what digital camera would you recommend?

[rhubarbodendron]

The olympus is perhaps more expensive because they have better customer service (I've used both brands professionally).
I used to use HP Photosmart R 817 - best camera I've ever had. Tiny, light weighted and unbeatable at low light conditions. I've shot some awesome sunset pics with that one =) . Unfortunately, the lens is hold and centered by a plastic ring which breaks after a 3-4 years and can't be replaced by a layperson (the centering is a matter of micrometers and is best left to robots). Else I'd have long ago repaired it
The Photosmart 850 was also very good, particularly for extreme close ups. There the problem was the battery compartment lid which easily breaks at the hinges. Since my brother has a 3D-printer I might be able to repair that one, though =) Another minus for that camera was that it eats batteries. The plus is that it uses 4 ordinary AA cells which you can get everywhere in the world.

 

[Jim Klag]

My last digital camera broke and though I might be able to repair it I think I rather buy a new one. The last one didn't quite live up to my needs.

Is there a camera you could recommend? What I'm looking for is a camera with

• ideally a 10fold (or more) optical zoom - the more the better as I specialize in close ups of tiny things
  
• a rather small resolution (as from a certain point on a higher resolution means actually a lower image quality; it's the sensor/pixel reatio that matters). 4-7 Mpix is completely sufficient
  
• must produce no image noise at low light levels (that's a prob for most current cameras)
• If it has a panorama function it'd be nice but it's not a must-be
• price: my pain threshold is around $350/300€

Is there any camera matching these requirements? What do you use and would you recommend your camera?

You can get a Leica V-Lux 4 for under $500. It is my go to. Great optics, 12.1 Mp, 1/4000 to 60 second range of shutter speeds, 12 frames per second, f2.8 (constant) lens goes all across the zoom range from 25mm wide angle to 600mm telephoto. Mine is a few years old and is as dependable as cameras get.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

that's at the edge of what I can afford but it looks really great. Thanks for the tip! I'll see if I can get my hands on one to try it out. I love to do macros with backlight and also the occasional snapshot of the moon - both are tricky light conditions for most digital cameras.

 

[Jim Klag]

Here are a couple photos I took with the Leica. Nothing spectacular, but you can see the quality of the image.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

lovely! Did you edit the colours or is that the original quality?
Peonies are darned difficult to portrait - they are glossier than one thinks and particularly the red ones reflect so much light that it's easy to overexpose. The only camera ever to deal with that problem perfectly was a Hewlett-Packard one I had ages ago. Unfortunately, the whole series had trouble with the plastic ring that holds the lens - it's impossible to get a second hand one as they all have that flaw. The ring breaks and the lens falls loose. No spare parts and no chance to center the lense perfectly by hand - it's a matter of mycrometers.
I'll try to post a few pics tomorrow or on Friday, so that you get an impression.

 

[Jim Klag]

lovely! Did you edit the colours or is that the original quality?
Peonies are darned difficult to portrait - they are glossier than one thinks and particularly the red ones reflect so much light that it's easy to overexpose. The only camera ever to deal with that problem perfectly was a Hewlett-Packard one I had ages ago. Unfortunately, the whole series had trouble with the plastic ring that holds the lens - it's impossible to get a second hand one as they all have that flaw. The ring breaks and the lens falls loose. No spare parts and no chance to center the lense perfectly by hand - it's a matter of mycrometers.
I'll try to post a few pics tomorrow or on Friday, so that you get an impression.

Those are straight out of the camera - no touch-up or photoshop. The two landscapes - no filters. I usually use at least a polarizing filter, but none at all on those two.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

that's an excellent colour quality then =) Very nice, indeed!

 

[Jim Klag]

that's an excellent colour quality then =) Very nice, indeed!

Leica optics are second to none. I don't know who makes their lenses now - used to be Zeiss.

 

[Jedman67]

I bought a Sony a6000 Mirrorless camera back in December. I paid $300 (retail is around $600) since I bought it secondhand (although near-mint condition!!) and I love it. Swapping out lenses is a pain, but I don't have the budget to invest in a proper telephoto zoom lens, I make do with what I can get cheap. The kit lens is 18mm - 55mm, and I have a 50mm - 210mm manual zoom with autofocus.
Moon, during eclipse at full zoom:

Close up of a clownfish

Elephant Statue (mid zoom)

Parakeet close-up, low-zoom

mid zoom

I only used manual for the moon shots; everything else was either smart capture or using one of the cameras presets.
Camera is very speedy, I can take pictures quickly, set to burst, or use one of the speed-burst settings to stitch together high quality motion or low light captures.
I've read that Leica edges out sony in terms of overall quality, especially on the lenses, and if Canon made mirrorless they'd be up there as well.

 

[Jim Klag]

Here are a couple photos I took with the Leica. Nothing spectacular, but you can see the quality of the image.
View attachment 8780
View attachment 8781
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The two landscapes show what effect weather has on light. The photo with the cannon (Kennesaw Mountain, GA) was taken at about 0900 on a clear, late spring day when the temperature was about 70°. The bottom photo was taken at midday on a hot, hazy summer day in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

 

[rhubarbodendron]

it used to be Leitz. Now it's Zeiss, afaik. My favourite camera is analogue: a Leica Optima 1a from the 1960s I inherited from my grand aunt =)
These were made with my late Zeiss digital camera. I don't recall the version number - it was built in 2002. The pics are rather typical for me as far as light conditions and distance are concerned

Here you can see a pic made with my HP rather late in the evening. It's ok in the middle and background but in the foreground there is a strong noise. However, under these conditions every camera would have difficulties

please ignore the empty img tags - it's a board glitch

 

[STR]

Leica optics are second to none. I don't know who makes their lenses now - used to be Zeiss.

Pretty sure Panasonic makes some of them. They've had co-branded lenses for years

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...h_es12060_leica_dg_vario_elmarit_12_60mm.html