New here, and looking to downsize from u4/3 :)

Hi there,

Over the past couple of years I've downsized from Nikon APS-C to Olympus u4/3 and now looking at going further with the likes of the LX100. I am really enjoying seeing what some of these compact cameras can do.

I'm looking to replace my mom (turning 70) camera, but I'm not sure in which forum to ask for some recommendations?

I'm looking for something with a fixed, small zoom and a good, fast lens with decent higher ISO performance. My mom likes to take pictures, mostly of people, mostly indoors and I'm tired of seeing her blurry shots or pictures with overblown flash

Can you tell me where would be a good place to post?

Thanks,

Stephen

Welcome to PL, Stephen!
I suppose this place is as good as any for your question, since it's not brand-specific.
What kind of camera is your mother currently using? Is it already an advanced compact, or is it a run-of-the-mill kind? Is she interested in manually changing the settings, or does she prefer to have an Auto mode do that for her? And what's the budget?

Welcome, Stephen, LX100 might be a good choice for mom as well, budget permitting.

Yup, until proven otherwise, the LX100 seems to be the forerunner.

There is always the RX100 Mk 3 if you need a camera now.

It looks like Canon G7X is shipping HK also, so it should be available everywhere soon... But it doesn't have an evf compared to RX100 mk 3/LX 100... Some impressive samples:
Canon PowerShot G7X review

Hello and welcome Stephen.

val said:

Yup, until proven otherwise, the LX100 seems to be the forerunner.

There is always the RX100 Mk 3 if you need a camera now.

Click to expand...

Or a cheaper mark II or even I. Same or almost the same IQ, just no EVF. Depends on whether your mom finds the latter essential. I'm going to buy another mark I for my underwater housing as a backup soon.

Welcome Stephen!

LX100 could get the job done but will likely be bigger than expected. If she is taking indoor social/event photos, might I suggest something slim and simple like the Nikon A? Had nice juicy 16 megapickle APS-C sensor IIRC and a fixed focal length F2.8 lens. I don't have one myself, but Nikon is a recognized leader in flash, so maybe ithe A won't blow out faces indoors. Or add the tiny SB-400 for some nice bounce?

It's about time some camera maker figured out how to make a small camera with really nice flash built-in....

On the subject of flash, I think Fuji have done a really great job with the X100 (even though it doesn't bounce). I don't know what the X10/20/30 and XQ are like, in terms of flash?

The X10 built in flash is adequate & offers some control over all speeds - eg curtain (I forget the name of the other method)

I used this also on F660 & was quite impressed - normally I hate flash & rarely use it, but this method proved me wrong providing a very gentle fill over a longish exposure

Haven't used external hotshoe flash

Thanks for all the recommendations. I'm thinking of getting the LX100 myself, but I'm not sure if all the manual dials will overwhelm her - it might be a bit overkill although it has all the requirements (zoom, fast lens, small enough size, video). I see there is an iA button, so she can always stay there.

I will also look at the RX100 III, as I think that the older versions have slower lenses, no? I originally was thinking of the LX7, especially as it can be had at a great price now, but I'm not sure on the lower light (indoor) performance?

She has two older Canon point and shoots. One with OVF and the other with only LCD. I don't think that she cares much about a viewfinder as she also annoyingly uses her iPad in low-light which also results in blurry pictures!

I will look at the G7X as well.

For myself personally, I think I'm migrating towards LX100 and the next iteration of the E-M5/E-P5 for longer lenses - if Olympus improves on video. That and spending more time learning how to improve my photography from you all in mu-43.com and here!

Stephen