R1 Smart Zoom

[Mock]

I'm thinking of getting an R1 but its lens leaves a lot to be desired at the telephoto end. I'm using a Canon S1 IS right now, it's 360mm telephoto at the native 3MP is of good quality.

Using the Smart Zoom feature on the R1, what kind of telephoto power can you get at 3MP? The practicality of this feature was well documented in the FZ30 review, and I was disappointed to see it wasn't also covered in the R1 review.

I know it's just the 10MP image cropped, but it affords a certain psycological advantage in the field versus cropping it later on.

[Balrog]

To get the extra "zoom" factor you'd get from cropping, just take the square root of (output MP / total MP); so for a 3MP image from a 10MP sensor, that factor is sqrt(10/3) = 1.825X. Multiplying that with the R1's max telephoto of 120mm yields approximately 220mm.

On the other hand, why an R1? You could get, say, a Nikon D50 with a Sigma 18-200mm lens for just a bit more; it'd have better reach (though not as wide), better viewfinder, better speed, better quality, expandability ..

Or if you really really want LCD preview, you could try an FZ30, or an S9000, or a S2 IS, or an S5200... frankly, I don't see anything that makes the R1 worth its pricetag. Looking at the cost of the "addon" converters for it makes me shudder - you could get real, high-quality slr lenses for the same amount, or less...

[Rex914]

You could get, say, a Nikon D50 with a Sigma 18-200mm lens for just a bit more

Actually, it's a bit less if you think about it. Places are selling the D50 for $550 now (Buydig was just doing that the past few days) and the Sigma 18-200 lists for $400 but is very easily found for $350 now. So in the best case, you'll spend $900 even or in the worst case, $950 which is still $50 cheaper than the R1.

[Balrog]

Actually, it's a bit less if you think about it. Places are selling the D50 for $550 now (Buydig was just doing that the past few days) and the Sigma 18-200 lists for $400 but is very easily found for $350 now. So in the best case, you'll spend $900 even or in the worst case, $950 which is still $50 cheaper than the R1.
Heh .. true, I hadn't been keeping track of prices. That just makes the R1 even more absurd...

[coldrain]

Well, it does have the edge over the FZ30 (and a bit less over the S9000) in image quality. It is all in all quite an impressive all in one digital camera with a good lens... its 2 drawbacks being that the big sensor requires a bigger lens to give tele range and its price tag. It is priced like back in the days when the F828, Canon Pro1 and other "prosumer" 8mp cameras were introduced... I guess Sony is finding out that the pricing and manufacturing landscape has changed. It will be interesting to see how their DSLR's will be priced.

It is a breakthrough camera in that it for the first time gives live preview with an APS-c sized sensor (although movie mode is still lacking).

[Mock]

The price is really no problem, I work at a camera retailer and I'll be able to get it at the store price. In the case of an FZ30 for example, regular price is $900. I can get it for $590. (CAD)

I need LCD preview, it's what I'm used to now. I'm not about to regress into a dSLR. Of course having the APS sensor affords many advantages. That's why I'm thinking of the R1.