Which for low light
 

Hello all,

I have been thinking of getting a Nikon P100 as a step up from my Canon Ixus 800. I visit a lot of National Trust properties and similar stately homes. I was swinging towards the Nikon as I have been told that they are very good in low light situations, (you can't usually use the flash in these properties).

Is there anything else out there that is good in low light? I don't want to go the DSLR route.

Cheers

Phil

Phil,

As a general rule, the bigger the sensor, or the less densely packed with pixels it is, the better the low light performance. So, if you're not going for a dSLR, then a "compact" with a bigger sensor will probably perform better in low light.

I don't know what your budget is, but take a look at the Olympus PL1 or Panasonic GF1. If you want some enormous zoom range and don't want the faff of changing lenses, then you are after the holy grail and it doesn't exist. Yet.

Hello,

Thanks for that, I'll check them out. I used to have an SLR but I lost interest when the prints came back and they weren't very good due to incorrect setting, which I could never remember and couldn't be bothered writing down at the time of taking the picture.
Since joining the National Trust I have come upon many difficult situations to shoot which has made me use the various (though limited) manual settings on the Ixus which, in turn has ignited an interest in photography, I think mainly because you can get a fair idea of how it is, you can take quite a few shots of the same subject without paying for developing, and you can see what setting were used.
I don't think I am ready for a DSLR yet though, they look a bit cumbersome to carry around and then there's the big bag with lenses in and swapping and changing them all the time.
Cheers

Phil

Phil
There are a few customer reviews of the P100 camera on Amazons website.Nothing in depth but you may find it useful.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-P100-D...6301751&sr=8-1
rgds
Stephen

You may find this of interest:
http://www.worldphotographyforum.com...ead.php?t=6105

The Panasonic TZ range performs well in low light. Much better than my FZ30. With the FZ I have to use a tripod the TZ seems to handle things a lot better. Just stick it on burst mode take a shed load of shots.

I've finally narrowed it down to two. I have thought long and hard regarding budget and usage etc.

I am torn between the Panasonic GF1 and the Panasonic G2. Being a current compact user and liking the size of compacts I am leaning towards the GF1, can you convince me otherwise??

Phil

Phil,

The thing to do now, is go to a shop and try them both. Others will have an opinion as to which is best, but it's you that's going to be using it. Things that you like/dislike will almost certainly be different to the things others have an opinion on. It's now down to you to decide.

The thing is, I really don't have a physical preference as far as handling is concerned. I have had many cameras in the past and have always got used to the feel of them after a couple of hours. It's the image quality I am more concerned with and the shop won't allow me to try them out in the field so to speak.

I would like to go for the more compact GF1 purely due to convenience but if the G1 is a better camera image wise then I would probably go for that.

Cheers

Phil

The GF2 was announced today and is 19% smaller. See:http://www.dpreview.com/news/1011/10...nasonicgf2.asp
Note they have a more detailed preview linked under "Jump to" near the top of the page.