Long zoom compact - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

01/03/2011 04:42:22 PM · #1

OK folks, that's the Christmas festivities over for another year, and thoughts turn to what's available to fill the gap in my camera range.

My main camera is a Sony Alpha 350 with 10-20, 18-70 and 55-210 lenses. I also have a Canon Powershot A1100. However, on cold, snowy days like today I just want to go out and travel light however the Powershot only has a 4x zoom (excluding the digital zoom).

Required spec:
Zoom 10x
Control over shutter and aperture
Manual mode
RAW format (desirable)
Willing to spend up to £350

So, does anyone have any recommendations regarding mid-range, long zoom compacts? I've looked at the G10 and G12 but they don;t have a long zoom.

In anticipation...

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

01/03/2011 04:44:54 PM · #2

Not so compact, but has a long zoom, Fuji HS10 (30x optical). Not sure what the UK price is. It's just under $500 Canadian.

You can shoot RAW in any mode.

Message edited by author 2011-01-03 20:21:34.

SteveJ

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

01/03/2011 04:45:14 PM · #3

motherlee has just ordered a Panasonic FZ45 from Amazon, £267 with free delivery. Reviews seem pretty good, so might be worth a look. Hopefully she will get it soon and we can post some shots:)

Hope that helps a bit.

Adz

Nikon D80

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

01/03/2011 04:58:52 PM · #4

I love my camera Fujifilm finepix s1800, it has 18x zoom and you can control shutter speed from 8 secs to 1/2000th, but you can only control aperture at two options depending on focal length. No raw format either.

Not bad for about £150, though.

Message edited by author 2011-01-03 17:02:14.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

01/03/2011 05:16:45 PM · #5

Good luck. I'd love to find an upgrade to my perfectly proportioned Pana FZ5: very very light, 12X zoom, with enough of a handle to operate very comfortably one handed, including all adjustments. Lacking only manual focus, which is rarely well implemented at this level anyway. Quality is somewhat better on later FZ's, but erratically; most of this baby's virtues have been thrown out with the bath water.

GeneralE

Canon PowerShot S3 IS

01/03/2011 05:22:40 PM · #6

Canon has one too, but I forget the model name. All of the cameras in this class suffer (compared to a dSLR) from shutter-lag, small sensor/poor high-ISO performance, and lack of RAW, although there exists a hack for some Canon models which allows them to capture in RAW.

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

01/03/2011 06:59:43 PM · #7

Thanks for the replies guys. I must admit that the FZ45 had come onto the radar but I was looking for something a little more compact than this hybrid. However, I appreciate that it's unlikely that I'll get something very compact when I want such a large zoom range.

Thanks for the other suggestions as well. I'll take a further look at them as well.

Perhaps I need to review what my priorities really are.

spiritualspatula

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

01/04/2011 02:58:12 AM · #8

If you really want compact with 10x zoom, you should check out the Panasonic ZS7/TZ10. Has everything except RAW.
Panasonic ZS7/TZ10
Since you wanted something really portable, I think it's a great option.
ETA: Link to Amazon

Message edited by author 2011-01-04 02:58:38.

Fujifilm XF 18-55mm f/2.8-4 OIS

01/04/2011 03:26:12 AM · #9

Yes, spirituspat, I forgot that one. Wobble should really check out this comparison at dpreview:

//www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q210grouptravelzoom/

Interestingly, Casio and Samsung beat out the panny overall. Samsung also has announced an upgrade to that featured model, due in April, which sounds interesting.

docpjv

Fujifilm X-E1

01/04/2011 01:22:06 PM · #10

//www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_sx30is.asp

A trusted name... ;-)

01/04/2011 01:33:41 PM · #11

a camera by any other name...

Message edited by author 2011-01-04 13:34:31.

Sony DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical ED Zoom Lens for Sony Alpha

01/05/2011 02:09:05 AM · #12

Hey Wobble, fuji just announced a whole bunch of new cameras, included a very compact 10 times zoom. Check out dpreview.

hojop25

Sony DSLR-A200

01/05/2011 03:40:46 AM · #13

olympus sp-800 uz, got like 30x

01/05/2011 05:25:38 PM · #14

Guys - Thanks for the recent postings. I've looked at some of the suggestions and there are definitely some options there. The Samsung WB700 is also in the running, although it's normally considered a mobilephone camera!

Cheers

01/06/2011 05:28:05 PM · #15

The Casio EX FH100 is getting good reviews and although it doesn't have RAW (apparently it does at 100 and 200 ISO) it does come in at a good price on Amazon for a 10x.

I cannot see it on the equipment list here - does anybody have any experience of it?

Cheers

Message edited by author 2011-01-06 17:37:33.