Choleric

Well ever since my old camera, a Canon S80, got stolen in back in June I've been saving/considering getting a new one. I think now is the time, just wondering if I could get some opinions and suggestions...

I'm primarily looking for a point and shoot because I need a camera I can take to parties, friends' houses and such but at the same time I need a camera that is pretty powerful and can take some high quality photos.
So I have been thinking of these...

Canon Powershot S80- This is what I had before and I really liked it, pretty good photos and still compact enough to take everywhere, I am just not sure if this will be upgraded anytime soon.
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$400-$500

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX1- I've been reading about this one and it seems pretty nice.
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$400-$500

Canon Powershot G7- Someone mentioned it here, and it looks great, I just think that it might be too much camera for an amature like myself and it is bigger than the others and more expensive
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$600

So what do you guys think? Have any other suggestions?

notic

I'd go for the G7. the features seem overwhelming at first, but you'll get the hang of it quickly and you'll wonder how you ever did without them perviously. Go to a local camera shop and try and bargain the price down. I knocked off about $100 when I got my Rebel Xt.

I have bad experiences with panasonic cameras. my gf's panasonic fx-7 takes grainy photos in most lighting conditions while in the automatic mode.

NevadaJack

I'm not really up to speed on the P&S lines. I know the G series is a excellent camera and the fact they do not support RAW in the G7, that is really not of concern to you.

My advice is stay with Canon...I still have a S230 and it shoots great imgages at only 2.3 megapixels. They just released some new ones so take a look...you are in a price range that will buy you a pretty nice package. The SD800 or 900 has some nice features and is really compact.

Here is the Canon site for their P&S line.

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Michael

Well I go to dpreview.com to see most of the up to date reviews and check out what people are saying. Check this out:

Canon Powershot S80
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Highly Recommended

What people have to say:
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4.37 out of 5.00

Pan Dx1 is recommended not highly recommended
review: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

What people have to say:

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4.37 again it seems

Canon Powershot G7 review: well, there is none at Dpreview as of yet.

There is only one personal and I am not sure if I would go with what this person says: - ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

I think you should stick with the two canon, personally I would go with the S80. 0.02 cents

If you don't want to stick with the same, then just wait around for the review of the G7, it should be good. Honestly go DSLR, you won't regret it. For that... I can give you lots of info...as Jack can as well.

D80, D200, 400D, A100...the list goes on.

Choleric

Thanks for the input guys. I think it will be between the S80 or the G7, price will probablly be the deciding factor here.

PHYBENZ

I've had the S50 and then upgraded to the S70 and i am beyond pleased with the s70 especially with the wide angle lens. It kind of depends on what you want because I was in the same dilmma between the s70 and the G6, but decided on the s70 because it was easier to carry around. The lens on the G7 is better, and as everyone knows the lens is what makes the camera.

Choleric

Yeah, I like the wide angle, and that lumix has that feature to switch between 16:9, 4:3, and 3:2 which is nice.

I also have just now been looking at the Leica D-lux 3 which seems to be almost the exact same thing as the Panasonic lumix dmc lx2 just different styling and I guess new image processing or something.

anyway here is a side by side of all the cameras....

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Choleric

Well I think I am going to get the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2 because: a) cheaper b)wide angle c)newer and d) it appeals to me both asthetically and technically.

The only problems I've read about it is the noise in lowlight but I guess they said when shooting in RAW it's better.

Another thing I have been considering, after playing around with my fathers Pentax ist DS, is the possibility of getting a DSLR. The only problem is I don't know where to start looking, I've heard good things about Canon, and than I saw that this Panasonic Lumix L1 just came out and that seams pretty nice and I like the style, than there is also the Pentax I've been using or maybe an upgrade, it seems like a pretty nice camera. The only possible problem here is the money, I am in college you know.

Guys know of any good SLR's?

The Lumix L1

notic

If money is an issue, then the L1 shouldn't really be considered. I really want that camera too, but its almost double the price of other dslrs of the same or better caliber. If your looking for a new dslr, now is a good time. You can either get a one of newly debuted entry level ones (Canon Xti, Nikon D80, Sony Alpha, Sigma...i forgot the name). Or get one from the last generation (Nikon D70, Canon Xt, etc). They are still quite new, but you can save a few hundred if you don't mind less features.

edit: if you do decide to get a slr, be warned that costs can add up very quickly if you get curious. lenses (macro, wide, telephoto, etc), filters, adaptive flash, remote triggers, tripods....

SDNR

The Lumix L1 is an awesome camera Choleric ...you would be getting the best optics available with its Leica lens -- Leica cameras are very expensive, so to get that quality lens in a better priced camera body is a very attractive aspect of the Lumix L1.

Canon do make some excellent DSLRs ...they are probably the industry leaders ....with Nikon also fighting for top position.

Notic has given excellent advice above ....ultimately, you should think about what it is you want to shoot with your new camera. If you are wanting to get quite serious about photography, then an SLR is a better option because you can then add to the system with different lenses in the future. However, as you already know, you can get amazing results even from a point-and-shoot compact camera too.