Travel Photography - P&S w/ Stabilized Ultrazoom & Hot Shoe?

Can someone recommend a point-and-shoot (does not need to be tiny) with stabilized ultrazoom and a hot shoe?

A mostly- or fully-retractable lens would be a big benefit, so I could put it in a (man's) pants pocket while traveling.

I am partial to SDHC cards, rather than some of the proprietary memory formats.

Thank you.

Time to check the "Features Search" at dpreview.com .

A quick check for size, SD and hot shoe suggests you are looking at:

Canon Powershot G7, G9, G10 or A650 IS
Nikon Coolpix P5000, P5100 or P6000
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3

Only the Canons have the long zoom.

For a low cost alternative, the Samsung SL102

For really long zoom, reviewers consistently put the Canon SX10 IS (20x, 28-560mm 35mm equivalent zoom) and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 (18x, 27-486mm) at the top of the pack. Both list for $400 in the States. Only the Canon has a hot shoe. Neither would fit into a pants pocket.

(The Panny was discontinued recently, though it can still be found. Its replacement, FZ35 in the States and FZ38 most other places, has been announced but isn't shipping yet. It's a non-trivial, but definitely not earth-shaking, upgrade. Few reviews so far. No hot shoe.)

A mostly- or fully-retractable lens would be a big benefit, so I could put it in a (man's) pants pocket while traveling.

Your pocket or someone else's? :D:D

I am debating between Nikon p6000 and Canon G10. Any suggestions/recommendations on which one should I get?

Your pocket or someone else's? :D:D
My pocket :)

I have a Panasonic DMC-FZ8, and like it's zoom and stabilizer but not its size or lack of hotshoe.

Thank you abmj-jr for the tip about Features Search!

I am debating between Nikon p6000 and Canon G10. Any suggestions/recommendations on which one should I get?

You may have seen this comparison (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/pocket-battleships.shtml).

I am looking for a small camera when I don't fell like lugging my D700, etc. The P6000 has some nice features (most notably for me, shoots RAW) but I thought it was a bit large. The article cited calls the P6000 "shirt pocketable". Is that really true?

You may have seen this comparison (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/pocket-battleships.shtml).



Thanks for the link. From this review it appears that G10 is much better, however more bulkier. I think I will try P6000 first, due to the fact that I need a smaller size camera.

Try a P5000, this is my travel camera. At 10MP is just about as much pixel density as you want for a 1/1.8 size sensor. It would go in my pants pocket but its holster is only a little larger than a phone holster. Since it had been superseded by P5100 and P6000, a used unit in Akihabara in Tokyo is only a little over Y10,000.

To OP,

Here is my P5000 (http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f228/oar8/Camera/DSCN0089.jpg) with a 3X tele-converter mounted (Nikon TC-E3ED). This setup gives you 378mm effective. Unfortunately the zoom range is limited, about 300mm-378mm.

The camera has Vibration Reduction and can take a Nikon i-TTL type flash such as the SB-400. Once the converter is set in the menu, only an external flash will work.

The setup with converter mounted will be hard pressed to fit in a coat pocket but not that bad separately.

Out of curiousity, why do you need a hotshoe? Is it to get the flash farther from the lens? Or for extra power?

To OP,

Here is my P5000 (http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f228/oar8/Camera/DSCN0089.jpg) with a 3X tele-converter mounted (Nikon TC-E3ED). This setup gives you 378mm effective. Unfortunately the zoom range is limited, about 300mm-378mm.

The camera has Vibration Reduction and can take a Nikon i-TTL type flash such as the SB-400. Once the converter is set in the menu, only an external flash will work.

The setup with converter mounted will be hard pressed to fit in a coat pocket but not that bad separately.

Thank you for the information and photo, SJUAMMF.

Out of curiousity, why do you need a hotshoe? Is it to get the flash farther from the lens? Or for extra power?
At several conventions each year, I'm enlisted to take photos of speakers and prize-winners. I use an external slave flash to get more light, but it tends to flash unexpectedly when others are taking photos. And, it has no provision for adjusting the amount of light generated.

I'm also interested in using multiple battery-operarted strobes (Ref: strobist.com) for portrait lighting, probably activated by radio.

Of course you know that all of the Nikon flashes can do multi-flash. That P5000 shot posted above was taken with three flashes. Current line-up only the SB-900 and a SU-800 controller can be master. The recently superseded SB-800 can be a master too. They will work wirelessly or with wires.

While I have a SB-800, I am using mostly older non-i-TTL flashes with wires.

I'm also interested in using multiple battery-operarted strobes (Ref: strobist.com) for portrait lighting, probably activated by radio.

I use radio slaves and they're amazing! I used to joke that if a client saw a wire they'd make a point to trip over it. With these, there's one less wire per flash to worry about. My flash units are about ten pounds and run on AC, and if they fall, I'm out a lot of $$.

Thanks for the link. From this review it appears that G10 is much better, however more bulkier. I think I will try P6000 first, due to the fact that I need a smaller size camera.

I am looking for a P&S that does RAW. The lack of a RAW image buffer in the P6000 seems like a major shortcoming. I wonder when Nikon will come out with it's next version.

I am looking for a P&S that does RAW. The lack of a RAW image buffer in the P6000 seems like a major shortcoming. I wonder when Nikon will come out with it's next version.

P6000 shots RAW in NRW (which was a subject of much idiotic blathering early on)

I am looking for a P&S that does RAW. The lack of a RAW image buffer in the P6000 seems like a major shortcoming. I wonder when Nikon will come out with it's next version.

I did see that in a review, however still decided to give it a try and ordered it yesterday.

P6000 shots RAW in NRW (which was a subject of much idiotic blathering early on)

I understand that. Here is my concern:

From a shooting perspective the Nikon's biggest failing is its lack of a raw buffer. Once a raw frame is taken the camera becomes immobilized until the buffer has cleared – several seconds. The Canon, on the other hand, has a three frame buffer and can shoot at the rate of one frame every 0.7 seconds. Frankly, for a camera with even semi-serious pretensions, not to have a live histogram or a multi-shot raw buffer is a serious set of failings.