I'm currently doing some long-term backpacking around the world so wanting to buy a new camera is maybe not the smartest idea when the budget is so tight!! I'm hoping my tax return is good though Plus having good photos of the trip is really important and worth the expense, right!? That's what I'm telling myself anyway.

I've been getting into photography more and more over the years and even more so now that I'm travelling around the world and seeing all these cool things. My current camera is the very budget 'Canon A490'. Bought it in Laos after my last older but similar Canon got stolen. It's ok but suffers heaps from over exposure and the lighting in general is often terrible. The screen is cheap too and it's really hard when taking a photo to see whether it's gonna be any good or not.

So anyway I was hoping to get some advice from you guys as to what would be the BEST camera to buy, for me. I realise that is a difficult question so I'll try and narrow down the type of camera I'm after.

To get something quite good I'm willing to spend $400-$500.

I want a pretty small camera (not DSLR size at all). It doesn't have to be really small though but still fits in your pocket without too much trouble.

In terms of the type of photos I want to take, well I want it for a wide variety. Something that's pretty good all round (if possible). So it would inc. lots of landscape shots (wide angle would be good), portrait / group photos (also in low light), & I would also like to take it to the snow for some pics of the scenery, action shots & some video too. So things like image quality & colours etc are all important.

I read some of the threads and I noticed Gamblor mentioned his Panasonic Lumix LX3. I've done a bit of research and that camera sounds really good! From the reviews and info online it sounds a bit like as close to a DSLR you can get for a compact camera. That sounds great in theory because I do want to learn more about photography so it may be a good step before a DSLR. It does however only have a small optical zoom. I noticed there is an LX 5 out now or very soon (the LX 3s replacement). It appears to have a longer zoom too, which would be handy. Another camera that sounds good is the Canon S90, which seems similar to the LX3 in many respects. Also, while travelling someone showed me their Canon G11, which seems like an awesome camera, but ideally I would like something a bit smaller and I think I remember Gamblor saying that camera is bad for action shots cause of the delay.

Also, would these sort of cameras be ok for taking onto the mountain in the cold conditions. I would rather not get a shock / water proof camera if it would mean skimping out on general picture quality or spending way more.

And finally, where does everyone buy from for the best prices? The USA (or Canada)? or does Europe compete well (such as London maybe)? If USA is the go I'm happy to wait till early Oct.

So any advice from the photographers out there would be great! Any more info needed, just let me know.

Cheers

Since you said you can wait til oct, wait at least til the end of august. Nikon, at least, will be announcing new cameras on aug 17 and 19. I suspect the other camera makers will release some stuff then too.

Thanks for reading my other camera posts - it's nice to see someone listens!

Basically, if a camera can shoot raw files, then there is a price premium. The lumix lx3, canon g11 and s90 can all do that, so that's why there are priced higher.
With the lx3, I find that the jpgs are just as good as the edited raw files, so I don't bother shooting in raw, except for something important. I shot most of the photos here-> http://www.boardworld.com.au/forums/viewthread/683/ (except for the ones that I'm in) on the lx3 in p mode in raw.
Like you noticed, the lx3 is an amazing camera but the zoom sucks. I got it mainly for shooting my 2 year old, for which it is perfect. The F2.0 -2.8 lens is awesome for indoors and it is very wide (i think it's 24mm). It's dynamic black and wide mode is sick and you can set it to square format too.
my little girls first haircut on the lx3, dynamic black and white, square format .... no editing!


I think the lx3 would be a great street shooter but the lack of zoom sucks for snow pics (but they are good for self portraits before you drop in, or shooting up close ie rails). Other negatives are the price - if you're backpacking having an expensive cam may not be so good. maybe carry it in a ziplock in case in rains. The lx5 will be released soon which has a better zoom, which will make the lx3 cheaper (big maybe here as it hasn't really dropped in price much). If you're looking at the lx5, since it will be new it will have a price premium. Oh, and the lens sticks out a bit so it is not as 'pocketable' as say, the canon s90. lx3 is 31800yen right now

The G11 is too big.37600yen

The S90 is a G11 in a smaller body. I found the body to not fit my hand very well, but it might be something i get used to over time. The price has dropped a lot since it came out. This might be your best bet. Read the review sites like dpreview and go on flickr and go through the forums. 29980yen

and since I love it so much, i will put another word in for the casio fc 150. For action, this can't be beat. For price either. In japan it came out at least a year ago and so the price has plummeted. 15399yen!!!!! that's over half off ha ha.
Reviews are here:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-reviews/casio/ex-fc150/casio-ex-fc150-review.html

I would recommend that one since:
1)price - you're on a budget AND you're backpacking. If you lose it/it gets stolen you can just buy another
2)high speed shots - you will never miss the action boarding or street shooting
3) zoom - check
4) wide? - average
5) image quality - good

I know you said you want to get into photography more but buying an expensive p&s is not the way to do it imo. You just need one with manual functions and then you can play around with it more. Note, I hardly ever use the manual function on my p&s.
Also, don't bother with micro 4/3 cams either at this point. The body is small but when you add a zoom lens all of a sudden they'Re as big as a dslr.

I will find some shots from the casio. All my buddies use it.
this site is all done on that casio.
http://dirtylittlecreatures.com/home/

here too:
http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=891880706#!/album.php?aid=407553&id=891880706

we have just bought the canon D10.waterproof shockproof and can operate up to -10 in the snow, the photos seem ok and the video works well, no sound quality though...fits in your pocket and can take the abuse..lens is protected..cool to put it underwater and take shots of the fishes etc...big buttons are easy to use as well....just another option for you to consider.......

All I can say is DON'T buy the Olympus Tough. It's meant to be 10 metres waterproof and mine failed in 2 feet of water. Then they had the nerve to ask for $300 for the repair.

the panasonic lumix FT1 or FT2 should be a good all rounder [=

good photos.. shoots hd video..

Thanks heaps for the tips guys. And some great advice Gamblor, thanks! Like the pic too!

I looked into that FC 150, wow looks like an amzing camera for action shots! will be great for boarding. I think it was something mind boggling like 40fps at 9 megapixel. Also, the 720P HD video with the slomo would be heaps good at the snow! The relatively big zoom is great too (5x I think). I checked out the links too thanks.

I guess the big plus the s90 and particularly the lx 3 have over the fc 150 is the better lens and being able to shoot raw, yeah? As I understand it, the lenses on the s90 & lx3 allow for more light and are much wider, which equals better picture quality overall. Interesting how you say that jpgs are basically just as good as the raw pics. I have never actually shot anything in RAW before (because I've never had a good camera). Is the the photo quality very much the same between the two, the difference rather that raw can be much more heavily edited?

I'm actually leaning towards the fc 150 now. The fact it is generally a pretty good camera quality wise and that it's great for action shots and video is selling it for me. And it's cheaper of course!! The s90 loses out cause of the lack of HD vid & the lx3 loses out cause of the size, zoom and price... Maybe I can get an s90 or lx5 some other time (ie when cash isnt so tight). As I see it, either camera wouldnt replace the "fast" fc 150 anyway, just offer something different.

Gamblor, you listed some prices in yen, do you shop for cameras online from Japan? From a quick look the fc seems about $300 USD on American websites. Just did a currency conversion and the yen price you listed for the fc 150 is only $180USD!!! thats brilliant! Where did you see that price?

Thanks again for the tips

i looked at the lx5 specs and it looks really good. it's got the same F2 to 2.8 lens as the lx3 and it goes up to F3.3 for the extra reach. The price tag of $499.95 usd isn't so great.

Yeah, raw is a digital negative that hasn't been 'developped' yet. Jpgs have been developped by the camera. They're also a lossy format so every time you save a jpg the quality goes down a little. The trouble with p&s cameras is that with such a small sensor, there isn't that much tweaking you can do before you start losing quality. I'm finding with the cameras nowadays, they're iq is good that you don't really need to tweak the shots that much, or at all.

I live in Japan so that's the price I can get it at. pm me if you want me to send you one.

edit: forgot one thing. the reason why it's so cheap here is because it's been out for at least a year. It's really been an unsung hero.
It just came out in jan or feb in the US so it's still got it's premium.

Thanks for the advice Gamblor and the offer! I might have to take you up on that. That is really cheap, nearly half the US price I think!!

rider26 - 31 July 2010 07:40 PM

All I can say is DON'T buy the Olympus Tough. It's meant to be 10 metres waterproof and mine failed in 2 feet of water. Then they had the nerve to ask for $300 for the repair.

I've never had a problem with mine... maybe yours had a crack or something that let the water in?

Though I never liked the pull down lens cover... and it turns on everytime that lens cover goes down which chews batteries like no tomorrow!

tjswish - 04 August 2010 11:23 PM

rider26 - 31 July 2010 07:40 PM

All I can say is DON'T buy the Olympus Tough. It's meant to be 10 metres waterproof and mine failed in 2 feet of water. Then they had the nerve to ask for $300 for the repair.

I've never had a problem with mine... maybe yours had a crack or something that let the water in?

Though I never liked the pull down lens cover... and it turns on everytime that lens cover goes down which chews batteries like no tomorrow!

I have sent mine back twice now and they didnt want to fix it the second time until I called them and talked with a manger. I had to tell him that I am a prof. photographer and that I drop heaps of money on photo gear every year and that I wont be buying another Olympus product if it was not going to be fixed. They decided to fix it and told be to be sure to replace the seals every 6 months!!!! Realllllly you have to pay for new seals every six months or your warranty is void!!!! Id stay clear of them.

I know at least two others who had bad experiences with the Olympus Tough cameras. Honestly, I kept it in such good condition. It's meant to be 10 metres waterproof - in my mind it shouldn't fail in two feet of water, and if it does they should repair it free of charge. I can buy a new camera for $300.

I'm over the whole 'waterproof' thing. I'm just looking for a quality point and shoot camera which takes good shots. I was looking at the Canon Ixus 130 IS - so sleek and stylish, 14 MP, wide angle lens, HD video. I was sold on it till I read some reviews on the internet. Apparently the image quality is really bad. Back to the drawing board...

http://kakaku.com/item/K0000068388/

14408 yen for the casio.

no, exilim is casio's line of slim cameras (I think).

best lens maker? I think nowadays in p&s cameras I think they are all pretty similar. just look at the f-stop range of the camera and you'll know how good the lens is

sorry dawg, no time

http://tinyurl.com/2ub8m6r

yeah. on a p&s it will give u a range like f2.8-5.6
this means when you're at the wide end the lens is wide open (2.8) and at the zoomed in end it's 5.6

generally the lower number is better. on my high end p&s the lens goes from 2.0 to 2.8 which is amazing.
on dslr pro lenses the lenses are able to stay at a single f-stop like 2.8, which is why they are so expensive.