Advanced compact for wife

[smag4life]

My wife is really enjoying learning about photography with my D3100, but she wants something compact for her new camera. I've been giving serious consideration to the Canon PowerShot S95, G12 and the Nikon P7000. Any thoughts? They all have very good feature sets for a compact, notably, all the MASP modes and very good low light performance. Is there anything I am missing that sets one of these apart from the others. Or an even better question, a different camera entirely that might suit my wife's camera needs? Thanks.

-AJ

 

[tirediron]

I would vote for the G12.

 

[LuigiVN]

I don't own any of these, but have done some heavy research because I'm looking for something similar... (or a bridge). I'd recommend the G12

 

[bigtwinky]

G12 is probably the least compact of the 3, but will probably net the best results

 

[TJ Donegan]

It depends really on what she's going for, to be honest. If she wants something that will fit in a jacket pocket or easily in a bag, the G12 might not be the best option. The S95 has essentially the same sensor but with a little less zoom range but is far more compact overall. I would probably opt actually for the Panasonic LX5.

Full disclosure here: I work for a camera review site and we did review the LX5 in December and put it up against the G11 but not the G12, so you'll have to draw your own comparisons but it's an exceptional camera and certainly splits the difference size-wise between the S95 and the G12/P7000.

 

[Drake]

Actually rather than helping you choose, I'll complicate it even more. Why not an Olympus PEN with a pancake? Or a Panasonic/Sony? It should be about the same size the Canon G12 is, but way ahead in terms of image quality.

 

[HannahnMe]

Hello,

Since you are open to considering a different camera option, I would suggest that you look at the Panasonic LX5. It is one of the most popular cameras on the market today, with a high consumer satisfaction rate. A comparison of the Panasonic LX5 and the Canon Power Shot might help you decide which way to go. As a side note, as a woman, I am very impressed with your taking your time and research in buying your wife the right camera!

1.The LX5 has a larger sensor, and wider aperture, making better for image quality and low light, and its much smaller. Around 20% larger sensor
2.More than 10% better wide-angle
3. Macro focus
Significantly better macro capability 1 cm vs 5 cm
4.More than 3x faster continuous shooting
5.Fastest shutter speed
6.Longest exposure
Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
I hope this helps with your decision.

Good Luck!

<a title="Panasonic Lumix LX5" href="http://www.squidoo.com/lumix-panasonic-digital-cameras-christmas-gift-ideas-for-boyfriends#module129383341">Panasonic Lumix LX5</a>



HannahnMe

 

[smag4life]

I very much appreciate all the responses so far. I have thrown the LX5 into my list of potential purchases. Unfortunately, to add to the confusion, I stumbled upon what appears to be hidden gem among advanced compacts. While browsing the reviews at photographyblog.com, I came across a review for the Panasonic Lumix ZS7, which on paper and based on the review is almost exactly what my wife wants at a substantial price reduction compared to other cameras on my short list. Its got M, A, and S modes, great image quality, nice shutter speed range, pretty good low light performance (assuming ISOs on the lower end of the range and adequately long shutter speeds), very tempting zoom range compared to the others and in general comes highly recommended from photographyblog.com. There's got to be something I'm missing here. The only thing I see that it doesn't have that I want is RAW capture, but that's not a deal breaker by any means. Why would a camera that, in theory, performs on par with the others be so much cheaper? It would be much appreciated if someone would either confirm the veracity of the review or set me straight and get me back on the path to a camera that I want my wife to have (ie. plenty of advanced features, manual modes, raw capture, etc.). Thanks very much for your time.

-AJ

 

[HannahnMe]

I did several articles on the Panasonic Lumix Cameras, including the ZS7. I did a lot of research and also read a lot of consumer reviews. I'm sold on the Lumix personally. I have
a link where you see and read about all of them in one place. This isn't considered spam is it? I'm brand new here and don't want to break any rules!

Anyway, for some reason my Ezine Links come back with "file not specified" and I don't know how to fix it, so I can't send you there. On Ezine I have several articles on "individual' Lumix's. I do have another site where you can see the one's I've chosen that I think are the best. If, I could send you to ezine, that would be best for good research.

<a title="Panasonic Lumix ZS7" href="http://www.squidoo.com/lumix-panasonic-digital-cameras-christmas-gift-ideas-for-boyfriends">Panasonic Lumix ZS7</a>

How do you get the "Links" to work here? As you can see, I'm doing something wrong.

HannahnMe

 

[Samerr9]

My friend got the G12 and it is getting really stunning pictures! sometimes i think it is a dslr!! and does shoot RAW

 

[raryke]

I have a G10 and it takes awesome photos and it also shoots in Manual and Raw

 

[smag4life]

Thanks for the additional replies. I'll let my wife know about them, but after talking to her, it appears she wants something more like an ultra zoom. Compact enough to fit in her purse with a giant zoom range that she wants. I've been looking more into those the last couple days and involving her in the process. She seems to like the HS10, but I will let her know about the PowerShot G series since these are also coming highly recommended, albiet with a shorter zoom range. Thanks again.

-AJ

 

[rmpbklyn]

I have a olympus sp590 and love it. I'm 4'11 tall. Theres no tension on my wrist due to it's weight as with other cameras. Also the area to hold/handle fits perfectly in my hand.
I found it at PDN photo expo, have her go there and she can pick it out herself
For me, I found other cameras to be clunky and heavy. and there weight is also a factor with the neck bands.
here's a pic from the camera:

 

[memento]

i can't say enough about my S95. i use it more than my 40d. my girlfriend is getting the photog bug and keeps asking to borrow it. as a matter of fact she just gave it back to me after a week in CA (and i was missing it!). her friend just got a Nikon and she was just telling me how much more she liked the Canon. "the buttons make more sense" and "the menu is easier to navigate."

it is extremely compact, shoots raw and video. av, tv and m modes.
has tons of features... my favorite two, night and fish eye.
the relatively wide angle is great for indoors.
the flash for 'snap shots' w/ friends is awesome. the way it pops up some how virtually eliminates red eye.
it starts up and is ready to go very quickly, which is a must trying to photograph my five year old daughter.

then zoom isn't great.
but are any really?

you wont be disappointed with the S95. (neither will she )

 

[Sw1tchFX]

what aboot micro 4/3rds?

My GF absolutely adores the E-P1 i got. She's got an E-P1 and the 17mm pancake. That's it! She took it to japan and still hasn't given it back to me yet

Her kit looks almost exactly like this, except there's a removable top piece that buttons on the bottom part so it's just like the film era ready cases: