I too researched for about 4 days and decided it's going to be S600fd. From what I read, lack of IS shouldn't prevent you from choosing this great camera. It's a different matter that I ended up w/ F31fd since I missed the $50 rebate on S6000fd...
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8pros = good 12x lens.. price.. optical image stabilizationcons = seems to have a lot of reviews that say image quality/noise isbad above iso100 (how bad could it be compared to an olympus z3000?).
Almost certainly not as bad as you think. A sweet camera. But the Canon is better in several ways..
Canon Powershot S3 ISpros = 12x lens.. price.. good reviews..optical image stabilizationcons = seems alot of people say image quality/noise is also bad athigher iso levels.. does this really come into play for average user?.
This, or the newer S5IS is the one I'd choose for it's flip out screen and better video with stereo sound. Brilliant macro ability too..
Fujifilm Finepix S6000fdpros = 10x lens.. good reviews.. manual zoom.. (i always thought thiswould be something I could really get used to)cons = no optical image stabilization.. (does it really make adifference for average user?).. xD-picture card..
The thing about optical image stabilisation is that once you've had it, you can never go back. That's how good it is. I'm sure th eFuji is a great camera, but unless you really want the wide angle (and you might, though of course it reduces the amount at the telephoto end compared with the other two), I'd say it's slight advantage over the Canon in noise terms isn't worth it..
Remember that whichever you get, you'll get great photos! Don't lose any sleep, and once you decide... don't look back..
Androohttp://Androo.smugmug.com..
Just to correct what Andrew said, their are a few of us weirdos who have had cameras with IS and been quite happy with the cameras we bought after that without IS..
Had a KM Z3 ( very nice IS which Sony now uses as Steady Shot ). Have a canon A710IS ( perfectly good IS ). Gave the KM Z3 away and got the Fuji S5200. Getting rid of the A710IS having gotten an E900..
Reason : RAW. IS I can live without. RAW is just way more useful..
Of course that's a personal choice and we all make different ones, but just to be clear that IS is not an addiction you'll never kick. .
StephenG.
Fuji S9600Fuji S5200Fuji F30Fuji E900Canon A710ISPCLinuxOS..
Reason : RAW. IS I can live without. RAW is just way more useful.Of course that's a personal choice and we all make different ones,but just to be clear that IS is not an addiction you'll never kick.StephenG.
You see the difficulty when you ask for opinions?.
IS gives you consistently sharp photos when you might otherwise get a bunch of blurry ones, especially in awkward lighting. Sharp photos are an addiction I for one will never kick! RAW on the other hand is somewhat overrated in my opinion. But each to his or her own..
Androohttp://Androo.smugmug.com..
What about the Fujifilm FinePix S9100? how does it compare? I saw that one is about $100 more..
Despite the lack of IS the better ISO performance will help shooting moving animals - what about using the fuji with a monopod/tripod?Concerning Image Quality this would probably be the best solution.A manual zoom ring is great if you use the viewfinder..
Cai..
First off, the S3 and FZ8 will have about the same noise compared to the S6000. For that matter, nearly all small sensor cameras that don't have the Fuji Super CCD will be noisy over 200 ISO. Can you tell? Yes. In the "real world"? Yes. That's were I live, but it's not terrible and 5 x 7 or under it's even less noticeable. HOWEVER, the S6k without IS in the presence of other IS options, I'd look elsewhere.
Image stabilization works and especially on a longer zoom. In addition, the Fuji Super CCD is a bit fussy in sun (not bad, just not as on the mark all the time). I own a Fuji F31 and Panasonic TZ3 (another you may want to consider it you want compactness). The TZ3 just out performs the F31 in the sun. The exposures are better and color is a tad more accurate, BUT once the sun gets low I pull out the F31 which blows it away!.
The S3/FZ8 and the S6k are 2 different cameras. First 2 shoot great in good light and have IS, but you'll get slight graininess in dusk (nothing bad) and need a flash at night. But if low light is more important and size isn't an issue, then you may be able to live without IS...