Best Pocketable P&S Camera Around Rs. 12000

[savvy]

What's your budget?
Around Rs. 12000

Camera type?
Point & Shoot

Body Style?
Compact zoom, Travel megazoom (Should be pocketable. I previously owned a bridge camera and now want to keep away from the hassles of carrying it)

How much zoom do you want/expect?
Atleast 10x; the greater the better

Do you care for manual exposure controls?
Not must have, definitely will be a plus point

What will you be shooting with this camera?
Mainly family photos and occasional nature photography

Will you be shooting mostly indoors/low light and/or action/sports?
All are possible, so not going for any particular preference

Video?
Yes

Do you have any particular model(s) in your mind?
Canon sx240/ixus 255hs, Panasonic tz25, Sony wx200

Any brand preference? Like/dislike
None

From where will you be buying?
Online/Local store
Local

Any other features you need?
Features like colour swap/accent, panorama will be a plus point

Anything else you would like to tell us?
My priorities are as follows : IQ>Zoom>VQ>Manual control

Now saying above, i want to add the following :
Canon IXUS 255HS
Seems to be best suited for my need currently except less zoom, no proper panorama & manual control...
Sony WX200
Second to canon one.. How is the IQ ?
Canon SX240
I just fell in love with it(also add CHDK) when i came to know that it is refreshed by new models.. I will definitely look for it in the market. I think IQ of this is almost same with IXUS 255HS. What do you think ?? And is it a good idea to go for a discontinued model ?? This thing is haunting me.. Please answer this specific question ... And how much will be a good deal for it you think(i am talking about price) ?? Very much confused now...
Panasonic TZ25
Same problem as above.. Second to canon one...

And lastly sorry for creating same type of thread once again.. I need to come at a decision in 2-3 days but still so much confused...

 

[izzikio_rage]

Canon SX240 and even the others in its range are amazing cameras. A discontinued model won't make much of a difference as even if you buy the latest one it'll get replaced within the year. So avoid worrying about that

across the camera's that you have listed IQ will vary only marginally. If you are really worried about that then you can get some image samples on flickr or on dpreview to compare.

I'm not very sure about where you are buying from but I feel that the SX240 may be a little higher than your given budget. In that case you can always go for the SX160 or others from the SX1xx series. Almost the same advantages as the SX2xx but in a slightly bigger form factor. CHDK and a fully featured manual mode mean that you'll not miss your bridge camera when roaming around with this (I personally would hate to carry two cameras).

 

[savvy]

Thanx for your quick reply...

I'm not very sure about where you are buying from but I feel that the SX240 may be a little higher than your given budget. In that case you can always go for the SX160 or others from the SX1xx series. Almost the same advantages as the SX2xx but in a slightly bigger form factor. CHDK and a fully featured manual mode mean that you'll not miss your bridge camera when roaming around with this (I personally would hate to carry two cameras).

Yeah, i know that SX240 is a little bit out of my budget but taking into consideration the features i am getting, i can spend that extra bucks.. Personally i don't like SX1xx series models... So, what's your finel bet : IXUS 255HS or SX240 ???

 

[izzikio_rage]

personally I'd go for the SX240, much more features than a IXUS which in my opinion is more of a show off shooter, something that you can flaunt.

 

[nac]

If you can find SX240/SX260 or TZ25/TZ30 in your budget, you can get the one you like.

Else, IXUS 255 or WX200.

I would lean towards IXUS between these two...

 

[savvy]

Went to four shops today... No one have canon sx240.... So i think it's only between ixus 255hs and wx200 now... One more question : how is the image quality of sx160 as compared to ixus 255hs ??? Also i felt that buttons of 255hs are too tiny... Thinking if that would be a problem.....

 

[nac]

You can't expect large sized button from a compact camera.

IXUS 255 is better than SX160

 

[savvy]

Bought Canon IXUS 255HS today... Thank you guys for your help...

 

[nac]

Congrats... and Happy clicking...

Post your work in photography thread...

 

[izzikio_rage]

Congratulations, looking forward to your clicks

 

[dashing.sujay]

Guys, what if the budget is lowered to 10k? (strict) What are the best options available ? IQ/form factor are of prime importance. To be used by a girl.

 

[nac]

If you can find IXUS 255 under 10k (may be with discount coupons), you can get it. If not, WX150.