ajoseph
08-15-2005, 02:27 PM
I have gone round and round in my search to find a perfect replacement camera for my lowly Casio QV-R42. This was a 4mp/3x P&S that took decent pictures but I never used most of the manual settings. It didn't have very many settings to begin with. But I was starting to experiment when I lost it.
My original post on this site indicated that I was looking for a long zoom digicam that would allow me to shoot good pics of my family. This is still true but the necessity of long zoom is questionable. I had indicated that I was going to buy the Fuji S5200 when it came out in October. But then I found a great deal ($324) on a Olympus C-7070. I ended up ordering that from Dell and am waiting on it. But now reading about all the low light focusing problems that the C-7070 has I am wondering if I should cancel the order. Do I even know what I am getting into with the C-7070.
Here is what is important to me about a camera:
Very Important
Image Quality: exposure, color, focus, speed and noise
MegaPixels: Just enough to print 11x14 with some cropping
Less Important
Size: I have thick fingers and small compact digicams are not comfortable to hold.
Battery Type: Prefer AA but am not stuck on it.
Memory Type: Prefer SD but am willing to use CF also. Don't like xD or Memory Stick.
--------------------------------------------
I want a camera with manual controls that will allow me to grow into better photography skills.
I do not want a camera that is too expensive because by the time I master the basics of photography skills there will be much much much better on the market at better prices.
I want to be able to take picture of my kids (both under 3 yrs old) in candid situations as well as posed shots.
This will also be a camera we take on vacations.
The camera needs to have the ability for my wife to simply pick up and shoot with littel fuss, because she is not going to learn the manual controls.
When I reviewed my archive of pictures I noticed that about 50% are indoors and 50% outdoors.
Budget: Started at $400 + Accessories, but I would like to keep it around $400 total.
I have looked at so many cameras and they all have some redeeming characteristics. The Canon G6, KM A200, Canon A510, Canon A520, Canon S70, Fuji S5100, Fuji S5200, Fuji F10, Olympus Stylus 800, Sony DSC-H1, Canon S2IS, Panasonic FZ-5, Pana FZ-15, Sony V3, Olympus C-765, Olympus C-7000, Olympus C-7070, Kodak DX7590, Kodak Z740, Nikon 7900, Olympus C-5500, Fuji E550, Pentaz Optio 750Z, and the Canon A95 have all been serious contenders at one time or the other.
My favorites were the Fuji S5200, Canon G6, KM A200, and the Canon S2IS. All of these were priced too high for me. Except the Fuji bit I was not happy about the prospect of paying retail for an untested product.
I settled on the C-7070 because I thought it had the best picture quality at the cheapest price. But I still regret not having the IS or the high ISO features of the S2IS or the S5200.
Could I have made a better choice?
My original post on this site indicated that I was looking for a long zoom digicam that would allow me to shoot good pics of my family. This is still true but the necessity of long zoom is questionable. I had indicated that I was going to buy the Fuji S5200 when it came out in October. But then I found a great deal ($324) on a Olympus C-7070. I ended up ordering that from Dell and am waiting on it. But now reading about all the low light focusing problems that the C-7070 has I am wondering if I should cancel the order. Do I even know what I am getting into with the C-7070.
Here is what is important to me about a camera:
Very Important
Image Quality: exposure, color, focus, speed and noise
MegaPixels: Just enough to print 11x14 with some cropping
Less Important
Size: I have thick fingers and small compact digicams are not comfortable to hold.
Battery Type: Prefer AA but am not stuck on it.
Memory Type: Prefer SD but am willing to use CF also. Don't like xD or Memory Stick.
--------------------------------------------
I want a camera with manual controls that will allow me to grow into better photography skills.
I do not want a camera that is too expensive because by the time I master the basics of photography skills there will be much much much better on the market at better prices.
I want to be able to take picture of my kids (both under 3 yrs old) in candid situations as well as posed shots.
This will also be a camera we take on vacations.
The camera needs to have the ability for my wife to simply pick up and shoot with littel fuss, because she is not going to learn the manual controls.
When I reviewed my archive of pictures I noticed that about 50% are indoors and 50% outdoors.
Budget: Started at $400 + Accessories, but I would like to keep it around $400 total.
I have looked at so many cameras and they all have some redeeming characteristics. The Canon G6, KM A200, Canon A510, Canon A520, Canon S70, Fuji S5100, Fuji S5200, Fuji F10, Olympus Stylus 800, Sony DSC-H1, Canon S2IS, Panasonic FZ-5, Pana FZ-15, Sony V3, Olympus C-765, Olympus C-7000, Olympus C-7070, Kodak DX7590, Kodak Z740, Nikon 7900, Olympus C-5500, Fuji E550, Pentaz Optio 750Z, and the Canon A95 have all been serious contenders at one time or the other.
My favorites were the Fuji S5200, Canon G6, KM A200, and the Canon S2IS. All of these were priced too high for me. Except the Fuji bit I was not happy about the prospect of paying retail for an untested product.
I settled on the C-7070 because I thought it had the best picture quality at the cheapest price. But I still regret not having the IS or the high ISO features of the S2IS or the S5200.
Could I have made a better choice?