Bill, if you point it in the 'best direction at the best time' then camera model is irrelevant and you'll probably have a scoop.

Hi Bill,

The main advantage of weather/water proofing on a camera is you don't have to bother about trying to keep it dry. Having said that most cameras are fine if kept in a waterproof case and quickly taken out for taking pictures if it's raining.

The X10 is a very good compact camera, how good a picture you or anyone else can take with any camera depends on your skill as a photographer. There is a lot more to taking a good photograph than pointing a camera in the right direction and pressing the button. So yes it is possible to take very good quality photos with the X10 but as with any camera it depends on your ability.

Ian C.

Taking in the comments above my addition would be to opt for something with a longer zoom lens as personally I feel x4 is a bit restricting (35m/m equivalent 28 to 112mm focal length). I have found that my Fuji with a x10 zoom has allowed better access to wild life and more modern cameras have even longer zoom lenses with little or no additional weight. Nice looking camera though, reminds me of the Leica from the early 70's.

a scoop in my neck of the woods is a pint of bitter the right direction indeed. a waterproof camera would be sensible as you say ian , but grumpy hit the nail on the retro head with the leica bit. doesn't it just. the problem would be getting across in time what with time spent choosing which settings to adopt.it does handle very nicely though , well balanced and grippy . hmmm.

Quite. My Fuji is only 5mp, very small by today's standards but as I usually view the results on my pc and only occasionally print anything larger than 9"x5" I am quite happy with what I have got. The longer telephoto (real not digital) allows me to get closer to the object and thereby reduce the enlargement factor I may otherwise have to use when printing an image. If I was to regularly crop and enlarge a section of an image and then print A4 I would certainly be looking at a 12mp sensor or larger. There is also a question of cost. My Fuji is 5 years old and I would expect to be using it for at least another 5 years by which time I may be using a combined still/video camera on a smart phone for everything!

The only way to make sense of this stuff is to do as I did and fill the Great Photographer full of malt whisky in the Park Hotel and record his wildest ramblings.

my ricoh r4 is 6 meg and 7x zoom and circa 2006 , so i am in a similar set up to yours mr grumpy . however it is my wife who getting this new camera and she has chosen a sony hx20v . hope i get to have a go with it . i could have done with panorama sweep facility at loch lee last may. the weather will have to buck its ideas up though!.

I believe that Ansel Adams joked that the most important part of a camera was twevle inches behind the lens. The camera isn't important. We're looking for the photographers vision.

Oh come on Ade you must remember the one he told about the actress, the bishop and the duck.

Ian C.

Humph baby ,he wasn't joking ,Ansel never joked ...

Ansel Adams reputedly had a 9 inch rapid rectilinear!

Update , the hx20v is proving interesting . However the £40 cashback offer has not materialised as yet , 2wks now . the zoom totals 40x and the stabilisation is suitably effective at 20x hand held.the panorama mode is good too ,apart from the intruction " pan faster or pan slower". it seems to be a delicate balance. GOOD weather will be a must though!, i fear.