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View Full Version : Hesitating between: Fuji F30, Casio Z850, and Canon A630


yboucher
09-26-2006, 08:35 PM
Hi guys !!

Well... After hours and hours of shopping around, looking at reviews, and prices, I think I might have nailed my final 3 choices ! However... I'm totally at a loss as to WHICH of those 3 I should pick. Also, there might be others that I'm not aware of, so, I guess I'm gonna have to fill in the questionaire and ask for your help !! So, here goes !

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Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.

--- Between 250-500$CDN



Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?


--- I'm not looking at an SLR, but that's about the only size requirement I have.



Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

--- I'd say 6mp



* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)

--- Standard 3-4x should be enough



* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)

--- I'd say it's a 9


Do you care for manual controls?

--- Yes I do. Especially when it comes to low light, or fast action.


General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

--- This one will be mostly for your usual travel pictures, and taking pics in clubs and bars (yes, i'm aware of the F30's edge on that front... ;) )



* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?

--- Not on a regular basis, no. Might make a couple eventually if I get good shots.



Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?

--- Probably, especially in clubs and bars.



Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

--- Probably not much



Miscellaneous

--- As much as image quality is important, I also want the BUILD quality of the camera to be good. If it's made directly in Japan, all the better, I guess.

--- I'd like it to use SD cards preferably, since they're cheaper (the F30 loses points there with by using the least common format... :( )


Are there particular brands you like or hate?

--- No specific like or hate, although I am aware Canon is one of the de-facto powerhouses, but on the other hand, call me stupid, but I'd kinda like to go for the "underdog" with the Casio... :-P And what's the REAL deal with Sony ? Good or bad ? It's always hard to get an objective opinion on that brand, one way or the other... ;)


Are there particular models you already have in mind?

--- As stated in the title : Fujiflim F30, Casio EX-Z850, Canon Powershot A630. I've seen great reviews of the first 2, but none on the A630, since it just came out...


(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)

--- Image stabilization is certainly always welcome. Rotating LCD can also be very useful if it means you don't have to ask someone else to take a pic of you !


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So there you have it !! All comments and tips will be greatly appreciated !!

Thanks,

Yannick

Beanboy
09-28-2006, 12:43 AM
I'd say F30.

yboucher
09-30-2006, 03:47 PM
Anybody else ?

Just HOW much better is the F30's performance vs. the Z850 in low light and night shots ? Let's say, on a scale of 1 to 10 ?

sjseto
10-04-2006, 03:31 AM
I'd say that the F30 does a significantly better job for low light and night shooting when compared to the Z850. The F30's images are much "cleaner" and are far less noisy; even when you compare both cameras' low ISO night images (e.g. ISO 100), the F30 comes out on top. That's not to say that the Z850 isn't a good little camera in other areas; it's just that night shooting doesn't seem to be one of its strengths.

Stephanie

Riley
10-04-2006, 07:45 AM
i checked out steves review of the F30 and its the best small camera weve seen for awhile. iso 3200 has been unheard of in small cameras before this
and the iso 100 performance rivals many front line competitors

Riley

bascom
10-04-2006, 09:38 AM
but...it's nice to have the rotating LCD of the A630 for self portraits. Plus I like the viewfinder, 4x zoom, and SD cards. Steve's has a good review of it.

All 3 of those sound like good cameras with different advantages.