A Compact Camera For Low Light Spaces

For my job I need a camera that would ideally have the following features:

1. FITS INTO A SHIRT POCKET. The lighter the better
2. USB ON BOARD. I'd like to be able to easily connect to ANY PC and to avoid any special adopters for the output, unless they are common and inexpensive.
3.LOW LIGHT CAPACITY. This is the most important feature. ISO 1600 at the very least. I need to take pictures in purely lit large spaces. The flash is no help.
4. USE AA BATTERIES. I'd like to avoid any special batteries, chargers, adopters, etc.
5. VIEWFINDER. When used at day light, LED screen in my old camera is useless.
6.MPEG 4 RECORDING. Probably nice to have when taking clips.

I am not a photographer. Probably missed some important features. Please, do not shy to advise.
Thank you very much in advance for any help.

gm

gm writes:

For my job I need a camera that would ideally have the following features:

1. FITS INTO A SHIRT POCKET. The lighter the better
2. USB ON BOARD. I'd like to be able to easily connect to ANY PC and to avoid any special adopters for the output, unless they are common and inexpensive.
3.LOW LIGHT CAPACITY. This is the most important feature. ISO 1600 at the very least. I need to take pictures in purely lit large spaces. The flash is no help.
4. USE AA BATTERIES. I'd like to avoid any special batteries, chargers, adopters, etc.
5. VIEWFINDER. When used at day light, LED screen in my old camera is useless.
6.MPEG 4 RECORDING. Probably nice to have when taking clips. I am not
a photographer. Probably missed some important features. Please, do
not shy to advise.
Thank you very much in advance for any help.

Nothing exists that meets those specs. In particular, cameras that
fit into shirt pockets essentially never take AA batteries
(unfortunately). Also, modern small designs rarely have viewfinders.

However, the Fuji F11 comes decently close. It has the best high-ISO
around in a compact camera. Since that's the most important feature,
this is what you need to get (I've got one, so my info is
first-hand). (The not-yet-released F30 sounds good too.)

It doesn't have a viewfinder, it doesn't use AA batteries, it takes a
stupid external adapter to connect to USB and to its charger (but at
least it comes with the adapter). It also has annoying limitations in
its user interface, like no histogram display and no manual exposure
control.

I don't know technical details of the video mode, may or may not meet
your requirement there.
--
David Dyer-Bennet, , http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/
RKBA: http://www.dd-b.net/carry/
Pics: http://dd-b.lighthunters.net/ http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/SnapshotAlbum/
Dragaera/Steven Brust: http://dragaera.info/

"gm" schreef in bericht
...
For my job I need a camera that would ideally have the following features:

1. FITS INTO A SHIRT POCKET. The lighter the better
2. USB ON BOARD. I'd like to be able to easily connect to ANY PC and to
avoid any special adopters for the output, unless they are common and
inexpensive.
3.LOW LIGHT CAPACITY. This is the most important feature. ISO 1600 at the
very least. I need to take pictures in purely lit large spaces. The flash
is no help.
4. USE AA BATTERIES. I'd like to avoid any special batteries, chargers,
adopters, etc.
5. VIEWFINDER. When used at day light, LED screen in my old camera is
useless.
6.MPEG 4 RECORDING. Probably nice to have when taking clips.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

Rutger

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zwaarddrager/

RW+/- wrote:
On Mon, 15 May 2006 23:13:13 -0400, gm wrote:

For my job I need a camera that would ideally have the following features:

1. FITS INTO A SHIRT POCKET. The lighter the better
2. USB ON BOARD. I'd like to be able to easily connect to ANY PC and to avoid any special adopters for the output, unless they are common and inexpensive.
3.LOW LIGHT CAPACITY. This is the most important feature. ISO 1600 at the very least. I need to take pictures in purely lit large spaces. The flash is no help.
4. USE AA BATTERIES. I'd like to avoid any special batteries, chargers, adopters, etc.
5. VIEWFINDER. When used at day light, LED screen in my old camera is useless.
6.MPEG 4 RECORDING. Probably nice to have when taking clips.

I am not a photographer. Probably missed some important features. Please, do not shy to advise.
Thank you very much in advance for any help.

gm

How much are you willing to spend?

Probably up to $400.

David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
gm writes:

For my job I need a camera that would ideally have the following features:

1. FITS INTO A SHIRT POCKET. The lighter the better
2. USB ON BOARD. I'd like to be able to easily connect to ANY PC and to avoid any special adopters for the output, unless they are common and inexpensive.
3.LOW LIGHT CAPACITY. This is the most important feature. ISO 1600 at the very least. I need to take pictures in purely lit large spaces. The flash is no help.
4. USE AA BATTERIES. I'd like to avoid any special batteries, chargers, adopters, etc.
5. VIEWFINDER. When used at day light, LED screen in my old camera is useless.
6.MPEG 4 RECORDING. Probably nice to have when taking clips. I am not
a photographer. Probably missed some important features. Please, do
not shy to advise.
Thank you very much in advance for any help.

Nothing exists that meets those specs. In particular, cameras that
fit into shirt pockets essentially never take AA batteries
(unfortunately). Also, modern small designs rarely have viewfinders.

However, the Fuji F11 comes decently close. It has the best high-ISO
around in a compact camera. Since that's the most important feature,
this is what you need to get (I've got one, so my info is
first-hand). (The not-yet-released F30 sounds good too.)

It doesn't have a viewfinder, it doesn't use AA batteries, it takes a
stupid external adapter to connect to USB and to its charger (but at
least it comes with the adapter). It also has annoying limitations in
its user interface, like no histogram display and no manual exposure
control.

I don't know technical details of the video mode, may or may not meet
your requirement there.

David,
It's the "stupid external adapter" that turned me off the most. Strange, even eBay and Froogle do not have it.
Thanks for the info.

gm

Rutger wrote:
"gm" schreef in bericht
...
For my job I need a camera that would ideally have the following features:

1. FITS INTO A SHIRT POCKET. The lighter the better
2. USB ON BOARD. I'd like to be able to easily connect to ANY PC and to
avoid any special adopters for the output, unless they are common and
inexpensive.
3.LOW LIGHT CAPACITY. This is the most important feature. ISO 1600 at the
very least. I need to take pictures in purely lit large spaces. The flash
is no help.
4. USE AA BATTERIES. I'd like to avoid any special batteries, chargers,
adopters, etc.
5. VIEWFINDER. When used at day light, LED screen in my old camera is
useless.
6.MPEG 4 RECORDING. Probably nice to have when taking clips.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

Rutger


Thanks for the link. I bookmarked it. I wish they included ISO as well in the search.
gm

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

Rutger


Looks like this is "Canon Only" site.

David,
It's the "stupid external adapter" that turned me off the most. Strange, even eBay and Froogle do not have it.
Thanks for the info.

gm

Just set up your computer with a card reader $20, far easier to use
than cludgy camera interfaces. All my computers at home and at work
have them.

Tom

tomm42 wrote:
David,
It's the "stupid external adapter" that turned me off the most. Strange, even eBay and Froogle do not have it.
Thanks for the info.

gm

Just set up your computer with a card reader $20, far easier to use
than cludgy camera interfaces. All my computers at home and at work
have them.

Tom


Tom,
Thanks for the solution. It makes F30 from Fuji very attractive. No other compact comes close to ISO 3200.
gm

On Tue, 16 May 2006 07:29:15 -0400, gm wrote:


http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

Rutger


Looks like this is "Canon Only" site.

???
How so?
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"