canon A series or Sony W series

[manojeil]

I am looking for a camera for amature Point & shoot photography. Canon has models A610 and A530 in 5MP P&S cameras. Looking at the specifications both appear to be similar but there is a substantial price difference between the two(~ 25%). One major difference which I can make out is that A530 has 1.8" LCD screen vs. 2" LCD with swivel for A610. I am not too sure whether A530 also has swivel screen or not, but the specification does not say so. The other difference is that A530 uses only 2 AA size batteries instead of 4 AA size batteries in A610 making it a bit less bulkier than A610.

How important are these diffrence?

How do these Canon models compare with Sony DSC W5 which has price similar to A610 of Canon?

[peevee]

The 4 batteries on the A610 provide sufficient power to last upto 500 shots (depending on flash / zooming/ LCD display usage) The swivel display can be put to use to take creative odd angle shots.
If you are travelling this makes it an ideal choice. along with the capability to be creative with the manual functions. Otherwise stick with the other Canon choice the A530. (it does not have the swivel screen). for just point and shoot application.

I stay away from Sony products because they always use their proprietory batteries and memory (memory stick) which can be hard to replace especially when travelling.
Canon uses AA batteries - highly recommend NiMH type AAs (use alkaline if you have to in a pinch) and standard and 'getting cheaper by the month' SD cards.

I was very surprised to see a roadside vendor at a tourist location in New Delhi, India offering to sell me some 256M SD cards(though it was at an exhorbitant tourist rate....lol)
But in the end, it is your money and your call.
Just like it was mine when I agonized for months before i settled on the A610.

[bascom]

I researched it for months and chose the A610, also.

manojeil, how do you figure there is a substantial price difference between the two(~ 25%)? At most stores in the USA, the A530 is $230 and A610 is $250 so they are almost the same. Right, the A530 LCD doesn't swivel and I think it has a lower resolution. Also, the A610 has a bigger sensor and better movie mode at 30fps. The A530 has higher ISO but that doesn't matter much to me. Thus, at only $250 the A610 was the clear choice for me.

The Sony W5 is a nice camera for about $250, also. I'd say it's similar to the A610 but has a bigger LCD that doesn't swivel and it uses MS memory.

[manojeil]

Thanks Peevee,

But this Sony Model W5 uses generic AA batteries same as Canon. I am in a dilemma because of the larger size of canon A610. Any comments on that?
Thanks for your time.

[Birdhouse]

Thanks Peevee,

But this Sony Model W5 uses generic AA batteries same as Canon. I am in a dilemma because of the larger size of canon A610. Any comments on that?
Thanks for your time.


I would go for the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W7 Digital Camera if you to go with Sony. My friend has it and it's wonderful. I am actually thinking getting one for myself, but I have another thread up to see if anybody would like to throw a comparison.

Canon takes amazing photo clarity, but their cameras has been known to have that error code problem plus extremely poor customer service.

The W7 is 7 megapixels, uses two AA rechargeable (non-proprietary) and uses the famously known memory stick (all memory sizes). Love the weight, size and photo quality. So far it's thumbs up for me!

[coldrain]

Claiming Canon has bad customer service is not really fair, it is at least as good as Sony's. The memory stick is one one the sonys biggest drawbacks. Also, the swivel screen from the A610/A620/A700 is great. The Sony W1/3/5/7 are more compact, the A series offers more features. The W30/50/70/100 are more like the Canon SD series, compact metal cameras without much manual options.

The software package that comes with the Canons is a lot better, and if you have a Mac, Sony seems to have dropped any software for it (you can still use them on a Mac with Apples own software).

[Birdhouse]

Claiming Canon has bad customer service is not really fair, it is at least as good as Sony's. The memory stick is one one the sonys biggest drawbacks. Also, the swivel screen from the A610/A620/A700 is great. The Sony W1/3/5/7 are more compact, the A series offers more features. The W30/50/70/100 are more like the Canon SD series, compact metal cameras without much manual options.

The software package that comes with the Canons is a lot better, and if you have a Mac, Sony seems to have dropped any software for it (you can still use them on a Mac with Apples own software).


Actually it's not, I read several websites citing that Sony's customer service outranked Canon's. I am sure people can still have a bad experience with either company, but statistically speaking Sony does have the upper hand here. Can't find the websites right now, but google it and you will see.

The infamous Canon camera E18 error was so bad it became an article a couple months ago by PC World Magazine:

http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,124765,00.asp


It's not the errors that bug me or the people complaing, it's the way Canon handles it! Charging people for an obvious defect or flaw, just ridiculous.

Sony W7 camera is no means a flawless camera, it does have it's flaws like not many adjustment features, lack of software and pricey memory sticks. The pros outweigh the cons in my honest opinion.

[tim11]

.....
Also, the swivel screen from the A610/A620/A700 is great.
A700 has no swivel LCD.

[Screenclutter]

It's not the errors that bug me or the people complaing, it's the way Canon handles it! Charging people for an obvious defect or flaw, just ridiculous.



With my Canon camera, I just decided to buy an in-store warranty for about 3 years. It added to less than 10% of my entire purchase, so I said sure, why not. They do all the shipping and all that other stuff. It won't help me overseas though when I travel.

[manojeil]

generic memory sticks from other manufacturers like SanDisk are now available at a price much cheaper than Sony in all capacities.

[capedeci]

new w series have lower noise, and memory sticks are now no longer more expensive, even cheaper than CF at same speed

[bascom]

The infamous Canon camera E18 error was so bad it became an article a couple months ago by PC World Magazine:
Any camera brand can have errors including Canon and Sony. The rate of Canon's E18 error seems rare and no worse than similar errors in other camera brands. There has been a lot of discussion in the Canon forum:
http://dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3810