I'm looking for a good point and shoot for those times when it isn't practical to lug around my D200 and attached gear.

http://www.leica-camera.com/digitale...2/index_e.html

That's ideal although I've heard bad reports about high ISO shots. This wouldn't be to take very 'important' pictures though. It's more for, "Hey, while we were at the mall we saw this Enzo and I took a snap of it."

Any other suggestions? Price range is good.

Thanks!

Edit - Price of that camera is $745.00

 

FWIW, I carry a miniscule Casio EX series P&S most of the time for the exact same purpose. Battery life seems to be close to "forever" before a recharge is needed. If I had to do it again, I'd probably opt for one of the Canon SD series. Battery life is about half, but better sensor and photo quality IMHO. Macro mode is good on both, but a tad better on the Canon. The compact Nikon P&S cameras I've played with had poor macro capabillity (don't eval cameras by specs alone ) which ruled them out for me.

Hope this data point helps.

That Leica lens sure does look nice though. 28mm (35mm equiv) is pretty wide for a P&S camera too (a big plus for me at least). Is it just me, or does the back of this camera look just like a sony camera? Had to check to see if it used MS media. I think most P&S cameras have high ISO noise, or maybe that's just what I expect from them?

Cheers!

 

I've been using a Canon SD500. The thing is tiny and is 7.1 megapixel too. samples of my horrible camera work can be found here.

I'm going to add some stitched panoramas to my gallery at some point too. I took a bunch of pics of the Fontana Dam whiles at the Dragon. The stitched panoramas actually looks pretty nice considering the camera really wasn't made for what I was doing (taking some long distance shots w/widely fluctuating light conditions).

 

I love my D-Lux 2!
I bought it for the same reason as you, for times when it'd be impractical to lug around a D-SLR (my D70) with gear.

After reading about the noise issue with higher ISOs, I still decided on the camera.
Here's a shot with minimal noise.


A couple of MINI shots (the 2nd one using a somewhat slow shutter speed):




Another MINI shot with close-up setting:


Finally, a shot with the black and white setting:


Okay, so what do I like about the little beast?
* ISO 80
* 3 choices in aspect ratio- 16:9, 3:2, and 3:4 (the images above were shot at 16:9)
* You can shoot .RAW
* If you shoot black and white at .RAW quality, the RAW file is in color, JPEG in B/W
* Manual capability

What don't I like?
* When one shoots .RAW, you automatically get a giant JPEG (72dpi) file with it.
* With the above, you get between 50-55 images per 1gb SD card.
* Noise (didn't show you noisy shot eh.)

All in all, I really like the little bugger. I've used it a lot for family shots at parties an such. Although it's a point and shoot, it allows you to be subtlely serious with your photography.

If you want to see more examples, there's a Leica D-Lux 2 group on Flickr.

-Juan

 

Thank you so much! Beautiful shots!

 

This just proves my point in a previous post today, "any camera in the right hands can take amazing photos". Once again, I'm bowing to Juan and chanting "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!".

RAW mode capable <drooool>! Oh my, Ms. Speednut isn't going to like my budget begging shortly.

Does PS ACR open RAW photos from this camera?

Is the noise only on high ISO settings? If so, can I force it to use a lower ISO and put it on a tripod?

Cheers!

 

Oh, that's the other thing I forgot to mention. I use Photoshop Elements 3, which has a .RAW plugin but it wouldn't open the Leica files. You must install their plugin first, but then it becomes default (even to open .NEF).

The noise is very obvious at the two higher ISOs (the camera only has four to choose from).
Regarding tripod, I asked this guy on Flickr the same question because I saw a few pics of his that were at 1-second shutter speeds and hardly any noise. He said tripod helped. (The camera has an optical image-stabilization system which I use constantly.)

The camera is fairly new so many of us are still learning it. It's a helluva lot of fun to have. (If you hands are a bit big, like mine, the camera will feel a bit funky, like most other point and shoots.)

 

Four ISO settings. That's interesting... However, allot of the smaller point and shoots lack an adjustable ISO setting at all. My new toy is on its way: http://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/len...00&navigator=6

I'm one step closer to getting my Leica. :D
Now not only will I be able to be a Nikon snob but a Leica elitest as well!

 

The Leica D-lux2 is EXACTLY SAME as the panasonic's Lx-1. Of course, Leicas are way over priced in digital field. (rebadged panas..)

LC-1 / D-lux 2 is REALLY well made camera with beautiful construction and lots of features, such as 16:9 aspect. It is an awesome camera execept for the fact it will carry alot of noise, even in low ISOs.. well that's why they slapped on the IS feature to let you stay in low ISO.. and never go up into the higher ISO...


If you want just a SIMPLE P&S and nothing more (since you have D200..), I highly recommend panasonic's FX01. known as C-lux 1 in Leica.

That little thing is Fast, quick, wide, IS ability, small, well designed and the best of all, CHEAP..

It only costs right around $300 and it is simply an amazing value.

 

Darn you guys for making me look at new cameras again, especially you MototingSpeed for mentioning this camera!

Looked at the reviews on DPreview and I'm really confused. You mean the only and I do mean only difference between the Panasonic DMC-LX1 and the Leica D-Lux 2 is the skin on the outside, brand name, and $275 (B&H pricing)? No diff on the lens, better metal on the body, more manual options, etc???

Juan, thanks for the additional info. A few more questions for you:
1. Can I force the camera to use ISO 80 and have it not auto select the ISO setting for me?
2. Does PS elements 3 use the latest version of ACR? What you said about a plugin required for the RAW files and becoming the default spooks me. Just checked the Adobe web site and this camera is listed as supported by ACR (checked ver 3.4)

Oh, with my 3XL hands, all the P&S cameras feel like little toys, so I know what you're saying.
Cheers!

 

You are talking about the LC1. which costs about 470 B&H Pricing. And yes they are EXACTLY THE SAME except for the leica badge vs. panasonic Ls..

and I won't say that LC1s and the Leica that equals it is a P&S.. they can be fully controlled..


now, the FX01 is what you call p&s

 

I am by no means a great photographer but I buy a new point-and-shoot about once a year for work and the Cannon SD450 is the best I have ever owned.

 

Oops, sorry, don't mean to ruffle any feathers. Should have called it a compact camera with full manual controls (which is why I'm interested in it). Calling it a rangefinder wouldn't work I suppose since there's no optical viewfinder, eh?

 

Anyways! they are great cameras. Highly recommended.

 

The only thing I don't like about the Leica (and the Pana) is the lack of an optical viewfinder. I know if I get it I will be putting my face up to it a few times.

 

I just bought Mrs Crashton one of those Mothers Day. Very nice camera & so darned small. Very limited in manual controls. Great point & shoot for the money. $250 at Amazon.

 

Dave,
The ISO settings can be manually controlled. I constantly switch between 80 & 100.
Although the Leica .RAW plugin became default on my iBook, it may not on another machine. Regardless, it has the same controls: exposure, tint, shadows, etc. and will handle other .RAW files.

Oh yeah, no viewfinder. The LCD screen is a pretty good size though.
Hope that helps.
-Juan

 

MotoringSpeed, you're evil for getting me to look at new cameras! Same goes for you Juan!

Seriously though, thanks for bringing this camera model up as it looks like it's going to be a well suited tool for me. My sister (still using a VGA 1st gen Kodak consumer Digicam) is thrilled to get my Casio hand-me-down and my 5 year old Niece is thrilled to get the dino Kodak.

$270 is $270, even for this Nikon snob, so I opted for the Panasonic LX1 model instead of the Leica model. Juan and sprp85, thanks for answering all of my questions. I at least understood the pros and cons of the camera. FWIW Juan, I haven't even taken the CD that came with the camera out of its sleeve; PS CS2 on my PC has no issues with the RAW files. Thanks all the same for the heads up on the RAW plugin. Only thing I still need to figure out is the 35mm equivalent rule to 1 / f stop for max hand held shutter speed on this camera. Any ideas on how to calculate this?

So what do the camera's photos look like? Go see Juan's photos above...
This is what I managed to shoot this weekend while taking Ms. Speednut for a bike ride.

What new camera is not first tested using your child or pets?

Twiggy ready to motor wondering why we were going biking instead.

Creek running through Almaden Valley.

Almaden Lake

My life copilot

Cheers!

 

canon S80 is my vote! I have the S70 and would happily upgrade. I haven't had a chance to read through this thread yet but I'm sure there have been some fine suggestions. ALL my photos in my Flickr account were taken with mine...soon I will post this thread but for "big equipmetn suggestions" heh heh

 

I keep my Nikon Coolpix S4 in the car. Love it!
Jim

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php...roductNr=25533

 

Speednut: Thanks for the beautiful shots! I noticed the noise; but I'm a bit of a lab monger. I'm definatly sold on the camera and will be ordering mine soon.

 

in this same category you have the pana, the canon S80 like emily pointed out and there are also a few new P series nikon coolpix models. The S80 and pana will work better for you if you prefer more manual controls. The P series do have some nice features like wifi and vibration reduction though. I love the panasonic/leica twins and will probably get another panasonic when I'm ready to retire my fz5. The kicker will be whether the OIS or the viewfinder are more important to you. If only canon would put IS on the S series or if Panasonic/Leica would add a view/rangefinder it would be easier to make a more solid recommendation. Also if you're not in a huge rush I'd wait another 2 months. the LX1 was announced july 20th of last year. I'd expect a replacement to come out in july or august of this year.

 

So being the photo buff and camera geel I am I had a friend ask me about shopping for a P&S specifically if I had any opinons of the Canon Powershot A360. 8MP. This is an area that living off of my DSLR and the same fone for years at that, I'm completely lost in.

So any help or advice about that camera and how it stacks up to its competitors would be appreciated and I'll foward any info I recieve.

Yes I was lazy and decided to bump this thread instead of start a new one lol

 

The Canon SD 600 & SD 630 are very nice pocketable cameras. No manual overrides, but very good for what they are. A pocket P&S.

I just picked up a Olympus SP-700 on fleaBay for not much money. Just a pocket P&S, but seems to work well & was cheap.

 

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/a630.html

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/ca...0_a640-review/

seems OK but better to spend the extra $100 and get the A640