Neil64
08-15-2005, 01:39 AM
I am plagued by the same dilemma that most others are here in the forum; which camera to buy?
I started out trying to find a small point and shoot camera that would be about the same image quality as my Canon G2. Contrary to what various sales people have told me, I was told on other forums that my G2’s image quality is still better than most current smaller 4-5 mp cameras. Again, the sales people I have questioned say today’s cameras easily out perform yesterday’s image quality wise.
I am looking for an ultra compact – compact point and shoot with image quality being the paramount criteria and obviously price. Shutter lag especially using flash is something that really annoys me. 10-15 seconds between shots is not acceptable. I have a 3 year old. Getting him to sit still longer than 20 seconds is an act of futility. I have never used anything other than auto on the G2 so manual controls are not a must. I have only experimented with scenes last week at the beach and have not reviewed the results. I know my wife will always use auto mode. If two cameras are absolutely neck and neck, and all things being equal except one having manual capabilities and one not, I would opt for the one having manual capabilities just in case.
I expect this camera be used both outdoors (amusement parks, beach, yard, etc) and indoors (kids b’day parties, family get togethers, etc). This why the G2 is being added to as it is not very pocketable. I still hope to use the G2 around our house and for really important occasions.
I print 4x6s and (1) 5x7 on an Epson printer. One day, I’d like to do an 8x11 portrait but that would really be outside the norm.
Budget – Was originally $200.00 for camera. Expanded to $300.00. Memory cards will be bought, if need be, on another budget. I’d rather be able to uses my existing CF cards if possible as it saves $30 – $50.
Cameras that I am considering:
Canon Powershot S500 5mp - $250.00 demo. Camera seems to be in almost new condition. They are throwing in a second Canon battery. For $30.00, I get a 2 year CompUSA extended warranty where if something goes wrong with it, they will replace it with a brand new camera of equivalent stature (SD400) on the spot. Small and fits in my hand and pocket well. Reviews rate the image quality as excellent with noise issues. A couple reviews rate the CCD sensor as being better than the new SD400 resulting in sharper pictures. Speed between flash shots seemed quick -very good. I guess it does not have any scenes but I have only started playing with them after 3+ years of taking pictures with my G2. Again, not nearly as important as image quality. Another plus I can save some money that I would spend on SD memory card as this uses the same compact flash cards that my G2 uses. Hence, I do not have to buy a memory card. Despite its small LCD, I really like this camera and the price.
Canon Powershot – SD300 $290.00 – Reviews rate it as excellent image quality. Bigger LCD a plus. Nice camera. Newer, less resolution than the S500 and maybe a little more compact. I have heard that it has the Digic II chip? Have to buy an SD card.
Canon Powershot A520 4mp – $211.00 Nice camera but horribly slow between shots. Reviewers rate the image quality as excellent but there are some noise issues. Have to buy SD card. Has manual controls for added flexibility plus has scenes.
Fuji F10 6.3mp - $310.00 Reviews rate the image quality as excellent, especially low light, no flash pictures. A little big but pocketable and a little outside of the budget. Not sure if this is a great all around camera. Have to buy memory card.
Nikon Coolpix 5200 5mp - $190.00 Even though it is 5mp, it hasn’t gotten great reviews – All reviews that I read indicate pictures are soft and noisy. It seems the consensus is good but not excellent picture quality. Great fit in my hand and pocket. Have to buy SD card.
I have looked that the Sonys and Olympus’. They seem nice but nothing really attracted me to them. I guess I like the Canon name. With them, it seems you get what you pay for; excellent image quality. They may be lacking on the features and more expensive. Nikon is nice but the reviews I have read, don’t generally put them in the excellent image quality class.
I really am leaning towards buying the Canon S500 demo for $250.00 + the 2 year extended warranty for 30.00 just in case. It comes with (2) canon batteries and I can use my existing CF cards. It comes out to $280.00 for a quality 5mp. I know it is a demo, but I don’t think it has been beaten up. The battery was dead in it so if was powered up, it was probably only done with original battery charge. Lens is clean. It seems to look and operate fine, plus, it will have three years of warranty and CompUSA promises to give me a brand new camera of equal or greater quality on the spot should something go wrong.
For $50.00 more, I would lean towards the SD400 but I don’t know if its image quality is as good as the S500. Plus, I’d have to buy a SD card & extra battery. Total, $340.00 - $360.00
Next would be the Canon A520. $251.00 - $271.00 including a SD card and a spare battery.
So my ultimate dilemma, unless someone recommends another camera in this league is:
Is the Canon S500 5mp $10.00 - $30.00 better than the A520 4mp? Is the SD400 4mp $60.00 - $80.00 better than the S500?
Please, give me your opinions. I am most interested in the above but will consider other options.
Another question: Do Ultra SD cards really speed up shutter lag that cameras like the A520 experience? Does the same hold true for CF cards? I imagine, nothing is going to speed up times between flash shot.
Thanks..
Neil
:confused: :confused:
I started out trying to find a small point and shoot camera that would be about the same image quality as my Canon G2. Contrary to what various sales people have told me, I was told on other forums that my G2’s image quality is still better than most current smaller 4-5 mp cameras. Again, the sales people I have questioned say today’s cameras easily out perform yesterday’s image quality wise.
I am looking for an ultra compact – compact point and shoot with image quality being the paramount criteria and obviously price. Shutter lag especially using flash is something that really annoys me. 10-15 seconds between shots is not acceptable. I have a 3 year old. Getting him to sit still longer than 20 seconds is an act of futility. I have never used anything other than auto on the G2 so manual controls are not a must. I have only experimented with scenes last week at the beach and have not reviewed the results. I know my wife will always use auto mode. If two cameras are absolutely neck and neck, and all things being equal except one having manual capabilities and one not, I would opt for the one having manual capabilities just in case.
I expect this camera be used both outdoors (amusement parks, beach, yard, etc) and indoors (kids b’day parties, family get togethers, etc). This why the G2 is being added to as it is not very pocketable. I still hope to use the G2 around our house and for really important occasions.
I print 4x6s and (1) 5x7 on an Epson printer. One day, I’d like to do an 8x11 portrait but that would really be outside the norm.
Budget – Was originally $200.00 for camera. Expanded to $300.00. Memory cards will be bought, if need be, on another budget. I’d rather be able to uses my existing CF cards if possible as it saves $30 – $50.
Cameras that I am considering:
Canon Powershot S500 5mp - $250.00 demo. Camera seems to be in almost new condition. They are throwing in a second Canon battery. For $30.00, I get a 2 year CompUSA extended warranty where if something goes wrong with it, they will replace it with a brand new camera of equivalent stature (SD400) on the spot. Small and fits in my hand and pocket well. Reviews rate the image quality as excellent with noise issues. A couple reviews rate the CCD sensor as being better than the new SD400 resulting in sharper pictures. Speed between flash shots seemed quick -very good. I guess it does not have any scenes but I have only started playing with them after 3+ years of taking pictures with my G2. Again, not nearly as important as image quality. Another plus I can save some money that I would spend on SD memory card as this uses the same compact flash cards that my G2 uses. Hence, I do not have to buy a memory card. Despite its small LCD, I really like this camera and the price.
Canon Powershot – SD300 $290.00 – Reviews rate it as excellent image quality. Bigger LCD a plus. Nice camera. Newer, less resolution than the S500 and maybe a little more compact. I have heard that it has the Digic II chip? Have to buy an SD card.
Canon Powershot A520 4mp – $211.00 Nice camera but horribly slow between shots. Reviewers rate the image quality as excellent but there are some noise issues. Have to buy SD card. Has manual controls for added flexibility plus has scenes.
Fuji F10 6.3mp - $310.00 Reviews rate the image quality as excellent, especially low light, no flash pictures. A little big but pocketable and a little outside of the budget. Not sure if this is a great all around camera. Have to buy memory card.
Nikon Coolpix 5200 5mp - $190.00 Even though it is 5mp, it hasn’t gotten great reviews – All reviews that I read indicate pictures are soft and noisy. It seems the consensus is good but not excellent picture quality. Great fit in my hand and pocket. Have to buy SD card.
I have looked that the Sonys and Olympus’. They seem nice but nothing really attracted me to them. I guess I like the Canon name. With them, it seems you get what you pay for; excellent image quality. They may be lacking on the features and more expensive. Nikon is nice but the reviews I have read, don’t generally put them in the excellent image quality class.
I really am leaning towards buying the Canon S500 demo for $250.00 + the 2 year extended warranty for 30.00 just in case. It comes with (2) canon batteries and I can use my existing CF cards. It comes out to $280.00 for a quality 5mp. I know it is a demo, but I don’t think it has been beaten up. The battery was dead in it so if was powered up, it was probably only done with original battery charge. Lens is clean. It seems to look and operate fine, plus, it will have three years of warranty and CompUSA promises to give me a brand new camera of equal or greater quality on the spot should something go wrong.
For $50.00 more, I would lean towards the SD400 but I don’t know if its image quality is as good as the S500. Plus, I’d have to buy a SD card & extra battery. Total, $340.00 - $360.00
Next would be the Canon A520. $251.00 - $271.00 including a SD card and a spare battery.
So my ultimate dilemma, unless someone recommends another camera in this league is:
Is the Canon S500 5mp $10.00 - $30.00 better than the A520 4mp? Is the SD400 4mp $60.00 - $80.00 better than the S500?
Please, give me your opinions. I am most interested in the above but will consider other options.
Another question: Do Ultra SD cards really speed up shutter lag that cameras like the A520 experience? Does the same hold true for CF cards? I imagine, nothing is going to speed up times between flash shot.
Thanks..
Neil
:confused: :confused: