which ultra slim p&s?

this thread has prob been done to death but am looking to get an ultra slim p&s cam. just want a small camera for going out and party and gig shots that can print decent 4x6 maybe 6x8 but mainly for emailing/web. and looking to spend

I too am looking for a cam for just this sorta purpose -- taking shots of people, friends, etc. basically partying out at night. When I go out I've already got keys, phone, etc in my pockets (and I'm not a baggy pants person, so some of the jean pockets can be pretty tight).

I hate to say it, and I think this is about the only thing I'd admit to being so superficial on, but the appearance of the cam I'll be getting is important to me. I was disappointed both in the size and the design of the Nikon S7c. I love the design of the Kodak V705, but it is about $50 more than I'd really like to spend and I would also prefer something smaller.

I don't want to take over this thread, but if while answering the original question people could also throw in some insight as to whether or not any discussed cams would be appropriate for the kind of low-light inside bars basically type atmosphere, I'd appreciate it.

The Casio S770 is well under $300 delivered online. It has a better LCD than the S600 and takes wide screen MPEG4 movies.

I would prefer the Sony T10 for still photos though. The combination of true optical stabilization and good noise at ISO 400 makes for a versatile camera. It also has a large internal memory for storing a permanent album. It also has a transflective LCD that is pretty good in bright sunlight. The only downside is that you need proprietary Sony memory cards.

Tuomas Wiste said:

I too am looking for a cam for just this sorta purpose -- taking
shots of people, friends, etc. basically partying out at night.
When I go out I've already got keys, phone, etc in my pockets (and
I'm not a baggy pants person, so some of the jean pockets can be
pretty tight).

Click to expand...

Planing on paying a lot of money to replace the LCD if you put a slim digital camera in a pocket with keys and such in a crowded bar. That kind of damage isn't covered by most warranties even though people whine about it.

Michael_6 said:

I hate to say it, and I think this is about the only thing I'd
admit to being so superficial on, but the appearance of the cam
I'll be getting is important to me. I was disappointed both in the
size and the design of the Nikon S7c. I love the design of the
Kodak V705, but it is about $50 more than I'd really like to spend
and I would also prefer something smaller.

Click to expand...

I admit your requirements are superficial.

Michael_6 said:

I don't want to take over this thread, but if while answering the
original question people could also throw in some insight as to
whether or not any discussed cams would be appropriate for the kind
of low-light inside bars basically type atmosphere, I'd appreciate
it.

Click to expand...

There isn't anything that will fit easily in jeans pockets and look cool that is appropriate for low light. The Fuji F30 is probably the best with its high ISO although there are a lot of things i don't like about that camera and it is rather ugly and bulky compared to the slim ultra-compacts.. The Sony T10 or T30 with the good ISO 400 and stabilization might not be bad if your targets aren't moving. The Canon SD700 & SD800 are also very good but probably not slim enough.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmcfx07.asp

...fits easily in my jeans pocket.
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Jotor's Salt Lake City
http://flickr.com/photos/jotor/sets/72157594289600015/

Casio's Exilim series is quite nice, I have the older Z55. Forget about doing low light shots at anything above ISO 200, it just isn't good, just fire up the flash. If you really must have low light pics without flash, I'd look at the Fuji F series.
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http://www.pbase.com/jfinite

Alright, I'lll drop the looking cool part. I want to be able to get good photos indoors in dimly lit situations though. I am new to photography but I have been told that using flash washes out flesh tones and stuff like that. Is this true? If it is, then what are the features in camera to look for in order to get good pics in low light? Does using flash in places like a party eliminate the problems of low light otherwise though. I would imagine optical image stabilization would be one. How about lens size? Why is there so much variation in diameter of lenses among cameras. Big lenses must be better -- is this especially the case in low light?

The tiny cameras like Exilim 770 clearly have big advantage in pocketability over others like Nikon S7 and Canon Elphs. What are the trade-offs?

For party shots in an ultra compact, I can't see how you can beat the Fuji Z5 (out in Japan but don't know about other places). No IS yet, but very easy to use and it has that Fuji sensor (albeit not the one used in the F-30).

And don't worry about not using the flash, sure you can do it, but most party/people shots really require it.And the Z5 has that dual flash-no flash function that gives you the best of both.

If I didn't already have (and use) the F-11 for low light stuff (mostly indoor at nite) I would get the Z5 myself.
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Rube
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71881102@N00/

Does flash really take care of the issue of low light in indoor settings? What are the trade-offs of using flash? Remember, I'm a total beginner, please bear with me. The Casio Exilim cameras certainly would be fantastic in terms of convenience and pocketability, and this is really useful because it would mean having the camera with me more, but I was afraid that there must be major compromises in terms of photo results for that advantage in size. For example, is the lack of image stabilization a pretty big issue? Do the photos not have substantially more noise than those of say a Nikon S series cam, for example?

a small Lowepro belt-mounted neoprene case. It is as small as my cell phone and I have had no probs using it at asa 400 with flash. I run Noise Ninja on all the keepers in Photoshop CS and it makes great 4X6s. It is no competition for my 5D, with a flash that peels wallpaper, if I have a chance to plan ahead. But it is always there for the spur of the moment. My son and daughter use the same pocket camera, and get some incredible one of a kind shots, even when fairly well blotto.
hunter

I got a Casio 750 and found that it often got accidentally turned on in the pocket.

Finally it turned on and the lens came out & got jammed. I was able to straighten it out, but it's now my wife's camera. The problem was the little "Camera" & "Review" buttons on the slanted part above the LCD. I think most Casios have these.

For ultra-slim I had for years a Minolta Xt - I really like those & other cameras with the lens completely contained within the camera, Pentax WP series and the Kodak twin-lens cameras have this, too, as well as several Nikons, Fujis, Samsungs etc.

I finally replaced the Casio with a Panasonic TZ1 - kinda large, just pocketable, but I really like the 10X zoom. As a bonus - never saw this in any reviews - the lens does NOT extend if the TZ1 should turn on in-pocket. The lens doesn't begin to extend until one starts to zoom.

Do also consider the Olympus 720: slim, non-extending lens, waterproof, shockresistant. A bit heavy, and doesn't use a standard SD card.

-Erik

Could someone explain to me why some cameras have physically telescoping lenses whereas others (like Nikion S, Fuji F5, etc) have a single non-telescoping lens? They all have the same amount of zoom it seems. Are there are advantages to having telescoping lens?

The non-extending cameras have the lens entirely inside, looking out thru a prism (like a mirror, but better) that way there is room for all the zoom stuff lengthwise in the camera. Otherwise it has to stick out to make room.

The TZ1 I mentioned is a "hybrid": most of the zoom stuff is mountes sideways, and the 3-10x part of the zoom sticks out when needed. The prism is between these.

What's been a great p&s for us is the Pentax W10 (also the similar W20). It's truly a pocket camera because it does not have and expanding lens that pops out and can break, it's dust and waterproof (down to 5') so you don't have to worry about the camera getting damaged in your pocket, just rinse underwater to clean the lens. The price is good, about 250-300 depending on where you buy it. Picture quality is good, much better than my Canon S410 that broke because of dust and moisture but obviously not as good as my Nikon dslr but I can't clean it's lenses underwater. Also, people are amazed when you jump in a pool with a camera, they gasp thinking you just ruined it, haha. The kids love it, they can take pictures of each other underwater for hours. There are plenty of good p&s but this one stands out.

Ok, so I read everywhere that Fuji specializes in low light. What's the catch though? There's got to be a tradeoff, right? The Z5 is scheduled for release here in March 07. Unfortunately, I've read that the Z2 is a really lousy camera, sharing little with its larger brothers as far as the traditional Fuji strengths. However, I'm willing to wait to see reviews of the Z5 if it really looks promising. I do want a camera that is great at everything, of course, not just low light.

Right now I've got the Kodak Z705, Canon SD700, Nikon S7c, Pentax W20, Casio ex-s770, and Fuji Z5 on my short list. To be honest, I feel like all of these are chunkier than I would like considering I am a guy, so I don't carry a purse, but when I'm out I've got keys, phone, drink , etc and just a couple jeans pockets. Am I leaving out any? For some reason I like the way the Kodak fits in pocket and the feel of it in hand -- it's got good dimensions as much as its volume is similar to the others

Tuomas Wiste said:

Could someone explain to me why some cameras have physically
telescoping lenses whereas others (like Nikion S, Fuji F5, etc)
have a single non-telescoping lens?

Click to expand...

The slim ones use a prism to fold the optical path. The Nikon S doesn't though - that is a very nice design of camera (but not slim).

I recently bought a Casio EX-Z1000 for my partner - very slim, very quick (the camera that is), but the 10Mp sensor is way overkill for snapshotting and rather noisy if you leave it on auto-ISO, and the LCD screen is very exposed to damage in the pocket.

Francis

Wait a month and see what the reviews of the Fuji Z5 are like - it has the SR sensor. If not, consider a Sony T9 (or similar newer Sony), or Ixus 800 IS (a bit bigger) - both are image stabilised. Or maybe the Fuji F31, but that's a little bigger too.

jerrysk8 said:

this thread has prob been done to death but am looking to get an
ultra slim p&s cam. just want a small camera for going out and
party and gig shots that can print decent 4x6 maybe 6x8 but mainly
for emailing/web. and looking to spend
slim cameras. have been looking at the casio exilim s600 and sony
dsc-t10. does anyone have any experience with these cameras or can
suggest any other ulta slilm p&s cameras? tia

Click to expand...

--
Excal

I suggest Fuji F30 or F20. These are the best compact cameras as on date as far as picture quality under various lighting conditions are concerned. You may like to go thru review at this site (F30). U on't regret it.
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Regards, Ajay
http://picasaweb.google.com/ajay0612

Did the previous Fuji Z cameras have "the SR sensor" though? That's the big question for me, because the Z2, for example, got terrible reviews and everyone basically said that although Fuji lists it as ISO 1600 capable, it is actually very poor in low light even for a compact and that ISO 200 or something was about the max with reasonable noise.

The Z5 has a 1.2/5 sensor, smaller than the Fxxx.
It has an upgraded processing engine, 1 generation behind the Fxxx.
It also has face recognition and iFlash.
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Rube
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71881102@N00/

See, I'm thinking the Z5 is, in all likelihood, going to be a lot more like its ancestors in Z family than it will be like other Fujis. That is, instead of being fantastic, it may actually be really lousy compared to its competitors. Dammit, I wish they made something right in between the Z series and the F series. Basically, something like the F series only smaller, with less battery life.

I'm a guy, so I don't carry a purse when I go out, so pocketability is very important to me. But pocketable cameras have their greatest weakness in exactly the kind of conditions one is in when they go out (at night, in doors). Very frustrating. I'm giving up on the idea of a pocketable camera.