Best compact for the money?

philstanbridge · 12 Feb 2006 at 18:01

Hey guys, I'm after a really good quality compact for around £400-£450. I havent got many requirements really, just that it uses lithium batteries and has a decent digital/optical zoom - I'm using a Sony compact (model escapes me though!), bought for about £300, and although great for everyday shots I need something better. I'm not saying the Sony is a bad camera for the money but I need an upgrade

. I've been out of the loop for a while and wondered if there were any new or existing models worth looking at?

ps I take mainly landscapes but some general day to day stuff too.

stuart38 · 12 Feb 2006 at 18:17

blimey - I didnt think compacts existed for that sort of money?

I just bought the Mrs a Fuji F10 which was under £200 for a 6.3mp camera with great reviews. The Canon S80 is the best quality camera Ive seen since looking (my personal opinion after reviewing lots of sample shots etc) - price is somewhere around £300 I beleive but was outside my budget.

hoodmeister · 12 Feb 2006 at 18:28

We need to know what you're currently using!
Find out the Sony's model no

SDK^ · 12 Feb 2006 at 18:39

How is old is your current camera?
If it's relatively new then it might be pointless upgrading

milou · 12 Feb 2006 at 21:39

Ricoh GR digital has rave reviews - £400 plus about £100 extra for the wide angle adaptor and viewfinder.

rG-tom · 12 Feb 2006 at 21:44

can you not get a canon eos-350D for not that much more than that? i know it's a digital slr but it's so small that it may as well be a compact, and the quality / usability is far better than any compact could offer

Tom.

RatsPom · 12 Feb 2006 at 21:53

Recently purchased a Pentax Optio WPI ... the one thats water proof down to 1.5 meters and it's 6.0 megapixel ...not bad

m3csl2004 · 12 Feb 2006 at 22:26

i would say go dslr - i have a powershot s45 and i love it dearly but i would dumb it anyday fro a 300d even

philstanbridge · 13 Feb 2006 at 08:27

Thanks for the replies guys - okay I want a compact purely for the fact it is portable and "point and click". I used to own a dSLR until fairly recently, the 350d in actual fact and I think part of my problem is the fact I am always comparing my shots taken with compacts to the shots taken with the dSLR. The Canon was a fab camera but it was just too bulky, and heavy for day to day stuff. I loved using it there's no denying that but it just didnt fit in with my requirements. I do regret selling it on, but that's life. So I am after a top quality compact to replace this Sony DSC-P200 I have here.

philstanbridge · 13 Feb 2006 at 08:30

milou said:
Ricoh GR digital has rave reviews - £400 plus about £100 extra for the wide angle adaptor and viewfinder.

Looking it up now, thanks.

spell · 13 Feb 2006 at 15:57

I've just ordered the Panasonic Lumix LX-1 as a back-up to my dSLR,. I know the LX-1 has noise issues but it will take RAW which means I can do the noise reduction myself. And I've seen some absolutely fantastic pictures taken with it. If you take landscapes, it's 16:9 aspect ratio might make it worthwhilst a look for you.

hoodmeister · 13 Feb 2006 at 16:33

Hmmm, as compacts go, the Sony P200 is pretty damn good.

Do you want it to actually be pocketable? I assume so, as the 350D aint all that big...

philstanbridge · 14 Feb 2006 at 18:04

hoodmeister said:
Hmmm, as compacts go, the Sony P200 is pretty damn good.

Do you want it to actually be pocketable? I assume so, as the 350D aint all that big...

Well not necessarily but I want it to be a hell of a lot smaller/lighter than the 350d

The thing that grated most was having to walk around with the carry bag for it and all the lenses etc. I felt like a tourist.

King4aDay · 14 Feb 2006 at 20:37

You could get a Sony DSC H1 (£265), and the DH1758 telephoto lense (£95) and a 1 gig card for about around your budget, giving you a really nice 12x optical zoom camera in one coat pocket and the 1.7x lense in the other.

Portable, high quality zoom, capable of taking very decent shots, along with all the benefits of P&S such as live preview, histograms etc.

Check out the opinions on dpreview.com, just a suggestion but I think its probably a really good compromise solution.

PS, thats what i have, and I love it!

--- Z --- · 14 Feb 2006 at 22:07

The Sony N1 ???? 8MP 3x optical and 3" ouch-screen display £300 notes if you shop around.

Ghost in the Shell · 14 Feb 2006 at 22:37

have a good look on dpreview and stevesdigicams and make you own mind up what you need most

philstanbridge · 15 Feb 2006 at 08:14

Thanks for all the input - I will be researching into it some more.

milou · 15 Feb 2006 at 10:03

A couple of the reviews on dpreview concerning Ricoh GR are saying that the write times for RAW are unacceptable - i.e. c. 10 seconds or so. I had a play with the camera yesterday and it's extremely well made and takes a great photo. I must admit that if the reviews concerning RAW write times are correct and that the users have relatively fast SD cards, then that would be a major "con" to getting the camera. No problems with the quality/write times of the jpegs though.