Looking for camera replacement recommendation

[drm]

My Kodak Z1012 IS died last summer and I've been making do with older P&Ss and my phone over the "winter", but need a decent camera for the upcoming hiking season. Note that I am not really a photography hobbiest. I always use automatic settings, but I think I am good at choosing the scene and composing. I've been perusing the web, but getting recommendations from folks with the same usage/interest that I KNOW are genuine reviews helps.

Requirements:

1. No DSLRs - don't want to get into the lenses, etc.
2. Need wide angle, prefer to get down to 24mm.
3. The hard one: would greatly prefer an optical viewfinder.
4. Optical zoom: at least 10x and preferably more.
5. Sensor: I've been told that larger-sized sensors make a big difference.
6. MP - from what I've seen, all cameras have enough pixels for my needs.
7. Size/weight: while smaller and lighter is always better, I'm not as picky here. For all the right specs, I will suffer a heavier camera.
8. Cost: following from #6, cheaper is always better, but I also don't want to skimp on this.

The camera will be used essentially 100% on hikes and outdoors.

And since I live an hour from Portland, visiting a nice camera shop is not so easy and requirement #3 above limits what choices they have in stock.

Thanks for any help.

[Lumpy]

I recently bought a Nikon CoolPix AW 120. It's a great camera, but it has no optical viewfinder, and the battery life suffers. I'm still happy with it, and carry a spare battery.

[sprengers4jc]

My friend had nearly identical requirements as you and recently purchased this camera and has been thrilled with it.

[rainrunner]

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 Digital Camera from B & H photo online.
It is a Leica 24x zoom Lens with f/2.8 aperture across the full range of its zoom.
Also shoots in RAW as well as jpeg.

I have heard good reviews from the camera.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panason ... -dmc-fz200

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8 ... amera.html

[kepPNW]

Yeah, I think I'd be looking at the Panasonic stuff here, too, were it not for the size. An older model of the one above, that really caught my eye, would be

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... &A=details

http://www.dpreview.com/products/panaso ... ic_dmcfz70

Incredible specs, very good price. I think it meets every one of your criteria, given #7's tolerance. (My only hesitation, other than size/weight, is that they inexplicably didn't use the Leica lens on this model!)

[jdemott]

Buying a camera, you almost always run up against some mutually incompatible design criteria. In your case, the desire to have a long (10X) zoom range in a reasonably sized and priced package dictates that you will have a camera with a very small sensor (1/2.3"). Why it matters--larger sensors will give you cleaner, sharper images in low light or shadow situations and will let you use faster shutter speeds with acceptable noise levels (a big plus if you are using a long focal length). But...if you were reasonably satisfied with the image quality and performance of your old Kodak, you will likely find that the improvements in technology during the past six or seven years will make you very happy, even with a small sensor. On the other hand, if you have been frustrated by low light shots and want better image quality, you could consider a camera with a 5X zoom range and larger sensor. With a 12+ megapixel sensor, you can easily crop a photo when you want to zoom in.

Digital Photography Review http://www.dpreview.com/ is a reliable and useful resource. Click on the Buying Guide link which will give you access to the Camera Feature search where you can plug in different criteria like zoom range and sensor size to get a list of the cameras meeting your goals. The Buying Guide also lists recommended cameras in various categories. The Nikon AW 120 is highly rated as a "rugged" camera which would be good if you are concerned about getting your camera wet and/or dropping it, but all the rugged cameras suffer in image quality compared to their less rugged, "normal" counterparts. The Panasonic ZS40 is also highly rated and seems to have most of what you want at a reasonable price. dpreview lets you see sample photos from the various cameras so you can compare. Shutterbug stores around the Portland area seem pretty helpful in letting you try different cameras, so you could call and see what they have in stock. Good luck.

[kelkev]

I recently sold my Olympus Pen setup and picked up a Olympus SZ-16 ihs. It's compact, has 24X zoom, 25mm wide angle, a 16 megapixel CMOS sensor, 1080p HD movie mode, and I've been happy as a clam with it so far. No viewfinder, but pretty tough to come by anymore unless you go the DSLR route. Very nice image quality (I'm just a hobbyist hiker/photographer), fast focus lock, and decent battery life. I did pick up an extra battery just for backup. I got tired of lugging around lenses and was looking for something like you - lightweight, compact, zoom, wide angle, and simple to operate....and I don't have to lug it around my neck or dig into my pack to find it.....fits nicely in a Lowepro Portland 20 compact case right on my hipbelt.

The best part of the deal is the price - - I couldn't pass it up for the $129 I paid for it. Here's a link to a review that pushed me over to Amazon....don't buy it direct from Olympus unless you want to pay $229.00...

http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-r ... eview.html

http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/sz-16-ihs.html

[kepPNW]

I recently sold my Olympus Pen setup and picked up a Olympus SZ-16 ihs. It's compact, has 24X zoom, 25mm wide angle, a 16 megapixel CMOS sensor, 1080p HD movie mode, and I've been happy as a clam with it so far.

Wow, you got me googling, and I ran into this bundle!

To me, that's an awfully tempting offer to give Olympus a try! Is there a "standalone" battery charger, or does this one require a USB slow trickle? (The need to use the camera itself as a charger is almost a deal-killer for me.)

Thanks!

[kelkev]

That is a great price for the extras included! Unfortunately, this is a "charge in camera" USB that seems to be the norm these days - - and it's a proprietary USB cord (included), not the standard mini-usb. But mine seems to charge reasonably quickly; I do know that you can buy a standalone LI-50B battery charger, either Olympus brand (expensive) or a decent aftermarket one (like Upstart or Wasabi) for a lot less $.

For the money, it's a great compromise of size, performance, decent photo quality.

Kevin

[Don Nelsen]

I agree with Karl on the FZ70: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/8 ... amera.html

As one who regularly loses/drowns or otherwise destroys an average of one camera per year I shy away from the more expensive ones and stick to ones I feel have good value but are not particularly expensive.

I bought the FZ70 a few days prior to a trip to Iceland and Norway last September and loved the results. Very intuitive controls, great battery life (~500 pics/charge) good wide angle (20mm) and fantastic zoom. Another plus is it takes a 55mm polarizer and I just happened to have one from a previous camera that suffered a drowning incident. (Of course, true to form, I managed to lose the polarizer on a hike in the highlands of Norway and had to get another once back!)

The camera has a good electronic viewfinder in addition to the regular screen, came with a really nice carrying case and a large capacity memory chip - good for over 2,500 pics. HD video is great and so far, after perhaps 5000 pics, I have nothing bad to say about it.

Here are a few pics taken with it:

Looking north from Red Mountain a week ago: normal wide angle 20mm


From the same spot, zoom of Pikers Peak on Mt. Adams, 10x zoom, hand held.


Just my 2 cents.

dn