Busy Mom Looking for Two Good Little Cameras

[catchingup]

Having come to the conclusion that one ultra compact will not meet all my needs, I’m wondering if someone could suggest a couple good ones that could cover the range – without too much overlap in features (except for good image quality of course).

I need one that can shoot fast – as in “soccer” mode -- in good resolution at maybe 5 or more fps and has no shutter lag in any mode, and one that can shoot well in relatively low light without a flash – think band concert, school play, dance recital, etc. It also would be nice if they have somewhat good focal range.

I know what you’re thinking: get a DSLR, but that really isn’t an option. As a single working soccermom, dancemom, theatremom, musicmom, you-name-it mom (as all of us are), I don’t have the time, energy or room in my car for learning and lugging a nice large camera around. I can’t carry all the stuff from the car to the soccer field in one trip as it is. (Believe me, if I had the time, I would love a DSLR; I still have my (very) old Canon AE1 – wasn’t it the first one with automatic exposure? – it took great pictures with just a 50 mm lens. I also had an old Nikon that had a light meter with a needle and a 35 mm lens– used to push B&W film to 1600 and get great indoor shots without a flash.)

Anyway, as I was saying...

The little research I've been able to do points to some Casios as good performers in burst mode and some Fujis as better in low light. Could anyone confirm this? And if it's true, could you recommend the least expensive model of each that would fit each need and is still on the market?

Alternatively, based on Jeff's review, the Panasonic DMC-ZS3/TZ7 (is there any rhyme or reason to all these model numbers?) sounds as though it might be ok for both needs, but any opinion on that would be great as well.

What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
No more than $250 (preferably less) per camera for two or up to $400 for one

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

How many megapixels will suffice for you?
as many as I need?

What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
Maybe something between standard and ultrazoom?

How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
As good as possible given the constraints above, so maybe 8 or 9.

Do you care for manual controls?
Not really

What will you generally use the camera for?
Usual family stuff, plus the specific uses outlined above

Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Not any bigger than 8X10; probably 4X6 or 5X7

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

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Yes

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Not really

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
I’ve read that Casio has some fast cameras and Fuji has some that do well in low light, but I can’t keep the model numbers straight – they don’t seem to be sequential so without keeping a journal, I can’t remember which is which. I’m certainly not married to either of those brands – they’re just the only ones I can remember at the moment. I’m just as open to Canon, Panasonic, Nikon, Sony, etc.

Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)?
Wide angle, telephoto and image stabilization would be good, if possible

I hope I didn’t take too much of your time, or bore you to death. Any opinions, hints, ideas, thoughts, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[AndyfromVA]

The Fuji F100fd is an ultracompact that has better low light ability than almost any other small camera. You can buy it at many places for about $250. You can then send in a rebate form to Fuji and get back $100. The rebate program ends sometime in July.

[jekostas]

Honestly... you're kind of dreaming on a couple of those features.
5FPS with the kind of autofocus system that could keep up? No shutter lag? Concert hall/recital with no flash?

Have you considered getting a used dSLR? A lot of camera stores are starting to accept a few-generations old equipment in trade-ins, and you can find some pretty good deals (with a warranty to boot).
For $400, I'm sure you could find something.

[KCook]

I agree with Andy. The Fuji F100fd will fire a 5fps burst for the 3Mp image size. So try that camera first. Decide later if you still need a second camera.

Kelly Cook

[catchingup]

Thanks very much. Just wondering -- is there enough difference between the F100fd and the F200EXR that would be worth the extra cost?

[KCook]

The F100fd already has strong low light performance. The F200EXR gives you better tools for dealing with difficult lighting (strong shadows, etc). For yer basic family photogs the F100fd is plenty of camera. The F200EXR is the cat's meow for enthusiasts who enjoy experimenting with cameras. So for most shoppers, the answer to your question would be "no".

Kelly

[speaklightly]

I agree with both Kelly and jekostas-

Give the Fuji F100fd a try, but it may not really be the IQ answer that you are seeking.

Sarah Joyce

[catchingup]

Give the Fuji F100fd a try, but it may not really be the IQ answer that you are seeking.

Thanks very much everyone. I will admit that I am a little confused about what is meant by “image quality.” I’m wondering - in what type of situation would image quality not be important? Why would a company make a camera that doesn’t produce good images? That’s just something I’ve been scratching my head about when reading about image quality. So, I guess I’m wondering if the image quality of the F100fd isn’t that great, what makes it a good choice? (No sarcasm intended; I’m really curious.)

As I mentioned in my original post I really can't go for the DSLR right now, but I am willing to buy two compacts to come close to meeting the need for 1) a little speed at something just a little better than 3mp or so and 2) decent at low-light/high (and by high I mean like 800) ISO. I'm not looking for stellar performance in either category. As for image quality, I guess would want it to be really good in good light/standard IS0 (80 or 100), but I guess I don't expect it to be great for high speed or low light/high ISO images -- does that make any sense?

So in other words, is there a compact out there that first of all produces very good image quality in good light/low ISO, but then also can perform somewhat better than its peers at either low light or high speed? If so, I would buy both. Or if there is something at the very high end that is ok at both, I would go for that. Any more thoughts? (Thanks for your patience with me!)

[KCook]

Here is a link to sample shots with the Fuji F100fd. You can download a few and decide for yourself about its IQ -

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_f100fd-review/gallery.shtml

Kelly

[David Metsky]

Why would a company make a camera that doesn’t produce good images?
Because it's hard to do. People expect a lot from digital cameras and it's not an easy engineering task to deliver them all at a price and size that people want.
So in other words, is there a compact out there that first of all produces very good image quality in good light/low ISO, but then also can perform somewhat better than its peers at either low light or high speed?
The best answers have already been given in this thread.

[catchingup]

Because it's hard to do.

Hmm. There are a lot of thoughts that come to mind here, but they would take this waaay off track, so thanks very much for responding. That is food for thought.

The best answers have already been given in this thread.

So the F100fd is probably the best choice for both of my needs? I guess I'm asking because I've seen other posts where it was suggested that the poster buy two ultra compacts since they do vary so much in quality and since the companies try to differentiate them by emphasizing some features over others. For one camera, how does the F100fd compare to the ZS3? I am willing to spend up to $400. Thanks again so much for helping me.

[David Metsky]

For one camera, how does the F100fd compare to the ZS3? I am willing to spend up to $400. Thanks again so much for helping me.
The F100fd will have better low light high ISO image quality. The ZS3 has more telephoto. Which features are more important to you?

[catchingup]

I went ahead and ordered the F100fd since it is a good buy right now. Thanks for the tip on that one. From what I've read, however, I'm not sure it will work very well for capturing a good enough image on the soccer field for a nice 8 X 10 of an action shot, since it drops to 3 mp in high continuous shooting mode. So that's what I'd like to find now if such a thing exists: an ultra compact that performs very well in burst mode (outdoors) and also has somewhat good telephoto and decent image quality. Any thoughts? Thanks again.