Steve'sDigicams

cameranserai · Oct 31, 2005, 2:37 PM

I mostly shoot DSLR using a Nikon D2X and a host of lenses. However I need a small portable camera which must include the following:-

Minimum 5mp.

Preferably CF card but not specifically.

Wide angle a must - the wider the possible.

3 or 4 X zoom - no more.

Compact - shirt pocket size if possible.

Built in flash - the more powerful the better.

Lithium ion battery

This is a camera I'll carry all the time, in the car, everywhere, just for those impromptu moments when either using a full DSLR kit is unnecessary or impractical. I am sure you can help.

cameranserai · Nov 7, 2005, 10:10 AM

Guess I'll just have to research all the market myself. 56 viewings and not one reply. Not a good result it seems. I thought at least someone would be up to date on the market place.

Monza76 · Nov 7, 2005, 10:23 AM

I was with you up to the CF and shirtpocket size, these two are almost mutually exclusive right now since most smaller cameras use SD. An Olympus 7070 or a Nikon 8400 would be perfect, if you have really big pockets ;-)

If you can accept an SD camera (maybe just a single 1gig card will do) the choices are great, although wide angles are rather scarce.

Ira

hgernhardtjr · Nov 7, 2005, 10:38 AM

I agree with Ira, but a "more powerful" flash will be a problem on any shirt-pocketable...do look at the various Sony cameras, which I personally like and use extensively. I like theT5 and 7 family (T9 when available probably also) for shirt-pocketables.

BillDrew · Nov 7, 2005, 11:15 AM

If budget is an issue, I suggest looking the the office supply advertisements - they often have cameras of that kind at a good price - under $200 with memory.

As Ira &hgernhardtjr noted, a good flash in a shirt pocket camera simply won't exist.

If wide angle is a key issue, you might findthe Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 interesting. Couldn't find a review at Steve's, but there is one at DPreview: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasoniclx1/ Might be a bit hard to find even at about &600, B&H is out of stock.

cameranserai · Nov 7, 2005, 11:40 AM

Well thanks for that Bill. The Lumix seems just what I need at the moment. I like the 28/112mm lens - just wideenough and sufficient pixels to crop if necessary. I particularly like the manual, aperture and shutter priority modes for creativity. It just remains to buy a larger SD card - perhaps 512mb will suffice since this isn't like the DSLR where I need to carry 8gb when shooting in RAW. It is for odd moments only.

This cropped up because my old Olympus 5060 was stolen and time has marched on. The size of this camera is particularly appealing since the Olympus was almost a small SLR size. Once again thank you.

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Oct 31, 2005, 2:37 PM	#1
cameranserai Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 548	I mostly shoot DSLR using a Nikon D2X and a host of lenses. However I need a small portable camera which must include the following:- Minimum 5mp. Preferably CF card but not specifically. Wide angle a must - the wider the possible. 3 or 4 X zoom - no more. Compact - shirt pocket size if possible. Built in flash - the more powerful the better. Lithium ion battery This is a camera I'll carry all the time, in the car, everywhere, just for those impromptu moments when either using a full DSLR kit is unnecessary or impractical. I am sure you can help.

Nov 7, 2005, 10:10 AM	#2
cameranserai Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 548	Guess I'll just have to research all the market myself. 56 viewings and not one reply. Not a good result it seems. I thought at least someone would be up to date on the market place.

Nov 7, 2005, 10:23 AM	#3
Monza76 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4,149	I was with you up to the CF and shirtpocket size, these two are almost mutually exclusive right now since most smaller cameras use SD. An Olympus 7070 or a Nikon 8400 would be perfect, if you have really big pockets ;-) If you can accept an SD camera (maybe just a single 1gig card will do) the choices are great, although wide angles are rather scarce. Ira

Nov 7, 2005, 10:38 AM	#4
hgernhardtjr Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 516	I agree with Ira, but a "more powerful" flash will be a problem on any shirt-pocketable...do look at the various Sony cameras, which I personally like and use extensively. I like theT5 and 7 family (T9 when available probably also) for shirt-pocketables.

Nov 7, 2005, 11:15 AM	#5
BillDrew Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Hay River Township, WI Posts: 2,512	If budget is an issue, I suggest looking the the office supply advertisements - they often have cameras of that kind at a good price - under $200 with memory. As Ira &hgernhardtjr noted, a good flash in a shirt pocket camera simply won't exist. If wide angle is a key issue, you might findthe Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1 interesting. Couldn't find a review at Steve's, but there is one at DPreview: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasoniclx1/ Might be a bit hard to find even at about &600, B&H is out of stock.

Nov 7, 2005, 11:40 AM	#6
cameranserai Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 548	Well thanks for that Bill. The Lumix seems just what I need at the moment. I like the 28/112mm lens - just wideenough and sufficient pixels to crop if necessary. I particularly like the manual, aperture and shutter priority modes for creativity. It just remains to buy a larger SD card - perhaps 512mb will suffice since this isn't like the DSLR where I need to carry 8gb when shooting in RAW. It is for odd moments only. This cropped up because my old Olympus 5060 was stolen and time has marched on. The size of this camera is particularly appealing since the Olympus was almost a small SLR size. Once again thank you.