Does the IS on the FX7 really work in low light?

[bflaroo]

I'm looking for a small camera to photo indoor, low light situations without a flash. The FX7 was at the top of the list because of the IS...until I read some reviews that the IS feature doesn't seem to work in low light situations. I have also read that the lack of 'gain up' on the view finder can make it difficult to see what one is photographing in low light situations. Anyone care to comment?

thanks, bflaroo

[PhilR.]

IS works in low light, just as it does in high light. However, there is a limit as to what IS can do. IS lets you handhold the camera during longer exposures, allowing you to shoot at shutter speeds a bit lower than what you could normally do without IS. Once you go beyond what you and IS can handhold, then you will get blurry shots.

Lack of gain-up can indeed be a hinderance in very low light levels, if you don't have an optical viewfinder. Unfortunately, afaik the 7 does not have an optical vf.

If you are going to be doing a lot of low light w/o flash shots, then you should consider a camera with a faster lens, and invest in a good tripod.

PhilR.

[bflaroo]

Thanks for the reply. Any suggestions for a faster lens in a compact camera??? (the fact that I want a compact camera has been a challenge in this search.) I photograph births from the p.o.v. of an insider (I´m a midwife) so, a tripod is not an option either.

thanks, bflaroo

[Balrog]

How about a Canon G6? It's got an F2.0 lens, which is about the fastest you can get on a point and shoot, and great image quality. It's not really compact as cameras go, but it's nowhere near SLR size or anything .. and it has a nice comfortable handgrip so it's really easy to hold (which I imagine would be a bonus in the situation you're describing -- there is such a thing as 'too small' :))
Check out Jeff's review (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_g6-review/index.shtml) on this site ... I think it'd do well.

Here's a picture of the G6 from the review, to give you an idea about the size:
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_g6-review/camera-inhand.jpg