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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / Digital Photo / February 2007Best low light compact
I will be travelling in Europe and need to take photos inside relatively dark historical buildings, churches and museums. I prefer to use flash as little as possible, and in some cases it is forbidden. Yes, I will use a tripod, where required Can anyone recommend a few of the best pocket-size digicams for such low light situations? Definitely no SLR's and preferably smaller than say an FZ-7. Thank you, Klaus Jensen Fuji F30 is good for low light levels. Guy > I will be travelling in Europe and need to take photos inside > relatively dark historical buildings, churches and museums. I prefer [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Klaus Jensen >I will be travelling in Europe and need to take photos inside > relatively dark historical buildings, churches and museums. I prefer [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Klaus Jensen Low light performance is a direct function of the size of each photo site on the sensor, larger sensors mean more glass, larger motors and so on. If you can live with the relatively low zoom ranges, I would have a look at the Fujifilm range F-30, F-31, F-40 which have a 1/1,6" sensor. Competitors with 1/1,8" - 1/2,5" sensors have worse low light performance. The Sony DSC - R1 with its APS-C sensor is pretty good at low light as well and has a f2.8 - f4.8 Zeiss designed lens but can hardly be called a compact. Sizewise it is more like a DSLR, without optical viewfinder and a fixed lens, but it will also perform more like a DSLR. >> I will be travelling in Europe and need to take photos inside >> relatively dark historical buildings, churches and museums. I prefer [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > more like a DSLR, without optical viewfinder and a fixed lens, but it will > also perform more like a DSLR. The F30 would still plot pretty low on the performance curves based on the pixel size, probably just below the S60 point on Figures 6 and 7 at: http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/digital.sensor.performance.summary Other references on the subject: Digital Cameras: Does Pixel Size Matter? Factors in Choosing a Digital Camera http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/does.pixel.size.matter Digital Cameras: Does Pixel Size Matter? Part 2: Example Images using Different Pixel Sizes http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/does.pixel.size.matter2 The bottom line: pixel size (active area of each pixel) is the dominant controlling factor in high ISO, low noise performance. So find the largest pixel camera you can (which if you want megapixels too, means a larger camera). Plot each pixel pitch on Figure 6 in the gray band on the digital.sensor.performance.summary page. Cameras like the 350D are pretty small, and similar in size to some of the larger point and shoots, but because the sensor is much larger, the 350D and other DSLRs have much better low light performance. Roger > I will be travelling in Europe and need to take photos inside > relatively dark historical buildings, churches and museums. I prefer [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > low light situations? Definitely no SLR's and preferably smaller than > say an FZ-7. The Fuji F30/F40 series has a pretty good reputation for low-light performance in a pocket-sized camera. The other way to go is to get a pocket-size model with an optical stabilizer, which will extend the range of shutter speeds that you can use before camera shake becomes a problem. The Panasonic FX series and some of Canon's SD models (look for the ones with 'IS' in the model number) come to mind; there are others, as well. Tripods might be a problem; not all sites allow them. -dms >I will be travelling in Europe and need to take photos inside > relatively dark historical buildings, churches and museums. I prefer [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Klaus Jensen The problem with pocket size cameras are, they are not that good for low light. I've not been too thrilled with the latest batch of small cameras with the 1/2.5" sensors even at lowest ISO settings and the lenses are not all that fast as far as max aperture goes. The Fuji F30 and Canon SD900 are a couple models to consider. Canon A610/620 are good cameras and smaller than the FZ7. At lower ISOs, the image quality is near SLR smooth and the lenses are as good as it gets. These cameras are discontinued. The A620 may be available if you search around. -S |
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