Choices

I am looking at getting a new camera. There is nothing wrong with my digital SLR or may 12x Lumix other than they are bog and bulky. I am looking for something really small that I can stick in even my small purses and have with me for those little moments. I can't count the number of times I am out and about and see something only to mutter, "I wish I had a camera." See the blog post above. Also, in my new job come June, we will be allowed cameras at work, but they need to be small and discrete.

So, I have been looking into some of the smaller compact cameras and have narrowed it down. Unfortunately, I can't find one camera that has every thing I need, so I need some advice.



Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 ($240 B&H Price)
5.0 Megapixels, 10X Optical Zoom, Selectable ISO from 100-800, f/2.8-4.2 aperture, 2-3 fps up to 5 frames burst capability, 14MB built in memory, 2.5" color display, Optical Image Stabilization, 2.3"H x 4.4"W x 1.6"D & 8.4 oz weight.



Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 ($400 B&H Price)
10.2 Megapixels, 4X Optical Zoom, Selectable ISO from 100-1600, f/2.8-4.9 aperture, 1-2 fps up to 5 frames burst capability w/ 0.6 fps continuous, 14MB built in memory, 2.8" color display, Optical Image Stabilization, 2.2"H x 4.2"W x 1.1"D & 6.6 oz weight. This camera also has a unique 16x9 camera and movie mode which makes wide angle photo and movies.

I really like my Panasonic Lumix FZ20 and both these cameras have similar controls (lessening the learning curve on the camera) and use the SD cards I already have. However, on some digital camera review websites, these cameras were rated good except for the amount of noise they show at low ISOs. Both in depth reviews I read said that over ISO 200, the noise is very bad. Other than that, they were great cameras.

So, I looked at which ones were rated good and came up with these two.


Fuji FinePix F30 ($200 B&H Price)
6.1 Megapixels, 3X Optical Zoom, Selectable ISO from 100-3200, f/2.8-5.0 aperture, 2.2 fps up to 3 frames burst capability w/ 1.5 fps continuous, 10MB built in memory, 2.5" color display, NO Optical Image Stabilization, 2.2"H x 3.6"W x 1.1"D & 5.5 oz weight.

Surprisingly, this is one of the highest rated compact cameras on the market today. Almost every website raved about this camera's ability in low light situations. Despite its lack of Image Stabilization, it produces incredible quality shots even at ISO 1600. Down side... it is only a 3x optical zoom and it takes xD cards (I already have a collection of Compact Flash and SD cards).


Canon Powershot A640 ($335 B&H Price)
10.0 Megapixels, 4x Optical Zoom, Selectable ISO from 100-800, f/2.8-4.1 aperture, 1.8 fps continuous burst capability, NO built in memory, 2.5" color display, NO Optical Image Stabilization, 2.6"H x 4.3"W x 1.9"D & 8.7 oz weight. This camera takes AA batteries.

Nothing special about this camera, but it did get good ratings in alot of the digital camera review websites. It is the largest camera of the bunch and I am not sure whether the AA battery is a like or dislike.

So, what do I do?