Low Light Photography - Which digital compact is good for night time shots?

Zascar

I'm a big fan of Canon camera's - I've had 3 and I think they work extremely well, function the way you want and have always got excellent results from small good value cameras. At the moment I have a Canon IXUS 65 - I bought it because of it's small size yet it's brilliant 3" screen (and it has a very cool auto-roate function). I mostly use it for taking with me on nights out and taking photos of friends at party's etc.

The only thing I have against the camera is that it is not particularily good at night time or in low light situatons. Don't get me wrong I have taken some fantastic photos, but the odd time a photo is spoiled cause you get blur - you just cannot keep it still enough for a clear photo. I play with the functions a lot - I usually use the Slow Synchro setting where it flashes but leaves the shutter open for a while longer - you get excellent warmth in the colours - however if there is light in the background you get blurry streaks.

I thought this was just as good as you can get, however a few mates had other camera that did not do this. I did a few test shots and took off the flash and photographed a nightime city scape - and my friends much cheaper cmaera captured the light a lot better than mine! Some camera's have the anti-shake function - is this any good. What camera's are recommended to take good low light shots but capture colour well?

The Casio Exilium is aparantly very good, and some of the fuji ones have anti-shake. Can anyone point me in the right direction of which camera might suit my needs best?
All suggestions apreciated.
Thanks

Stephen

I hear the Fuji F30 is supposed to be excellent for low-light shooting. It has their latest chip, the sixth-generation SuperCCD. I thinkthe F31 is out soon (if not already) and that has their face detection tech built in. Its not as sexy looking as your canon though

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf30/

Here's the pros/cons section of the above dpreview article:

dpreview.com wrote:

Conclusion - Pros

* Excellent resolution
* Class-leading high ISO performance; superb results up to ISO 400
* Surprisingly good ISO 800 performance
* Very low shutter lag
* Class-leading battery life
* Clean, sharp results
* Superb build and handling
* Good flash performance
* Decent movie mode
* Fast, reliable focus
* AF illuminator
* Large clear screen
* More manual control and additional scene modes make it a more versatile tool than the F10

Conclusion - Cons

* High contrast tone curve loses highlight & shadow detail - cannot be changed in-camera
* Exposure inconsistencies (generally overexposure) using default settings
* Purple fringing
* 3-shot limit in continuous mode
* Screen can be hard to see in very bright light
* Limited manual controls
* Auto mode defaults to ISO 800 when using flash when it doesn't need to
* Images in good light need post-processing to really shine
* No optical viewfinder

Zascar

Thanks Stephen, that's exactly what I'm looking for. You are right though, it definitely won't win any beauty competitions! The Ixus is very sexy and people comment on it a lot, but what really counts are the photos you take. However it is a bit chunky and I love the way the Canon is so small you barely notice it in your pocket!

It has a really nice feature of Face Detection- that I think would be very useful for me - however some reviews say it is little more than a gimmick - what do you guys think

http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/digital/cameras/f31/?page=gadgetShowMovie
This is a review of some similar Fuju, Sony and Canon cameras - the fuji wins.

Reviews:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2007/01/25/Fujifilm-FinePix-F31fd/p1
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0609/06092501fujif31fd.asp

Stephen

The Fuji FD apparently works quite well - it is supposed to be able to detect human faces and set exposure etc appropriately for the best shot.

Zascar

Do you think any of the casio Exlilim range would compete with this for what I need? They are lovely camera's and SO much better looking, and smaller too
http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2006/07/18/Casio-Exilim-EX-Z1000-Compact-Digital-Camera/p1

Stephen

No idea, I've never used one.

Gyalist

I bought a PowerShot G7 recently. Amazing for a p&s camera. Very good at night and in low light.

horgan_p

i have a fuji f30 to complement my 350d its a gem.pix of fireworks in prague on new years came out lovely even hand held.recommended

Zascar

horgan_p wrote:

i have a fuji f30 to complement my 350d its a gem.pix of fireworks in prague on new years came out lovely even hand held.recommended

Cool, do you have any online to show us?

melekalikimaka

high iso options ie. 1600 and over will help low light alot, and image stabilsation, two things to look out for

Stephen

Unfortunately, IS is something Fuji seem to have something against. They may claim image stabilisation through software - i.e. the camera bumps up the ISO in low light for a faster shutter speed.

TJM

Zascar wrote:

Do you think any of the casio Exlilim range would compete with

I've used a few and found them average in low light.

BostonB

My ps just broke, Nikon 3700 and I won't be repairing it. I was thinking of the F31 aswell, but it looks a little too bulky.

Zascar

Yeah I'd like to see it first, it does look quite big. They put a much bigger battery in it which makes the camera a lot larger, but the battery life in fantastic.

Borderfox

When you say low light do you mean landscapes and night time city scapes type things or indoor low light?