Camera around $350

[defyet]

Hi All,

Im looking for a camera under the $350 mark just for everyday use, alot of the time i will be taking photos of cars in low light or sunny/glare situations.

At the moment im deciding between:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH22 Digital Camera - 14.1 Megapixel - $358
Olympus Mju 9000 Digital Camera - 12 Megapixel - $350
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W380 Digital Camera - 14.1 Megapixel - $323

Is there any others i should consider looking at because at the moment im heading towards the Lumix because it seems to have good reviews, better picture quality then the others and a 3" touch screen plus a wider angle lens and the other two have pretty poor reviews. From a technical point of view for picture qaulity is the Lumix a good option for that price range?

Cheers

[I @ M]

My totally honest opinion would be to find a second hand Nikon D40 and a 50mm lens + a polarising filter.
Should be achievable on that budget, produce excellent quality photos under the conditions you have described and be useful for plenty of other styles with a bit of learning time under your belt.

[ricktas]

compact point and shoot style camera's have much smaller sensors than any DSLR, and with your low light shooting the smaller sensor will affect the image quality. Digital noise (grainy photos) appear all to early when you push a point and shoot camera in low light.

I tend to agree with I @ M, a good second hand DSLR will give you low light results with much higher quality results.

For info, here is a guide on the difference in sensor sizes. The more pixels crammed onto a sensor of the same size, the more noise becomes evident. Therefore a larger sensor with the same number of pixels as a smaller sensor, by science (physics of light), is going to produce a better result. the greyed out sensor is the standard for most entry level DSLR.

[Tricky]

Can't help you decide between the 3 point & shoot cameras you list, but if image quality is important to you then I'd second the view above: you're better off getting a used DSLR.

You could get a used Canon 400D plus a 50mm f/1.8 lens for around $400-450. It will blow away all three of the point and shoot cameras. A polarising filter would help with the glare, whilst a tripod would help keep the camera steady in low light.

And by the way, welcome to AP!

[defyet]

Thanks for the great tips!
The only reason i was looking at a compact is because i like to keep it handy in the glove box at work or the misses handbag when we go out and didnt really want to carry around a bulky camera, although i wouldnt mind an DSLR. Its something ill consider.

[defyet]

Also, rather then a second hand DSLR like the Nikon that are going for around $450-500 would i be better off getting a new DSLR like a entry level Canon or Nikon for $650-$750?

Doesnt take long to get the camera bug.

[Kym]

The best value entry level with the best low light performance is the Pentax K-x

[rnicetin]

I keep a Canon G9 in the glovebox of my car - it's compact and gives me a lot of creative control. It also made the transition to DSLR a lot smoother for me. They are pretty cheap to pick up 2nd hand now.

[KevPride]

Hi I have a DSLR which I would not part with, absolutely love it.

But I also use a Panasonic Lumix P&S on a daily basis in my work, it is now about 2 years old & I've probably taken 6000+ photos - my colleagues rave over photos produced with it. Would I use it to take long range photos of birds etc - no, but in the correct situation they can produce stunning images, and very detailed images even in low light.

It is horses for courses, I would go down to a good retailer - not a Hardly Normal outlet but a proper camera store, ask to use the camera, ask their advice, it maybe that this model is a very good option for you.