Compact Camera Recommendations?

[tobes01]

Folks,

I'm considering a camera upgrade in the next few months. I've got a Canon Ixus which is an ace little compact, but is showing its age and is up for replacement. I've got some 'must haves' for the replacement:
- Chargeable via USB so that I can hook it up to a couple of AA batteries when I'm away for a week or more;
- 10Mpixel;
- Excellent mix of wide angle and zoom for fauna/flora shots.

Any experiences/recommendations?

Cheers

Tobes

 

[Daegurth]

i always have a compact in my pocket, and it's always a canon powershot (i'm a confirmed canon man). i loved my A620 with its 4x zoom, 1cm macro and swivelling LCD screen, but when it died i replaced it with an A4...30, i think, because it was cheap at the time. still has the 1cm macro though.

i'd definitely recommend a powershot- or if you were thinking more of 10-15x zoom, the fuji finepix series camera i used a while back was very nice, if a little bulky for shoving in a pocket.

dunno about chargeable via USB though... i don't remember seeing that feature on a camera before. although it has been a while since i last looked for a new compact.

 

[BorderReiver]

I can recommend the Olympus "tough" series, waterproof, drop proof and some of them usable down to quite low temperatures.

Ideal for use anywhere, in any conditions, photograph taking.

I carry a spare battery for mine (charges out of the camera) which lasts for at least a fortnight (with minimum flash use).

 

[tobes01]

Was getting tempted by the Panasonic Lumix FT1, even though it doesn't press all the buttons... However, I was struggling with the near £300 price tag. Then spotted a Pentax W80 on evilBay for £145, and that's just too much of a saving to ignore. I've seen the reviews grumbling about picture quality, but I've already got a Leica compact for quality moments - this is about having a camera that goes anywhere. Will post a review of how I get on.

Tobes

 

[TyroTarper]

For quality I use a Canon G9 12 mp, good zoom, raw format, almost as good as a SLR - all modes inc manual, etc.

For lightweight I have a Nikon S220 10mp, reasonable zoom, exposure compensation so can shoot HDR, only jpg format, good battery life

Not sure about charging from USB though

 

[Jakata]

I have a Samsung camera (cant remember the model number off the top of my head) I saw it advertised for £75 the other day.

12 MP
Chargeable via USB
Decent enough optical zoom
Stacks of options

I am very happy with it myself.

 

[Caleb]

I have a Samsung camera (cant remember the model number off the top of my head) I saw it advertised for £75 the other day.

12 MP
Chargeable via USB
Decent enough optical zoom
Stacks of options

I am very happy with it myself.

what sort is it and wewre did you see it advertised - this is in my sort or price range!!

 

[Elmo]

browse around dpreview.

a relatively unbiased review site

 

[Agile]

I can recommend the Olympus "tough" series, waterproof, drop proof and some of them usable down to quite low temperatures.

Ideal for use anywhere, in any conditions, photograph taking.

I carry a spare battery for mine (charges out of the camera) which lasts for at least a fortnight (with minimum flash use).

I'll second that recommendation.

They are waterproof (took it snorkling and free-diving down to about 4m), shock proof (dropped it onto concrete more than once, from waist height) and also freeze proof (worked in -37 when I took it to the Arctic last week).

I've also got a tiny clip style USB charger for the batteries, as they won't charge from USB. The clip is like a bulldog clip (from eBaywith two spare batteries for ~£9) which clips onto the battery and has a flick-out USB plug.

I don't carry it in a case, as that's just a pain, but get yourself a screen protector and all should be good!

Mine survived 8 months travel including some jungle survival, desert, mountain and Arctic conditions. It's also got an altimiter, but that tops out at about 5000m, so is of no real use if you're keen on going really, really high (it should do you for many places though).

Cheers,

Ag

 

[tobes01]

For the £145 it cost - plus £9 for two aftermarket spare batteries - I'm really pleased with the Pentax W80. Image quality isn't so much of an issue for me, it's about having a camera when I need it. Well recommended.

Tobes