Paphos People

Hi All,

Our poor little camera is on it's way out and I am looking at replacing it, but there are so many it would be nice to get recommendations from peeps. Don't want anything too complicated, but want something that will take a good quality photograph and going by the research I have done with optical zoom rather than digital zoom, also a 2.7 or larger screen at the back (so I can see the photograph clearly rather than waiting to put it on computer)

I have been looking at the Canon Ixus Powershot and also Fuji but have always been led to believe that Olympus are the best.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

_________________


"Your dog is your friend, your partner, your defender. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true until the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"

Great psot trish, I am also looking for one.
I want one with a wide angle of vision but not fish eye and that can auto expose (if thats what its called ) in rooms and areas of different light.

Currently I use a standard sony dsc72p which is now past its best and keeps swallowing up the batteries, so long life and rechargable batteries are important a well, very important.

Hi Trish. A month or two before Christmas I came across the attached article:

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/ ... o-a-camera

Not sure if it is outside what you are looking to pay. My son, who is a 'professional' amateur photographer, who likes all the top stuff, was also taken with his camera. He said it was one of two he was thinking of buying for quick, instant shots. If he approves it, then it must be good! My daughter bought one on the basis of this article, and though still new and going through the learning process, she loves it. The screen on the back is huge. Hope this helps. Lloyd

I'm no expert, but for what it's worth, we have one of these Panasonic digital cameras which I bought in about September last year. Reasonably priced, easy to use, great results.

We had to buy a new camera on the day we were due to fly out to Egypt for a holiday so we were limited by time...

We purchased a Canon IXUS 95 IS and are very happy with it. The only drawback we had was the very thick manual that came in the box with it was all in Greek so we struggled a bit as we had an hour only to work through charging and setting it up.

However, I did manage to find an online pdf manual in English and it's turned out to be an excellent little digital camera.

_________________
Regards
Shell

I have had two digital Ixus cameras, the most recent being an Ixus 65. The first one I dropped, damaging the lens surround so that it would no longer close (though I have since fixed it). The other I usually have in my pocket. Unlike many compacts they have metal cases and are surprisingly rugged. The only disadvantage is that the large screen on such a tiny camera means that you don't get an optical viewfinder, which if not essential is certainly desirable in this country as you won't see the display in strong sunlight.

If you have the Google Toolbar on your browser go to Pixmania. They will ship a camera to Cyprus for about €12 by UPS within a couple of days. The site is all in Greek hence the translation options of the Google toolbar ... if you need it

They have some deals on at present including on the Panasonic Lumix range, which would be around the top of my short list if looking for a compact camera.

If you buy a small compact buy a case for it, then you are likely to have it in your pocket or handbag when that photo opportunity presents itself. Bigger and better cameras may give superior results but will undoubtedly be left at home or in the boot of the car!

I too am researching a replacement camera as my trusty old Sony is developing a crack across the battery cover which will not be economical to repair.

As when researching for the Sony, http://www.steves-digicams.com/ is my first port of call for its comprehensive reviews with sample pictures etc.

My current research indicates that when considering the major camera brands, neither Steve's or any other of the genuine reviewers report any bad cameras. Thus it seems to me that the first parameter in choosing a camera is "How much do you want to pay". This will narrow the list in order to study the specifications and reviews which will focus on the idiosyncrasies of each camera. You can then pick the features you want while keeping an eye on what bargains are out there. For example Argos have the Canon SX120 on offer under £100.

Above all do not fall into the terrible mistake of thinking that the more pixels a camera has the better. It is simply not so but many advertisers emphasise this feature more than anything else.

At the moment I am favouring the Panasonic TMC-TZ8 or Samsung WB600 for my purposes. Hopefully they'll cost less when my Sony finally gives up.

Pete

Panosonic Lumix. Got it last year and it is without doubt the best i have ever had (and we have been through several in the course of work).
Excellent pics, easy to use and highly recomended by my proffessional photographer neigbour who is a pp member..

Tiggy

_________________
Life is what you make it.

Helen

Thanks everyone, food for thought, will look at the links when I am more awake and let you know what I get and my thoughts. Also pleased that others are looking too and that the post was a bit helpful.

_________________


"Your dog is your friend, your partner, your defender. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true until the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"

Hi Trish
I have a fuji camera and very good quality images, try and choose one with a large lens to collect more light ,don't get carried away with huge megapxels you might just get a very large file of rubbish ok
Mike

_________________
I started with nothing and still have most of it left

i reckon, but am no professional, that its what you take, and where you take it from that is important, what you take it with is only part of the story. as such over the last 15 years i've owned a few cameras, every few years or more i give myself £200 to spend on a new device and as technology advances each one beats the previous one into a messy pulp. I reckon spend less more frequently rather than invest a large sum is the way forward.

_________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My opinion; worth price charged.

Aha, I wouldn't be without a viewfinder and my IXUS 95 IS has one

_________________
Regards
Shell

Since it is over 7 years since we last purchased a camera, a new one is now a must. The screen at the back of the one we have is so small I can't see a thing in it, even though I have new glasses (which is another topic - grrrrrrrrrrrrrr)

_________________


"Your dog is your friend, your partner, your defender. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true until the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"

Must admit like the look of the one that Lloyd recommends, although still looking, as not sure if I want to go to that amount. Trouble is the more you look the more you find and it gets mindboggling.

_________________


"Your dog is your friend, your partner, your defender. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true until the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion"

Just to report one comment from S95 link which shares my views with regard to cameras with no optical viewfinder.

I'm sorry, but it's impossible to see the image adequately on an LED screen in bright sunlight, on any camera -- especially if you're wearing sunglasses. Lord knows I've tried, on different models from different manufacturers. It's not point and shoot, it's point and hope.

I recently bought one for my O/H and these comments sums up my sentiments exactly.

Can anyone recommend a camera with an optical viewfinder?

Clearly its a fine camera receiving excellent reviews but at a high price, thus you have a dilemma.. That is why I posted my view of setting price first and then making a camera selection. If you are an enthusiast you will inevitably justify spending more than if you just want to take family snaps which will never/rarely be printed at a large size.

Pete

Funnily enough, Geoff, I never use an optical finder - even if there is one on the camera. Wearing glasses doesn't help As you say, sometimes in bright sunlight things can be a bit hit and miss; but I normally take four or five pics in challenging circumstances like this, and usually one or more will be spot on. It costs nothing to take extra pics in digital, unlike the bad old days of 35mm film. Must say, the screen on my daughter's camera is amazingly bright...and I guess can be adjusted. Lloyd

I think your spot on Lloyd. My Sony has an viewfinder which I very rarely use. I can't recall not getting a shot due to the LCD in sunlight and today's range of cameras has better, brighter LCDs.

I don't think there are many compact cameras on the market with optical viewfinders any more.

Pete