David Emery OnlineCurrent Compact Cameras
16 November 2006
I’m in the market for a new digital camera at the moment, so I thought I’d share my recommendations with you lot so you don’t need to do the silly amount of research I’ve done. Of course, the pre-purchase experience is all part of the fun…
My current camera is a Minolta Dimage 7i and it’s served me well over the past couple of years. In fact, it still takes great pictures – especially outside in good light – but it sufers from being a bit too large, meaning that to take it anywhere requires planning and being able to put up with an extra bag.
It’s also not too hot in low light, which brings me straight on to my requirements for a new camera; it’s got to take good pictures in low light. As my regular readers will attest to, I go to quite a few gigs so taking pictures in stage-lit environment is quite a high priority. I can also probably blag some photo passes from work too, so hopefully soon the accompanying photos that go with my gig reviews may get a bit better.
Anyway, after low light performance comes portability; it really needs to be small enough to fit in at least a jacket pocket. I’m not after an ultra compact, but the smaller the better. Almost in exact contrast is a want for a decent amount of zoom – a bit more then the standard 3x. Obviously the bigger the zoom, the bigger the lens and the bigger the camera.
Manual controls are also a must – at least shutter and aperture controls, and ideally manual zoom too. A viewfinder would be good too, altough I think I could live without one. All this needs to be for less then £300 – the cheaper the better.
So, what are the candidates? First up is the Fujifilm FinePix F30 which can be had for £177 from Amazon.
It’s headline feature is stunning low light performance – it has completely useable ISO 800 setting which is a rarity in anything that’s not a Digital SLR. Obviously the price is right too, but it lacks a decent zoom, no manual focus and no viewfinder. Close then, but could maybe be better – it does take amazing pictures though, and it is nice and small.
Next up is the Canon PowerShot A710 which is £194 on Amazon. For your extra cash you get quite a bit more then the Fuji, including actual camera – it’s quite a bit bigger the then F30. The lens is the high point, as it’s a 6x zoom (which is plenty) and it’s image stabilised, which means you can happily use the camera hand-held and slower shutter speeds (which is good for low-light shooting).
It also has a viewfinder – although I’ve read that it’s a bit blurry – but otherwise it ticks all the boxes with full manual controls and a low price tag. It does, however, look a bit plasticy and “cheap”, and its size does nothing to help in that respect.
Last but not least is the Canon Powershot G7 which is a whopping £311.50 on Amazon (as a quick side note, these prices are all off Amazon.co.uk as they seem to be the cheapest). So, what do you get for your money? On the face of it, quite similar specifications to the A710 – 6x zoom, image stabilisation, full manual controls, viewfinder, slightly large but-not-too-large body – but the details really set it apart.
For a start, it looks great and its all-metal construction lends itself to a “pro” feel that differentiates it nicely. Next, it has a slightly bigger image sensor – which leads to higher quality pictures – and also a higher pixel count (10mp vs 7.1mp). You might note that I’ve not mentioned pixel count until now, and that’s because it really doesn’t matter too much; 5mp is enough, anything more is just a bonus. Also, the viewfinder on the G7 is apparently useable, as opposed to the A710, and the flash hot shoe is potentially useful, as is the slightly better movie mode.
All in all, you get what you pay for – the G7 is most definitely the better camera, but only if your budget stretches that high. If it doesn’t, the A710 is a good second choice and the F30 is a fine point and shoot if you’re on a tight budget. Hopefully this little guide will help some of you out in the forthcoming holiday season.