John Tropi
10-30-2004, 07:48 AM
The need to buy a replacement camera has become acute since having my (very under-rated) Casio QV 3000 stolen.
Like anyone else, I want the best all-rounder at the best possible price!
Priorities:
1.
I am convinced that a good size tilt & swivel LCD should be top priority, particularly for anyone who wants to photograph models (toys) that spend most of their time below waist level and probably on the floor – in my case, Scalextric racing tracks. I can't see anything more fundamentally essential to taking a good shot than first being able to actually SEE what you are trying to frame! Until you can do that, it seems that nothing else matters. In addition, it enables re-angling the LCD to reduce bright sunlight effect AND protects the LCD when folded into body for storage. This makes SO much plain sense that I can barely believe that no digital SLR fills this requirement and they are all off my list because of it. Having three EOS lenses already (from a film cam) this is incredibly frustrating!
I would really like to see what you think about your own cameras with regard to T & S LCD and its usefulness; whether you wish you had held out for a T & S screen etc.
On that basis, many otherwise excellent cameras are off my short list, including the otherwise very accomplished and excellent value Lumix cams from Panasonic, and Fuji's 7xxx and 5xxx series. Nikon is off too because their LCDs are tiny.
Has anyone rigged up a small off-cam LCD or even a tiny TV to get around the problem?
2.
Reasonable macro ability – I must have crisp close-up detail on my model/toy subjects.
I'm absolutely convinced that I do not NEED more than 3 MPixels, though I’ll probably have no choice here! Other than thumbnail IDs, I doubt I will ever actually print my pics and most certainly NEVER, ever bigger than A4/Letter size.
Here are my latest thoughts, more or less in the order that they overcame me!
Canon Pro-1. 2" LCD, possibly best quality of all, good all-rounder.
Sony F828. 1.8" LCD, tilts but no swivel, good all-rounder in spite of pernickety reviews.
Sony F727. 1.8" LCD tilt but no swivel, good all round, much cheaper than 828 but high cost of Sony Memory Stick tends to cancel this out.
Canon S1 IS. 1.5" LCD is VERY small AND hard to see in sunlight, but great zoom and bonuses of Image Stabilization AND excellent video mode. HALF the price of the others too!
I was about to disqualify the otherwise great little Image Stabilised S1 IS on account of its puny sized and low quality LCD. Then two significant factors emerged into my whirling mind.
One, that I think Canon software can enable a video-out mode during recording. If I have this right, it is immensely significant in that a crappy camera LCD becomes much less important and the S1 IS could go straight back on the list!
Then I thought, if this is so, maybe I can add the Panasonic Lumix FZ20 (2" no T & S LCD) to the list because, on paper at least, it seems better value than any other camera here. But I suspect this camera cannot do video out during record, so am frustrated to hell again, as this would otherwise be top of my class! If I thought Panasonic would introduce tilt & swivel I MIGHT even postpone purchase.
The second significant new factor was the PRICE of spare proprietary batteries, most especially Sony - utterly extortionate!!!!
At one point, the little Canon S1 IS was the ONLY camera on my list, because it was the only one with swivelling LCD AND that used cheap AA batteries. However, I discovered compatible batteries available at less than one third Sony prices, so the earlier list was swiftly re-instated.
I'd gratefully appreciate comments, for better AND for worse on the cameras listed above, most especially from, but not limited to hands-on users - sometimes a more objective view or an unthought-of of point can emerge from un-biased non-combatants!
My common sense is telling me that that, IF it is true that Canon's S1 IS can video out while recording, then it SHOULD be top of my list. But there is this creepy, insidious doubt whether it can possibly be good enough, when it is half the price of the others. What am I missing here, or is it simply that the others are all grossly over-priced?
BIG DILEMMA!
PS. Am now looking at Canon’s A95 as well – please save me from insanity!
Like anyone else, I want the best all-rounder at the best possible price!
Priorities:
1.
I am convinced that a good size tilt & swivel LCD should be top priority, particularly for anyone who wants to photograph models (toys) that spend most of their time below waist level and probably on the floor – in my case, Scalextric racing tracks. I can't see anything more fundamentally essential to taking a good shot than first being able to actually SEE what you are trying to frame! Until you can do that, it seems that nothing else matters. In addition, it enables re-angling the LCD to reduce bright sunlight effect AND protects the LCD when folded into body for storage. This makes SO much plain sense that I can barely believe that no digital SLR fills this requirement and they are all off my list because of it. Having three EOS lenses already (from a film cam) this is incredibly frustrating!
I would really like to see what you think about your own cameras with regard to T & S LCD and its usefulness; whether you wish you had held out for a T & S screen etc.
On that basis, many otherwise excellent cameras are off my short list, including the otherwise very accomplished and excellent value Lumix cams from Panasonic, and Fuji's 7xxx and 5xxx series. Nikon is off too because their LCDs are tiny.
Has anyone rigged up a small off-cam LCD or even a tiny TV to get around the problem?
2.
Reasonable macro ability – I must have crisp close-up detail on my model/toy subjects.
I'm absolutely convinced that I do not NEED more than 3 MPixels, though I’ll probably have no choice here! Other than thumbnail IDs, I doubt I will ever actually print my pics and most certainly NEVER, ever bigger than A4/Letter size.
Here are my latest thoughts, more or less in the order that they overcame me!
Canon Pro-1. 2" LCD, possibly best quality of all, good all-rounder.
Sony F828. 1.8" LCD, tilts but no swivel, good all-rounder in spite of pernickety reviews.
Sony F727. 1.8" LCD tilt but no swivel, good all round, much cheaper than 828 but high cost of Sony Memory Stick tends to cancel this out.
Canon S1 IS. 1.5" LCD is VERY small AND hard to see in sunlight, but great zoom and bonuses of Image Stabilization AND excellent video mode. HALF the price of the others too!
I was about to disqualify the otherwise great little Image Stabilised S1 IS on account of its puny sized and low quality LCD. Then two significant factors emerged into my whirling mind.
One, that I think Canon software can enable a video-out mode during recording. If I have this right, it is immensely significant in that a crappy camera LCD becomes much less important and the S1 IS could go straight back on the list!
Then I thought, if this is so, maybe I can add the Panasonic Lumix FZ20 (2" no T & S LCD) to the list because, on paper at least, it seems better value than any other camera here. But I suspect this camera cannot do video out during record, so am frustrated to hell again, as this would otherwise be top of my class! If I thought Panasonic would introduce tilt & swivel I MIGHT even postpone purchase.
The second significant new factor was the PRICE of spare proprietary batteries, most especially Sony - utterly extortionate!!!!
At one point, the little Canon S1 IS was the ONLY camera on my list, because it was the only one with swivelling LCD AND that used cheap AA batteries. However, I discovered compatible batteries available at less than one third Sony prices, so the earlier list was swiftly re-instated.
I'd gratefully appreciate comments, for better AND for worse on the cameras listed above, most especially from, but not limited to hands-on users - sometimes a more objective view or an unthought-of of point can emerge from un-biased non-combatants!
My common sense is telling me that that, IF it is true that Canon's S1 IS can video out while recording, then it SHOULD be top of my list. But there is this creepy, insidious doubt whether it can possibly be good enough, when it is half the price of the others. What am I missing here, or is it simply that the others are all grossly over-priced?
BIG DILEMMA!
PS. Am now looking at Canon’s A95 as well – please save me from insanity!