Looking for low light digital camera in 5 mp range

[rthiebes]

Hello all,

I am definitely overwhelmed reading camera reviews! I am just looking for a digital camera in the 5 megapixel range where I could take (as an example) a great pic of the moon or city lights at night. The only other requirements: compact or sub-compact size and rechargeable batteries (but not AA).

I've looked at the following cameras below...wondering if I am missing any others or if I am way off with the choices below:

Minolta Dimage G500
Nikon Coolpix 5200
Sony DSC-P10

[Photo-John]

Welcome to the site. Figuring out what digital camera to buy can definitely be overwhelming. And I understand that looking at reviews without much direction can be less than useful.

So you want to take pictures at night. Have you done this before? How do you intend to take the pictures and what kind of results are you expecting? The reason I ask is that night photos aren't easy. Even with cameras that cost thousands of dollars they're complicated and demanding. That doesn't mean you can't take them with the cameras you've listed. You just need to adust your expectations and make sure you're using the right technique. You're not going to find any camera that just takes good photos of the moon.

The first thing is to realize that you're going to need a tripod. So make sure the cameras you're looking at have a tripod mount and either a remote or a timer so that you don't distrub the camera while it's taking a long exposure. And if you want photos of the moon, you'll also need a long zoom, and maybe even a tele-extender so that you can bring it in closer. So you might also want to make sure that the cameras you're looking at have available accessory lenses.

I hope that gives you some more direction. I'll check to see if you have more questions. I expect you will. Tell me more about how and what you want to shoot, how much you want to spend, and if you really have to have a sub-compact. I'm here to help.

[rthiebes]

Hi! Thanks for your quick response. I just read an article on how to shoot in low light, but it dealt with a 35mm camera and all kinds of accessories. Let me digress...I don't mean professional nighttime pics. Let's say I am walking thru a city at night and want to take a photo of some city lights in the distance. Right now, my 1.3 MP Olympus with the auto flash takes a blurry photo and you have no clue what it is....took a pic at a show of dancers on a stage...same thing. I've seen folks post photos online (and they were amateurs) of simple photos at night or in low light taken with digital cameras and they look great. I guess that's at the very low end of the spectrum when it comes to quality, but I would at least like to be able to do that! I know there is a relation between ISO and low light as well...am I going to get a photo like that with 400 ISO (most digital cameras) or do I have to go with one that has an 800 ISO?