Best compact walkabout with clear viewfinder.

hillwalkinggirl

hillwalkinggirl

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I'm thinking of upgrading my walkabout (up the mountains) camera which is a Casio Exilim Z55. This is a good camera but only 5 mega pixels so limits the amount of cropping and it only supports jpg and not RAW. My main hate on this camera is that although it has a 2.5in LCD screen it's almost impossible to see what you are taking in bright sunlight.

What I would really like is a camera with the following attributes:
  1. Clear viewable screen even in bright sunlight.
  2. Lightweight and pocket sized
  3. RAW and jpg.
  4. Min 10 megapixels.
  5. Wide angle for Landscape.
  6. 4x optical zoom
  7. Aperture and shutter priority (though this is probably not as essential as DOF not really attainable on small sensor size.

I don't want a lot do I.:bonk: but any suggestions would be appreciated, main concern must be able to see what I am taking.
 
I doubt that you're going to get all seven. The Panasonic FZ28 gives all but #2, as it's very chunky and it's a bit iffy on #1.
 
rh1944 said:
I doubt that you're going to get all seven. The Panasonic FZ28 gives all but #2, as it's very chunky and it's a bit iffy on #1.
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The nearest I have found so far is the Panasonic Lumix LX3, but it's a bit pricey and I haven't tried one out in bright sunlight. Has anyone had any experience of this?
 
I have been using a Panasonic LX3 all week and am really impressed with it. No viewfinder but excellent display. Raw as well as Jpeg. Excellent wide angle lens. M, A, S & P, as well as video mode. Small enough to go in a pocket / bag. It is my girlfriends and she has just upgraded from a LX1 which is now in the for sale section. She is a bit miffed that I have hogged it all week.

I rarely use a compact but the quality of this thing is impressive. We were really impressed with the LX1 but this is an impressive upgrade. It really allows you to be creative.

Chris :)
 
Blue Moon 7 said:
Wow, you posted that as I was posting a reply about the LX3.

Chris :)
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Thanks Bluemoon. Have you tried using it in really bright sunlight yet? That is my major concern. Other cameras I have bought seemed to be OK when I tried them out on normal days, but as soon as the sun shone really brightly, I could see zilch. I even bought one of those LCD shades, but still couldn't see. My Casio has a viewfinder but useless as it's nowhere near WYSIWYG.
I also have a Fuji e900 and exactly the same problem with that.
 
Just got a Canon Powershot A720 IS as I needed one with a viewfinder , only 8MP , 6x Op zoom , range of manual modes . fair reviews if you research .
 
hillwalkinggirl said:
Thanks Bluemoon. Have you tried using it in really bright sunlight yet? That is my major concern. Other cameras I have bought seemed to be OK when I tried them out on normal days, but as soon as the sun shone really brightly, I could see zilch. I even bought one of those LCD shades, but still couldn't see. My Casio has a viewfinder but useless as it's nowhere near WYSIWYG.
I also have a Fuji e900 and exactly the same problem with that.
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Bright day? Sunshine? What are they?

Seriously though. The answer to that is not really. However, to be fair the problem of sunlight on any screen including SLR's is a problem so I have sympathy with your dilema. What I can say is that the screen on the LX1 was pretty good in sunlight and this one is better. The problem with not having a viewfinder with nearly all compact cameras is that you are sometimes guessing at what you are actually taking a pic of, particularly in bright sun light.

We were leaning towards a Canon G10 because of the fact that it had a viewfinder. This was a bit cheaper at £314 but we are very happy with it and the IQ is fantastic.

Chris :)
 
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