Need Point & Shoot to go w/ 30D

[countfrank]

Hi -

I've had a 10D since they came out and am currently upgrading to a 30D. I will be doing a lot of travelling coming up and I won't always be able to lug around my SLR and lenses.

I'm looking for the best P&S I can find under $500 US. Preferably something with a few manual controls (aperture/shutter). Quality of photo is my highest priority. I shoot a range of things from landscape, wildlife, people, places, art, etc...

Any recommendations?

Thanks

[newfly5]

Go with the Kodak. My wife uses that and I will use it if I cant take my camera. You can go full manual and tv and almost all settings. I can do 2 burst a second but dosent have a great zoom. some models do I hear.

[jev]

I would get sony r1
very nice P&S

[kram]

I have been very pleased with the output from the Ixus range. The size is definitely a plus.

[ofdphoto]

My experience with Kodak's digital cameras has been that they are cheaply built and yield flat colours. But they may have improved since I've owned one.

I've seen plenty of good results from family members taken with Canon's ... can't remember the exact model but I think PowerShot A530/A540 rings a bell. I'm hoping to get one of these for my wife when my budget allows ... I'm pretty sure they have manual settings too.

Cheers.

[JulianL]

How about the Canon S3 IS? 12 optical zoom, image stabilization and 6 megapixel. Looks like a great little camera for $350.

[Bob_A]

How about the new Canon Powershot SD900 which has the Digic III processor and 10 MP sensor, or if you want IS the SD800 IS, also with Digic III, but with a 7.1 MP sensor?

I believe both are supposed to be just under $500 US.

[RadAL]

Canon Powershot A620, or Canon Powershot A540?

[sugarzebra]

If you want a really small P&S that performs well, the Canon SD 630 is very nice (6 mega pixels and 3" LCD screen). My wife loves hers, our daughter has been using the SD 450 which is also good. The bigger P&S's may have more manual control, but they are significantly larger, to the point that you might just as well take the 30D!

[Jon]

I've had an A80, since upgraded to the A620. If I were to have to replace that, I'd go with the A630 now. Full manual and a reasonable size.

[symon]

You should look into the panasonic line. I just got a LX-1 used for $350 and it seems like a really good point and shoot (except for the high noice over ISO100). The LX-2 is supposed to be a lot better with a new chip inside. It has optical stablizer like the S3 but you can shoot raw and tiff as well as a cool widescreen video.

[countfrank]

I truly appreciate all of the feedback...unfortunately now I have more options than I did before...lol

I guess the good news is that there are a lot of good options out there

[led hed]

i'd stick with canon to start off. i have the S2 IS and love it for my point and shoot. does videos too!

[JimCapaldi]

I have the Canon Powershot A620 which I take with me when I don't need or want to carry the Canon 30D. It's a great camera with many controls, and the pictures it takes are great. Besides the photo quality, it uses 4 AA batteries which can be found anywhere.

[Transit]

I like the combination of pocketability, big screen, big zoom, full manual
and excellent pictures of the Canon A700 :)

Pete

[danster]

I've got the IXUS 800IS and love it when I'm not lugging my 30D. I've also tested the Powershot A710 IS and think its a good camera too.

[TourBusLive]

I have the SD500 —*and am very pleased with its quality. We mostly take it with us for live envents, like concerts.

[redsky009]

I truly appreciate all of the feedback...unfortunately now I have more options than I did before...lol

I guess the good news is that there are a lot of good options out there

I think the first step would be to decide out of one of these categories:

1) Tiny size, limited manual controls (e.g. Canon IXUS/SD series)
2) Small size, more/full manual controls flippy LCD (e.g. Canon A series, maybe the new G7)
3) Slightly bigger, manual + more features - big zoom, IS, etc (e.g. Canon S2/S3)

I think you can find cameras with good image quality in all these ranges (the A/G series probably will have the best) - just need to decide if you prefer more control or a smaller pocketable cam..choices choices:lol:

[cdifoto]

Since the whole point is to have something pocketable for on the go, an S3 or similiar seems like overkill to me, as would something like the G series.

I'd go with an A series. Canon's Digic II seems to have image quality pretty much nailed down and they have manual controls. Hidden in the menu and a bit cumbersome but still available.

Keep in mind you're sacrificing a little image quality, a lot of high ISO performance, and ease of use in favor of size and weight. If top IQ and control is THAT important, then it's actually a photo day...so take the dSLR.

[svpworld]

S3 is tops for me, and gives you the flexibility and feel of an SLR but in a smaller package. The lens too is superb and its a fast camera. My experience of Kodak is that saving high quality images to the memory card can sometimes take forever!

Simon