budget low-light/party camera for sister

[truflip]

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.

Around $300 Canadian dollars BEFORE taxes. (Memory card and case will be extra cost excluded from the $300)

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?

Small, compact camera is a must. I’m thinking around the size of the Canon Elphs.

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

Atleast 5MP. I don’t need anything higher than a 7 or 8MP.

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)

Standard. 3 is okay but 4 -6 would be preferred.

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)

Not too picky but I want one that takes clear, crisp pictures for indoor settings and low light. I guess 7.5 is ok

* Do you care for manual controls?

No, I won’t even know how to use them.


General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

*** Taking pictures of events: vacations and trips, parties, etc.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?

*** I may make big prints once in a while but it’s not too important.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?

*** Yes, definitely most of the pictures I take will be in low light.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

*** Maybe but this feature isn’t too important.

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

*** I like Canon, Sony, and Fuji. All the other brands I don’t care too much for but if the specs are good, I’ll definitely give them a try.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

*** Sony DSC W50, Fuji F10, Canon SD450.

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)

Rotating LCD would be cool but not absolutely necessary. I want a “non-pixely” LCD but still average size (2.5” LCD).

[truflip]

anyone? please? :(

[David Metsky]

Rotating LCD won't happen with an ultra-compact. Are you willing to give up on an optical viewfinder?

If low light photos without flash are important then you pretty much have to put the Fuji F30, F10, and Z3 on the top of your list. The thing is, if you are talking about action in clubs, with people moving, etc. she's going to want a flash to freeze the action. What kind of low light shots will she be taking?

-dave-

[bascom]

F20, also. As far as the Sony DSC W50, Fuji F10, Canon SD450, the SD450 stands out as not having high ISO so I doubt it would do well in low light. So it's:

Fuji F30, F20, F10, and Z3
Sony W50

How much USD is around $300 Canadian? I expect the F30 costs too much.

[truflip]

my gf has the Fuji F30 and she loves it. she doesnt think its seksi n sleek like the FX01 but hey the pictures she takes now (esp in low light) are gorgeous so she has no complaints

now my sister is into sleek cameras and F30 does not appeal to her, so i showed her the pics and shes like wow.. but then i told her its $420 canadian n she puked.. lol jk not puke but yea its too much for her. she can get it for $389 but its still too much..

I think the F20 would be a good camera for her but she will NOT wait it out.. not sure why.. I think frosh week is coming up at her university n she just HAS to take pictures.. i'll recommend the cameras you guys pointed out. thanks!

Btw $300 Canadian (with the current exchange rate) is probably $250 USD

[truflip]

Rotating LCD won't happen with an ultra-compact. Are you willing to give up on an optical viewfinder?

If low light photos without flash are important then you pretty much have to put the Fuji F30, F10, and Z3 on the top of your list. The thing is, if you are talking about action in clubs, with people moving, etc. she's going to want a flash to freeze the action. What kind of low light shots will she be taking?

-dave-
yea she will survive without the rotating LCD and optical VF. by low light shots I mean birthday parties, get togethers, dinners. etc.. basically 80% of her pictures are indoors where light is not as sufficient.

[David Metsky]

by low light shots I mean birthday parties, get togethers, dinners. etc.. basically 80% of her pictures are indoors where light is not as sufficient.
If she can use a flash, then it's not really as much of an issue. Any of those cameras will take good flash shots.

-dave-

[swgod98]

If she can use a flash, then it's not really as much of an issue. Any of those cameras will take good flash shots.

Flash is great to a certain distance. Anything beyond that becomes dark. If you want the background to be visible, then you often still have to raise the ISO. Otherwise, you get bright faces and a whole lot of dark background.

[David Metsky]

Flash is great to a certain distance. Anything beyond that becomes dark. If you want the background to be visible, then you often still have to raise the ISO. Otherwise, you get bright faces and a whole lot of dark background.
But the pictures are of people at parties, get togethers, and dinners. In those cases, for candids or posed shots, you're probably going to want flash anyways. Yes, high ISO capability is great, but for these type of shots I don't think it's really going to make much of a difference to the end product.

-dave-

[truflip]

my gf has the F30 and at ISO 800 at a restaurant, the subject is nice and sharp while hte background is well lit.. not like some cameras. . i.e u shoot a Canon SD430 at ISO 800 in the same setting and the subject will be bright but the background is very dark u cant tell where they are. plus at ISO 800 its pretty much a dead picture.. :(

so flash does help but good ISO performance will make it even better.. i think