Thinking about upgrading...

[Tinkerbell in Texas]

I have a little Olympus FE-230 point and shoot that's been my constant companion for the past several years. I love it but it's time to find it a partner. I'd like something that is still light and portable but with higher pixel count and MUCH better optical zoom. Recommendations?

[Thud]

I really like my Olympus XZ-1. Not much bigger than a compact, f1.8 lens (works great indoors with no flash), a handy control ring around the lens, and a DSLR-size sensor.

Canon powershot S95 is also supposed to be very good.


I already have my eye on some mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras though!

[Grey Ghost]

Forget about pixel count, unless you are printing posters.

The size of the sensor and lens gives you image quality.
P/S = smallest sensor, DSLR Crop Sensor = larger sensor, DSLR Full Frame = even larger sensor, Medium Format = even larger. The trade off is with the size of the camera body, due to the mirror box in the body.

If you want to stay with a P/S. I would get a Canon S100.

If you want something a little larger with a interchangeable lens option. Look at the micro 4/3rds mirrorless cameras from several mfgs. This sector is what most mfgs. are concentrating on these days. These are smaller than a DSLR, but have a sensor very close to the same size. A bit larger than a P/S though. Plus you can change lens.

If you want a DSLR - all the Rebels, etc...are good.

Let us know what you decide or if you have more questions.

[Tinkerbell in Texas]

Originally Posted by Grey Ghost

Forget about pixel count, unless you are printing posters.
The size of the sensor and lens gives you image quality.
P/S = smallest sensor, DSLR Crop Sensor = larger sensor, DSLR Full Frame = even larger sensor, Medium Format = even larger. The trade off is with the size of the camera body, due to the mirror box in the body.
If you want to stay with a P/S. I would get a Canon S100.
If you want something a little larger with a interchangeable lens option. Look at the micro 4/3rds mirrorless cameras from several mfgs. This sector is what most mfgs. are concentrating on these days. These are smaller than a DSLR, but have a sensor very close to the same size. A bit larger than a P/S though. Plus you can change lens.
If you want a DSLR - all the Rebels, etc...are good.
Let us know what you decide or if you have more questions.

Thanks!
I do print out large scale prints for my watercolor paintings so that's a consideration. I'll look into the 4/3rds as that sounds about what I'm looking for. It's been a very long time since I had a photography class in college. I need to relearn all the terms.

[SnowDale]

If you want to get together sometime, I can brush you up on your photography knowledge. It's easy.

[Tinkerbell in Texas]

Originally Posted by SnowDale

If you want to get together sometime, I can brush you up on your photography knowledge. It's easy.

Cool! Thanks Dale!

[Tinkerbell in Texas]

Originally Posted by TxAg

You can also checkout dpreview.com to see the specs and compare cameras.

Thanks!! brb

Originally Posted by TxAg

Alright H-town peeps sounds like we need to work on a VB Photog GTG.

Now THAT sounds like a really great idea!!!