The "Perfect" Ultrazoom.. which is it?

[truflip]

I should have said "Closest to perfect" ultrazoom =)

Budget:
$500-600 Canadian Dollars

Size:
Medium. Something like the S3 and H5 but not the FZ30. I want to be able to carry it around with me without trouble.

Features:

Image Stabilization =D
Full Manual Controls
Preset Settings
12x Zoom minimum haha
black finish
decent flash, i mean it wont be a full indoor picture camera..
zoom-able movie mode
nice LCD screen. preferably 2.5 high res screen.


General Usage:

I love night shots, fireworks, buildings etc.. I live in a decent city, growing well so lots of lights at night =)
did i say fireworks? I think so =)
mostly 4x6 prints with some full page pictures
I will be shooting a lot of macro shots. Flowers, bugs, trees and animals. I like to take landscape shots. Ottawa is beautiful so i want to picture the city well =) I also like sunset and parks. As you can tell it will be mostly outdoor pictures.
I will also be using the camera for indoor pictures. Possibly 20% of the time.. I have a small point n shoot for bday parties and family gatherings so yea..
minimal sports and action photos (mainly when going to the park to bbq and play some volleyball or soccer and what not)


Miscellaneous:

I like Canon the best.. S3, but I also like the Sony H5. I was looking at the FZ7 but Im not so sure the features stack up well in the end..
I went to visit the S3 and H5.. tough decision. I like the FZ7 cuz of its light weight and superb image quality. its fast, focuses well.. but I didnt do my homework on it. only did on the S3 and H5


other needs:
something tough. i mean there might be some times where accidental drops happen. basically something that will last a few years.

[AlexMonro]

Like the perfect car, or the perfect computer, the perfect ultrazoom probably doesn't exist, but the S3 IS is a good allround jack of all trades.

You say minimal action shots, so you probably won't miss the FZ7's fast autofocus, and you can get a wide angle converter if you need wider coverage for landscapes or architecture.

[truflip]

Of the three cameras? which will produce an image that will need the least post processing. I dont have much time to be erasing purple fringing and removing noise.. i mean I can crop and resize pictures but purchasing programs and spending time to remove CA and purple fringing and noise is a bit too much for me.

I just want to produce nice pictures than I can crop and resize and be ready to print. :rolleyes:

[nism]

ive got an S3
i love it like in the same way i would love my child
brilliant piece of electronics
from your criteria, it checks them off

keep in mind though, i havent tried the H5, but from what ive read, there is very very little difference between them
but the IS is more effective in the S3
there is more scene/colour modes
its got better burst modes

but yea im sure they are both great cameras

oh and i hardly ever need to edit my pics in photoshot

[John_Reed]

Doesn't have manual controls, except for exposure value, BUT, that doesn't seem to inhibit it from taking great photos. It's smaller than any other ultra-zoom except for that pesky Kodak, it makes not only VGA-quality movies, but also HD-format movies, AND, you can zoom during filming. I have both an FZ30 and TZ1, and except for some types of shots, I'll pick the TZ1 most often, especially since it's so easy to carry around!

[truflip]

Yea.. the TZ1.. does not impress me as much as the other guys. Only thing I like about it is how small it is and the fact that its 10x zoom. I think I would prefer the Kodak V570 if it was between the 2. and the price difference in minimal.. but then for $450-470. I would rather pay $30 more and get the FZ7. It has more features and manual controls.. hmm.. yea i dont think i will be interested in the TZ1 thanks for pointing it out though, the review was a good read, just didnt mean my want/need specs.

nism: I totally agree with you about the IS on the S3. it is much more stable and easy to use than the Sony H5. Thing is, the final picture is about the same. the blur at full zoom (thats digital included) is jsut a bit worse on the H5. but i wont be doing that. I will be using the optical zoom only and the difference in the final picture is very small to me. Id still take the S3 in this case because on the screen its more stable so it gives me less worry about holding the camera more steadily.. if that makes sense

[Radio63]

I've been going through this for about six months now, trying to replace my old Olympus ultra zoom. After tilting this way and that, I finally went with the Canon S2.

For me, it seemed to be the best mix of features for price. I much prefer AAs over battery packs; I much prefer SD memory over other types; I much prefer having the zoom control at my index finger, not my thumb. The little things just kept piling up in the Canon's favor.

I also considered the S3, of course, but I could not justify the extra $100 for the two or three extra features, given how I use cameras. This morning, though, Dell's got a great deal on the S3 (under $400 shipped), so if I hadn't already ordered the S2, I might be doing the S3.

[Sintares]

If only we could build a perfect superzoom out of all the great cameras out there!

The swivel screen,stereo movie recording and fast burst mode of the Canon S3, the superior optics, pictures, colors, the very low shutter lag and the incredible 3in lcd of the H5, the high ISO modes of the Fuji cameras and of course Raw capable with a hotshoe..

That would be a perfect camera for me ..

[truflip]

which obviously does not exist... YET I heard the S4 IS is gonna be just that :p :rolleyes:

anywho, I went ahead and got the H5, though im itching for the S3. but I wanted to give the H5 a chance. Maybe I can get used to the layout of the menu and the way the camera feels.

Ive always used Canons for the past few years since i first got my digital camera and now a Sony hmm.. its gonna take me a while to get used to using my thumb to zoom in n out.. or maybe a few days =D but the menu is jus.. blahh i miss canon already =(

Gonna take some shots tomorrow when its sunny and nice so I will post some pics =D

[truflip]

here are the pictures as promised =P
http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?p=136214&posted=1#post136214