My vote is for the Fuji...marvelous low light sensor..you can take lots of wonderful shots of the new one with out the annoying flash....
Come on over to the fuji forum and do a search for photos by it, or just ask the owners....
IS is nice but it's not everything...outside of this the fuji fits your request list perfectly and you will love the results...has a nice rebate now that puts it in your price range..and can be simple point and shoot or more advanced..certainly not with the total flexability of a dslr, but still a lot of creativity is possible.A picture is the expression of an impression.If the beautiful were not in us, how would we ever recognize it?Ernst Haas..
Really all three are very good cameras and will produce very good photos under most conditions. Advantage to the FZ8 and S3/S5 if you shoot long telephoto in moderate to good light because of the IS. Advantage to the S6000fd if you shoot a lot of very low light...
Fuji pics do look great. I had decided to purchase the Fuji when I noticed that it did not have IS. It sounds like IS is only needed when you're zoomed in at the 10-12x levels. Are there other ways to compensate for the lack of IS on the Fuji? Would a tripod help?.
Thanks!Rick..
What would be defined as low light? I've been doing some research on the different ISO settings and when to use them, but haven't been able to find anything more specific than general descriptions of light levels. I imagine for the first few months, I'll be using the camera in our nursery, which will probably be lit by a 40 watt bulb. The nursery is small. The baby will most likely be in the shadows...would that qualify as low light? Ultra low light?.
-R..
Rickcecil wrote:.
So, like many noobs, I'm trying to determine what camera is right forme..
And my first piece of advice would be to realise that there's no single "best" answer and you could just about throw a dart at the list and be happy with the camera you selected. Don't agonise too much..
First, a little information about my needs. My wife is pregnant withour first child. I've always wanted a decent camera, just neverreally had the time to invest in learning how to use it. Well, now Ihave an excuseer, a reason to get something nice..
Congratulations, and yes, now is the time!.
* I want to shoot high quality pictures..
Scratch that requirement. Any of the cameras on your list will do that. Don't get too carried away by the finer points of what some reviewers say when they talk about "quality". Odds are, you will be the weakest link in image quality - not the camera!.
* Any printing will mostly by standard size, though we will want toprint some 8x10's.
Scratch that one too. No difference between cameras on that one..
* I want to be able to shoot both inside and outside shotsnot a lotof action shots, but I don't want to rule it out..
Almost scratch that one, too. Shutter speed of 1/1000 will suffice for most action, and just about every camera offers at least that. Wider maximum aperture is good for indoors shots without flash, once again there's probably not much to choose between the cameras on that..
And yes, good performance at higher ISO settings will help. You might be able to identify a difference between cameras there. But the emphasis is on "might be able to identify" (what you can actually see) as opposed to what a lab test tells you..
* I want to incorporate some stills into video, mucph like this video.
Http://64.233.167.104/...birth+video&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us.
I don't think that makes any difference in chocie of camera - that's about your video editing software. Or not. I'm no expert there..
* I'd like to get a decent optical zoom8-12x..
OK, that's almost the first requirement that you need to check off on your list..
See how easy this is? We're halfway through the list and we've found the first actual requirement worth worrying about!.
I don't have a large budget (around $300) and have found a few EVFcameras that I like, but for each camera there are trade-offs, butI'm not sure which trade-offs I really need to make..
You also need to discover just how big those tradeoffs are. Is a 2% difference in noise at high ISO a "tradeoff", or just a laboratory measurement that you'll never notice in real life?.
* How much ISO do I really need for indoor shots? It seems that mostEVF cameras don't shoot very well above ISO 400. Not that I plan todo a lot of low light shots, but could see wanting to take pics ofthe baby while he's sleeping..
400 should be enough for most purposes - if the light is so bad that you need 800 or above, you're going to struggle to get a great shot anyway, regardless of the camera's noise performance at that ISO..
But, you'll probably want to put "noise performance at 800 ISO and above" on your list..
* Do I need image stabilization? Seems like I do, but one of thecameras I'm looking atthe Fuji S6000 doesn't have imagestabilization, but the pictures on it look fantastic..
Who took those pictures? Were they using a tripod or hgh shutter speed?.
I would say if you want (a) a 12x zoom, which needs a steady hand at anything other than very high shutter speed, and (b) to take low light shots, then you should definitiely put IS on your "must have" list. I think you'll find it hard to see a compelling reason to select a non-IS camera when you compare the other features..
I think you'll notice IS much more than you will notice the other features when you use your camera..
* Will there be much of a difference between 6 and 7 MP?.
NO. Forget about MP, a non-issue..
So, there it is. You require a 12x zoom with IS and good performance at high ISO. That's it. A lot simpler than what you started with!.
The three cameras I'm looking at are:.
* Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8; This is the one I'm leaning toward..
* Fujifilm FinePix S6000 fd; I've seen some reviews that rate thiscamera higher than the FZ8, but it doesn't have image stabilization.
* Canon PowerShot S3 IS; the images from the sample gallery lookreally noisy, but it's a very popular camera..
So...any thoughts or advice? Recommendations for other cameras that Ishould consider?.
At the start, I see no reason to go outside that list in your initial search. Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be. See above - when you get down to it, you have a very short list of absolute requirements and the chances are very good that one of those cameras will meet your requirements. In fact if you knock out the Fuji because it lacks IS, you're down to 2 already..
Don't go out of your way to make life difficult for yourself. Pick one of those three. Then ask Camera Store Guy to show you another camera (outside of that list) and challenge him to persuade you that that camera is a better choice, based on your requirements..
Make it a knockout competition, not a round robin. .
Thanks!Rick.
Hope this helps..
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IS really only matters for telephoto and/or very low light. Under typical conditions with your baby a few feet away and the flash on, it makes no difference..
I like Canon point & shoot cameras...
Greg Nut wrote:.
IS really only matters for telephoto and/or very low light. Undertypical conditions with your baby a few feet away and the flash on,it makes no difference..
Which is pretty much what I said..
But the thing about IS is, you've either got it available to you, or you haven't. And I think if your requirements include a lengthy zoom and the ability to take low light photos of a sleeping baby, which is exactly what the OP wants - all other things being equal, why buy a camera without IS?.
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Hi.
Don't go out of your way to make life difficult for yourself. Pick one of those three. Then ask Camera Store Guy to show you another camera (outside of that list) and challenge him to persuade you that that camera is a better choice, based on your requirements..
I'm new too, and in need of a camera because my old Kodak DX 4900 4 MP just died. I loved those photos, btw, even printed at 8x10, but I was planning on replacing it anyway for an upcoming trip, so now must bite the bullet and decide. I read reviews, looked at photos, narrowed it down to one camera (FZ8) (albeit with the concern that I'd be unable to get good shots, easily, inside large old buildings on my travels), then went to the local Ritz to ask them if they had an opinion before I purchased..
First, in order of importance:Great looking photos and vibrant color at 8X10 and occasionally larger prints..
Second is some zoom, because I travel once in a while and want to catch scenery and nice detail.I'll rarely shoot in raw mode.
I don't want to do lots of tweaking in camera or postprocessing to get good shots..
I'd like IS, so I can keep the ISO as low as possible. (After reading up on the FZ8).
Hearing this, the guy at the Ritz store told me to go to Target and check out a Kodak Z712 IS. He said for my use, I was buying too much camera in the FZ8. This blew me away - I appreciated it, but was surprised. Every other salesperson in the last month has laughed if I've mentioned liking my old Kodak and to a person told me there was no choice - to get a Panasonic: they said the Kodak would take a lousy shot. But this young man (I had not told him I owned and loved my old DX 4900, btw) said I'd love the photos and ease of use of the Kodak and that for 8X10's and even occasional larger prints for my walls of scenery and building details (from my travels), the Kodak was a better match for me..
So now I'm flumoxed. The FZ8 or the Z712??.
Any help would be appreciated. I leave in two and a half weeks and want to purchase this weekend..
Thanks very much!deborah..
My two cents: Canon's have the best color. I'd get whichever one is the size and price range you're looking for..
And, I'm not a Canon fanboy. I use Nikon DSLR's and Canon P&S. I also have an Olympus, and it's color is inferior to the Canon's..
Greg..
The Sony h5 might work for you, many of the qualities you are looking for..
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God bless our troops!...