Best Digital Camera

So I am looking to upgrade my digital camera and I want something nice but it doesn’t have to be some pro DSLR.
Does anyone recommended a good point and shoot or it can be a DSLR too. I would like something somewhat easy to carry around with me and if it could shoot video too that would be nice.

Anything specific I should look out for function wise?

Thanks

I use a Cannon G9, which was recommended to me by a photographer friend. It’s chunky for a compact, but has pretty much all of the functions of an SLR and is much easier to carry! You can also get a lens pack for it which doubles your zoom, though obviously you wont get the kind of lenses that you can with an SLR. I took it round the world with me when I went travelling, and the quality of the images is superb and the battery lasts ages. I would defiantly recommend it. The G10 had just come out when I bought it, but I decided that the G9 had everything that I needed and as it was older stock I got a good deal on it. Since then the G11 has come out… this would be my upgrade of choice when the G9 gives up for sure!

I was in the same situation a few years ago and ended up buying both as there wasn’t really an alternative. however I’m now a sucker for the Sony NEX-5 so i’ve put my old cameras on ebay both my digi SLR and point and shoot and putting the cash towards one of those.

So my advice is stump up the cash for a Sony NEX for the best of both worlds plus HD video. Also from an ID stand point they feel beautiful in the hand and the material finish and attention to detail is unbelievable.

Chris

Wait a few months. All major camera companies announce their year’s worth of cameras around September.

I’ve got money planned for the Panasonic GF1’s successor (probably GF2, but no new yet), and the Sony NEX-5 is ok, but Sony makes junk hardware.

IF you really want a P&S, get a Canon S90, but again, you should wait for announcements in September and October for holiday sales.

A Nikon D90 will handle everything you need if you’re just looking for a powerful but lightweight option.

@tarngerine So I should hold off on buying a Canon 5D Mark II? It’s kind of a toss-up between getting the employee discount ($250 and I got 2 days to use it) or waiting for possible future discounts.

For 5D i think your’e safe buying now. Check out this buy guide:
http://www.canonrumors.com/cameras/canon-rumors-price-watch/

But they are going to announce stuff in Sept:
http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/08/canon_set_to_announce_new_cameras_for_photokina_event.html

And the MKII was originally announced in Sept 2008.

Probably not really helpful from my end. This was just from a quick Google.

After about a day of research into this, my recommendations for designers anno 2017 are:

  1. Canon SX620 HS - best value for money option at $200; it’s compact, 25x optical zoom, good optical quality for a 1/2.3" sensor and f/3.2 max. aperture. The only difference with the larger SX710/20/30 is the zoom level and lack of manual exposure control but that can be done in post-edit.

  2. Sony RX100 series - best optical quality for money option at $350 with a Zeiss lens, CMOS 13.2x88 mm sensor providing f/1.8 max aperture and 25,600 max ISO. The tradeoff for its vivid colors and sharpness is the 3.6 optical zoom.

  3. Sony Powershot G16 - another one in the contenders for DSLR alternatives with a f/1.8 aperture and 5x zoom.

  4. Nikon Coolpix A900, $300 with a 35x zoom lens (you can shoot pictures of Saturn) and good quality background fading/bokeh. These have a great focus stacking mode for professional results.

Some niche cameras are:

  • Waterproof: Olympus TG-4 with f/2.0 aperture shoots great photos at good lighting levels and with nice bokeh; on low light or high zoom (max 4x) it brings in the noise as known from Olympus lenses.
  • Android OS: Samsung Galaxy 3 camera. Not remarkable but it does have a f/2.8 max aperture (the sweet spot for faded backgrounds) and 21x zoom. It operates on Android so you can install apps and edit photos on-the-fly.

I understand that this thread is fairly old. But it got me thinking about my favorite cameras. I personally like the basic Canon EOS-1000d. I’ve been using it for the last 9 years. Anybody remember this, or use it, too?