Travel Photography - Has Digital P&S Photography come that far in the last 4 years?

Reason I ask is because we have a 4 year old Canon SD300, that has been very reliable, but thought "Oh, technology must have come a long way in the last 4 years, so let's upgrade."

We bought the Canon SD780 after reading many glowing reviews on BH Photo, and after having taken a few test shots we really don't like it. There is so much noise when using the optical zoom. Should we just stick with our trusty SD300 or is it that we just looked at the wrong camera to replace it?

Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Reason I ask is because we have a 4 year old Canon SD300, that has been very reliable, but thought "Oh, technology must have come a long way in the last 4 years, so let's upgrade."

We bought the Canon SD780 after reading many glowing reviews on BH Photo, and after having taken a few test shots we really don't like it. There is so much noise when using the optical zoom. Should we just stick with our trusty SD300 or is it that we just looked at the wrong camera to replace it?

Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Can you elaborate on the noise issue? I haven't used this particular model, but have had/used several different Canon SDs and have not noticed excess noise in the pictures when using reasonably low ISO.

In general, what has happened in four years is in most cases a lot more megapixels, a bunch of new features, and overall, the same or even lower picture quality. The electronics are better and faster and shutter lag etc. should be more manageable.

The SD780 is definitely in the lower end of the Canon product line, so some other alternatives would be the SD870 or SD970 or the G10.

The big change that has happened though, is the emergence of affordable, super capable DSLRs.

Cheers,
T.

The SD300 is an awesome camera.

What is it that you want to do that it isnt doing? I have the SD400 and I love it. I keep thinking about upgrading, (mostly because I'm a zoom whore..I'd love to get a 12x optical) but I really have no complaints about the camera, and haven't pulled the trigger on a replacement.

I did have an S3 IS for a while, but it didn't fit in my pocket, so it never left the house...and I went back to the SD400

Higher megapixels on small sensors = more noise. If you really need high megapixels, you'll need a camera with a larger sensor, like a G10 or SX1.

If noise is important, look at Fuji F-series cameras. They have a larger than typical for their class sensors and the sensors are built differently. F200 and upcoming F70 are very interesting cameras - just make sure their features (zoom, controls, etc.) match what you need.

Or it could be that you've outgrown the capabilities of P&S, in this case pick up a Nikon D5000 or a Canon T1i (the Nikon is more capable for photos, the Canon can do better video). Just make sure to dump the kit lens on eBay and pick up something nicer instead.

Can you elaborate on the noise issue? I haven't used this particular model, but have had/used several different Canon SDs and have not noticed excess noise in the pictures when using reasonably low ISO.

In general, what has happened in four years is in most cases a lot more megapixels, a bunch of new features, and overall, the same or even lower picture quality. The electronics are better and faster and shutter lag etc. should be more manageable.

The SD780 is definitely in the lower end of the Canon product line, so some other alternatives would be the SD870 or SD970 or the G10.

The big change that has happened though, is the emergence of affordable, super capable DSLRs.

Cheers,
T.

Thank you for your response. My husband is just getting into photography and we enjoyed some of your postings on other photography threads. By "noise" I mean a general fuzziness. Bear in mind that I was taking a photo of our living room, so there was no motion to contend with. "Thalassa" is Greek for sea. Any chance you are Greek? Thanks again.

The SD300 is an awesome camera.

What is it that you want to do that it isnt doing? I have the SD400 and I love it. I keep thinking about upgrading, (mostly because I'm a zoom whore..I'd love to get a 12x optical) but I really have no complaints about the camera, and haven't pulled the trigger on a replacement.

I did have an S3 IS for a while, but it didn't fit in my pocket, so it never left the house...and I went back to the SD400

The SD300 does everything I want it to do. My husband just thought that we should get something newer as "technology has come so far in 4 years." I returned the new camera today, and am happily keeping my SD300.

Thanks very much for taking time to respond.

Higher megapixels on small sensors = more noise. If you really need high megapixels, you'll need a camera with a larger sensor, like a G10 or SX1.

Hi, my minimal experience seems to confirm what you said. I am keeping the SD300. I understand that the G10 is a great camera but it's too large for what my purposes as I hate carrying a purse. Thanks for responding.

If noise is important, look at Fuji F-series cameras. They have a larger than typical for their class sensors and the sensors are built differently. F200 and upcoming F70 are very interesting cameras - just make sure their features (zoom, controls, etc.) match what you need.

Or it could be that you've outgrown the capabilities of P&S, in this case pick up a Nikon D5000 or a Canon T1i (the Nikon is more capable for photos, the Canon can do better video). Just make sure to dump the kit lens on eBay and pick up something nicer instead.

Thanks very much for responding. I think you may be right about our outgrowing the P&S. My husband bought a Nikon D90 and the difference in quality is striking. I thought that DSLR's were only beneficial for action shots, but I am completely ignorant when it comes to photography. Even the still shots are incredible on the DSLR. I am going to hold on to my SD300 as a back-up camera.

Thank you for your response. My husband is just getting into photography and we enjoyed some of your postings on other photography threads. By "noise" I mean a general fuzziness. Bear in mind that I was taking a photo of our living room, so there was no motion to contend with. "Thalassa" is Greek for sea. Any chance you are Greek? Thanks again.

Have to disappoint you, I am afraid. I am from Finland; the handle comes from the fact that I quite like Xenophon's Anabasis.

Cheers,
T.

By "noise" I mean a general fuzziness. Bear in mind that I was taking a photo of our living room, so there was no motion to contend with.
That sounds very much like it was blurred, not noisy. While the room might not have been moving were your hands? What were the ISO/shutter speed/f.stop settings on the new camera when you took the photo? That is a more likely culprit based on what you've described here, IMO.

That sounds very much like it was blurred, not noisy. While the room might not have been moving were your hands? What were the ISO/shutter speed/f.stop settings on the new camera when you took the photo? That is a more likely culprit based on what you've described here, IMO.

Agree with sbm12's diagnosis.

Cheers,
T.