Canon sx200 IS vs Panasonic dmc-fx550 - wide angle, good in low light

[loesjes]

I am looking for a new camera (surprisingly)
I want to have a camera that has several manual functions so I can experiment a bit, I want at least a 30mm wide angle lens and the camera needs to perform well in poor lighting conditions, with which I mean ambient light etc...

From these specs I am now looking at the Canon sx200 IS vs Panasonic dmc-fx550 (these camera's are not yet on the market, but will come soon, there predecessor were the sx100 and fx500)

I have the idea that canon delivers sharper and more detailed pictures as panasonic and its colors are brighter.

Does anyone have some comments on this or may even suggest a better option?

[Colin Southern]

Originally Posted by loesjes

Does anyone have some comments on this or may even suggest a better option?

First up, welcome to CiC - great to have you with us If you get a chance, pop a reply onto the welcome thread so we can give you a proper welcome!

I don't know either of these cameras to be honest, but my experience is that the colour from all cameras is much of a muchness in that the all get tweaked to taste in post-processing (PP).

My initial thought was have you thought of investing in a true SLR to give you a more flexible platform to work from in the future?

[Wirefox]

My daughter has the FX500. It is a very solid little camera and the image quality is good. The menus are not that intuitive however but with practice you can find what you want fairly quickly. Personally I would go for something with a view finder. The LCD is big and quite bright but in very bright sunlight (which will hopefully be behind you) I really struggle to compose the frame. It feels great, a bit like the feel of a zippo lighter or an iPhone but if you want a camera where you can experiment with manual settings you will very quickly grow out of the ZX500. My daughter is 14 and she is already eyeing my discarded Finepix F7000. As too performance in poor light do not expect miracles you will get grainy images. I cannot comment on the image sharpness compared to the Canon.

[loesjes]

My initial thought was have you thought of investing in a true SLR to give you a more flexible platform to work from in the future?

I am not looking for a SLR because I am taking pictures on holidays and when on holiday I take my camera everywhere, and I think an SLR is to big to do this. I know that compact camera's do all this processing and maybe I will buy an SLR someday, but first I want to experiment with a compact camera with some proper manual controls.

she is already eyeing my discarded Finepix F7000

And therefore I also do not want this kind of camera

I know that I have a somewhat impossible combination of specs but I am looking for a camera that comes close...

[john w revie]

If you want a compact with full manual over ride take a look at the Sigma DP1 and the Canon G10
john

[loesjes]

These camera's are really nice, but a bit out of my budget....I am thinking about buying a camera with the best manual controls and lens from about 300-400euro's....

[AlexB]

You shoul look at Canon SX110 Is, they don't have 28mm wide like SX200, the lens start at 36 but they are fastest than SX 200.
best,
Alex