I've used wide variety of digital cameras including Canon elph series,
as well as digital SLR's including the Nikon D70s, D200, and Canon
digital SLR's. My current favorite camera is the TZ3 from Panasonic.
Things I like about this camera, and the recent Panasonic cameras in
general:
-Very good Leica lens, this one has a 10x OPTICAL zoom, with an
equivalent range of 28-280 mm. I agree with prior comments about
digital zoom... useless. Get a GOOD optical zoom like this one. I
also agree for cockpit and snap shots having a 28 mm equivalent lens
is very desireable. I liked my prior canon Elph cameras, but the
lenses were pretty cheap, and very small. Larger lens opening means
more light gets to the sensor which is good, and they generally have
fewer optical defects especially when zoomed in.
-Leica actually sells a rebranded panasonic lumix camera, exact same
camera, electronics and lens, but you pay an extra $400 for the Leica
name.
-Image stabilization. This is key if you are taking pics from
cockpit, especially if you are trying to zoom in on other objects like
another glider in flight.
-Large display on back of camera that is easy to see.
-7 megapixels is plenty. There really is NO advantage to more than
that unless you are planning to print HUGE enlargements (ie larger
than poster size).
-FAST from shutter press to picture taken. This is the critical
weakness of MOST subcompact cameras. You push the shutter then pause-
pause-pause before the picture is actually snapped. This panasonic
camera has virtually NO lag from shutter push to picture taken in
outdoor lighting conditions.
-Good color reproduction. Every Canon Elph I've owned tends to
oversaturate the reds and oranges. The newer ones may not... but I
really like the colors on the Panasonic.
-Reasonably priced. You can find this camera online for under $300
US.
Things I do NOT like about this camera:
-Uses proprietary batteries, as do almost all subcompact cameras. I
really wish camera makers would adapt standard batteries, similar to
the way memory cards work in every camera. Of course... my digital
SLR's also use proprietary batteries! This means you need a different
battery charger for every camera/device you use... which is a huge
pain when traveling.
-No easy way to attach/use a circular polarizer filter. If I have one
filter that I LOVE it is a polarizer. It is probably the only reason
I hang onto my digital SLR. Circular polarizers dramatically reduce
canopy glare, and they REALLY make the blue sky stand out from the
clouds. I've you've never seen what a polarizer does to improve
outdoor photography, just google "circular polarizer tutorial". As
soon as someone figures out a good system to attach polarizer to a
good quality subcompact I will sell my digital SLR. My SLR is TOO BIG
to take in the glider when flying solo.
Good review of this camera (as well as very good reviews of ALL
digital cameras) online at:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz3/
Enjoy!