Best P&S with full M mode and ideally offering RAW capability for ~£100

futureal33

futureal33

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During a recent trip away, I took my old Sony DSC-W5 camera..my first ever camera. I love this little thing, but was suprised at how much technology has moved on since it!! Max ISO 400 (and it looks awful at ISO 400) and a very difficult to use M mode, left me struggling to use it.

If I was taking photos "seriously" I would take a 5D with me, but I am after a small compact which allows me the fun and versatility of M mode, while still offering decent (for P&S image quality, and pocketable size)

I keep reading good things about the S95 and just wondering if thats still a good camera to get. F2.0 lens, RAW mode and full M controls.

Is there anything else I should be looking at. Ideally want to spend less than £100 as this camera will probably be used for less than 5 days a year...

Cheers
 
The s95 is a nice camera which has served me well for 2 holidays. It really is pocket-able, which means that there is no excuse not having it with you. Video is quite good too. Full manual is possible, but I have always found it a little confusing to remember which adjustment is on which control: you've got to select ISO, aperture and shutter, and you only have 2 control rings to play with, so one item is always in a menu. Download the manual from Canon to get an idea of how to use in full M. Low light performance is good, but as with any camera you can always do with another couple of stops!

I'm not sure if you'll find a decent one for under a £100 though.
 
TBH manual on most compacts is probably there for marketing purposes than intended to actually be used. I have a camera with full manual control (Samsung S850 - also has the same size sensor as the S95/Gn series cameras) and TBH it's an enormous faff to try to set up a manual exposure when what you really want is to take a good picture. There are often other controls that will help you get the exposure you want more easily, like +/- EV settings, careful use of spot metering etc. But I'm sure with dedication and care it could be done.
 
I love my S95, if someone said to me you can only have ONE camera choose your S95 or your big heavy bag of DSLR equipment I think I would have to choose the S95,

Unless you are shooting sport, or in very low light it's a great camera. Just don't expect to get A2 size prints form it without starting to see the faults.

The f2.0 lens and IS is great for low light shots without having to up the ISO too much.

This was taken with mine, riding the EC a bit to compensate for the bright sky.



IMG_5910_1500 by david.williams221162, on Flickr

HTH

David
 
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