Best P&S under $300?

Thanks for all of the replies. The Olympus Stylus Epic is beginning to sound
like the way to go. Inexpensive, and from what I'm hearing, awesome sharpness -
which is what I'm looking for since I've been using a 7 year old APS camera
that takes the lousiest photos. I would like a zoom but I probably don't need
one. Does anyone know if any of the popular photo mags have done any
comparisons in recent months? Thanks again!

Thanks for all of the replies. The Olympus Stylus Epic is beginning to sound
like the way to go. Inexpensive, and from what I'm hearing, awesome sharpness
-
which is what I'm looking for since I've been using a 7 year old APS camera
that takes the lousiest photos. I would like a zoom but I probably don't need
one. Does anyone know if any of the popular photo mags have done any
comparisons in recent months? Thanks again!


wide zoom or telephoto?

There's a recent thread about high end compacts, see that, it'll have a few
links...

http://tinyurl.com/ypvzs
http://fulminis-ictus.chez.tiscali.f...t-Cameras.html
http://www.geocities.com/jpmccormac/pscam.html

Olympus Stylus Infinity or Olympus Stylus Epic. Both $80 at most
photostores like bhphotovideo.com, does a very good to excellent job in
terms of sharpness and great prints, and sell very, very well. (both
marketed for well over five years and running)

Waterproof makes them even nicer vs. other cameras, and the slide-open
cover makes them simple to use.

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Pentax 24EW. ~$220. Nice if you want a zoom P&S that can actually
capture wide-landscapes and travel with the 24mm wide end (no other
long-zoom has such).

---

Other reviews of many more P&S cameras at
http://www.photographyreview.com/ You can spend all day reading.

---

Otherwise, something digital like a Canon S400/S410/S500.

Pentax 24EW. ~$220. Nice if you want a zoom P&S that can actually
capture wide-landscapes and travel with the 24mm wide end (no other
long-zoom has such).


Slow lens... very poor optics... if you want a 24mm wide end zoom point and
shoot consider the TIPA and EISA award winning fujifilm date zoom (silvi) f2.8.
Much better camera.

(Sabineellen) wrote:

Slow lens... very poor optics... if you want a 24mm wide end zoom point and
shoot consider the TIPA and EISA award winning fujifilm date zoom (silvi) f2.8.


But the long end of the zoom is a mere 50mm.

Pretty useless for portraiture and other applications that need a
longer focal length.

Plus EISA and TIPA awards are not given for optical excellence.

But the long end of the zoom is a mere 50mm.

Pretty useless for portraiture and other applications that need a
longer focal length.

Plus EISA and TIPA awards are not given for optical excellence.


OK TP, you're confusing me now, i thought you were against long telephoto zoom
compacts. Also, how is 50mm useless for portraits?

As for this camera, it's optically excellent according to *all* user reports
i've seen, and the TIPA and EISA i think were given for great product design
that's quite evident when you have one in your hands.

(Sabineellen) wrote:


But the long end of the zoom is a mere 50mm.

Pretty useless for portraiture and other applications that need a
longer focal length.

Plus EISA and TIPA awards are not given for optical excellence.


OK TP, you're confusing me now, i thought you were against long telephoto zoom
compacts.

There's a huge difference between a 70, 80 or 90mm tele end and a
200mm tele end. In image quality terms, the difference is colossal.
That difference is also emphasised by the tiny maximum aperture of
very long lenses which causes camera shake due to the very slow
shutter speeds such small apertures imply - and the results are
blurred photos.

Also, how is 50mm useless for portraits?

With a 50mm you can get in close enough to show people in a very
unflattering (apparent) perspective. And it is the nature of
snapshooters that if they can, they will. A focal length longer than
50mm compels you to take head-and-shoulder shots from a more
flattering distance.

If there exists an "ideal" focal length for a classic portrait (and I
don't believe in "rules"!) it is probably somewhere between 85mm and
135mm. 50mm is way, way too short.

Of course there isn't any such thing as an ideal focal length, but
there are a range of shooting distances within which most people would
adjudge the portraits taken to appear "natural". And having a lens
within the "ideal" length range encourages you to shoot from somewhere
within that range.

As for this camera, it's optically excellent according to *all* user reports
i've seen, and the TIPA and EISA i think were given for great product design
that's quite evident when you have one in your hands.

The genre of the family snapshot bears little resemblance to any other
style of photography. With respect, the vast majority of users of
point and shoot cameras know nothing about photography. The gift of
taking good snapshots does not require any photographic knowledge,
indeed that sort of knowledge can get in the way.

So when point and shoot cameras get good user reviews, it is rarely
for photographic reasons. If they help snapshooters to enjoy the
process of recording memories, that alone is enough to garner good
user reviews and sell more cameras through word of mouth
recommendation. It is exactly those criteria (sales appeal and
marketing success) that the TIPA and EISA awards represent.

Good product design for snapshooters is a world away from good product
design for serious shooters. The two are almost mutually exclusive.

If you are happy with the Fuji 24-50mm then I am delighted for you.
But don't expect good head and shoulder portraits because, almost
inevitably, you will be standing too close to flatter the subject.

And believe me, there is only one thing a good portrait photographer
has to do, and that is to flatter the subject. That is his/her job,
in a nutshell. The best portrait shooters by far are those who
flatter their subjects to the point of making them look beautiful,
regardless of how they appear in reality. I can assure you that It
is a constant battle to achieve this, day in, day out.

The #1 weapon in the portrait shooter's armoury is their favourite
portrait lens. The focal length is just one of many characteristics
to look for in a portrait lens. The lens has to be sharp. It has to
be capable of defocusing the background. It also has to render out of
focus backgrounds in such a way that they do not detract from the
subject.

There are a fair few fixed focal length lenses for SLRs and
rangefinder cameras that meet these design objectives. However, there
are very few zooms for SLRs that do, and these are prized because of
their comparative rarity - it is so very difficult to design and make
a zoom lens that has all these characteristics.

It is even rarer to find a lens on a point and shoot camera that has
those characteristics. I don't expect that the Fuji 24-50mm zoom lens
on your camera is one of those rare lenses. However, I suggest that
keeping a greater distance from the subject than the 50mm focal length
would indicate will give you a far higher chance of obtaining pleasing
portraits.

As a first step, I suggest that you set the lens to 50mm and frame
your subject in the classic head and shoulders composition. Then look
down at the ground, and estimate your distance from the subject.

Now double that distance by walking away from the subject. Make the
shot from that doubled distance, and it will be far more flattering.

What you will have done is given the subject the same apparent
perspective as would have been obtained using a 100mm lens, which is
about the most popular portrait focal length. Of course the subject
won't fill the frame, but selective enlargements from your negatives
should yield some very satisfactory results.

Good luck! Do let us know if this works for you.

Tony