Thinking of a new camera

[zondaland]

I'm thinking of heading overseas in a couple of months. Before I go I want to get a new camera. I am hopeful that if I get something good now that it will last me for several years to come. At the moment I am in the early stages of research. I am looking for a compact camera at least 4MP with at least 3* optical zoom. My price range is up to about Aus$650 around US$450. Although I would like to spend a bit less ideally.

It seems to me that Sony are producing good cameras in this segment at the moment. At the moment I am tending towards a Sony DSC W5 or a
Sony DSC-S90. My major concern is that there seem to be a few stories of poor quality control with current Sony's. Does anybody have any personal stories?

I'm not after a huge number of trick manual options but am happy to learn how to extract a fair bit from a camera so some manual options are preferred. Does anybody have any tips for a relative photography noob?

[mindgam3]

Take a look at the panasonic FZ series (FZ-5, FZ-30)

[|Nuno|]

Originally Posted by mindgam3 Take a look at the panasonic FZ series (FZ-5, FZ-30)

What he said.

I don't know how expensive (or not) things are down there in Australia, but the FZ-5 usually goes for around 330/400 US dollars, so it's well in your price range. Then there's the FZ-20, which is a bit more expensive...

It's up to you really, but you can't go wrong with either. I ended up buying the FZ-5, since the FZ-20 costed about 150€ more, and I'm very happy with it.


FZ-5 Review.

FZ-20 Review.


But since you said you want something compact, then I guess the FZ-5 would suit you better... It's not as small as a regular point and shoot, but what you lose in practicality, you more than make up in picture quality and other features.



EDIT- Check this thread, for some basic tips:


http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7146

[ae86_16v]

Super-Compact. . . what about the Sony DSC-T7. That is about as small as you could get.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec...sony_dsct7.asp

I personally have the Canon SD-Series (SD200) and it is not as small as the Sony but it was also a few hundred bucks cheaper.

[zondaland]

Thanks for the advice guys, I will definately look into those options.