Which digital camera is the best for low light conditions?

Question

I am looking for a camera under £100, and i will mainly need to use it in low light conditions so need one that will produce good quality photos even when there is low light.

I have been considering the sony dsc - w50, or the sony dsc - s700, but the sony dsc - w50 is only 6 megapixels and the sony dsc - s700 is slightly big, and i want a more compact one.

So i need a compact digital camera, for under £100, that is at least 7 megapixels, and produces good quality photos in low light conditions.

Answer 1

the w50 should work

look at the canon a570

it is about the same price

Answer 2

I imagine that the big difference isn't the fact that its a DSLR but that it has a better imaging chip. For example - Nikon DSLR's use larger "digital film" then point-n-shoot cameras. What I'm referring to is the square image capture devise at the back of the camera where the light hits. Its where the film was in the original film cameras. For example, the new Nikon D300 has a new 12.3-megapixel DX-Format CMOS Sensor combined with Nikon's exclusive digital image processing system advances DX-format image quality to all new levels. What that means is 12.3 Megapixels isn't the same in all cameras. This is very important. There are point and shoot cameras that have 12.3 megapixels but they don't have the color depth of a Nikon or Canon which uses a CMOS as well. Many other camera's use the same CCD technology in video cameras as well. So getting a Canon EOS D30 or Nikon D40 might give you a lower megapixel count but the depth of color and grain will be better because the sensors are bigger, capture more light and there is a smarter processor behind it assembling the picture. So yes - a high ISO helps but if each pixel captures more light and there is a smarter processor behind it you get better pictures.

Answer 3

You will have to check into the prices, but here is my stock answer on low-light cameras.



You should look into the Fuji F20, F30 or F31-fd zoom cameras. Either one would fit into your purse and they use Li-ion batteries. The F20 costs $150 and the F31fd costs $250.



Check out this comparison page. Click on "In-depth review" and "Read Owner Opinions" for each camera. Be sure to note that the reviews are many pages long so you don't stop after page one. Check the sample images, also. You can enlarge these to full size images if you click on the file name shown below the picture. You will have to then put your cursor in the white space to the right of the picture and click once. After that, you can pass your cursor over the image and it will turn into a magnifier. Click it as a magnifier once and the image will go to full size and you can really examine the detail or look for artifacts like purple fringing around items in high contrast photos or noise in darker areas of the picture.



http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=fuji_finepixf20%2Cfuji_finepixf30%2Cfuji_finepixf31fd&show=all



http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/fuji_f30.html



If you can still find one - look at the Fuji F30.



The seemingly undisputed low-light champion of point and shoot digital cameras is the Fujifilm FinePix F30. The price is now down to $260 without a memory card and you can add whatever amount of memory you need.



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

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/fuji_f30.html

Answer 4

I see two problems with the -50 for low light. One, it doesn't go up to a very high ISO level. Two, it doesn't have as big of a sensor as some other compact digital cameras. I agree with the guy who said to get a Fujfilm Finepix F30 or F50. I have the F10 and it's been very good to me.

Answer 5

try the sony dsc-t100 I have one and it works great with low light conditions. Your pictures will look like they are in high definition.

Answer 6

spend some little bit more and get the new generation of the digital camera

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Digital-Camera-Optical/dp/B000MFA1NE/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/102-0738498-6834522?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1189916625&sr=1-2

usb 2

video

support 2 giga card

etc etc

small and cheap price

good luck

Answer 7

try casio exilim z1050...here is a review of the camera http://www.cameras.co.uk/reviews/casio-exilim-ex-z1050.cfm