round-here.net

Which Camera to chose?
Hi There,.

I am thinking of getting a new camera in August. I am currently using a small pocket sized Casio which I love. But on a recent trip to Ireland I when I wanted to take some nice photo's I was let down by the lack of optical zoom. Therefore I am now looking at the superzoom cameras. I am don't really know all the ins and outs of photography but I would like to learn..

I have been looking at the following cameras which seem to fit my needs and have read all the reviews I can find but I am still unsure which to pick and would like a second opinion..

The cameras I have shortlisted are:Canon Powershot S3 IS (Good reputation and gets good reviews).

Fuji Finepix S6500fd ( I like the manual zoom and focus but I have read there is about a 1.5 second delay on the shutter).

Fuji Finepix S9600Olympus SP-510.

Olympus SP-550 ( I would like the 18x zoom, but not sure of how much of a benefit over a 12x it would be).

Panasonic DMC-FZ7Panasonic DMC-FZ8.

Ideally I don't want to spend over 250 which I know the SP-550 is, the rest I have managed to find under 200.

Does anyone have any thoughts on these cameras for a beginner? to be honest they are all about 20 times better than my current one anyway...

Comments (11)

Hi,.

Have a look also at the Panasonic DMC-FZ50 which is starting to drop in price and is "Highly Recommended" and will leave you a bit of cash for media cards etc. The last paragraph of the review's conclusions says it all..

Regards, David..

Comment #1

Hi David,.

Thanks for the recommendation. I would like to spend less than 250 if possible, I had looked at that camera but it's just a little too pricey...

Comment #2

Cw808s wrote:.

Hi David,Thanks for the recommendation. I would like to spend less than 250if possible, I had looked at that camera but it's just a little toopricey..

Hi,.

Are you sure? They dropped very recently and I was going by the John Lewis/Waitrose price which is inside your budget....

Regards, David..

Comment #3

Hi David,.

Thanks for your reply..

I can't seem to find the camera that cheap, even on John Lewis website..

Below is the prices I have found for the cameras I shortlisted:.

Canon Powershot S3 IS - 195.99Fuji Finepix 6500FD - 157.99Fuji Finepix 9600 - 224.49Kodak Easyshare Z612 - 129.99Kodak Easyshare Z650 - 125.99Kodak easyshare Z710 - 125.00Kodak Easyshare P850 - 189.99Olympus SP-510 - 146.00Olympus SP-550 - 269.49Panasonic DMC FZ7 - 150.69Panasonic DMC FZ8 - 184.99Panasonic DMC FZ50 - 299.99.

For me I think I would be best off with either the FZ8, S3 IS, 6500FD or 9600. What do you recon?..

Comment #4

In terms of superzooms, 300mm on a compact camera is not really long enough. So you should consider the Canon s3/s5. It tickes most of the desirability boxes including having a flip out LCD for easier composition at more interesting levels..

If you do get a camera with 300mm maxium then make sure the lens is threaded at the end to enable you to easily add filters and close-up or telephoto extenders..

I'm presently enjoying the Fuji 9600. Key points for me included: having the size and balance of a small SLR, nice manual zoom lens that starts at 28mm for interiors and landscapes, flip out LCD, and a hot shoe for an accessory flash.http://www.pbase.com/johnfr/backtothebridge.

John.Please visit me at:http://www.pbase.com/johnfr..

Comment #5

The Olympus SP-550 has an 18x zoom, the others have 10.7 to 12x Is it worth paying 100 more for the 18x or go for the reputation of the S3 with 12x?..

Comment #6

Cw808s wrote:.

The Olympus SP-550 has an 18x zoom, the others have 10.7 to 12x Is itworth paying 100 more for the 18x or go for the reputation of the S3with 12x?.

If the flip out LCD on the Canon plus it's popularity hasn't swung it for you yet, thev use these two links to help compare image quality..

Http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTMhttp://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympussp550uz/page17.asp.

18x zoom will be important for wildlife etc. if that's what you're into then go for the Olympus. Otherwise it really should be the Canon don't you think?John.Please visit me at:http://www.pbase.com/johnfr/backtothebridgehttp://www.pbase.com/johnfr..

Comment #7

Hi,.

I was looking at the camera at 300 (less 1p or so) a while ago and then bought something else but noticed the price drop a couple of weeks ago. However, they seem to drop prices regularly on ex-demo ones and I might have seen that. Sorry..

Of the others, I'd not go above 8 mp because that's 300 ppi on A4 and the zoom means you'll not crop much. Also I'd not go for x18 or so because the more zoom the less aperture. Which means upping the ISO and that means noise and so on..

Having said that I'd go for anything "Highly recommended" here and read the conclusions on it very carefully. Then I'd like to hold the thing....

Sorry I can't say more..

Regards, David..

Comment #8

Thanks for all the info..

I would have liked the Fuji camera's as I like the idea of the twist zoom and twist focus, but the review I read of the 6500FD says the twist focus isn't very sharp and I don't like the sound of a 1.5 second delay in pressing the shutter and the image being taken so I have more or less ruled them out now..

I think I will look at the S3 IS and the FZ8 and FZ50(If I can find it cheaper) a bit more but at the moment I would choose the Canon..

One last question if you don't mind..

I take it all the cameras I have listed can shoot in RAW or TIFF format, but is the software compatible with MAC's? and as I have Photoshop do I really need it anyway?.

Thanks for all the help..

Comment #9

Cw808s wrote:.

Thanks for all the info..

I would have liked the Fuji camera's as I like the idea of the twistzoom and twist focus, but the review I read of the 6500FD says thetwist focus isn't very sharp and I don't like the sound of a 1.5second delay in pressing the shutter and the image being taken so Ihave more or less ruled them out now..

Nope, nor me..

I think I will look at the S3 IS and the FZ8 and FZ50(If I can findit cheaper) a bit more but at the moment I would choose the Canon..

One last question if you don't mind..

I take it all the cameras I have listed can shoot in RAW or TIFFformat, but is the software compatible with MAC's? and as I havePhotoshop do I really need it anyway?.

Do you really need RAW? Well, now and then. Problem is that a few cameras offer a jpeg with fairly high compression (I often think this is to let you fire away quickly) and then RAW but Leica and Olympus (and therefore probably Panasonic *) offer a not very highly compressed jpeg. So less of a jump from RAW to a good, usable jpeg. I'd add that I only use RAW when things are decidedly tricky and bracketing or a bit of exposure tweaking won't do the trick (but I am a lazy old git)....

OTOH, if it was about RAW convertion then I can't say but there's a lot of free RAW converters out there and plugins. Google is the answer....

Thanks for all the help.

Part of the point of the forum..

Hope it helps. David.

* Have a look on Panasonic's website and you'll probably find the manual is downloadable as a PDF. Getting one and reading it quickly might help you a lot...

Comment #10

Thanks again David..

I have had a look at some comparisons between the S3 IS and the FZ8 and I think the quality in picture is much better on the FZ8. The S3 seems to be a little fluffy round the edges and the FZ8 seems much sharper. At the moment I am siding with the FZ8..

I will just read some more reviews and comparisons before I finaly take the plunge...

Comment #11


This question was taken from a support group/message board and re-posted here so others can learn from it.

 

 

 

 

Categories: Home | Beginners Group | Canon Cameras | Casio Cameras |

Fuji Cameras | Beginner Questions | Camera Tips | Buying a Camera |

Camera Shopping Tips | Camera Recommendations |

 

(C) Copyright 2010 All rights reserved.