[manson]

Done a lot of reading on digital cameras last few days and also visited a couple of galleries. Initially I was pretty satisfied with standard compact cam like the Canon A4000, but right now I'm extremely tempted to get the Sony HX 10V, its got just about everything I would need with photography for a really long time. The Canons with a 16 - 20X zoom and a CMOS sensor are all above the 20K range and I'm just holding it out for a visit to the Panasonic galley coming weekend.
Any suggestions from you experts to confuse me further?

[download2live]

Originally Posted by manson

Done a lot of reading on digital cameras last few days and also visited a couple of galleries. Initially I was pretty satisfied with standard compact cam like the Canon A4000, but right now I'm extremely tempted to get the Sony HX 10V, its got just about everything I would need with photography for a really long time. The Canons with a 16 - 20X zoom and a CMOS sensor are all above the 20K range and I'm just holding it out for a visit to the Panasonic galley coming weekend.
Any suggestions from you experts to confuse me further?

Wait for FZ200 from Panasonic.
Instead of providing fuzzy 40x zooms Panasonic took the other way. Constant aperture through out the whole length of zoom.
Best became just better.

[manson]

Originally Posted by download2live

Wait for FZ200 from Panasonic.
Instead of providing fuzzy 40x zooms Panasonic took the other way. Constant aperture through out the whole length of zoom.
Best became just better.

How large and expensive would you expect the FZ200 to be? The current FZ series looks rather large to fit into my pocket. At this point I'm mostly stuck between the following cameras and can't really stick my finger to any:

Sony HX 10V (Stretching my intended spend)
Sony DSC 690 (CCD sensor)
Panasonic TZ25
Panasonic SZ 7

The Canon SX 240 looks superb on paper but is totally overshooting the intended budget.

[download2live]

Originally Posted by manson

How large and expensive would you expect the FZ200 to be? The current FZ series looks rather large to fit into my pocket. At this point I'm mostly stuck between the following cameras and can't really stick my finger to any:

Sony HX 10V (Stretching my intended spend)
Sony DSC 690 (CCD sensor)
Panasonic TZ25
Panasonic SZ 7

The Canon SX 240 looks superb on paper but is totally overshooting the intended budget.

None of the FZ series are pocketable. Price wise current line up in India is going at around 20 to 23k. Check flipkart.

As far as pocketable superzooms are concerned, Panasonic has been a best seller in US. Sony is very good too.

Go to a store, handle both and then decide.

[manson]

Made a mistake in my last post, the other camera other Sony camera I am considering is the H90, its got a CCD sensor compared to the CMOS on the HX 10V. The Sony W - 150 also seems like a good package but is only 10X zoom.
I find the HX 10V & the H90 a little away from being pocket friendly and weigh almost twice as much as the W - 150 & the TZ25.
The TZ25 is the most balanced package despite being low on MPG ratings but Panasonic's presence seems iffy with after sales service considering there's barely any tangible stock of theirs at any multi brand elctronic store that I've visited.

[manson]

I bought my last camera way back in 2012 when purchasing parameters for most people first time buyers were simple, maximum megapixel you can afford. Seven years later it is so confusing because the cameras across all reputed makes with identical MPG rating are spread out from 6K to 25K!
The initial plan was to buy a compact cam in the 10K range, and try and get something from Canon.

A couple of days into the search and along came the lenses, wide angle, and the mother of all toys, ZOOM! Two weeks into camera buying mode, and reading some 20 - 25 reviews and a lot of fickle decisions upto the last minute, I over shot my intended sped and bought myself a Sony HX 10V last evening.

I have mostly clicked pictures on my BlackBerry Bold for the last 2 years odd and for now the Sony is clearly overwhelming, and in simple words, confusing!
I can't really stick my finger out to any certain feature I bought it for besides the fact that it seems like everything I will need from a camera for a really really long time.
Big shout out to Rehaan for helping out and taking all my phone calls / messages

[JMaruru]

I am looking for larger than 1/2.3" CMOS image sensor in handheld/P&S cameras? Any recommendations? Preferably, between Sony and Canon.

[navin]

Originally Posted by manson

I bought my last camera way back in 2012 when purchasing parameters for most people first time buyers were simple, maximum megapixel you can afford. ..I over shot my intended sped and bought myself a Sony HX 10V last evening.

What were the other models you considered?

[MindSpeeDs]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

I am looking for larger than 1/2.3" CMOS image sensor in handheld/P&S cameras? Any recommendations? Preferably, between Sony and Canon.

Sony RX100
Canon S100
Canon G1X (is a bit large)

You did not specify your budget. Do you have one or you are absolutely open?

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

I am looking for larger than 1/2.3" CMOS image sensor in handheld/P&S cameras? Any recommendations? Preferably, between Sony and Canon.

All the current flagship models from Sony (HX200V), Nikon(P510) and Canon(SX40 HS) have the same 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor on them. The latest of all, the Panasonic Lumix FZ200 has a sensor of size 1/2.33"(6.08x4.56).

At the same price point of these top-shot digi-cams, you can get the Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras with a much larger sensor (23.4 x 15.6 mm Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor). NEX-3 is at 19,900/- as per Sony India site, including the 18-55 lens.

EDIT: Canon Powershot G1X indeed has the largest sensor in the compact digital camera market. Sensor size is 18.7mm x 14mm, almost 3 times larger that most other cams.

[manson]

Originally Posted by navin

What were the other models you considered?

Canon A2400 IS
Canon A4000 IS
Sony H90
Panasonic SZ7
Panasonic Lumix TZ25

[navin]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

At the same price point of these top-shot digi-cams, you can get the Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras with a much larger sensor (23.4 x 15.6 mm Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor). NEX-3 is at 19,900/- as per Sony India site, including the 18-55 lens.

EDIT: Canon Powershot G1X indeed has the largest sensor in the compact digital camera market. Sensor size is 18.7mm x 14mm, almost 3 times larger that most other cams.

Mirrorless cams like the NEX / PEN / GFx offer larger sensors at the cost of reduced zoom range (compared to the super zooms like the SX40).

Originally Posted by manson

Canon A2400 IS
Canon A4000 IS
Sony H90
Panasonic SZ7
Panasonic Lumix TZ25

That explains the wide range!

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by MindSpeeDs

Sony RX100
Canon S100
Canon G1X (is a bit large)

You did not specify your budget. Do you have one or you are absolutely open?

Thanks. I have a budget of around $400.

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

At the same price point of these top-shot digi-cams, you can get the Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5 cameras with a much larger sensor (23.4 x 15.6 mm Exmor APS HD CMOS Sensor). NEX-3 is at 19,900/- as per Sony India site, including the 18-55 lens.

Thanks. But with attachable lens, does NEX series qualify as P&S camera? Sony NEX5 retails for around $600 and RX100 is also around that price. I saw a silver canon S100 for around $300 in ebay.

Any other recommendations?

[MindSpeeDs]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Thanks. I have a budget of around $400.



Thanks. But with attachable lens, does NEX series qualify as P&S camera? Sony NEX5 retails for around $600 and RX100 is also around that price. I saw a silver canon S100 for around $300 in ebay.

Any other recommendations?

consider the Olympus xz1 or the Panasonic lx7. Lx5 is not bad either.
if you think you can stretch by quite a bit it is rx100 all the way. Closer to $650 though.

[manson]

Originally Posted by navin

That explains the wide range!

Yeah, initially thought the either of the Canons would be it, that was until I dropped by the Sony store where I checked out the HX10 and the H90 with their crazy zoom length!
The HX10 is a size larger and clearly a segment higher than I would have liked my camera to be, but I'm trying to convince myself that I would be able to put it to some good use over the years.