Fuji Finepix F30, F650, 470, V10 or Sony T30

[pinky7]

I am looking for a compact camera which is FASTTT, small, great in low light, image stabilization and maybe a burst mode....

Any opinions??

[JungleRoom]

I am looking for a compact camera which is FASTTT, small, great in low light, image stabilization and maybe a burst mode....

Any opinions??

You know, I have that same problem of choosing a camera with similar abilities. Trust me, it's no easy task especially if you do not have the chance of testing the camera yourself and you have to rely on the reviews and the opinions of others. By the way, I'm not an expert at all. I'm just a guy who has been searching for a good digital camera almost a half yeard now and who has been VERY active in posting questions and reading the opinions of others.

First of all, let me just say that you need to decide which is more important to you: small size (ultracompact size) or good performance in low light. The fact seems to be that you cannot have the both. On the other hand, I bet a number of people agree that really the Fuji F30 is the camera we both are looking for. It is supposed to be super great in low light (for a compact camera) and overall it is supposed to be one heck of a camera. BUT... I fear for me it might be too big. I need a camera to be carried around with me in bars and nightclubs and while F30 is not huge I think it's big enough to cause discomfort especially when you dance. This is sad because technically it's the wet dream of mine but physically it is not. Moreover, F30 does not have IS. You should really look into Fuji's theory on why their Super CCD is better than using IS (I believe this is explained in www.fujifilm.co.uk in the V10 section).

If you prioritize small size than you seem to have a lot of choices. You got your Fuji V10, your Panasonic FX01, your Sony T30, your Casio Z850 and those ne models from Canon (apart from SD700IS which more of the size of F30; a bit heavier but dimensionally a bit smaller). One thing you've got to know is that from what I've read NONE of these cameras work good in low light without a flash. I can live with this since I only need decent pics (no printing, no zooming in the pics, no blowing the pics up) though. I've talk to a lot of people in forums and read the reviews and have limited my personal top choice to T30.

V10 had a kinda dissappointing review on this site considering it has Fuji's Super CCD technology and still the reviewer thought it's not really great in low light. I don't like the style of V10 very much, the mediocre batterylife is a shame and the fact that you have to touch the lcd in order to hold the camera is not appealing. Then there's the Panasonic FX01. A small and stylish camera with OIS and that lovely 16:9 mode. However, FX01 seems to be quite noisy although I have to say that seen a ISO 1600 pic taken with FX01 leads me to believe that this camera isn't completely rubbish qualitywise althout not even good either. I have to tell ya that the only thing that appeals to me a little about Casio Z850 is the fact that it's the successor of the highly praised Z750. However, Z850 just doesn't do anything for me so I'll pass (although one or two people have mentioned that it is supposed to be fair in low light). And then there's the Canon models. Well, Canon stands for quality that's for sure. But I get the feeling these models work best when most of the pics are taken in sufficient light outdoors.

So why the Sony T30 is my top choice for a small camera? Well it's super stylish and small (I really like the black model) and T9 got decent reviews so I bet T30 will do the same and even more. T30 should be equipped with a decent flash (a first for a T-model) so that's a plus also. I'm not too sure about the performance in low light without a flash, though, since while T30 has that Super Steady Shot thingy (IS) and that ISO 1000 level, noise might be a factor here. On the other hand, some have predicted that T30 might even be a step back and that aside from the better flash T30 might lose to T9 in performance. I think this is doubtful though.

I started talking about myself and I really should give an opinion to your dilemma. Well looking at those options you have and particularly F650 and F470 it seems to be clear that you don't absolutely need an ultacompact (like I do). This being the case and you wanting a small camera I think Fuji F30 is a no-brainer for you. I think you'll find it small (though not ultracompact small) and excellent in performance. Sure, it's not a pro camera and it doesn't do miracles but so many people are buying it as their only camera that it really is going to be something good. But from my point of view it just might be yoo big and this statement is supported by a number of people who have sold their F11s to get FX01 or something because F11 was a bit too big to be carried around in a pocket without feeling that there's like a big rock in there or something.

So F30 might be the best for you. Anything bigger with IS? Don't know, my so called expertice only extends to the ultracompact class. Anything smaller (with IS)? Sony T30 might be one solution although you will not be getting great pics without a flash in low light.

[ChrisBrewster]

I haven't seen Steve's F10 review but this model has a fanatical following, and I've seen many beautiful shots taken with it, which are hard to believe were done with a compact. I'm a recent Fuji convert myself (the long-zoom s5200), because I think high ISO trumps a variety of other features. The following URL is a Fuji forum, but I haven't seen many new shots the last few days. (One farther down about wind surfing is nice.)

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1012

I think the following might have good examples, but they're blocked at my current location:

http://www.photo.net/photos/hpic
http://hugopoon.blogspot.com

[jdhu]

cool thread...I am in the same position..

I have been waiting for the Fuji f30 for a few months now, was close to buying the f11 until I read the preview for the f30.

Supposedly great performance, the high ISO shots of course and yes 6th gen CCD..whatever that really means...

I was considering the Olympus SP-350 for its RAW capability, but it got poor reviews as far as performance.

Not sure if this helps you make your decision at all, but I also took my time to research the Sonys, Canons, etc etc...still the F30 seems the best buy..