Looking to buy a good compact zoom point and shoot camera. Considering Sony RX 100 VII, but looking for other options. Are there any websites that you can recommend for research? Thanks.
Looking to buy a good compact zoom point and shoot camera. Considering Sony RX 100 VII, but looking for other options. Are there any websites that you can recommend for research? Thanks.
Probably not helpful for the OP, but for others finding this thread:
- For lenses: opticallimits.com
- For sensor ratings: dxomark.com
dpreview.com has been mentioned, and also worth mentioning they have a camera feature search tool: https://www.dpreview.com/products/search/cameras#!Looking to buy a good compact zoom point and shoot camera. Considering Sony RX 100 VII, but looking for other options. Are there any websites that you can recommend for research? Thanks.
You sure you're talking about raw sensor quality? Using a raw converter like darktable I can use any curve I like (even create my own ones) and can simulate either low contrast analog film curves (Agfa), high contrast film curves (Fuji Velvia), or brutal high contrast cheap digicam curves when creating JPGs. The more SNR the sensor offers the more freedom I have in designing such curves.dxomark's tests are crude and stupid to the point of being harmful - they encourage manufacturers to optimize for the test at the expense of real world image quality. They favour sensors that are very good at resolving high contrast detail, but this comes at the cost of often reducing the ability to resolve low contrast detail. This is one of the reasons that digital can look inferior to film in some conditions - film has more a gentle curve as it loses low contrast definition while digital has a sharp cut off. This can be especially bad for faces - an digital sensor optimised too heavily to test well can be much better at resolving high contrast features like acne than at picking up subtle healthy variation. You can also get a weird effect where people seem to flat cutouts...
What!?dxomark's tests are crude and stupid to the point of being harmful - they encourage manufacturers to optimize for the test at the expense of real world image quality. They favour sensors that are very good at resolving high contrast detail, but this comes at the cost of often reducing the ability to resolve low contrast detail. This is one of the reasons that digital can look inferior to film in some conditions - film has more a gentle curve as it loses low contrast definition while digital has a sharp cut off. This can be especially bad for faces - an digital sensor optimised too heavily to test well can be much better at resolving high contrast features like acne than at picking up subtle healthy variation. You can also get a weird effect where people seem to flat cutouts...
I think as long as you stick to the major brands image quality is not the problem. Decide on features, usability, price, et. al.I'm not up on the latest offerings, but the Panasonic Lumix series were pretty good in the zoom and shoot category. Not any reason to think the Sony wouldn't be good too.
BTW what is your budget, what priorities?Looking to buy a good compact zoom point and shoot camera. Considering Sony RX 100 VII, but looking for other options. Are there any websites that you can recommend for research? Thanks.
What!?
Film has a characteristic curve in which the highest and lowest tonal values become compressed, whereas digital sensors tend to have a much larger linear region, but they will clip outside of it.
That's my concern. They are pricey, and they aren't real good in low light. Ideally I'd like a decent zoom with good low light performance for $700/$800 that is pocket size. All purpose camera that i can carry around and take pictures with while traveling, or going to events, parties, concerts, or just walking around.
Yes you can. But the curve can't recreate missing data. If the sensor misses low contrast variation and reduces it into flatness, then how on earth will darktable (I prefer rawtherapee) has no way of knowing what was there. How can it??? A curve can fill in gaps between 1 and 11 so you get eg 1 3 6 9 11. But what if the data is 1 2 1 2 1 11?You sure you're talking about raw sensor quality? Using a raw converter like darktable I can use any curve I like
More importantly, cameras with collapsible lenses suck in air every time the lens is extended. If they're carried in your pocket there's a chance that the lens will suck in pocket lint that's stuck to them. If this gets on the sensor, you will set it on the image.As an aside, may I suggest not putting such cameras directly into one's pocket? But neoprene (Op Tech) or microfiber (Matin) cases and pouches work wonderfully, and my first-generation RX100 still looks almost new today.