I'm going to the Olympics, oh yes I am! And the Paralympics too. I don't want to take my DSLR because it's too bulky, I'd never decide which lenses to take, and I'd end up carting around a suitcase full of camera kit which they might not even let into the Olympic Park and then what would I do?

Anyway, I'm looking for a good point and shoot camera, pocket size, good for stashing in handbag, that sort of thing. I don't care about video but I should like good quality images. There seems to be a conflict between zoom capacity and RAW, so I guess I could live with JPEG if I had to, and I'm a pensioner so would like not to spend too much.

So... anyone got any recommendations?

I've got a Canon Powershot S100, Flopsy, which is excellent but may be a bit too expensive for an old git (sorry, pensioner) like you - but the whole Powershot range is (imho) very good. I don't carry a handbag, but I'm sure it will fit, along with everything else you ladies seem to carry.

Hmm. Thank you, you young whippersnapper. That's a bit expensive as I already have my trusty DSLR but it's worth looking at the range.

Here are a couple of sites that might help you. This one has a review of the camera, all the specs you could possibly think of, plus user reviews from people in the real world. I even wrote a review a few years ago on my camera
http://www.dpreview.com/
This one just has reviews by the site, not users as far as I can make out.
http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/

Ooh, thanks.

I've been checking reviews, cross-checking, and checking crosses until my eyes have blurred. One problem is that the darn manufacturers give their cameras different model names and/or numbers in different countries so it's harder still to cross anything! Then you find one site which says camera X is great for this, that and the other - and other site which says it sucks at this or that.

So now I have more reviews to cross my eyes over. Still it's raining here this weekend so what else would I do? I'm not taking a camera outside in this weather!

I'd hate to teach a pensioner how to suck eggs, but here's what I would do
I would decide how many megapixels I'll need, then eliminate anything under that level. Then I'd figure on needing lots of optical zoom for close ups of the action. Optical, not digital. Then check for other features such as wide angle, eliminating cameras as I went. Or.. know anyone with a good camera that you could borrow for the games?

flopsy isn't old. She's.....









seasoned.

Flopsy, I have a wonderful Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 - 8 times zoom, great videos, excellent quality photos. I like it. I like it a lot. Got it a couple of years ago so not sure what they might cost now but probably outrageous in the UK.

Have fun. You apparently must love teeming crowds.

Flopsy, I also use a Pansonic Lumix - mine is the DMC - FZ7 - a few years old now but you can see the results I get on the Forums. Other than re-sizing for site rule nothing is touched up or altered in any way. Like Barbarini I like it a lot. good optical and digital zoom, which you can combine, and the automatic settings are good and there's a good range including a sports one.

I know there is a new one out not long ago which has had rave reviews and has been a Which Best Buy - I think around £300/£400.

Thanks everyone. Apart from you, dippity, mind your manners child.

As it happens I had been looking at the Lumix... if only because they have a special deal on one model in a UK photostore chain. However, the image quality on that model got several poor reviews... so I started looking at other models, because it seems that with every version, Panasonic makes one thing worse and something else better. Twas ever thus when techies start fiddling.

Anyway, so far I'm on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25... and as that one is now twirling round my brain I shall cogitate a bit longer, and wonder if I want to spend the extra cash on the TZ30... oh decisions! Sadly international price comparisons aren't easy as they don't use the same model numbers in different countries so I can't tell Barbarini if it's a worse price here or not!

Flopsy, one thing I did find. When I first got mine the store threw in a 1GB card free, but after a while I thought the colour balance was not quite right, so I went to a photographic shop and they advised up-grading the card to a faster one, which I did, and it made all the difference. Now I don't know if this was because the first one was a pretty cheap card, or something in the camera. What I do know is that I've been very happy with the camera for about four years now, and if I did change it at all it would definitely be another Panasonic.

Thanks for the tip! I have some fast cards already for my DSLR - one things I've been checking is card compatibility so I could just swap between cameras but what you said is an extra reason for sticking with good cards!

I personally think all rabbits should be well seasoned before stewing : )

The trouble with new-fangled zoom compact cameras these days is that they are poorly made. Four months ago I purchased a Nikon Coolpix S9100. It takes FABULOUS photos (am not kidding) WHEN it works. Unfortunately like many of its ilk in the last year or so it also comes with a cheap plastic battery door cover, which is easily moved ajar (simply by holding angle or gravity), or breaks off entirely. When it is not fully (yet appears) closed, the camera either doesn't work at all, or necessitates actual removal and reinsertion of the battery to kick start it. By that time, your "moment" is lost. I'm seriously thinking about looking on e-bay for models made about 3 years ago.

High numbers of Mega-pixels (truly) aren't that important unless you plan on blowing up/getting prints of photos in "poster" size. My ancient Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom (way ahead of it's time, considering) has a max of 4 megapixels and most of my photos on these threads were taken with it. I'd get rid of it, but it still works just fine. It's been dropped (in water too), the rubber eyepiece thing and the lens ring is missing, the "live window" is really small and it doesn't have IS (stabilisation, which means you sometimes need a tripod) but quite frankly it is the camera I've been happiest with (including my DSLR) over the long run.

What's really important to me, is the TYPE of lens (and how it focuses) that is built in. I know it all sounds way too technical when you read the stuff, but if you are going to "study up" on anything in particular, make sure it's that feature.

If you're willing to sacrifice zoom (not recommended for sporting events where you're not likely to be anywhere near the actual action), there are plenty of relatively inexpensive itsy-bitsy cameras that can capture "fast action" with little effort required by the actual photographer.

p.s. one other thing about zoom cameras. OPTICAL zoom is always better than DIGITAL zoom. If you're looking at a camera that says it has 40x zoom, but 36 of it is digital, that won't give you very good clarity (i.e. high resolution) even though, theoretically, you can zoom in on that iceberg from a mile away ~

I'm not worried too much about megapixels (well, not above a certain point) but on this occasion I am shopping for something with a reasonable zoom (Olympics!) and fast shutter speed (Olympics!). What's quite important is what the camera does about shake (because even fit young things like the Dippity shake, especially in low light) and what the image looks like at high-ish ISOs. Anyway, the Lumix has a Leica lens, a good optical zoom by all accounts, and ... I still haven't made my mind up but will sleep on it. My problem is that I do know a bit about cameras but I've had SLRs since the dinosaurs roamed so picking a compact is a new adventure.

Rabbit casserole is delicious.

Flopsy - I hear you on SLR's. I own a Pentax and a Canon with all sorts of wonderful (heavy) lenses. I actually know how to use them because my father was a total photography geek and on some days I listened to his lectures LOL. Unfortunately, it is very hard to find film these days and soon won't be available at all (more's the pity). Digital cameras are wonderful due to the number of pix you can take without worrying about the "cost", but it can be very frustrating to find one that does the things you want to/could do with the old stuff.

Also, regarding cards. Yes, by all means, buy the best QUALITY card you can afford. And yes, when you're on trips, it's lovely to have a card with lots of memory, but keep in mind that the bigger the mem space on the card, the longer it takes to actually SAVE a pic to that card (because it has to search for "room"). So, it's probably best to have several sizes of cards.

If you plan to take multiple, rapid succession pictures (such as for sporting events, where you hope to capture at least one pic that is good within 10 seconds), then you need a smaller mem card for the best results.

I also recommend several cards of lower than one gig size, simply because cards DO screw up and become corrupted (just like computers) and I'd hate to lose an entire travel "portfolio" (to somewhere I will never go again) simply because the one (and only) I took with me failed.

Mea culpa, I should have come back to this thread earlier to thank everyone for their helpful advice. But the best laid plans of mice and rabbits... I had made up my mind on a Monday in June about what camera I would get but on the Tuesday I found myself in hospital for a few days and forgot my manners. Oops. And... thank you!

In the end I got a Panasonic Lumix TZ30 with a 20x optical zoom. You can see some of the results in the pics I've posted in the August and September threads on the Olympics and Paralympics - the camera does just what I wanted it to do, and I'm really pleased with it. Thanks again!

Glad you got what you wanted Flopsy and that you're pleased with it. The results are certainly pretty impressive.

I'm glad the Panasonic's working for you. Mine is the (somewhat older!) Lumix TZ-1 "only" a 10x optical zoom and I am very happy with it.