Jury please - Canon A80/Canon S1 IS or...

[rahul.pandit]

Please help me deciding which camera to buy.
I am looking for camera costing around $400, with approximately 4 MP resolution and preference for IS and AF assist.

Based upon dcresource forum discussions, I have picked out some finalists.
They are as listed in order of preference -
Canon PowerShot A80
Canon S1 IS
Canon Powershot G3
Minolta Z3
Kodak DX6490

I am torn between Canon A80 and the Canon S1 IS. One has AF while the has IS. How important are IS and AF and what matter most? :confused:
Help me pick the finalist.

Thanks in advance,
Rahul

[Jake Conner]

Both have AF (no one would buy either without it), the S1 has a bigger zoom, better movie mode, and IS, while the A80 is higher res, more compact, and has a swivel screen.

Jake

[rahul.pandit]

Thanks for the response.
Allow me to reprhase my question. The canon S1 IS is 3.2 megapixel and lacks AF-assist lamp while the canon A80 has 4 MP and AF assist lamp but no IS.

If only i could get all features of Canon S1 IS with 4 MP, that would be my ideal camera. Is there any such camera out there?

Thanks,
Rahul

[Rhys]

Thanks for the response.
Allow me to reprhase my question. The canon S1 IS is 3.2 megapixel and lacks AF-assist lamp while the canon A80 has 4 MP and AF assist lamp but no IS.

If only i could get all features of Canon S1 IS with 4 MP, that would be my ideal camera. Is there any such camera out there?

Thanks,
Rahul

Try the Panasonic FZ10. Personally, I'm a little worried about the Panasonics since John Reed's FZ1 died after a year of use. I know it got used a lot but a year doesn't seem very much.

I'm thinking of getting the S1, myself.

[John_Reed]

Try the Panasonic FZ10. Personally, I'm a little worried about the Panasonics since John Reed's FZ1 died after a year of use. I know it got used a lot but a year doesn't seem very much.

I'm thinking of getting the S1, myself.
Rhys, my Panasonic didn't die a natural death - I killed it! I was trying to tighten up the lens barrel, a bit overloaded, I think, by always having the TCON-17 screwed on, and when I took it apart, I cut one of the ribbon cables accidentally while trying to put it back together. Don't go off on one of your "Panasonic is unreliable" binges and bemoan the fate of a camera that shot over 18,000 images during its lifetime, took some pretty hard knocks, and was still working fine before I did it in. I figure that for less than 3 cents/shot, it rests in well-deserved peace. Over on the dpreview forum, which has a lot of FZ1 users, I've only heard of two people who had to send their cameras in for warranty service. Not bad, not bad.

[Jake Conner]

All you did was cut a ribbon cable? Buy another at Radio Shack, then you'll have your FZ1 as a backup!

Jake

[John_Reed]

All you did was cut a ribbon cable? Buy another at Radio Shack, then you'll have your FZ1 as a backup!

Jake
Those ribbon cables are the primary interconnection medium for the camera. If I replace a cable, I have to solder it in at the other end; all the cables seem to be specific-pitched, custom fit cables. One reason I have an IS camera, Jake, is that my hands shake too much to allow me to do that kind of precision work anymore. Besides, I already have my wife's FZ1 as a backup anyway, so I'm good to go. But thanks for the suggestion, young fella!

[Rhys]

Those ribbon cables are the primary interconnection medium for the camera. If I replace a cable, I have to solder it in at the other end; all the cables seem to be specific-pitched, custom fit cables. One reason I have an IS camera, Jake, is that my hands shake too much to allow me to do that kind of precision work anymore. Besides, I already have my wife's FZ1 as a backup anyway, so I'm good to go. But thanks for the suggestion, young fella!

The ribbon cables that I've seen used in a Fuji camera and an IBM laptop have not been soldered. They've been slipped into a gripping socket. Perhaps it's the same with the Panasonic?

[John_Reed]

The ribbon cables that I've seen used in a Fuji camera and an IBM laptop have not been soldered. They've been slipped into a gripping socket. Perhaps it's the same with the Panasonic?
Many of them are actually "Y" cables, with three or more ending termini.

[George Riehm]

Send it (FZ1) down here to Arizona for retirement. You'd be amazed at the recouperative power of "dry heat".