Compact Camera Advice

ChrissyT88

ChrissyT88

ChrissyT88

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Joined
9 Mar 2008
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1,039
Hi all, I'm looking to get a decent compact camera ahead of a trip in a few weeks time. I'm not really into photography (I've generally relied on the phone for photo duties), but thought it would be good to get something better suited to the task. I don;t want to have to lug a big camera / lenses around, so I think a compact would suit me best. Primary use will be outdoor / landscape shots. My budget is a maximum of £300. I get the impression from reading a few threads on here that the Sony RX100 range might be a good bet - it looks like the Mk2 (and Mk1) version can be had for under £300. Do these older models still hold their own, or is there something else i should be looking at? Thanks!
 
From a power to portability perspective you can't beat the Sony and I'm not biased as I love my Olympus XZ2: less pixels, better handling and layout and great colour. Luckily I have both. Get the Sony.
 
Just to throw a spanner in the works, do you feel you could benefit from a zoom lens, or do you find the single focal length of your phone does you fine? Because I have a Ricoh GR and absolutely love it. You'll be restricted to one wide angle focal length (though they do have "fake" crop modes), but the sensor is many times larger than the one on the RX100, so the image quality will be much better, and it's not much bigger than the RX100. The handling is also second to none. I can seriously operate the entire thing with one hand, and the customisability of the buttons and menus is fantastic.

The downsides are the AF isn't super fast in low light, you lose some modern features like wifi (the GR II has wifi, but costs closer to £500), the lens is also a bit slower (f/2.8 vs. f/1.8 on the RX100) and the video is a bit pants.
 
Thanks for the tips guys. Are the alternatives form Canon and Panasonic worth considering, or is the Sony the best of the bunch?

Just to throw a spanner in the works, do you feel you could benefit from a zoom lens, or do you find the single focal length of your phone does you fine?
Click to expand...

Interesting suggestion! I've not really thought about it - not having had the capability on the phone, I've never really thought about whether I would use it. However, I think zoom could be useful, if only as something to play with :)
 
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