Compact cameras

WeAreGhosts

I have a Sony A55, which I love but I'd like a camera that I can put in my pocket and I don't have to worry about lenses ...

I've been looking at this one: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ70EB-S

And this: Olympus SH-2 Digital Compact Camera

Out of the two I really like the Panasonic, but am worried about it only being 12MP. When I'm used to a DSLR will I find the images are not very clear?

Any thoughts, or other recommendations around the same price range (up to £250) would be great ...

ballyblack

Don't concentrate on how many MP it has. The sensor etc is more important.

The Panasonic is a very good camera

I have a Canon S100 (12Mp) and its superb

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-PowerShot-S100-Digital-Camera/dp/B005N5NF54/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449837261&sr=8-2&keywords=canon+s100

Fightsback

WeAreGhosts wrote: »

I have a Sony A55...........

If you want the Panasonic, note the £40 cashback deal is only guaranteed from Amazon.co.uk and not from market place sellers. It's out of stock from Amazon.co.uk

It is available from currys for £260 and they have the cashback deal so it's £220.

Review for the Panasonic

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/reviews/compacts/panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz70-review

jshm2

A Nikon Coolpix is all you need. The price may be a bit higher, but it's worth it.

EssexExile

The Panasonic is a great camera. The only trouble is every time I buy the latest TZ... they go & bring out a better one almost immediately!

WeAreGhosts

Thanks all ...

I found the Panasonic on ValueBasket.com but I've never heard of them. It's £186.99 on there ...

How do I compare sensors?

Fightsback

WeAreGhosts wrote: »

Thanks all ...

I found the Panasonic on ValueBasket.com but I've never heard of them. It's £186.99 on there ...

How do I compare sensors?

Under no circumstances buy from valuebasket or their alias simplyelectronics !

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4200631

victor2

WeAreGhosts wrote: »

Thanks all ...

I found the Panasonic on ValueBasket.com but I've never heard of them. It's £186.99 on there ...

How do I compare sensors?

It's not just sensors you need to compare, the optics are just as important. You are more interested in the overall performance. I have found the the past that dpreview give good reviews and technical information. Arm yourself with a list of "essential" and "desirable" requirements, then wade through the reviews. Then wait for the January sales?

WeAreGhosts

Fightsback wrote: »

Under no circumstances buy from valuebasket or their alias simplyelectronics !

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4200631

Thanks for that!

Victor - yes, will probably wait for the sales now. I liked the Panasonic for shooting in raw and the large optical zoom.
Will have a mooch around the DP site. thanks

Johnmcl7

I'd look at a Sony RX100 mk 1, (there are four generations of RX100 labelled mk 1 to mk 4) which should just be in your price range, it's a great pocket camera to accompany a larger sensor because it's small and it has a comparatively large 1in sensor. This is smaller than the APS-C sensor in your A55 and also smaller than the micro 4/3 sensors but it's a massive sensor compared to the tiny 1/2.3in sensors both cameras (and most compact cameras) in your post use and also much bigger than the 1/1.8in sensors the likes of the older LX series and the Canon S100 use. The Sony also has a much brighter lens starting at F1.8 rather than F3.3 or so that the compact super zooms use.

There are of course tradeoffs in particular the zoom range, the RX100 Mk1 only has a 28-100mm zoom lens (3x zoom) as the compact superzoom cameras get their massive range by having tiny sensors and dim lenses so the Sony is the other way round.

I've experimented with a few different pocket cameras from small superzooms to micro 4/3 with a pancake lens but the RX100 is the one I've stuck with. The image quality isn't as good as the DSLRs but it's still very good and much better than others its size.

John

WeAreGhosts

Thanks John. I had seen this camera and thought it looked pretty good, but then the zoom range put me off. I suppose it is always a trade off - decent images or decent zoom.
At the moment I have a 75-300mm lens for the Sony A55 and it's pretty good, but so heavy! I was looking for something that didn't compromise on the zoom (and I miss being able to get in really close to subjects), but also delivered images that were comparable to the A55, or at least not likely to be disappointing. It's tougher than I expected