What is a good compact camera for night time and dark indoor photography?

I'm currently looking for a decent camera that i could use for all around purposes, However i would like if possible a camera that can take Good photographs in very low light. I recently had a Casio Exilim Z70 and it was rubbish for what i wanted, mainly because there was always far too much noise when pictures where taken in low light, even with flash assist. If possible though i'd like something for below 拢200. If someone could help it would be much apriciated.

Unfortunately, you are asking for something that really doesn't exist. No digicam with its tiny sensor and fairly slow lens can be expected to produce good images in low light. Digital cameras are not "magical" - they have to obey the same principles of exposure as my older film cameras.

Correct exposure is a function of the available light, the light-gathering ability of your lens, the ISO selected and the resultant shutter speed.

In dim light with a slow (f2.8, f4) lens you either use a long shutter speed (which requires a tripod) or you boost the ISO to get a faster shutter speed. When you use a high ISO with a digicam its tiny sensor is over-whelmed and digital noise results. This is further exacerbated if the manufacturer has crammed 10 or 12mp into a sensor where only 5 or 6mp existed before. If the camera has Noise Reduction circuitry it will help but you lose detail in your images.

A DSLR with its larger sensor and a fast (f1.2 or f1.4) lens at ISO 800 or even 1600 will come closer to producing the results you want.

Suppose you want a shutter speed of 1/60 sec. and you're shooting in your home with average light. To achieve this:

f1.4 @ ISO 400
f2 @ ISO 800
f2.8 @ ISO 1600
f4 @ ISO 3200

If your desired shutter speed is 1/125 sec:

f1.4 @ ISO 800
f2 @ ISO 1600
f2.8 @ ISO 3200
f4 @ ISO 6400

Hope this helps even though it probably wasn't what you wanted to hear.

vivitar/vivicam 8400 digi cam excellent camera which will do all you require ....!!!!!!! got one for xmas and delighted with it ...

I've got this 'panasonic' 1 dude, it's 7pixels & has all the functions for what you're looking for, bought it off ebay (great bargain) & the sellers name is 'Hughes', good luck!.....

Great answer by Edwin, but since it's indeed not what you probably wanted to hear, I'll complement it with the best possible cameras under those 拢200.

About the best pocketable camera, in terms of ISO performance (thus less noisy, when inevitably used at high ISOs under dim light conditions), might be either the Fujifilm F30 / F31fd, or the new F50fd model.

The first two have usually been regarded as slightly superior in overall ISO performance, with the only difference between them (in this aspect) being that the F31fd uses a less aggressive internal noise reduction, so the photos come out a bit noisier, but also more detailed. Other F31fd differences are, of course, its face detection and a somewhat enhanced metering/exposure system, less prone to overexposure.

The newer F50fd, on the other hand, trades some of this ISO performance for (hugely) increased resolution, even though Fujifilm tried to compensate this making the sensor slightly larger (1/1.6" instead of 1/1.7"), but the difference isn't that big -and some people consider there is no difference at all. Apart from that, the F50fd sports a true mechanical stabilizer (of the CCD-shift variety, not the lens-shift type usually employed by Panasonic, Canon, etc.), and while not as effective as the ones used by those competitors, it's still better than nothing, amounting to a bit over 1 EV stop worth of stabilization. Yet another useful F50fd feature is the inclusion of SD and SDHC memory card support (SD and SDHC having a better capacity/speed/price ratio).

So, the F31fd model may be the best for you, particularly if you don't mind the xD card memory type and most of your low-light shots are going to be for (possibly) moving subjects. If you *do* prefer SD cards, and some of your low-light subjects are going to be static (in which case the only movement that could ruin the sharpness of the photo would be camera shake, which is precisely the type of movement that a mechanical stabilizer can compensate), the F50fd might be your best option.

Nikon S700 & Fujifilm F40fd are best option for you....

go for the fuji f50fd, the super ccd is designed to get the very best out of the camera.the iso settings go to iso 1600 and beyond .the fji processor is designed to extend the useabiity of the camera .

fuji has specialised in extending the use of cameras in low light for years and it's the main selling point of their slrs ,which i've used for years

it even scored over 90% in a recent test in a magazine and it's only 拢170 and uses sd and xd cards

the nikon coolpix s5 and s6 are typically good buys with nice imaginc capabilities ...you should be able to snag one online under $200

....i found this page online where i was able to fliter for your requreiements ..see if it works ..
http://www.reviewgist.com/digital__m__ca...