Best non-SLR for large format pictures?

[ssandy]

First things first - many thanks for taking the time to look at this thread. I'll keep it simple - I want to take lots of photographs of my young family, and need to be able to enlarge the photos. Poster size might be pushing it a bit, but certainly upto A3 size.

I am willing to put the effort into getting it right, but first I need the right equipment - and I don't want a Digital SLR - other than that, I've answered the questions below...


Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera?

Call it $1250 for the camera only - I'll buy everything else separate

Size

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

Size is unimportant (did I just say that!?)

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

Assuming that more is better - so 8MP minimum - need to retain high quality for printing large format images

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

6x is OK but 10x would be much better

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

Image Quality is paramount - so 10!

Do you care for manual controls?

Yes - but must be "partner friendly" - i.e. have full auto point & shoot mode

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

Taking photos of the family, which can then be enlarged & printed

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

Absolutely

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

Probably a lot of indoor photos

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

Yes - but this is secondary to family snaps

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

No - I'm not fussy

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

I have looked in detail at many, and these seem the most interesting ... Sony DSC-R1, Fuji S9600, Samsung Pro815, Panasonic FZ50 ... but to be honest I'm no expert whic is why I need your assistance!

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

Image stabilization would be good, but not essential

[FLiPMaRC]

Wow ... $1250 is a really nice budget for a non D-SLR :eek:

Well, when I click on the "Reviews & Info" link on top of page, I filtered the following criterias:
Camera Type = Fixed Lens
Resolution = 8+ megapixels
Price Range = Over $900

I get two cameras:
Canon Powershot Pro 1 (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=552) and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828 (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=509)

[JTL]

Wow ... $1250 is a really nice budget for a non D-SLR :eek:

Well, when I click on the "Reviews & Info" link on top of page, I filtered the following criterias:
Camera Type = Fixed Lens
Resolution = 8+ megapixels
Price Range = Over $900

I get two cameras:
Canon Powershot Pro 1 (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=552) and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F828 (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=509)The Sony R1 should have shown up as well...definitly belongs on the list...

[ssandy]

Thanks for the response - I'll definitely let you know which camera I end up buying, and how I get on with it.

[coldrain]

Your best options are the Fuji S6000fd (6mp)and the Sony R1(10 mp) They both are able to take good higher ISO setting photos, good for indoor photos without needing to use the flash. Both are a bit like DSLR in form factor though... If the form factor is your reason not to want a DSLR, let us know.

Else, just look into these two. And yes, 6mp is certainly enough for A3 size prints.

[ssandy]

... thanks for the advice - not just in the replies - but there was a lot of other good advice in other topics too, which made for interesting reading. I highly recommend to others a thorough read of the forum for other relevant topics.

Rather than go with my gut instinct (R1) I found that the operation was too confusing for the wife and probably overkill for me too (in that I'd never have the time to explore or gain the benefit from all of the features and therefore it wasn't worth the premium - and it was double the price!!).

So I took Coldrain's advice on the Fuji and took the plunge - enough features to keep me happy; simple enough for the wife; the FD feature works really well; images, whilst not DSLR quailty, are excellent for the money; XD is a pain - but what the hell, that's a minor gripe.

Overall extremely happy - and grateful.

Thanks.

[tim11]

Please tell us how you go with your S6000? Quite a few of us would like to know how it performs at the longer focal length without IS. It is a new camera and you are amongst the first ones who own it.