Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by jkbarnes »

Are you opened to used equipment? The Fuji many have mentioned is great, but its also a fixed focal length. So double check that it would meet your needs.

I’m a convert to the micro 4/3 format. A very capable And compact camera with a great zoom lens can be had for a great price if you’re fine buying used.
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by Soporsche »

Ive had a variety of SLR/DSLR kit over the years but I now mostly rely on my Lumix DC-FZ82 which is a relatively cheap and cheerful do everything.
Good point and shoot in Ai mode, OK zoom but better in good light obviously, reasonable simple sport and landscape options too. Its not tiny but its no SLR either and the lens is decent at the price point (ive paid much much more than the price of this camera just for a lens in the past).

I often pair it with one of those small bendy gorilla grip tripods (very light and only c. 6-8 inches so easy to throw in the bag.) Which is handy for low light, evening or distance shots on the ground, bent around a railing/branch or on a wall/table/rock when you need to eradicate blur/wobble due to the longer exposure.

Its not the best at everything but is a competent all-rounder and I find it better than my phone (Pixel 2).
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Okay, thanks again. A few more notes on requirements.

I think fixed focal length is a bit of a deal breaker.

As far as the zoom capability is concerned, I need something betwixt and between. A wide enough angle to get a reasonably sized building (for example, a cathedral façade) within the confines of a fairly tight city square. A big enough zoom to capture something reasonably far away without having to do a massive amount of cropping. I don’t need fish-eye width, nor do I need the ability to photograph a bird on a branch (or a sun lounger) :lol: 5 miles away!

Because of the nature of the work I’m doing, there is no real action element to the photography. I will be photographing places, buildings, archeological remains, objects in situ, inscriptions and so on. I need to capture good detail. Example, tracery on a rose window or bosses on a vault 80 feet above me.

Gorilla pod – yes, I have one and used to use it a lot with my little Canon.
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by downer »

timor54 wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 9:04 pm I would also add that the TZ100/200 have electronic view finders which I personally find invaluable. If there’s one thing I hate it’s trying to compose an outdoor photo using the rear screen on a camera in bright sunlight, or even daylight for that matter...
I was in the same camp - until I discovered the true benefits of being able to use "touch focus" on the rear screen. There are definitely benefits in having a traditional (albeit electronic) viewfinder, but I think the rear screen technology is closing the gap - particularly those with articulated screens - allowing you to compose shots without needing to look directly through the camera.
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by exHowfener »

I've owned and used a Leica C lux 3 for several years and it's great. Apparently there are some technical differences (mostly software) from what I remember, to the Panasonic version but for what I paid I was happy. And I admit it, I having the red dot on my camera is nice.

If you're looking at the Leica, that's probably the one you really want. You won't be disappointed.
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by Ian Mc »

I have had a Panasonic lumix tz70 for a few years now, great little camera, great pics and versatile.
Only slight criticism is that after being in my pockets for so long the anti glare is rubbing off the screen a bit. Doesn't t affect the picture quality of course, and there is always the optical viewfinder.
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by nigelb001 »

Another thumbs up for the Panasonic Lumix TZ100. I have used all sorts of cameras over the years, Nikon, Olympus, Fuji, Leica from medium format through SLRs, DSLRs to compacts. I now exclusively use the TZ100 and it caters for all my needs, very versatile with superb image quality and the electronic viewfinder is great. I could never use a camera without a viewfinder, screen only does nothing for me.
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

UPDATE...

I had a very pleasant time at the camera shop this morning. Very nice chap listened carefully to my explanation of what I was looking for and how I would intend to use the camera, never interrupted once. I asked him to ignore budget for the time being at least.

“This would be my first recommendation for you,” he said. Producing as he did so...
.
.
.
...a Panasonic Lumix TZ200! :shock:

He patiently went through all the features with me and allowed me even to take it out into the street to see what I thought of the zoom. I must say I was pretty impressed. I expressed concern about the USB charging, or lack of, and he opened a panel on the side and showed me that it could indeed charge the battery in camera via USB. He also showed me a separate charger which was very tiny and also connected via a USB adapter.

I mentioned the Leica that I spoke of in the first post, and his reaction was “We don’t have it in stock but we COULD order it for you...(pause)”

“But...?” I asked.

“Well, with minor technical differences it’s the same camera. The colour system is slightly different but I doubt very much whether you would even notice it.”

“So... I would be paying an extra £250 basically for a brand name?”

“Pretty much.”

My thanks to Frank and others who pointed that out swiftly and succinctly last night.

I spent part of the afternoon reading reviews. Although the experts always find things to pick holes in, on the whole they are very positive. And it is obvious that it would be a clear step up from anything I have used before.

My only question is now: the TZ200 or the TZ100. The latter doesn’t have quite the zoom performance, but the payoff appears to be in terms of a faster lens and better low light imagery.

Tim, and others, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on that.

Again, many thanks to all who have given sage and sound advice so far. If I can get my head around that last question, particularly considering whether I would have enough zoom with the TZ100, I may well go ahead and buy later in the week. After all, I have a birthday coming up and my retirement watch came in well under budget!

Oh, and he said they could probably do some kind of deal on accessories like a travel pouch, spare battery, card and charger. Nice shop. :D
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by downer »

Hmmm, at face value I think I'd be tempted by the TZ200 - because you never know when you might be glad of the additional focal length.

However - and this is may be more important to me than it is to you - the TZ200 (if I read the specs correctly) is a slower lens at the bottom end of the focal range, and that would certainly give me some pause for thought.

In fact, musing on the rapid increases in technical specifications, and being in the ridiculous position of having a Canon G7X Mark II as well as a (slightly older and lower spec) Panasonic TZ80, I decided to do a completely unscientific side-by-side comparison.

The setup:

Image

So, comparing a 1" 20mp sensor in the 2018 Canon with a smaller 18mp sensor in the 2016 Panasonic.

Both cameras in full automatic mode and most other electronic functions disabled. Having taken the pictures, I noticed the Canon was in 3:2 and the Panasonic was in 4:3, so the shape of the images is different... Fairly unremarkable pictures but an interesting comparison.

Both pictures are exactly as they came out of the camera.

First up the Canon, followed by the Panasonic:

Image

Image

The detail that is lost in the older Panasonic is quite striking if you look at a) the red washing line and b) the brick wall on the right hand side.

Zooming in on the pictures on my large monitor also reveals a significant difference in the sharpness across the entire picture.

In the same light conditions, the auto on the Canon shot at 1/1250 @ F4.5 and the Panasonic shot at 1/125 @ F8.
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by kiter65 »

I have no idea what you are all talking about but I have this :lol:

Image
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by timor54 »

Hi Steve, sounds like you've had a productive day. As far as I was aware the main difference between the TZ100 and TZ200 is that the zoom increases from 10x to 15x. I personally find the TZ100 zoom more than capable for anything I want to use it for, it's such a light camera so at full zoom to really need to support the camera to prevent shake.

I just quickly googled and found this with a more detailed comparison:
https://camerajabber.com/panasonic-tz2 ... e%20lens.

There appears to be some minor minor changes to lens speed that might benefit the TZ100 in low light situations. Conversely, the TZ200 might have better macro performance for those watch pictures!

I basically bought the TZ100 because it was available used at a very good price. You have to remember that camera buffs are even greater flippers than watch nerds and there's always good used deals to be had.
Tim
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Thanks again, guys. @Downer, really good of you to set that up – thank you. It’s quite revealing. I haven’t completely ruled out other makes, but I might well be swayed by the availability of extra zoom. I wonder how the more recent and better spec’d Panasonic would perform against your Canon?
One thing that comes out in the reviews I have read is that there are a lot of swings and roundabouts – what might be excellent for one purpose is not necessarily so for another. I shall investigate further.
Steve
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by jkbarnes »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:53 pm.
My only question is now: the TZ200 or the TZ100. The latter doesn’t have quite the zoom performance, but the payoff appears to be in terms of a faster lens and better low light imagery.
I’d take a faster lens with better low light ability over a broader zoom range. Also, is the range reduced on the short end or the long? Does that make a difference to you?

Sounds like you got some brilliant assistance. It’s echos my experience when I bought my first SLR. The gentleman who helped me was clearly a photographer first, not a salesman His questions were about helping me find the right camera for me, not making a big sale.
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by downer »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Tue Aug 18, 2020 7:55 pm Thanks again, guys. @Downer, really good of you to set that up – thank you. It’s quite revealing. I haven’t completely ruled out other makes, but I might well be swayed by the availability of extra zoom. I wonder how the more recent and better spec’d Panasonic would perform against your Canon?
One thing that comes out in the reviews I have read is that there are a lot of swings and roundabouts – what might be excellent for one purpose is not necessarily so for another. I shall investigate further.
I think it would be tough to see to much difference between the picture quality of equally specified cameras from different brands - and there is a certain amount of subjectivity involved - in that some cameras will resolve warmer colours or whatever and it becomes a matter of personal preference. What did surprise me was the difference in the shutter speed and aperture choices made by my two cameras, which were essentially trying to solve the same problem. Perhaps there's a couple of (dare I say it?) algorithms involved!

In the end, I'm sure you will not be able to go wrong with either Panasonic or indeed other brands. As you say, there are usually some small swings and roundabouts, so if you can absolutely isolate your requirements, it should, in theory, be possible to nail down the best fit.
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Re: Compact Camera Recommendations, Please?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

jkbarnes wrote: Tue Aug 18, 2020 8:06 pm
Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:53 pm.
My only question is now: the TZ200 or the TZ100. The latter doesn’t have quite the zoom performance, but the payoff appears to be in terms of a faster lens and better low light imagery.
I’d take a faster lens with better low light ability over a broader zoom range. Also, is the range reduced on the short end or the long? Does that make a difference to you?
I get your point there, Andrew. Low light ability might be important, and the range is reduced on the long end. Basically, I might need the zoom when taking pictures of (for example) detailed stonework or inscriptions higher up on a building. If I can be satisfied that the advertised 10x zoom as opposed to the 15x on the TZ200 will be sufficient, I too would take the trade-off. I have a suspicion it might be.
Steve
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