Rather than repeatedly hijack the other recent threads here goes:

I’d like a new camera for photos of mountains, climbing routes, mountain huts, ice-creams, beers, food, night sky, street scenes etc
I want to be able to play with the settings to experiment, so beginners level photography really, nowt too complicated or advanced.

It doesn’t need a great flash and super fast sports photos are not my thing.
cheers

this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fujifilm-X10-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B005JRGWNS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407940542&sr=8-1&keywords=fujifilm+x10

a bit more than £200, but a lot more than a £200 camera

If you can manage to get it for the money, I got a refurbished Fuji X20 from the Fuji shop with the discount that K-sugden kindly gave in..
My thread here…

Any other recommendations?

My requirements were almost identical to yours.

I ditched my DSLR because it was useless when out and about or on routes.

I picked up a Sony NEX 5N and have a couple of lenses for it. The one I use for outdoors stuff is the 16-50. The profile of the camera is almost like a point and shoot with that on it, fits in my pockets. In fact, it stayed in my shorts pocket for a month in vietnam.

The only downsides are no viewfinder (but the screen is excellent), I’m no pro, but I don’t miss it too much…and the touchscreen takes a wee bit of getting used to, but can’t be that bad because i’m happy using it at 3am in winter while freezing my arse off.

Refurbed Sony NEX 5N body for £154

Then pick up whatever lens suits you best. I picked up a used 16-50 for about £60.

Nikon 1 j2. Half decent lense choice , enough to play with for a beginner. I’ve just sold one of my old cameras for £200 (Nikon d300) maybe look at some thing second hand.

Canon S110 if you can still find them. Excellent picture quality,small, good video, well built,fits in your pocket.

Oh, and a good manual override function if you know what you are doing.

Canon EOS M £199 http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/2583178.htm

Russell96 – I’ve seen some very mixed reviews on that camera.
Do you have one?

best is quite subjective

the choice of the heretic would most definitely be the Pentax mx-1 for 199

Enjoying the usability of my X20. Think I paid £270 for it from Fuji outlet with a discount from on here.

If you search, you might find it, it was about 2 or 3 months ago.

Preferring it to my sony RX 100, easier to zoom in and out. Quality of the Sony is a it better but not much.

Yes got one when it got to that price, I totally agree the focusing isn’t quick it is at the speed of a DSLR in liveview mode, the battery is a bit on the small side, but the picture quality is up at a Canon 650D level so with the size and current price I can’t complain. I also have a Nikon D7100 and an Oly EM5 but was looking at for a premium compact to have something small and light to carry out and about and mainly for static shots so not worried about not having a high FPS or fast focusing.

I’ve got an old Canon is520 so it’d be a massive improvement on current point and shoot
Don’t have an SLR so can’t compare against one

Have you got any photos of the EOS-M ?

You should be able to find the Samsung galaxy camera for under 200 quid.

The back of the camera is a touch screen and it features an android o/s and a 21x zoom lens.

So as well as being a fairly good camera for the cash, you have access to all the google apps, even ‘Viewranger’, should u need to pinpoint your location…though it also features google maps as well.

It’s a fun camera to use and great for experimentation as you can call up aperture, shutter speeds etc on the touchscreen and see how they affect the shot.

Best to go with the discontinued version as it takes a SIM card and also buy a screen protector and a case….even a cheapo fake leather one from the inter web should be good.

Picture quality is very good but not outstanding, but you are also getting an android tablet as well as a camera.

Out of the camera JPG normally I shoot in RAW but cocked up the settings first time out with it, but I’m happy with how it performed.

Well, £200 is a lot of money, but it won’t buy you a lot of camera.

I rate the Fuji cameras very highly, but they are above your price point. I will always recommend the Canon Powershot G16 and G 1 X, as they are perfect for bunging in a rucksack and taking up a mountain.

Maybe think about 2nd hand. I bought my Fuji X100 from these guys earlier this year, and had very good dealings with them http://www.camerajungle.co.uk/

Or, if you do you do want to buy new, then you need to keep your eye on here, to compare all the current prices on the market http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/

Panasonic TZ40

pentax MX-1 review

Not used one, but tend to trust dpreview. Notice the MX-1 is currently half price (now 199) at major online store/s.
The Olympus XZ-2 is also reduced to 199. Worth comparing?

I use an older Lumix (TZ10) for snapshot duties and reference pictures, pretty good, plenty of tweaking options, needs backup battery, I love the looong zoom and big lens, but find that zoom compacts in general have fiddly menus and poor battery life. The quality is ok for snapshots mostly, except for tightly composed stuff or macro which it does pretty well at. I’m guessing that the more recent TZs continue the lineage in similar style.

Had a few Canons and liked them all. The G10 was excellent. Until it was stolen. Now using a Fuji X20, and as others have said, it’s a proper camera. Above your budget, but there is not much to match it in terms of usability.

This from a B&W shooting manual Nikon FM/24mm Nikkor man.

If really wanted the X100, but couldn’t justify the cost. A fixed lens X20 would be my perfect camera.

I recently got a Sony DSC-WX350 from John Lewis for £180. It has more modes than I’ll ever get my head round and a 20x zoom. For carrying around in the hills I would say it’s spot on though I do miss proper optical viewfinders on modern compacts.

Another X-20 user here. Fantastic little camera, great to have on you when a DSLR is too big and bulky. Yes, more expensive than oyur budget, but the refurb deals are well worth the extra £70.

I ditched my DSLR because it was useless when out and about or on routes.

For most people, a DSLR is way overkill. But people like to have the ‘gear’, so such expensive items sell so well. If you’ve ditched a DSLR, then it was probably more camera than you needed to begin with really.

Smaller cameras don’t have the low-light capability of DSLRs, especually ful frame models. But they can still produce excellent quality pictures; my X-20 has been a revelation, and amazes me at how good such a relatively cheap/inexpensive camera can be.

What are the benefits and pitfalls of buying a refurb camera?
I hadn’t considered buying used before

If you’ve ditched a DSLR, then it was probably more camera than you needed to begin with really.

Maybe. But, even if I did need that much camera, a DSLR would still have been useless because it would have been in my bag or on the ground rather than my hand. Being able to frame a good shot whilst in a hanging belay with one hand free means nothing if you can’t actually get into a position to take it. There are times when I’m doing long exposures on mountain tops at 4am in winter when I wish I still had it, but then I remember I’d have to get it up there first, so it’s some comfort.

What are the benefits and pitfalls of buying a refurb camera?

If you pick up from somewhere like the place I linked to you get a 6 month warranty with all used equipment. It tends to be much less risky than buying something from ebay, since they grade the stock (so you have a more accurate idea of condition) and take the risk of it breaking for the first 6 months.

Thanks

ElShalimo – Member
What are the benefits and pitfalls of buying a refurb camera?
I hadn’t considered buying used before

Friend of mine just bought a refurbed IXUS from the canon refurb outlet (not sure if a standalone website or an ebay shop). It was pretty much as new; as in everything still in the box undisturbed with all the little tie wraps around the cables, all the plastic wrapping, instructions etc.

A mate of ours who used to work for a large camera manufacturer, reckoned that a lot of return stuff is brand new, returns from shops like Argos etc., overstock that gets sent back but is ‘old stock’…..

Panasonic TZ35. Fantastic camera for the money. Have been hugely impressed with the quality of pictures ours takes. And at today’s prices you will have a shed load of change left over too. It’s mostly a point and shoot but does have a number of manual settings that you can play with if you want.

Question for the x20 users…

My X20 puts a copy of all the frames from the DCIM folder onto the main root of the SD card? Does yours?

Panasonic TZ40…

Brilliant piece of kit for the money and a fantastic zoom lens.

Question for the x20 users…

My X20 puts a copy of all the frames from the DCIM folder onto the main root of the SD card? Does yours?

My x10 Doesn’t

Partial threadjack apologies, but I’m in a similar position (although experienced photographer) but looking for a better compact with more manual features and same budget as OP. Have narrowed down to:

Pentax MX-1
Lumix LX7
Refurb Fuji X20

Interested to hear anyone’s experience with LX7 or MX1? Not keen on smaller sensors as already have a TZ and quite a few canon compacts before. Of course none of these have bloody wifi, but can’t find similar quality on price with that feature (moon on stick?)

What are the benefits and pitfalls of buying a refurb camera?

None, for me anyway. My X-20 was brand new and in sealed packaging. Only the main box was different. Warranty is exactly the same.

Maybe. But, even if I did need that much camera, a DSLR would still have been useless because it would have been in my bag or on the ground rather than my hand. Being able to frame a good shot whilst in a hanging belay with one hand free means nothing if you can’t actually get into a position to take it. There are times when I’m doing long exposures on mountain tops at 4am in winter when I wish I still had it, but then I remember I’d have to get it up there first, so it’s some comfort.

Well, I’ve known photographers who’ve taken things like D3s and Eos D1s + kit up mountains, s if you wnt ultimate quality, there is no compromise. Something like an X-20 is probably the baseline for a ‘proper’ camera for most people in such environments though. It is a compromised camera, in terms of low-ligght capability certainly, but it’s tiny and very capable, and the lens is extremely good at that price. F2-2.8 all along 28-112mm equivalnt, is amazing for such a tiny camera. And shutter lag is very low, so it’s excelent at ‘grabbing’ shts where other cameras are messing about focussing and stuff. The flash is incredible for such a tiny unit, and all round, it’sprobably the best camera of it’s type and price.

Another vote for the TZ40, cracking piece of kit 😆

OP did you make any choice yet?

I’m still umming and aaahing so went and checked out the dpreview studio comparison tool – compared the baseline ISO image quality of a handful of cameras, most in this price bracket (or a few tenners more) . For me it’s about both image quality and useability/flexibility outdoors, so this is just a quick and easy IQ comparison which is only part of a camera’s story. I will choose a camera with lower IQ than a competitor if it seems more usable, ergonomic, usefully feature-full, tougher etc. But I always start with comparing images. Anyhoops, results here:

The Pentax MX-1 seems overlooked, but I like it a lot from what I see. It’s a thick chunk of compact (top/bottom plates made of brass, stylish, and hence heavier than some) but for the price today the lens and features are looking very good. Tilting lcd screen and super macro for low-down flora snaps is selling me too. If folks want to have a play themselves the interactive studio test scene is here

Malvern Rider – no decision yet cos I’ve been working too much and not had time to go and play in the camera shop.

Let me know which one you choose.

Trying to convince myself that I don’t need a Pentax mx-1

I bought a sony rx100 a couple of months ago. Very pleased with the results.

Prior to that I was using a canon 5dmk2 but got fed up of lugging gear around so sold up last year.

The Sony obviously can’t compete against a full frame sensor and professional level optics for image quality but for riding photos and general photos of holidays/family it’s more than competent.

I’m stuck at
XZ-2 (like an MX1 without retro brick styling, plus hotshoe/EVF option)
MX1 ( With retrobrick, without hotshoe/EVF options)
Used RX100 – more pocketable, larger sensor, but often said to be considerably fiddlier to use in the field than larger compacts with better controls.

*Edit – ‘considerably fiddlier’? 😛

Malvern Rider – Member

Any progress? I’ve still not had time to pop into the shops to play with them.

it’s looking very much like a used RX100

Reasons –

Truly pocketable yet seems sturdy, no fiddly lens cap either.
Best in class IQ for price
USB charging (I shoot outdoors a lot, I have USB backup power)
You can tilt the flash upwards
I like to print large
Excellent video with manual adjustments on the fly

If find the handling too fiddly will upgrade to a new larger sensor compact, of which there will be quite a few next year I’m sure. i know I’m losing out on the tilt screens and macro of other options though. Also read that the focus/shutter release is somewhat an acquired taste. We’ll see.

Idea situ for me would be spend a week with each on my shortlist, then who knows … but had to make a choice! Still like the MX-1 because it seems such a solid bargain and non-nonsense thing with great lens and proper chunky handling.