Hi all

I am in the market for a little compact camera, I already have a Sony Nex5 thing, which takes excellent pictures and we are very happy with, but we find for days out here and there, its just a simdge too bulky. So am looking for one I can drop in my pocket, forget about it and pull out when needed and get good photos from it.

Budget upto £150, but less is always nice as really I just want a camera. I am not really fussed on make, etc, just small but still good, not fussed on gadgets and gimmicks either!

Kind of like one of these:

Canon Ixus 500

Canon Ixus 510

Samsung NT200F

Anyone got a recommendation

Thanks in advance, as ever, y'all

Also, saying all that, the one thing I would like is a quick response. I hate cameras, where you push the button, go off and make a coffee, then come back and it takes the picture. Whats wrong with pushing the button and getting an instant repsonse and a picture!

Thanks

I like the Canon IXUS compacts.

Bought the wife one to take our honeymoon takes nice photos and Canon even do underwater housing for some of the range if that floats (or otherwise) boat.

What's wrong with your phone? That's what I use for such snaps.

I don't have a phone as such, just a blackberry, and although it has a 5mp camera, you can only take 2 pictures before it runs out of battery power. It is also my work phone / blackberry, so if on a family outing I tend to leave it at home or in the car, as otherwise I respond to calls and emails and then get in trouble by the missus!!

I don't think that you can really go wrong with the Canons. Might be worth trying out the click speed in the shop though

Upgrade your phone then. You will then always have a decent camera with you

A camera phone for snaps.
A camera for photos!!!

Agreed. Camera phones have improve no end but its no contest with a decent compact.

Canon all the way.

Sony HX20V, a number on ebay for £145



IXUS 500 review

Ixus 510 review

NT200F Review

Or check out the Fujuifilm range at discount prices here
Fuji
BUT there’s more, enter the codes below for even more of a discount (These don’t always work, depending on stock levels)
P832A4V3T8MES
P258BTCC467
Enter code above at the checkout

These are refurbished cameras, in the last few years I have bought an X10, X100 and X20 from the Refurb store, each has been excellent.

You can pickup the Fujifilm F800EXR for £139.99, the EXR sensors, need a little care in setting them up but get it right and you will have amazing Dynamic Range or low light performance (using Pixel binning) EXR settings here.

The best camera is the one you have with you. I would argue that if Jim does not take his bulkier camera then he will also forget the compact. However a phone with a decent camera (Nokia Lumia 1020 with 41Mpx for example) is nearly always with you, geo tags your pics and can store you photos online instantly too.

I would never argue that a phone camera will beat any of the compacts but I too have a small compact which I hardly ever use and the last time I went to do so the battery was flat arrrgh.

But *every* time my colleagues want to use their mobile phones their batteries seem to be flat...

It doesn't belong to me, I am not sure how happy work would be if I said "I traded your phone in for something else!!"

But, am I the only one who likes a camera and not a phone, I have a blackberry for talking on and e-mails (and I have this reluctantly, if I am being honest, but I can't get away from it). If I could I would be happy with a phone that was just a phone, I have very little need for apps, videos, instant picture messaging, I just want to talk to people!

Thanks the links Charlie, some food for thought there..

Although, the wife has seen this one Samsung which gets a pretty good write up!

No your not the only one. I do use my iphone for snaps (mostly work) but anything like a proper photo is taken with the wifes IXUS (she takes it everywhere) or my DSLR.

I know this is outside your budget/off topic slightly perhaps and as yet only speculation. I already have 2 DSLRs, 2 SLRs, a Canon XL1 and a compact mini-Dv, none of these compare to this speculated new model.

edit Link deleted as it lead directly to a Trojan.

Thanks for that link KBT, my antivirus software detected and killed a Trojan.

Link has now been deleted.

I am very sorry. I didn`t comprehend the risk.
I won`t post any more links.
I confess I have no anti-virus software, I believed my operating system to be immune. I just did a scan of nearly 1 million items and no threats were found. Either AVG doesn`t work or xp64 is immune.
Again, apologies.

Trust me, XP64 is *not* immune.

I am goigng to go against the grain here and suggest a Panasonic.

The reason is this... Many years ago I had a Canon Ixus 90IS, it was a superb camera with excellent image quality. When I decided to upgrade to a newer model I went for an Ixus 220HS

In low light the image quality was very good, nearly up there with my DSLR, but in good light the image quality wasn't much better than my camera phone. Thinking that there was a problem with the camera I sent it back and the replacement was the same.

I am currently running a Panasonic TZ8, which although an earlier generation of camera with a CCD sensor, it takes far superior pictures to the Canon.

I think something like a TZ30 would be ideal, or if that is too large have a look at the FZ range.

Interesting, I have a Panasonic TZ8 and it takes excellent photos, but picked up a lens scratch, so mulling over replacement at Gatwich Dixons I settled on a small Cannon as likely the way to go. Same performance 10mpx and 10x optical zoom, from an even smaller and lighter camera.

It was this one:

IXUS 225

If you have a Sony Nex, just buy a pancake lens for it. That way you nex will become no more bulky than a compact camera but take much better photos than a <£150 compact.

The Sony SEL16F28 pancake lens can be had for £100 new from eBay if you buy from overseas or less if you buy used.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271270318554

I should learn shouldn't I, when my wife said she likes the above one it was fait accompli... I now own the above one, and it does the job, its blinking tiny, weights as much as a grain of sand and takes good pictures.

job done, case closed, sold

Thanks for all the "ignored" help