Digital cameras

Alan, I just bought a Nikon Coolpix s8000. I got it because of the optical zoom, which is great. But, it also has some very good night settings. I've tried them out a bit, but after I bought it I had friend who raved about the night settings. I aim to try it out at length tomorrow night. ; )

Pam

I've been very happy with the older version the Sony H5, however, the camera is over 5 years old and time and technology have marched on.

With advise of 2 friends who are very, very, very good photographers, I just purchased the Canon G11.

Bought it on Amazon with an extra battery and a DVD to teach my how to use it past the Auto setting - total $503.

It has amazing settings, and the photos I've seen taken with this camera are amazing (but a lot of that is the person taking the photo)

The G11 has setting for twilight, low light, fireworks! It even has a setting for snow...you know how grey snow shots look if not taken correctly!

I just started to use it today, trying to learn the settings that work for me. We take our trip in September, and I want to be familiar with this new camera.

So -- I have been happy with the Sony product, and I did look at the new HX1, it looked pretty good when the salesman at the Sony store in Cherry Creek Mall took photos in dark rooms, but after listening to my friends, I settled on Canon. The Canon has a bit smaller body, which I liked.

I have always been disappointed in the photos taken in churches, inside buildings with the Sony, even when using the "twilight' setting....

I have used a Sony Cybershot for the past 5 years while going to Europe (2 cameras in 5 years, one did get stolen in London, which is why one should never get drunk on a European vacation). The past 2 years have been a big disappointment with my Cybershot. On a 2 week trip, and after week 1, something within the camera violently shakes and vibrates. I call it "camera seizures" and the pictures turn out like crap. After a nights rest, the camera regroups, and I get an hour or so of pictures the next day until the seizures start. Now this is the only time my camera ever does this. Never at Epcot, or on a weekend trip to NYC, never when I am taking pictures of my orchid collection. Only in Europe after a week or so.

Coming home and reviewing my Europe pictures has been disappointing. I hate the way my church photos come out, and my evening photos. So this year, I am upgrading. I wanted a camera the fits the following description: if a point and shoot and a SLR (big lens, huge camera bag camera) had a baby, that is the camera that I would want. So with advice of a semi-professional photographer, I am looking into the Canon G11. He showed me his pictures of a ski trip, of fire works, of family outings and I was blown away at the quality of the pictures. And this camera is not big!!! Which is what we need when we only bring a carry on to Europe. Reviews of this camera are amazing and they all say it is the perfect travel camera. So in about 2 months, I will buy one for my upcoming trip to Italy. I have seen this camera go as low as $440 on Google shopping.

Ken Rockwell has a great review of the G11. Ken also has been known to hate Canons but loves this one.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/compacts/g11.htm. Here is another good review: http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-reviews/canon/powershot-g11/canon-powershot-g11-review.html

When I bought the Nikon a couple of weeks ago, I read the posts from the helpline. ; ) Then I went to me local camera store and looked at some options. Then I checked them out on this site that Lane had suggested. It was very helpful. The camera''s that this specific link goes to is travel zooms. I have a digital SLR and have a combination wide angle / 270 zoom and wanted to get as close to that as possible with an optical zoom.

http://dpreview.com/news/1006/10061603travelzoomgrouptest.asp

Pam

Don't get a Fuji. I loved Fuji cameras for years, and finally invested in a new, upgraded one just before my trip last month. It stopped working 3 days into the trip. Lens would not stay open. So, I bought a new one, a Canon this time (no Fuji cameras sold in Finland), in Helsinki. It was kind of funny, actually, since the directions were in every Scandinavian language (nothing in English), and it has a European plug. I had to buy a plug adapter for the United States so I can charge it here at home! Whatever you buy, good luck!

My wife was choosing between the Sony HS1 and the Canon S20i. The Sony looked attractive for the sweep panorama, but in that mode gives low resolution. The Canon has a neat panorama assist which you stitch together with the software and gives a nuch better result, though not automatic. The results from the Canon are good in our opinion, and the HD video, which she does not use much, is extremely good. The Sony also uses Sony memory cards, which my netbook does not read, and I think has a built in battery. My wife prefers AA batteries as you are never left with a dead battery.

I've heard good things about the latest Sonys
(Carl Seisz optics are supposed to be competitive with Canon and Nikon optics) but haven't owned one.

Like Pamela, I now have a Nikon S-8000, $279 at Costco. So far I'm really happy with it. I've tried it out in Smithsonian with great results. I haven't taken night photos yet but it comes with some good options for adjusting the exposure, ISO sensitivity, etc. and scene selection that help you get the effect and results you're looking for.

I'm also looking to replace my 5yo camera for my upcoming trip. In addition to DPReview, I've found these sites helpful:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/?tag=hdr;snav

The three sites offer editor and user reviews.

Beyond your required specs, visit a store to hold the thing and preferably a store where the pros flock to. For me, how a camera handles and feels in your hand is that part of the equation we sometimes forget about, yet necessary for complete satisfaction.

Reviews on dpreview.
Go to Flickr to look at pictures (EXIF data easily found). You'll get a pretty good idea what the cameras capable of.
Composition in the same regardless of camera price.
I have a lot of digitals and the same snap taken with my big dSLR is tons better than my prosumers which are better than my compacts (if all on auto) - but the SLR is too big to lug around on hols!!

The Panasonic Lumix TZ10 is perfect for travelling and great in low light(not sure what model it is in the US) check it out on cnet.com or dpreview.com. I love my nikon dslr but the TZ10 is what I like to carry when I don't want to lug around my nikon.