Got an Olympus 820 which has produced some canny shots over the last few years, however, the battery seems to be fubared as It’s not holding charge & I’m not sure if the sensor’s ok or not. Lots of shots seem to be overexposed, like this one from Saturday…
[url=https://flic.kr/p/ne3TSZ]Lakes 19.04.2014 (2)[/url] by jimmyg352, on Flickr

The WB is set to auto BTW.
Not looking to spend much more than £120 with about 8-10X optical zoom.
What’s the verdict?

New battery?

Either that or a Sony RX 100

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/cameras/digital-cameras/compact-digital-cameras/panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz35-superzoom-compact-digital-camera-black-21312106-pdt.html

bit more than your budget but highly recommended

Edit mine is an earlier version so not altogether sure if this one is as good but they generally get a good name.

Dunno whether to risk a new (original Olympus) battery or not in case the sensor’s screwed!

Edit, New battery for £15 ish or a Sony RX100 for £400+ ?
Budget is £90-120 ish.

Panasonic TZ series are pretty amazing.

Panasonic tz40 is an incredible camera for the price.

I picked ours up for £160

That’s the new model of the linked tz35.

Where did you get your TZ40 from Mosey?

As daft as it sounds the catalogue ‘Very’ mate. We had a £50 off £200 voucher and it was £210.

I can see what you mean, it also makes people fatter from right to left

We bought a Canon from the canon uk outlet on ebay. Seriously cheap, and was a grade a return – so had been out and sent back immediately from a customer, no fault. Still has warranty.

Has someone messed with the exposure compensation setting on you camera? Maybe turn it down a couple of notches.

It doesnt look like too much detail was lost in that pic so could easily be fixed via a quick levels/curves tweak.

Also is it dirty or grimey around the lens or light/exposure sensor (if not through the lens)? might be worth just cleaning it up to see if that changes how it meters the pics. It just looks like it could be underestimating the amount of light available and leaving the shutter open longer than needed.

[Edit] do the above after checking the exposure compensation as fueled suggested :)[/Edit]

http://www.cameralabs.com/buyers_guide/compacts/best_compact_digital_camera.shtml

A handy list as it shows cameras and gives an indication of uk prices

I can see what you mean, it also makes people fatter from right to left

ha ha! Thats my lad, he’s lost about 1.5 stones recently & is still going for it. You should see the size of the fat git who took the photo! 😉

When you are zoomed all the way out on a camera that has a wide angle lense it can make people look different/odd (it’s a bit like the effect go pro videos have on wide fov setting only much less)

Anyhow, more to the point I’d honestly say if you’ve got a few years out of your compact camera then it’s time to replace it.
Camera technology especially at the cheaper end is much better than it was even a few years ago.

The Panasonic’s are really good, and seem good value.

My Olympus original battery died too so got a generic replacement that’s lasted a couple of years but that too is starting to die! My main gripe with Olympus mju series is the XD memory card format. I was looking at a DSLR as a replacement and they are just out of your budget price range. My advice is try another battery and if that helps with the auto WB issue then either sell the camera kit to bolster your budget or use it till it dies!

Well, ta for the replies folks, looking at a Lumix SZ3, around the £80 mark. SD card, 10X zoom etc but the buttons look a bit fiddly to use with gloves. It’s probably all I need though to be fair.

Just a quickie mate, sainsburys near me have the tz35, last years tz40, on offer at £99.

It gets incredible reviews.

Happy to check stock if you fancy one. Nearly bought one for the mrs because we love the 40 so much.

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/digital-cameras/1302487/panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz35