Seen a post before but can’t find it now.
Looking for a good compact camera that’s easy and quick enough to use and will take good quality pictures.
The kind of camera that’s worth taking out with you instead of just saying ” I’ll just use my phone” which we seem to do at the moment with our £100 one.

I’d take a look at the Sony A5000 or a used 5100, Nex 6 or a6000.

So many to choose from – by ‘compact’ do you mean compact zoom or prime, or interchangeable lenses? And by compact do you mean smaller than a DSLR or actually pocketable?

I’m guessing at a Fuji X30 or a Sony RX100 – although the RX100 menus/features/controls takes a fair bit of getting used to IME – it does take amazing pictures for such a tiny size, the dynamic range is impressive, surprises me actually. Would love to have a go with an X30 to compare.

I love my fuji X20. Handles like a proper camera should. I imagine the X30 is more of the same. I wanted an x100 but couldn’t justify the cost. First fuji on the back of a few Canon Gxx’s and film SLRS.

The kind of camera that’s worth taking out with you instead of just saying ” I’ll just use my phone”

Phone cameras are getting so good I rarely use anything else now unless I’m doing semi-pro stuff.

Another vote for the sony rx100. Amazing picture quality

Looked at a couple today a Sony hx60 and a Panasonic lumix tz 60 I think.
Both under £300 and very similar, anyone use or can recommend either of them?

I was looking for a replacement for our ageing Canon Ixus 80 – I settled on a Canon SX700 which has a lot of favourable reviews, for just under 200. Sadly I couldnt get my hands on one, so went for the Sony HX60 which was the same price, and still reviewed favourably.

I went out and took some photos with my Xperia Z phone, and the HX60 to compare. To be completely honest, you cannot tell the difference with landscape shots – I feel a bit duped on that score. I have also taken some close up zoom shots, which are pretty good actually – very good detail, and also short range photos are not too bad.

I would say try the Panasonic if you can (but I think thats another 50 quid or so) – might be worth the extra cost.
Do you need 30x zoom? Now I’ve bought it, its dawned on me I probably didnt really need it. I wish I had had a chance to test before I bought.

As above, massive choice, you need to be more specific.

My recent research had me buy a A5000 at 200 quid then a SH Canon s90 for 60 on ebay.

S120 a good compact no idea how it compares to that sony rx100

I went out and took some photos with my Xperia Z phone, and the HX60 to compare. To be completely honest, you cannot tell the difference with landscape shots – I feel a bit duped on that score.

Same sized sensor, possibly the same sensor.

If you want better than a phone get a big sensor camera, like jimjam suggested.

If you want a genuinely pocketable camera that performs well you could do worse than a LUMIX TZ70. 30x optical zoom, a proper electronic viewfinder, the sensor has been changed by using fewer but bigger pixels to improve low-light performance, and it has on-board wifi, so photos can be automatically downloaded onto a camera or tablet via an app.
I’ll be getting one soon, to replace my old TZ30, which replaced my even older TZ3.

At sub £300 I’d look at the Sony RX100, Canon S120, Canon G16 or whatever Lumix has been recommended.

I have a S100 which I got because it was so compact. Suffers from short-ish battery life (will still take couple hundred photos though). Found focusing a bit poor (but this sorted by touch screen on 120). Guess the G16 would have better battery life as bigger. At £209 for the S120, I’d struggle to see a better camera for the money!

Shutter lag is something all compacts suffer from, not sure how the latest versions fare. There’s usually an incremental improvement with each new model… I had a G9 which was chronic, used it for climbing and the amount of times ‘the’ shot was missed….

All the above will shoot in RAW so give you better files for post processing. Also I’m pretty sure all the above will allow full manual/part manual which is someone your phone won’t.

I bought a TZ70 yesterday (if you buy before September you’ll get £30 cash back and five year warranty which makes it around £260).

I don’t really know my onions when it comes to cameras but my husband does and he said positive things about it. One thing I can say though, because it was important to me, is that the wifi transfer between camera and phone is a doddle!

Panasonic Lumix LX7.
F1.4 lens. Built in ND filter. 1080 Video. Excellent.

After another such thread I replaced a Lumix with an RX100 and have been delighted with the RX100 on every front. A steal for the money.

^ +1. Same here. Enjoyed the Lumix a lot as a big-zoom point and click, but the RX100 is a different league altogether. And I’ve yet to work with the RAW files…

OP – Olympus XZ2 is worth a look if still available.

rx100 for a compact but you could pickup a small cheap micro four thirds camera like an oly epm2 with a lens, maybe a 2nd hand prime for about £300, its takes nicer pictures but its bigger.
the Panasonic gm1 is small and quality should be pretty good but not quite as good as epm2.

Panasonic Lumix LX7.
F1.4 lens. Built in ND filter. 1080 Video. Excellent.

+ Leica lens.

I’ve got a Panasonic Lumix TZ60, great camera. Got it from their ebay outlet..
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/panasonicofficialoutlet/Lumix-Point-and-Shoot-Cameras-/_i.html?_fsub=5971691014&_sid=1198999454

I bought a TZ70 yesterday (if you buy before September you’ll get £30 cash back and five year warranty which makes it around £260).

I don’t really know my onions when it comes to cameras but my husband does and he said positive things about it. One thing I can say though, because it was important to me, is that the wifi transfer between camera and phone is a doddle!
Yeah, that’s a really useful feature; I currently have to take the card out of the camera and use the Camera Kit to transfer photos to the pad, so I was looking at a 32Gb wifi SD card, but the LUMIX wifi means I can just get a regular 16/32Gb card for half the money, and just link to the phone.
Who did you get it from?
[edit]I’ve found it online for £239[/edit]

Sorry to hijack but I don’t want to start another thread…
Wife says the eldest needs a camera for GCSE art, we’ve got an old DSLR but it’s too big to take to school.
Can we get something for £100 that isn’t too bad? I don’t want any more electrical stuff that’ll not get used, so I’m a bit reluctant. We could just give him an old iPhone.

we’ve got an old DSLR but it’s too big to take to school.

Depend what they’re doing, if it’s for photography then the choice is going to be DSLR or a really high end bridge/compact with most of the DSLR controls, otherwise it’s just point and shoot which probably wouldn’t be considered technical enough for a GCSE (it’d be like going to your GCSE music exam with a CD player as your instrument). Same applies for film/digital, no point turning up with a digital camera if marks are awarded for processing film.

For the OP
My choice would be the RX100 at £279 from John Lewis

or the RX100 II with £40 cashback at the moment taking it to £339 from Calumet

we’ve got an old DSLR but it’s too big to take to school.

What happened to the World! At 10 yrs I used to walk to school everyday with a schoolbag, and on Wednesdays a cello. Sports days we carried boots and kit in a bag, and all our books needed for the day. And we walked! Art class and metalwork saw us lugging all manner of monstrous weighty shite home. But we carried it!

PS – 100 shekels will get you a Lumix T55 (@Argos) and that is a great deal for a compact superzoom snapper with a Leica lens – but not sure what use for art class except for taking reference pics/snapshots?

jkomo – Member

Sorry to hijack but I don’t want to start another thread…
Wife says the eldest needs a camera for GCSE art, we’ve got an old DSLR but it’s too big to take to school.

I’d have thought an SLR would be ideal, especially if you already have one.
How is it too big to take to school?!

Malvern Rider – Member

What happened to the World! At 10 yrs I used to walk to school everyday with a schoolbag, and on Wednesdays a cello.

HA HA!! I was going to post the same thing, but didn’t want to come across as a grumpy old man!
One year I had home economics, games & clarinet lesson on the same day, as well as having to carry all the text books for the day. It was a pretty heavy day!

Carrying the tenor sax to school was also quite a chore! 😀

how is it too big to take to school?

Prior victims of lens envy? Could YOU hoist this into the school-run SUV?

jkomo – Member

Sorry to hijack but I don’t want to start another thread…
Wife says the eldest needs a camera for GCSE art, we’ve got an old DSLR but it’s too big to take to school.
Can we get something for £100 that isn’t too bad? I don’t want any more electrical stuff that’ll not get used, so I’m a bit reluctant. We could just give him an old iPhone.

I’d imagine for GCSE anything would be fine really, but if you’re looking for SLR functionality and manual control in a small body (also interchangeable lenses) then you could take a look at a second hand Sony NEX 3 on ebay. Bodies go from £60 and up, and you can mount older manual lenses on it. I started with a Pentax K1000 when I was 14, but he may feel very short changed with film.