I Figured I Should Ask the Experts...

[c3r1h5]

I am trying to figure out which camera to buy my g/f for the Holiday season. She's taken photography classes and appreciates it, but she informed me she wants an "everyday" camera. Now the facts...

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Budget - around $500 or less.

Size - Compact or Ultra-Compact

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? >5.

What optical zoom will you need? Again, the best I can afford. I personally have a Canon SD200 and the zoom is not sufficient (3x).

How important is “image quality” to you? 8

Do you care for manual controls? Doubtful

General Usage

What will you generally use the camera for?

Something that will be good for parties, can take photos at a theme park, or be used at a concert that can take decent closeups (15-20ft from stage).

Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? Rarely if ever.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? Most likely. Will probably be used more than 65% at night and indoors.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? Rarely if at all.

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? Nope

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

Yes, Canon PowerShot SD800 IS Digital ELPH, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T10 (or T30 or T50, don't know the difference), and the Casio Exilim EX-Z850

[bascom]

Here are the release dates and some differences of the T's:
T9: 2005-11-01, 6MP, 2.5" LCD, IS0 640, $375
T30: 2006-04-05, 7MP, 3.0" LCD, ISO 1000, $410
T10: 2006-08-02, 7MP, 2.5" LCD, ISO 1000, $350
T50: 2006-09-11, 7MP, touch screen 3.0" LCD, ISO 1000, $415

I prefer the SD800 and Z850 because they use SD, have a VF and are cheaper than most the T's. For 65% night shots the Fuji F30 is a good low light performer. But you said you want more than 3x zoom and won't get that in these small ones, except the SD800 has 3.8x. Canon A710 has 6x zoom and is still compact.

[c3r1h5]

Thanks Bascom for that info on the T's...

Well I was checking my friends Sony Cybershot (forgot the specific model) and it had 3.0x optical zoom and then a 2.0x digital zoom. Do most cameras have that feature? Does the digital zoom make any difference or lower the quality?

I'm going to check the models out for myself, but I still prefer input from others that have more experience in the area.

[RichNY]

Go with a Canon S3IS and you can't go wrong. A little over $300, 12x zoom, takes great pictures, excellent support on this forum, ability to have full manual control over the camera when she wants to fully utilize it.

The Sony H2 or H5 would also be excellent choices, but I'd recommend the Canon S3IS over them.

Here is review of this camera:
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s3-review/

[Riley]

i know you have asked about other cameras but
based on the notion you wish to use the camera in low light
(parties, concerts, fair etc)
i would urge you to look at the Fuji F30
its the low light king and has no real competition in this area

here is a review

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_f30-review/

Riley

[c3r1h5]

RichNY, I checked out the Canon S3IS and Sony cameras you suggested, but they are larger than what I am looking for. She wants a compact camera, unless I buy her a really big purse to go with the camera :)

Riley, I will check out the Fuji F30 later tonight.

[bascom]

Well I was checking my friends Sony Cybershot (forgot the specific model) and it had 3.0x optical zoom and then a 2.0x digital zoom. Do most cameras have that feature? Does the digital zoom make any difference or lower the quality?

Most or all cameras have digital zoom but it's almost useless. It lowers the quality so I don't use it.

[c3r1h5]

Ok, I went to Best Buy (bad idea) and to Ritz cameras and could not check out all of the models. The only one I saw was the Sony DSC and I crossed that off my list. After reading the Fuji review, I'm stuck between the Canon SD800 IS and the Fuji F30.

I'm torn between the two because the Canon has 3.8x optical zoom and the Fuji takes great low light photos.

What do you guys think? Should I go for the low light photo camera or the somewhat larger than 3.0x zoom?

Thanks...

[mattdm]

I'm torn between the two because the Canon has 3.8x optical zoom and the Fuji takes great low light photos.

What do you guys think? Should I go for the low light photo camera or the somewhat larger than 3.0x zoom?


It's a hard call. But keep in mind that the amount of zoom doesn't tell you much by itself. The wide end of the Canon SD800is is much wider, at 28mm (35mm equiv., as are all of the numbers I'm about to list). The Fuji F30 starts at 36mm.

The 3.8x on the Canon means the longest zoom is 105mm; the 3x on the Fuji means that it's actually 108mm. So basically, the long end of the zoom is identical.

The Canon's advantage is the wide angle, which gives you something like 13 degrees wider field of view. This is a big deal for taking party shots, because you can get more people in the scene without backing out of the room. And of course, it's nice for landscapes too.

The SD800is should have pretty good low-light performance if the subjects are holding still -- posed shots of grown-ups, say -- because of the image stabilization. Only great high ISO performance can help with moving subjects in low light though, and that's the Fuji's trick.

Oh, also, the SD800is is a lot more expensive, of course.

[absolutic]

I've had Canon S400 and I own Fuji F10 (the father of Fuji F30 :) ) and with your requirements F30 is the camera. Sounds like your gf would take more pictures inside or at night: club, parties, concerts, etc. and occassionally during daytime. I don't know about current Canons, My Canon S400 is 3 generations back, but my Canon had really problems taking pictures at night or after dark. Now, at night and inside was 60-75% of all my pictures! Fuji does is so easy, it can up the ISO to 800 and 1600 and now F30 to 3200 and still get results! So your gf will get more acceptable pictures at night/and/or inside buildings.

Also, F10's battery life is at least 5 times better than Canon S400, with Canon I always carried 2 spare batteries, with Fuji F10 - I never bothered buying a spare. Because it lasts for weeks, if not months. I easily get 500-600 photos a charge. In fact I've never been stuck with my Fuji discharged, and I've taken close to 3500 pictures.

On the other hand, I believe Canon's color during daytime edged Fuji, in my personal opinion. Plus Fuji F30 is a bit larger than Canon SD800

[c3r1h5]

Thanks for the quick responses guys... I'm all ears for more :D

The price is not a big deal for me; I just want a good camera for her. I have a Canon SD200 and I have not been satisfied with the night photos (I never messed with the settings too much either).

I'm going to research those two models for a few more days and make my purchase.

[c3r1h5]

Hey everyone, well I took her to Best Buy and she was checked out some digital cameras...

I somehow convinced her that I'm not buying her a camera (now she'll be surprised) and asked her whether or not she wanted a camera with more zoom or one that takes better night shots... She chose the night shots.

So, it looks like I'm getting the F30... I would not have considered that camera if it wasn't for this forums advice..

THANKS!

[Riley]

F30 is a good choice

Riley