budget camera for low-light usage

I am looking for a relatively inexpensive camera to take with me when I go caving and for other occasions where lighting levels may be low. I probably won't be making many prints larger than a 4x6, maybe a 5x7 and most will only be displayed on a computer monitor so high pixel count isn't that much of an issue. What I AM looking for, however, is good light sensitivity. I tried taking a Minolta Dimage Z2 on a previous trip and it didn't really work out at all. Dust and moisture in the air often made the flash ineffective beyond a very few feet out. Our lights penetrated much further, of course, but that was apparently not really enough for the camera (I had it set to ISO 400) even though it was plenty for us. That camera is also a little on the big side which made it somewhat hard to manage. After the first few attempts I gave up and just ended up lugging it around with me for the rest of the trip unused and will probably not take it with me again.

I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on the camera. I would like to keep it no more than $200-250 total for the camera. Obviously in an environment like that there is a good chance of it getting ruined by dirt, moisture or general banging around, though I intend to get a waterproof padded case to keep it in when I'm not using it to help protect it. I also don't have THAT much extra money to spare for it, if it is going to be too expensive I will have to settle for getting a decent 35mm film camera and some 800 speed film. Image Quality needs to be decent, obviously the higher the better, but takes a back seat to decent quality low-light performance. I would like to have at least ISO 800 or so without significant degradation if possible. Running on AA batteries would also be a plus but not a requirement if it got a decent number of shots on the internal. I would also prefer a camera that uses SD for storage over other, more expensive formats.

So in summary, feature importance is:

1. Good low light performance with decent quality without having to rely on a flash (at least ISO 800 if possible)
2. Decent picture quality.
3. Manual/semi-manual controls.

4. Reasonably tough against dirt/mud, extreme humidity (near 100% in many cases), and the occasional bump.
5. Not overly large.
6. SD format storage, capable of using at least 4-8 GB cards if possible.
7. AA battery powered.

Any help or suggestions you guys can give me would be greatly appreciated.

From what I've read so far Fuji f31fd, which uses xD card has best low-light performance for compact camera. It sells for about $220 refurbished, $350 new I think. You can find out more by visiting Fuji discussion forum. If you can spare $400, Pentax K100D super is on sale ($100 off rebate) right now. DSLR usually does better than compact in low light conditions.

Fuji f31fd, but get your askates on as it seems to be disappearing as discontinued.

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Alex

Look at getting a tripod, or if you want it to be more portable, a monopod. You can get very lightweight, compact models for a low price. There are even DIY versions using PVC pipe if you're on an extreme budget.

Higher ISO with less noise obviously will help you a ton, but your budget doesn't allow for the best out there. I think you might see more bang for the buck with a mono/tri pod.

Humidity that high is going to be a problem, I suspect.

The ideal low light camera ( apart from a DSLR ) would be the Fuji F30, which is compact or the Fuji S6500/6000 which is far from compact, but has advantages over the F30 in a photographic sense.

However, both these are not designed to operate in more than 80% humidity ( from the manuals ).

You can get weather protection bags for them, but such high humidity is not really what those bags are for. They are really for rain, maybe dust.

Olympus do a range of really tough weather sealed cameras, but these are not suited to low light, I think.

I'd point you towards the F20/F30/F31fd models in the last analysis, but with the warning to keep them in something sealed when not being used for photographs.

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StephenG

Pentax K100D
Fuji S5200
Fuji E900
PCLinuxOS

Fuji F20 at about $145 USD. Keep it in a sealed plastic bag like others have implied.

I'd consider constructing or buying a bag with a 28mm UV filter used as a window to mount over the camera's lens. Glue a 28mm filter ring to the front of the lens to attach the bag's window.

Dave

Yes, I've noticed that. What would be the advantages of the F31 over, say, the A900/A920 (and what is the difference between those two besides $25 in price)?

Even a DSLR will have a hard time in a cave with no flash. Honestly, your hopes are unrealistic. ISO 800 on anything less than a DSLR will yield a ton of noise, and realisitcally, ISO 800 by itself is not enough for a cave. You can use a flash in a cave - I've done it with surprisingly decent results, but it has to be a good flash. Again, in the DSLR realm.

Avatar28 said:

I am looking for a relatively inexpensive camera to take with me when
I go caving and for other occasions where lighting levels may be low.
I probably won't be making many prints larger than a 4x6, maybe a 5x7
and most will only be displayed on a computer monitor so high pixel
count isn't that much of an issue. What I AM looking for, however, is
good light sensitivity. I tried taking a Minolta Dimage Z2 on a
previous trip and it didn't really work out at all. Dust and moisture
in the air often made the flash ineffective beyond a very few feet
out. Our lights penetrated much further, of course, but that was
apparently not really enough for the camera (I had it set to ISO 400)
even though it was plenty for us. That camera is also a little on the
big side which made it somewhat hard to manage. After the first few
attempts I gave up and just ended up lugging it around with me for
the rest of the trip unused and will probably not take it with me
again.

I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on the camera. I would
like to keep it no more than $200-250 total for the camera. Obviously
in an environment like that there is a good chance of it getting
ruined by dirt, moisture or general banging around, though I intend
to get a waterproof padded case to keep it in when I'm not using it
to help protect it. I also don't have THAT much extra money to spare
for it, if it is going to be too expensive I will have to settle for
getting a decent 35mm film camera and some 800 speed film. Image
Quality needs to be decent, obviously the higher the better, but
takes a back seat to decent quality low-light performance. I would
like to have at least ISO 800 or so without significant degradation
if possible. Running on AA batteries would also be a plus but not a
requirement if it got a decent number of shots on the internal. I
would also prefer a camera that uses SD for storage over other, more
expensive formats.

So in summary, feature importance is:

1. Good low light performance with decent quality without having to
rely on a flash (at least ISO 800 if possible)
2. Decent picture quality.
3. Manual/semi-manual controls.
4. Reasonably tough against dirt/mud, extreme humidity (near 100% in
many cases), and the occasional bump.
5. Not overly large.
6. SD format storage, capable of using at least 4-8 GB cards if
possible.
7. AA battery powered.

Click to expand...

This camera does not exist for the price you want... unless by decent low light quality you mean 'riddled with noise'.