Travel Photography - Good compact camera recommendation?

Have read all the cnets and similar sites but thought I'd ask some true-to-life FTers instead. :)

Any recommendations for something compact (not ultra-compact) that will mainly be used in low-light conditions? Something that can go that extra step in such situations without lighting up the flash?

Not bothered about the zoom or full manual controls.

Have read all the cnets and similar sites but thought I'd ask some true-to-life FTers instead. :)

Any recommendations for something compact (not ultra-compact) that will mainly be used in low-light conditions? Something that can go that extra step in such situations without lighting up the flash?

Not bothered about the zoom or full manual controls.

I have a Canon S90 that takes great photos without flash provided you hold it really steady. The current model is the S95 and it is supposed to be better in low light.

Have read all the cnets and similar sites but thought I'd ask some true-to-life FTers instead. :)

Any recommendations for something compact (not ultra-compact) that will mainly be used in low-light conditions? Something that can go that extra step in such situations without lighting up the flash?

Not bothered about the zoom or full manual controls.

The consensus here seems to favor Canon S95 (I have the older S90 model and love it) and the Panasonic Lumix LX5. If you search a bit here, you can find several threads about them.

Apart from these, there are three newish compacts which feature a very respectable f/1.8 maximum aperture:

Samsung TL500
Olympus XZ-1
Nikon Coolpix P300

See this article (http://nikonrumors.com/2011/02/08/comparing-f1-8-compact-cameras-samsung-tl500-olympus-xz-1-and-nikon-coolpix-p300.aspx/) for the specs of these cameras.

Finally, if you are willing to spend significantly more money for the image quality, the new Fujifilm X100 has garnered some rave reviews. It costs around $1200 and does not have a zoom, but many photography pros are very enthusiastic about the camera.

Cheers,
T.

I have a Canon S90 that takes great photos without flash provided you hold it really steady. The current model is the S95 and it is supposed to be better in low light.

^

Consider a mirrorless style interchangeable lens- e.g. Olympus Pen or Sony Nex, they are compact yet still have the advantages of the larger sensor.

I've been looking closely at the Canon range but as mentioned, low-light conditions and being able to get decent shots in without flash is my top priority.

Due to this I've been looking at the Canon ELPH 500 HS (a.k.a. IXU 310 HS in certain countries) with a CMOS sensor and f/2.0 max. aperture. It's supposed to be really good in low-light scenarios - has anyone used one by any chance?

It's a year or so old, but may help

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-photography/1092465-great-point-shoot-camera-advice-night-photography-without-tripod.html

I just bought a Ricoh GR Digital III which works very well and neat. One-year warranty from Ricoh.

I've been looking closely at the Canon range but as mentioned, low-light conditions and being able to get decent shots in without flash is my top priority.

Due to this I've been looking at the Canon ELPH 500 HS (a.k.a. IXU 310 HS in certain countries) with a CMOS sensor and f/2.0 max. aperture. It's supposed to be really good in low-light scenarios - has anyone used one by any chance?

I have not used the ELPH 500HS, but it has a 1/2.3" sensor as opposed to a 1/1.17" sensor in the S95. As it also has a higher pixel count, the pixel density is significantly higher than in the S95 – this is very likely to result in inferior low-light performance.

If good low-light performance is important, you are typically better off with a larger sensor.

Cheers,
T.

just my 2 cents:

Ive always recommended the Panasonic DMC-LX5, $400 on Amazon. Comes with a quick Leica lens (f/2.0-3.3) and you can push the ISO out to 12800 for your night shots.

I've been looking closely at the Canon range but as mentioned, low-light conditions and being able to get decent shots in without flash is my top priority.

Due to this I've been looking at the Canon ELPH 500 HS (a.k.a. IXU 310 HS in certain countries) with a CMOS sensor and f/2.0 max. aperture. It's supposed to be really good in low-light scenarios - has anyone used one by any chance?

I think any of the new CMOS Canon cameras are a good choice if you highly value low light performance.

The 300 HS, 500 HS and SX230 HS have all been getting great reviews. Some people seem to think that a CCD sensor does better in bright light, but not by very much.

The CMOS really shines in low light though.

Or really just bring a tripod (even those mini table top ones)- or lean the camera against a rock/wall or something. Low light is really only "useful" for low light sport or other moving low light objects.

Thanks guys, I ended up getting my lady a Sony WX9 for now, and ordered from the US as in other countries Sony seems to be peddling the WX7 instead.

Got myself a Casio ZR100 and absolutely love it. Fantastic performer, I'm impressed that Casio has produced such a great camera.

Some "top end" compacts are really exceeding "low end" DSLRs in terms of quality. The boundary between compact and SLR continues to get blurred as time and technology goes on.

Lumix cameras are the best choice for traveling.

I have a bunch of compact cameras which I've travelled with in the last year specifically:

Olympus E-P1
Panasonic GF-1
Leica D-Lux 4 (same as the Panasonic Lumix)
Ricoh GRD2

and the latest, my Canon S100. the Micro 4/3rds bodies (E-P1, GF-1) are much better at low-light than the point and shoots are (larger sensor and all). They also have faster lenses on them, which helps tremendously in the lower light settings.

For travel purposes, the S100 is going to take its maiden voyage in a week and probably end up being my travel camera given the built-in GPS - I really like to know exactly where my photos were taken :D

I'm personally a Panasonic GF-1 user for my compact camera (if I need something more compact, I use my iPhone).

For lower-light, you'd probably want the option of a faster lens, so if you want an all-in-one package, I'd suggest either the Panasonic DMC-LX5 (f/2 minimum aperture in wide angle or 3.3 in tele) or the Olympus ZX-1 (f/1.8 min). They both list around $500.

I have a Lumix ZS7 (http://www.flickr.com/cameras/panasonic/dmc-zs7/) and really enjoy it.

I have a Lumix ZS7 (http://www.flickr.com/cameras/panasonic/dmc-zs7/) and really enjoy it.

FWIW, internationally this model's known as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10.

No, I don't know why. I have considered getting it as a spouse camera; Himself's not much of a shutterbug but does occasionally take a great photo.