I need a new camera, and the search is quite daunting. Right now I have a Panasonic Lumix FZ150, and it's been a good solid camera for the past 6 years. It has a long zoom and it's lightweight (two important components), but it doesn't do well in low light situations (like when my daughter is skating). And I don't want a big camera. So, I've just started doing research on what to buy, and there isn't one camera that is "the one." My list so far is: Panasonic Lumix ZS100 / TZ100 Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX10K Panasonic Lumix FZ1000 Does anyone have any of these cameras? Or, does anyone have any opinions of what's good, bad, or otherwise? Any thoughts would be most helpful. I'm not in a rush to buy one, but I'd need it by June. Thanks!!
I personally like Canon P&S cameras, but I've never used a Panasonic. I have the Sony A6000 (mirrorless, interchangeable lens) camera, and that's a great camera too, but that is my only experience with Sony cameras. I like the product reviews at dpreview, when I'm shopping.
Thank you! I'll check out those reviews. Cameras have changed so much since the last time I purchased mine that it's going to be a huge learning curve!
At first I thought you meant the other meaning for those initials! lol I love my Point and Shoot camera. It's a Canon PowerShot SX530 HS. I think it takes great pictures.
I thought the other meaning too!!!!!!! LOL LOL No help on POS (heehee), I am a Nikon girl, so that's probably where I would start looking. We had Sony before, but the last one we got a long time ago just wasn't as good as the one we had before it.
I'm a Canon girl but I am now using a Rebel. I still carry my P&S in my purse and it is an older one, a Canon PowerShot S3IS. Like Donna I get great pics. I also do not use the Automatic mode... never in fact. May I ask what settings you use to take your pics? Just wondering if that could be one reason why you don't like your low light photos.
I have a Sony Cybershot RX100 II and I really don't like it. I'm not sure how much is me and how much is the camera. It does have advanced settings that I don't use, so someone who knew what they were doing would probably have better luck. I have a Nikon DSLR that I liked a lot, but I never really took the time to learn how to use it beyond auto, and I didn't like lugging it around, so DH got me the Sony, but I haven't gotten any further with it. I still mainly just use the "auto" and "superior auto" modes, and I find digging through the menus on this one a bit awkward and overwhelming. My main complaints about the photos are that in lower light (basically anything indoors, no flash) most come out blurry and/or super grainy, and it seems to respond slowly, especially in superior auto, so I often miss the shot. As far as physically handling the camera, for some reason the placement of the buttons on top is just not intuitive to me. I think I've had it for about 4 years, and I've accidentally turned the camera off when I meant to take a picture more times than I can count. So I would say if there's a store where you can touch and feel and see what feels natural to you, that might be worth doing.
I've tried all the settings for low light photos: automatic, the "intelligent automatic" which is meant for low-light, and manual settings. The higher the ASA the grainier, muted and softer the photo. The lowest f-stop is 2.8, so nothing good is going to come of it. It's does well outdoors, but indoors has always been iffy, even with the flash. The reason I need a new one is because the flash isn't registering well - I'm getting half-lit/half-dark images, and when the lighting is even it is overexposed. The same thing happened on my last Lumix. It's the sign that it's showing it's age.
Thanks for the info. There are a few camera stores still left in the D.C. area, so I'm planning on making a trip to one in the next couple of weeks to get some hands-on time.
I hope you find something that works for you so it isn't so frustrating I know when I took a lot of volleyball photos I always used Sports mode without a flash. I had good luck with that. FWIW, I very, very rarely use a flash. Once in awhile I will take one with flash if it is in my house but only after I have taken one without. I pretty much keep my camera on "P" and the thing I change the most is White Balance. I was in a camera club for awhile where the couple leading it had won many ribbons at local photography shows. I never saw them use a flash, even when we were doing exercises inside.
I've had both a Sony Cybershot and a Canon Elph (film). We loved the canon elph. The Cybershot was great when it worked. The problem was the lens would jam. We replaced it 3 times, and on the third, it was declared a lemon and I upgraded to the Rebel. My mother in law routinely has in the past few years had a Canon Powershot and a Nikon Coolpix. The Nikon is her current one, and it works pretty good. I don't know how the low light is, since she's found of flash. She had a Panasonic Lumix, but it wasn't good, so we sent it back.
HAH HAH, I thought the same thing with the initials!!! I made the mistake of buying a Pentax K-r DsLR. BIG Mistake! Very little information out there for anyone trying to learn how to use it. Now realize I should have looked into a Canon or a Nikon. But in all honesty? Give me my tried and true Android phone!! Takes the best photos ever and there are so many settings! I can play around with almost all the same settings that are on my Pentax!!!!
Jan, I resisted this thread, but now I'm here and looking up cameras. You stinker, you're going to get me to buy a new P&S! I have a Canon Powershot (can't remember the model #) and I love it; it's my 2nd or 3rd Powershot. I'm all Canon, all the way! My DS likes to manually open the lens, which has over time caused some issues (grime on the lens that I can't get rid of, for example, or just a slower response time when opening), so it's probably time for a new one. It's just that, we bought a Canon 80D this spring, so DH doesn't understand why I'd want a small P&S too. Well, how about the fact that I'd like a camera that fits easily in a pocket of my purse and doesn't weigh 2lbs?
LOL, I had to post that emoji! But really, I've been wanting one and this thread just helped nudge me toward looking. DH and I "fight" over the 80D; maybe he'll be happy enough with a P&S that he'll leave me alone with my DSLR!) My plan is to go shopping tomorrow; if I end up getting one, I'll let you know if it's one you're looking at!
