need advice about budget p-a-s ELPH (low light question)

Locally, we have just a few models available... do any of these jump out as being known in the real world for having especially good low-light performance (for a budget camera)???

ELPH 530 HS

ELPH 520 HS

ELPH 500 HS

ELPH 320 HS

ELPH 310 HS

Alternatively, do any of these models have "known issues" I should be aware of?

TIA!

rockandroller wrote:

ELPH 500 HS

I have that one, because it's f/2 and 24mm-equivalent at the wide end.
--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)

The 500HS has a reputation for good low light performance, by virtue of its HS sensor and f/2.0 lens at wide zoom. That is why I bought one. It is a pretty good little camera. It has a touch screen, which is not my favorite way to control a camera, but it works well enough. It 5X zoom is not really all that much of course, and when zoomed in, it drops to f/5.8 and loses a lot of its low light advantage.

Just for fun I compared it to a Sony HX20V this evening, both cameras set to their widest zoom, taking outdoor twilight pictures of my daughter about 15 minutes after sunset. The Sony is f/3.3 when zoomed out. The comparison was not even close. The 500HS had much better pictures, with much less noise.

if by PAS, you mean program, aperture priority and shutter priority, i'm pretty sure that these cameras only offer auto and program. the only elph i know of that offers PAS is the sd 4000 hs, which is a snappy little camera with an f/2.0 lens. my husband has one, and i quite like it. they don't make it any more, but you can still find it new.

i've heard very good things about the 310 on this very board, btw.

rockandroller wrote:

Locally, we have just a few models available... do any of these jump out as being known in the real world for having especially good low-light performance (for a budget camera)???

ELPH 530 HS

ELPH 520 HS

ELPH 500 HS

ELPH 320 HS

ELPH 310 HS

Alternatively, do any of these models have "known issues" I should be aware of?

TIA!

pcake wrote:

if by PAS, you mean program, aperture priority and shutter priority, i'm pretty sure that these cameras only offer auto and program.

Nope. My Elph 500 HS has P, Tv and Av as well.

rockandroller wrote:

Thanks again for all the feedback!

And actually by "pas" i actually meant "point and shoot"

That's P&S. "PAS" is usually written "PAT" or "PATM" is "Program, Aperture, Shutter (and Manual)". T is often used for shutter because you're controlling shutter period (T=1/f) and the cameras usually write that as "Tv" (period value).

I looked up the specifications for that whole list, and also the SD4000IS and the S90 & 95.

For low light, the only ones that really qualify are the Elph 500, the SD4000IS, and the S90 & S95 as they all have f/2 lenses at wide angle. At telephoto, the S90 & 95 are f/4.9, the 4000 is f/5.3, and the Elph 500 is f/5.8. The S90 and 95 have the larger sensors.

The Elph 300, 310, and 320 are f/2.7-3 at the wide end, and f/5.9 at tele. Slower; but still fairly fast. The Elph 520 & 530 are too slow to consider, are really tiny and use microSD cards. All the others use regular SD cards.

If you check places like KEH.com, B&H in NYC, and Adorama in NYC, they are generally quite reliable for used or refurbished cameras, and they are good places to pick up a used Canon brand battery for cheap. In the rare case there is a problem they will stand behind the product and exchange or return for credit will be hassle free.

The best buy would be a new, used, or refurbed SD4000IS, which should run $150 or less.
--
Jerry