. An eye viewfinder can be useful for composing shots and people do not notice your extended arm as they do when you use the LCD. Since you are not using the LCD, battery life will be better.

Pict Bridge is good for direct connection to a printer.

I hate battery packs. They are expensive and hard to find. I prefer cameras that can run on Double A batteries, or Triple A batteries. If I forget to charge my batteries, I can usually buy some.

You may want to buy a camera that uses your current media. If you use compact flash you might be able to find a compact flash camera real cheap. Or SD, or other media.

4 X 4. Four times telephoto is great for most shots. Anything above 4 meg is gravy.

Image stabilization can be great in low light.

Go to a Circuit City or a Best Buy or check out the reviews at CNET.com. They have links for on online shopping.
 
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