Decent alternative to dslr?

Hi


First, let me pre-empt the flame brigade by saying that I *have* done a lot
of on-line research in an attempt to reach a decision - but I'd like some
thoughts from people who might have hands-on experience.

I've been using dslrs for about three years now - or rather *not* using
them because I very often just can't face all the hassle of carting the
necessary paraphernalia around with me.

I know all the IQ advantages of a dslr over a P&S but I 'd still like
something easily transportable and generally less 'fussy'

So my question is, which is the *best* non-dslr camera out there below 500
GBP??

I'd define *best* for my purposes as

1 - image quality - the lowest noise possible up to 800 iso

2 - features - optical viewfinder is a must-have as much manual control as
possible, decent lens.

3 - size - doesn't have to be 'micro' but generally small and easy to carry
around.

4 - build quality - as rugged as possible

Brand is unimportant.

Any thoughts or personal recommendations would be appreciated.

TIA Henry

On Nov 4, 4:59 pm, "Henry" <he....DeleteThis@home.com> wrote:
> Hi
>
> First, let me pre-empt the flame brigade by saying that I *have* done a lot
> of on-line research in an attempt to reach a decision - but I'd like some
> thoughts from people who might have hands-on experience.
>
> I've been using dslrs for about three years now - or rather *not* using
> them because I very often just can't face all the hassle of carting the
> necessary paraphernalia around with me.
>
> I know all the IQ advantages of a dslr over a P&S but I 'd still like
> something easily transportable and generally less 'fussy'
>
> So my question is, which is the *best* non-dslr camera out there below 500
> GBP??
>
> I'd define *best* for my purposes as
>
> 1 - image quality - the lowest noise possible up to 800 iso

Are you planning to shoot only jpegs? Or does the speed with which it
operates when shooting raw matter?

>
> 2 - features - optical viewfinder is a must-have as much manual control as
> possible, decent lens.

How about an electronic viewfinder (ie like an optical viewfinder, but
electronic)? Because you'll have a hard time finding a camera with eg
10x zoom with an optical viewfinder...

>
> 3 - size - doesn't have to be 'micro' but generally small and easy to carry
> around.

So will something like a Fuji s9000 or a panasonic fz30 be ok, or is
it too big? Is something like a canon g9 essential, in terms of size?

>
> 4 - build quality - as rugged as possible
>
> Brand is unimportant.
>
> Any thoughts or personal recommendations would be appreciated.
>

I looked at some of these cameras almost two years ago when I was
planning to get a new camera, so I may be able to help a bit, but need
some more information (see questions above).