Suggestions for Camera in Range of 300 USD from USA

[raksrules]

Suggestions for Camera in Range of 300 USD from USA


I will be buying a new camera by this year end. I am no camera pro and have little to no details about how to choose a camera. I do not want a DSLR since my camera skills are not really good.
My main requirements (from little details i know) are...

1. Decent Mpx (i know high Mpx does not mean good camera). Current cam has max 8 Mpx but i use 5 Mpx. So this can be ignored
2. Better zoom (current camera has 5X optical zoom), new one has to have far more. This is important
3. Good pics in low light / night conditions. Like illuminated buildings, streets, have a vegas trip coming up
4. Image stabilization will be good (for shaky hands).
5. Good pics with the auto settings of the camera
6. Settings which i can understand to take better pics (rather than using the standard Intelligent auto which i always use)
7. Full HD Video is NOT NECESSARY, i am ok with 720p too.
8. Fancy features are not really needed but if they are part and parcel of the package, i am ok with it.

Any other features that you may suggest i should consider which i dont know.

My current camera is the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8.

I am in USA and will be buying from here so suggest accordingly. Also direct some good places to buy. Gathering info now so i don't get confused when a deal comes.
I am with a compact camera and also a bridge camera. Anything will do.
Budget as of now is 300 USD but can be stretched by 100 USD if the camera is worth it. I won't be changing the camera for few more years so need suggestions accordingly.

 

[sujoyp]

Canon sx230HS Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot SX230HS 12 MP Digital Camera with HS SYSTEM and DIGIC 4 Image Processor (Black): Camera & Photo

Nikon P300 *www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-P300-Wide-Angle-Black/dp/B004M8SVGG/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1320984563&sr=1-1


if u can go beyond 300$ then look for

Canon SX40 for Amazon.com: Canon SX40 HS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 35x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-inch Vari-Angle Wide LCD: Electronics

Check for the price of panasonic FZ150...superb cam but cost 419$ in amazon...I would recommend this one *www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-FZ150K-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B005HQ50SO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1320985603&sr=1-1

since u want a longer zoom cam I would not recommend canon S95..but its a superb cam with great low light pic quality..its made for photography enthusiasts

 

[winzip]

The megapixel and optical zoom in Point & Shoot cameras are simple marketing gimmicks. On zooming, the sharpness of the photo decreases drastically. Even it becomes very difficult to focus the object for a P&S camera. In DSLRs zooming is lot more easy and suffers very little drop in sharpness (depending upon the lens obviously). Hence, I would suggest to go for a P&S with good image sensor which actually controls the depth and sharpness of the picture.

I would suggest Canon Powershot S95. But do read some reviews before buying because I myself haven't tested it.

 

[sujoyp]

@winzip...I would like you to read panasonic FZ150 review...what I read its a great zoom cam ...its qulity of pic do not detoriate much in full zoom...but still its recommended to get a cheap tripod along with that

Panasonic FZ150 review | Cameralabs

 

[winzip]

@Sujoyp
You are correct. This seems better. I remember I was surprised to see the photos shot from this camera in flicker in recent past. It is highly recommended.

Forget about tripod. I've seen very little instance of carrying tripod other than photography enthusiasts. Although it is always recommended for landscape photography.

 

[nac]

Between Canon SX230 HS and Nikon P300, Canon scores better.
* As his asking x is better than 5x, optical zoom of 4x would rule out Nikon.

Between Canon SX40 and Panasonic FZ150, again Canon scores better.
* Better F.no, focal length, zoom, shutter speed while with smaller LCD and lesser resolution and slower response. But this wouldn't be matter as it has EVF.

Canon it is, whether your budget is $300 or $400.

 

[sujoyp]

oooh I didnt noticed that P300 have only 4x zoom...it was a good cam in that budget

Extracts from cameralabs.com comparing FZ150 and SX40HS

he other major rival for the SX40 HS is Panasonic's premium super-zoom, the Lumix FZ150, and once again both models share quite a lot in common. Both employ 12 Megapixel CMOS sensors with 1080p video capabilities and fast continuous shooting, along with articulated screens and flash hotshoes. Once again though it's important to look more closely.

In terms of video, both cameras can shoot 1080p, although Panasonic has opted for 50p or 60p depending on region, while Canon has gone for 24p. Film makers always appreciate native 24p options, but the FZ150 has the advantage of shooting at faster frame rates, allowing slow motion playback in 24 or 25p projects. Sticking with slow motion, both cameras offer proper slow motion video modes at lower resolutions with 220 / 240fps at QVGA, but the Canon also adds a higher resolution VGA option, albeit at 120fps. That and the Movie Digest are nice extras for the SX40 HS, but overall the FZ150 is a more sophisticated camera for video. It boasts a microphone input for much improved sound quality (albeit lacking the manual levels option of the Canon), its miniature mode can be applied to 1080p video (the Canon can't go above 720p with this effect), it can keep recording long clips until you run out of memory (apart from European models which stop at 29:59), and in use, the continuous autofocus felt much more confident and responsive.

Both cameras feature fully articulated screens, but the FZ150 wins the panel specification with 3in / 460k vs 2.7in / 230k; Canon's really falling behind in this respect. Both cameras also feature quick continuous shooting, and while the top specs of 12fps for 12 frames on the FZ150 and eight frames at 10.3fps on the SX40 HS means both cameras will only be shooting for about one second, the FZ150 offers many additional speeds, including a useful 5.5fps mode with AF and much faster speeds at reduced resolutions.

The biggest advantage of the Canon SX40 HS over the FZ150 is its enormous 35x optical zoom range, which may be the same as the SX30 IS before it, but remains very impressive. It delivers an equivalent range of 24-840mm, essentially matching the FZ150 at the wide-end, but significantly out-reaching it in the telephoto stakes by over a third. This alone will swing the decision for those who want to get really close to distant action.

But in its favour, the FZ150 boasts RAW recording which really can retrieve blown highlights, manual control over movie exposures, longer clips, a microphone input which doubles-up as a remote control / intervalometer socket, a broader and more useful selection of continuous shooting options, and a bigger, more detailed screen. The FZ150 also felt more responsive in use, particularly in terms of autofocus.

In terms of image quality, there's essentially nothing between their in-camera JPEGs, although again the FZ150 has the edge with support for RAW if you're happy to process these later. So if you're only shooting JPEGs and simply want the longest zoom range, then the SX40 HS should be your choice, but if you're happy to trade the epic zoom for one that's merely very impressive, the FZ150 offers much more for enthusiasts. It may 'only' have a 24x optical zoom, but it out-features and out-performs the competition in many respects.

 

[nac]

oooh I didnt noticed that P300 have only 4x zoom...it was a good cam in that budget

Extracts from cameralabs.com comparing FZ150 and SX40HS

Yeah Sujoy, I have read many reviews in favour of FZ150. I see no problem in LCD resolution and size as SX40 have EVF.

And definitely FZ150 scores in AF and RAW.

Canon's IQ is good (Source: Flickr; Courtesy: Cameralabs).

Everything will have its own merits and demerits. And these two have their share.

It's tight, may be it's better to follow the mass psychology and pick FZ150.

 

[raksrules]

Thanks for so many replies. I am more of an AUTO MODE person and to be frank have absolutely no knowledge about how to use the various manual features. But i am ready to learn and explore.
The camera that i have currently does have manual functions like Manual exposure, aperture priority and shutter priority but i have never used them.
So however cheesy it may sound but i want something like all in one (which i know is not possible).
If SX40 and FZ150 and drilled down to, then which of them should be preferred ?
Also how is the sony HX9V ?

Also how are other panasonic cameras like FZ40 and FZ47 ??

Also i would any day go for a compact camera as against bridge if the compact one is capable enough and buying a bridge won't really be any value add.
But that does not mean i do not like Bridge cameras.

 

[sujoyp]

@nac as reviews say there is not much difference in pic quality of both and even FZ150 have EVF soo it comes down to -
better features on FZ150+24x zoom and lesser features of sx40 with 35x zoom

@raksrules I would blindly prefer FZ150 with all reasons already discussed
sony HX9v is good but then we have canon sx230HS which is better in that range
FZ40 and FZ47 r also great but having less features then FZ150 *www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=panasonic_dmcfz47&products=panasonic_dmcfz150&sortDir=ascending

conclusion -> SX230HS , FZ150 > SX40

 

[raksrules]

What more features does the FZ150 have over FZ47 ??
Could not find much from the link you gave.
If the features don't really matter to me then i would like a cheaper camera rather than spending more for features i may never use.

FZ47 is available for under 300 USD on amazon while the FZ150 is over 400 USD and hence i get more inclined towards 47 because if i go through basic feature set, they appear same (except that 47 has CCD while 150 has CMOS sensor, but i have no clue about its difference).

Let me mention that i have no intention of taking prints pr blowing up the pics and even if i take prints then it will be usual 5x7 types.

 

[sujoyp]

Here r the benefits of FZ150 over FZ47

So ultimately the FZ150 takes the FZ47 / FZ48 and adds 1080p video, an articulated screen, flash hotshoe, RAW recording, faster continuous shooting, mic / remote input, higher 3200 ISO sensitivity at the full resolution, and a new side-mounted zoom lever in addition to the main one at the top. All are desirable features for enthusiasts, but if you don't need them, the FZ47 / FZ48 gives you the same zoom in the same body with a very respectable 1080i video mode at a lower price

Source:cameralabs.com

If you dont need he new features u can definitely go for FZ47...

 

[raksrules]

Yeah all the features you mentioned are absolutely not needed so F47 at cheaper rate is better for my needs.

 

[sujoyp]

Then go for FZ47