New camera suggestions

[Love the Sierra]

Hello everyone,
I have an old LUMIX DMC-DS40 with a Leica lens, viewfinder and weighs 8.5 oz.
It NEVER was able to shoot good videos, they are grainy and unwatchable.
It takes great photos when light conditions are perfect both telephoto and wide angle.
It take very nice sunset pictures, most times.
It has a very hard time with the colors in bright light or dappled light. (Like in a forest or at the edge of a forest.)
In bight light, forget trying a moving water pic such as creeks or waterfalls.

Can I do better? What are your recommendations?
Deal breakers are:
I will NOT carry a heavier camera and would love to set a lighter one.
I MUST have a viewfinder since I have no patience for those screens that are invisible in bright light. Also, my battery lasts for a full two weeks or more since I never use the screen, only the viewfinder.
Battery must last well over a week of heavy use without charging.
Thanks to all of you for your suggestions!!!
Aura

[SSSdave]

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews?category=cameras

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/4001

[michaelzim]

LtS / Aura

I think I have covered the camera ground you are asking about.
I too wanted a light camera but with a viewfinder - as with bright light and no reading glasses on I can't see diddly on those back view screens. My quest led me to direct comparisons of numerous cameras and/or feeling them out in a store and discarding them from further evaluation. The list was initially long:

Large sensors (1")
- Sony RX100 Mk.6
- Panasonic Lumix ZS100
- Panasonic Lumix ZS200
- Canon G3, G5, G7, G9X

Small sensors
- Panasonic Lumix ZS70
- Sony HX90
- Sony HX80
- Sony WX350 & 500
- A bunch of Canon SX models
- Nikon A1000

All were point-and-shoot, which is darn hard to beat for 99% of shots in most of them. All had zooms, ranging from 100 mm. to 960 mm. All were under 12 oz. Hand feel (I have big hands) was important to me. As was viewfinder. As was zoom...but I found 100 mm. zoom was too little and over 500 mm. way too much for a small camera that one had to hold still at that magnification - even with image stabilization. Tilt screen I realized was actually really useful, especially if using a mini tripod at ground level. Manual focus and adjustment options were important to me. So was long or decent battery life. Plus of course high quality photos!...You know, wanting it all in the perfect package plus weighing around 8 ounces!

In the end I went with the larger sensor (which cut down the list a lot) and a decent sized viewfinder setup. In addition the direct comparisons I made of image exposures, colours, sharpness, etc. thinned it down even more. One example...
The Lumix ZS100 (large sensor) was a strong contender on paper (and camera style & feel) but in reality had noticeably less sharpness and exposure/colour quality than the Sonys. In fact the Sony HX80 (small sensor) beat it on every count except the funky viewfinder - which was asking a lot anyhow of such a small camera!

I was sorely tempted to get the Sony HX80 due to the photo and video quality in that small 8.6 ounce package, but the viewfinder setup put me off. In the end I went for the much better camera build (though not stupendously better photos in all cases) and much more expensive Sony RX100-6 and have been really happy with it. Yes it is nearly 3 ounces more, but for the large sensor and much better viewfinder setup it was worth it...and I believe, the absolute lightest high quality 1" sensor camera out there.

If you want a detailed breakdown of these contenders Aura, both in group summary form and notes detail, let me know in a PM and I will give you my email address (or vice versa) and send them as attachments to you. I suspect they will save you a lot of time as I spent many enjoyable months on the 'get a new backpacking camera' project.

Best ~ michaelzim

[Love the Sierra]

Thank you @SSSdave , helpful web sites
WOW! @michaelzim very helpful!! Miya just end up with the lighter Sony or LUMIX. I just cannot add pack weight and I would assume that either is better than my 10 year old LUMIX.
What do you mean by funky viewfinder? I did not even see the viewfinder in the image, but it is hard to see since it is all black.
Thank you so much!
Aura

[Love the Sierra]

@michaelzim when did you do this reasearch? It looks like all of these models are quite old.
Thanks!

[michaelzim]

Aura

~ I did all the research in 2020 and things have not changed that much since then from what I can tell.
~ "Newer" is not always better. I liked the Mk6 version of the Sony RX100 better than the Mk7 version for example (details I would need to re-look for but I definitely recall that, let alone cheaper price on the 6 version).
~ The "funky" viewfinder on the HX80 is a due to it being very small. Manual fingers pull out and push in. Small view details inside the viewer re settings display...But think about it. How on earth does one even fit a viewfinder on a camera that small with all the good stuff it does have??? I am actually impressed they did it at all, but I wanted a slicker version and I honestly think an extra 3 ounces is not something to get too disturbed by for the 'benefits' difference.

The Sony HX80's viewfinder is visible on the Sony website here: https://electronics.sony.com/imaging/co ... /dschx80-b
I would be interested to know what (and if) you find a camera weighing 8 ounces or so that has all the features listed. Even though I am very happy with my RX100 I still like "geeking" somewhat on lightweight camera gear.

HX80.JPG

~ Just FYI if interested in this particular camera, here is an example of the "summary notes" I took on it...

Sony HX80 = 1/2.3 sensor Smallest Pocket OK upgrade available!

- Tilt Screen is good when using LCD screen.
- Movie button is clear and well placed.
- Camera Menu easier to navigate than Panasonic’s.
- No Touch Screen to have to just turn off anyhow!
- Sony generally has better exposures than Lumix ZS100.
# HX80 better than old Sony H70 in low light + less grainy.
# HX80 sharpness nearly identical to H70 but a bit better in low light!
# HX80 looks a bit sharper than H70 due to > green, but c/o magnification is not!
# HX80 greener saturation than H70, ZS100, & RX100.
# As good as ZS100 in most ways except low light!
# HX80 better than ZS100 in high contrast light!
~ Small recessed “On/Off” button hard to press.
~ Shoot button is so-so.
~ Can easily knock on Flash button at menu circumference wheel.
~ Viewfinder is very cheap & funky with manual “pull-out” function!
~ Viewfinder is very small & cannot see numbers & info clearly.
~ Flash pop-up is a bit flimsy & cheap.
~ Press in SD card action is so-so.
~ Movie quality is not very good.

Best ~ Michaelzim

[Love the Sierra]

Good morning,
Thank you so much!
I was wondering about when you bought because I am not certain if they manufacture these any more. I am also wondering if the Sony is better than my current LUMIX. Did you look at mine? I mention the model in the original post. Problems with mine are that videos and panoramas are useless. It cannot manage the lights and darks well in varied sunlight. Forget trying to get granite colors if sun is shinging on water nearby.

[Love the Sierra]

Sorry, I had a typo my lumix is a Dmc zs40.
I am leaning towards just continuing to use it instead of getting a new one.

[michaelzim]

Aura

I found the overall picture quality of the Panasonic Lumix's to be inferior to the Sonys. However, that was with detail zooming in on photos taken and looking at the pixels, sharpness, colours, etc. + of course the overall impression. I was really into sharpness and exposure balance in high contrast, for obvious reasons!

I think you will find that the 'latest' compact point-and-shoot cameras have all gone up in weight by a few ounces, so 11 ounces is the new "8 ounces"...and again, I would not get too upset about that (I just think of taking one less mouthful of water in my water bottle).

I did not compare with your ZS40, and indeed it looks like a good little camera on paper, though those limitations sure sound significant to me for Sierras photography. The smaller sensors do not handle the contrast as well as the 1" sensors, though it would take individual comparisons to find out. The websites that go into that I found useful, but not as good as blasting off dozens of identical photos of various things around my house then side-by-side comparing them on my computer later.

You might want to look at these links (and websites) for a nice comparative view:

https://cameradecision.com/bodytype/Compact-cameras

https://cameradecision.com/compare/Pana ... x-DMC-ZS50

By the way, I liked the placing and style of the Lumix viewfinders (and are better than the HX80 version by far) but the video quality of the Lumixs was very inferior to the HX80, and the overall photo quality. Hell, if the viewfinder on that HX80 was like the Panasonics it would be an incredibly good lightweight camera for backpacking! I feel I got that with the RX100-6 which weighs just 2.1 ounces more than your ZS40.

Ummmmmmmm...Hope this helps. Michaelzim

[Love the Sierra]

@michaelzim You are awesome! Extremely helpful!!!