Snapshot cameras generally don't perform well in low light, but some are better than others. We shed light on some of your options.
We'll begin with a caveat: snapshot cameras simply don't perform well in low light. Read through the user opinions of any model and you'll see complaints referring to graininess, poor colour, coloured dots, fuzzy photos, and so on — all different ways of describing how noise manifests itself in digital images.
That said, some cameras are better than others, especially if you understand their limitations. Rule No. 1: don't use Auto ISO in dim light. The camera will automatically crank it up to one of the highest sensitivity settings (so that you can use a relatively fast shutter speed) and the photos will likely look awful. And we mean really bad. You're far better off raising the ISO sensitivity setting to its highest usable level, turning on hardware image stabilisation where available, and remembering to stand very, very still because the shutter speed will likely be very, very slow.
Of all the snapshot cameras we've tested, these are the models that fare best at ISO 400; the Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS and Digital IXUS 960 IS can even be pushed as high as ISO 800. If you're still not happy with your nightclub or school play photos, then your only recourse is to spring for a digital SLR. Unfortunately, as your low-light demands increase, so does the price of the camera.
Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS
While the Canon IXUS 860 IS doesn't have an optical viewfinder or manual exposure controls, it captures beautiful images with its wide, 3.8x optical zoom lens and ranks among the top compact cameras we've seen.
Canon Digital IXUS 960 IS
Canon's Digital IXUS 960 IS looks great and can take very nice images, but the digital camera's whopping 12 megapixels will leave you waiting between shots.
Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS
The Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS has just about everything you'd want in a point-and-shoot.
Fujifilm FinePix F40fd
If you've shunned Fujifilm cameras previously due to their proprietary xD-Picture Card format, the new FinePixes are set to change all that with dual card slots that embrace Secure Digital cards as well.
Fujifilm FinePix F50fd
The Fujifilm FinePix F50fd should please most snapshooters and its above-average exposure controls should appeal to advanced photographers, too.
dangtrade
08/05/2008 02:42 PM
i love using the iso setting on cameras to adjust the shutter speed. you can achieve great dream photo effects. www.dangtrade.com
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