Digital camera recommendations /advice.

[Mark8147]

I'm looking to buy a compact digital camera but am a little overwhelmed when it comes to which one. I'm looking for something that performs well in both light and dark conditions, with a minimum of 10x optical zoom (maybe higher). 4k video isn't a necessity but 1080p is, and the ability to shot raw isn't a deciding factor. I recently borrowed my friends Canon g7x mark ii and was very impressed, but needed more than the 4x zoom.

Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. My budget is around £400 although it could be stretched a little.

Thanks, Mark.

 

[thx1138v2]

I have an old Minolta that came with a 10X optical zoom. It's fairly old - it's a Dimage Z1 model with 3.2 megapixels.
https://www.amazon.com/Minolta-Dimage-3-2MP-Digital-Camera/dp/B0000BYODE

We tend to think that more pixels are better but one of the things I learned when researching it (it was my first digital camera also) is that huge megapixels aren't really necessary unless you are going to blow up your photos to poster board sized prints like 24" X 36" or larger. Any money spent on huge megapixels would be better spent on accessories.

Looking at lower pixel count cameras might make it easier to find the optical zoom you are looking for.

I see they have a 6 megapixel camera now with a 12X zoom:
http://www.cameras.co.uk/details/konica-minolta-dimage-z6.cfm