Confusatron
08-19-2008, 12:07 PM
Ok, I've sort of reached an impasse on my camera search.
My requirements are mostly based around the shortcomings of my current p&s, a Sony DSC-P93. It is relatively quick, pocketable and takes good photos, but I am tired of the tiny LCD (I never use the viewfinder) and restrictive lens (38-114mm).
I take a lot of interior shots of homes and exterior shots of cars, both of which seem to need a wider lens than I have now (ideally <30mm). I take typical vacation photos, where it always seems like I could use a bit more zoom, which is why I've gravitated to the Panasonics. I've always been a fan of 'burst mode' sequences, and macros (the Sony needs 10cm, which I hate - closer would be better). I'm looking at 10mp cameras, but really would probably be happy with 8mp.
Some manual control would be nice, but not necessarily a deal breaker. I thought being able to use regular AA type batteries like the Sony would be nice, but I did a quick scan of my photos and found that the most pictures I have taken in a day was around 200, which most prorietary batteries seem to be able to handle. However, I have been playing with AEB (for HDR) which in theory could bump that to 600 - but that might be a 2 battery day ;)
I'd like to be able to take some high-speed shots of cars as well, but am at a loss about what p&s specs to look for in that category?
Image stabilization is a must. I'd like to keep the budget under $300, but it will be a few months before I buy it so higher prices may be ok.
Right now it is a contest between two Panasonics - DMC-TZ5 and DMC-LZ10, but I am open to alternate suggestions...
Thanks!
My requirements are mostly based around the shortcomings of my current p&s, a Sony DSC-P93. It is relatively quick, pocketable and takes good photos, but I am tired of the tiny LCD (I never use the viewfinder) and restrictive lens (38-114mm).
I take a lot of interior shots of homes and exterior shots of cars, both of which seem to need a wider lens than I have now (ideally <30mm). I take typical vacation photos, where it always seems like I could use a bit more zoom, which is why I've gravitated to the Panasonics. I've always been a fan of 'burst mode' sequences, and macros (the Sony needs 10cm, which I hate - closer would be better). I'm looking at 10mp cameras, but really would probably be happy with 8mp.
Some manual control would be nice, but not necessarily a deal breaker. I thought being able to use regular AA type batteries like the Sony would be nice, but I did a quick scan of my photos and found that the most pictures I have taken in a day was around 200, which most prorietary batteries seem to be able to handle. However, I have been playing with AEB (for HDR) which in theory could bump that to 600 - but that might be a 2 battery day ;)
I'd like to be able to take some high-speed shots of cars as well, but am at a loss about what p&s specs to look for in that category?
Image stabilization is a must. I'd like to keep the budget under $300, but it will be a few months before I buy it so higher prices may be ok.
Right now it is a contest between two Panasonics - DMC-TZ5 and DMC-LZ10, but I am open to alternate suggestions...
Thanks!