As suggested by our own Monica Kern, I'm posting this again in the ABF.
I'm shopping for a new camera. So - if you are a camera geek please give me some advice or send me to an appropriate and fairly busy forum.
I need a job specific camera. I need to be able to take architectural interior and exterior shots INCLUDING evening or low light shots. I need a wide angle. It should be able to tripod mount or point and shoot. I'm willing to spend up to (or around) $500.00 I would prefer not to lug around a DSLR. I'm looking at cameras like the Canon G10 or Nikon P6000, however I don't want to spend a lot of time learning the camera or photo editing in some big and expensive software like photoshop.
"Keep it simple" is my desire.
I've been all over the Internet seeking advice and getting nowhere so I'm turning to my friends here in this *active* piano community to give me some advice(some of these camera forums I swear - no one goes there).

I've also been steered toward the Panasonic LX3 and like the reviews I've read.

I appreciate any and all help.

Thanks,
Mike

I’m not an expert, but Cannon seems to offer lots of bang per dollar.
I have an older PowerShot from the “Elph” line that I’ve been real happy with.

Here is a filtered search from newegg: Cannon

Hi Mike,

I'm not experienced with the sort of cameras you are looking at - I jumped straight in and bought a dslr a few months back. So i can't offer you much advice on the specific models other than a couple of website reviews I found:

http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com - rated both the Canon G10 and the LX3 at 91% apiece which shows the quality of each

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews_nikon_coolpix_p6000_6.php - clearly states that the Canon and Panasonic cameras beat the Nikon.

From those two reviews, I would be inclined to go with the Canon or Panasonic. You get a slightly wider angle lens with the Panasonic, but more zoom with the Canon.

If you are looking to take low level pictures, you should look closely at what each review says about the ISO quality (this can help with picture quality in low light).

Based on what I quickly saw, I would be tempted by the Panasonic if money was tight, or the Canon if can afford it. I'm not sure if each of those can be mounted on tri-pods, I didn't read closely enough.

Euan

(I have nothing against Nikon, by the way - that's what my camera is!)

Canon makes excelent cameras.
If you're looking for a compact camera, the Olympus SP-590 Ultra Zoom is a good choice too.

I have an Olympus E-330 reflex, and although I'm happy with it so far, I admit it has some noise in nocturnal shoots if I don't use a tripod.
But with a little practice you can get nice night shoots:

(click to enlarge)


BTW, if you don't want to carry a heavy tripod, an option to consider is getting a Gorillapod: it's light and useful to stabilize the camera in difficult angles. I have one and it works!

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=6EIrCecCwv8 --> Gorillapod examples

Thanks for the replies.
I'm leaning toward the Panasonic LX-3 for a couple of reasons; the wider lense (24mm as compared to Canons 28) and the lower pixel count which, as I understand it, can create "noise" in darker shots. (why do they call it noise?)
All reviews seem stellar.
Can be had for around $400.00

Thanks,
Nothing purchased yet!
(that was an hour ago - went with the LX3)
Mike

With the LX3 you can record video in HD. You get 24mm and F2.0, very good in low light situation.

Serge

I purchased a Canon powershot G10 for Mrs Hunky recently and she loves it. The specs and zoom range are fantastic. She loves doing macro with it as well.

The only downside of the camera is that it cannot take a "raw" image. If you ever wanted to submit a picture for publication in a magazine, most of them require the image to be in the "raw" format. I believe only an slr can do this but I'm not sure.

If you are looking for the best "bang for the buck", the Canon G10 cannot be beat which is why it is rated #1 digital camera under $500.

SH,
The G10 was a very strong contender. After spending hours at the computer I've ordered the Panasonic LX3 instead of the G10 because of a lot of stuff that I don't understand; Noise especially.
Being that I will be using this camera only for work and not being the artsy fartsy photographer I found that the LX3 seemed (hell - what do I know) like the more appropriate choice. Especially after reading this review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicdmclx3/
Actually that is not the review that swayed me but I can't find the one that did

Here it is; the convincer.

web page

Mike

Hi again Mike - good choice with the camera, am sure you will have lots of fun with it! I think I'm right in saying that your camera has a Leica lens on it, which is great as they make some pretty expensive equipment.

As for your previous comment about noise - it gets its name in a similar way to 'snow' on a bad television picture. In other words, its an interference which prevents a clean image coming through.

It's mainly a problem with night photography, when someone uses too high an ISO rating. Here is a quick example:

http://photo.net/equipment/sony/a100/noise2.jpg

The image on the left is the 'noisy' one. If you look closely at the bottom right of the image in the grey section, you can see the distortion of the pixels, as opposed to the purer image on the right side.

This is not correct. The G10 takes pictures in the RAW format just like a dslr. :-)


Peace.

/Richard

Thanks for everybodys help!
Euan, I thought that is what "noise" is. You have confirmed my thoughts.
When the camera arrives I'll take some *piano pictures*!

Mike

Those two websites I sent you .. are excellent sites for getting photography feedback / advice / tips, etc.

www.DpChallenge.com (Forums or enter a challenge)

www.FredMiranda.com (Forums)

Mike, it is great that you know what application you are going to use the camera for, because then you can test them out before you made the purchase.

The standard things like resolution, speeds, etc. are fine for most digital cameras nowadays, but you have specific needs, so you need to check out on the lnes.

Part of the reasons that some lenses (especially those used by professionals) are so expensive because they have multiple elements that correct for errors.

A simple lens (as drawn by 2 circular arcs in physics) classes make a lot of errors. Like the center will receive slightly more light than the sides. This can be digitally corrected internally and might not affect most application.

Likewise, it is hard to focus on a plane, so if you focus on a plane, the sides get slightly out of focus, but this is ok for most people because usually your subject is in the center (like a person), and who cares if the hundreds of trees in the background is SLIGHTLY out of focus. But for other applications that needs sharper focus across the plane, they will need lenses with correction elements.

For your application, probably perspective distorition is important. A single element lens is going to have some distortion, so some correction through other lens elements must be made. How much (and it affects prices of course) depends on how much you need the correction to be.

The best thing is to try it. If you are in a store, it is an architecture. Imagine your most possible use and take similar pictures, like display racks could be your pillars and columns of your architecture. Take pictures of closeups, corners, turns, etc. and see if there is unacceptable distortions.

What I said above is in principle only. It might not be 100% accurate, but hopefully it explains the lens and correction a little bit.

Mike-

Nice choice on the camera. We have a Panasonic FX28, and that's our second Panasonic digital. Really nice, easy to use for me (who understands nothing about cameras), but has enough bells and whistles for hubby (who does get all that stuff). They've been very good in low light, as well. We take a lot of photos at concerts and the Panasonics have been the best in low light.

And if the camera search ever comes up again, try this site for reviews, etc. We've found it to be really helpful:

Steve\'s Digicams

Richard, I'll have my wife check into that. I know she wanted to submit a few photographs to a local publication (Arizona Highways) and I just remember her saying they could not use her images since they were not in the "raw" format.

Maybe she has her settings wrong, I don't know but will ask. Thanks for the tip.

Most digitals will default to a non-RAW setting. You must manually choose to shoot in RAW. Check the menu. If all else fails, check the manual!
Becky