Best replacement for F20-specific needs

With help from this website, I purchased a Fuji F20 several years ago. I need a camera when I travel to Italy to take pictures inside of churches, where flash is not allowed. I need a point and shoot that works good with low light and is uncomplicated because I have a very limited time to get the shot and be unobtrusive. Is there any camera under $300 that can do the very decent job my Fuji did? I have the camera but the pickpocket got my good battery and xd cards, which seem really expensive to replace. I've seen info on the Fuji 70, 80 and 200EXR's but the reviews seem mixed. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Terriphoto2 said:

With help from this website, I purchased a Fuji F20 several years ago. I need a camera when I travel to Italy to take pictures inside of churches, where flash is not allowed. I need a point and shoot that works good with low light and is uncomplicated because I have a very limited time to get the shot and be unobtrusive. Is there any camera under $300 that can do the very decent job my Fuji did? I have the camera but the pickpocket got my good battery and xd cards, which seem really expensive to replace. I've seen info on the Fuji 70, 80 and 200EXR's but the reviews seem mixed. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

As far as I can see the f70exr will fit your needs. I bought it for my wife lately and it does a fairly good job. I like the exr-capabilities as my own cam (S200EXR) has too. I paid € 139 for the f70.

-I did choose the f 70exr over f200exr because fot its bigger zoom (10x i.o. 5x)

-I did choose it over the f80exr because of the better overall IQ and

-I did choose it over the f300exr because of the better low-light capability (and besides the f300 is much pricier than the f70)

There's one thing: the video-mode of the f70 is not HD but VGA-quality.

--
Happy photographing!

Thank you very much for your response!

F70EXR is a pretty good choice. Use SNR mode and the IS will let you use a longer shutter speed than you could handhold with your F20.

You can often find the same camera cheaper as the F72EXR. Exactly the same except color.

However shooting people it is not as good in low light as your F20 was. The lens is slower and the sensor quite a lot worse at ISO 800 and 1600.

If you really want good low light performance buy a Canon S90. It goes for $350 so perhaps you can buy it used.

The lens is f2.0 at wide angle and it is even a little better iso for iso than your F20. Add in IS and you have a camera that is a lot better in low light than your F20 was.

Thank you-I really do value the advice given on these forums.

I loved my F20 and it is still kicking with another. I replaced it with an F200 and have been very happy. The lowlight is slightly better than the F70; however I also throw in a vote for the Canon S90, it is a superb little cam and should suit your particular requirement well.
--
-

Hi,

Your best option imho is to get a used, mint condition Canon S95 - excellent high ISO for a P&S, fast lens, good IS, fast writing times, easily usable as pure P&S, small size, good selling price once you decide to move on. It will meet all your needs I guess.

My wife used probably the best EXR made by Fuji - the Fuji S200EXR in Italy, in churches last summer and the outcome was decent only when downsized and after tons of PP.

Cheers!
--
Best Regards,
Yanko Kitanov

I am dreaming to enhance the sensitivity of my own visual perception and not the sensitivity of my camera's sensor...
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/yankokitanov

f70exr/f72exr has same image quality as f30 including high iso images
, better dynamic range and 10x optical zoom

see comparisons here

http://photos.davidroyall.us/Photography/F70/Fuji-F31-and-F70-Test-shots/9761327_6QLft

Hi,

If this answer was to my post - as posted. I have seen this, but I have compared them myself and find DR just equal and noise level higher in the EXR cams, together with the massive NR which brings less detail and more artefacts in the F70 output. Still I own a F70 for office use.

Cheers!

--
Best Regards,
Yanko Kitanov

I am dreaming to enhance the sensitivity of my own visual perception and not the sensitivity of my camera's sensor...
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/yankokitanov

Yanko Kitanov said:

Hi,

If this answer was to my post - as posted. I have seen this, but I have compared them myself and find DR just equal and noise level higher in the EXR cams, together with the massive NR which brings less detail and more artefacts in the F70 output. Still I own a F70 for office use.

Cheers!

--
Best Regards,
Yanko Kitanov

I am dreaming to enhance the sensitivity of my own visual perception and not the sensitivity of my camera's sensor...
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/yankokitanov

Click to expand...

i could not find out which pictures in the comparison i posted above were f30 and which were f70, quality is the same, i had to look at exif data to find out which is f30 and which is f70.

you need to know how to shoot with f70

I Have a F70 and I find that its pictures are really great until the light goes down then it becomes very grainy, much more than the F31 I used to have.

In low light conditions, I opt for my Nikon D40 and crank up the ISO and in very low light conditions I use a prime with the Nikon.

The reason why I allow my self to give an advise is because I CAN do that since I have all the technical knowledge and the practice that it takes. The reason you don't see any difference between the Super CCD F30 and the small sensor Super CCD EXR F70 is because you lack those.

Coming in and saying to a person you don't know anything about - "you have to know how to shoot the F70" sounds very competent. I see you are one of the knowledgeable guys that read somewhere on the net the recommendations that were formed here by testing and discussing and now teach those that have formed these recommendations

Here is one of the many posts and tips I have made regarding shooting EXR cameras quite before you have even held one I guess, this one was an year ago:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1012&message=34389433

If you follow the forum for at least an year you should know that I DO know how to shoot the F70 and that I was one of the people making the way to the best routine of shooting EXR cameras.

If you don't see the difference then I have no more comments for you. You must grow the curve and when you CAN see the differences and know technically well the aspects of IQ and how and where to evaluate them - then we can discuss.

--
Best Regards,
Yanko Kitanov

I am dreaming to enhance the sensitivity of my own visual perception and not the sensitivity of my camera's sensor...
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/yankokitanov

Thanks for all your great advice. I really appreciate all the help. There are so many cameras on the market, it's hard to decide on one when you have a specific need, unless you have so many people with great ideas.