is the S9100 the answer? or should i go for the D40

[soccerjoe5]

Budget

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

-$400-$600

Size

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

-not really that important but a compact camera would be nice

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you?

-6 upwards

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

-i need zoom for sports shots (SOCCER)

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

-9ish i guess! i'd want clean shots!

Do you care for manual controls?

-yup, i'd want full control

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

-I'd like to take shots of every occasion: parties, outings, beach and nature trips, sceneries, especially soccer games/matches.

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

-maybe! i never did so but if it's possible, i'd like to do so every now and then for those really special keeper shots

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

-i guess! i'd like some nice evening shots at nature and beach trips (i'm a beach and nature buff), at parties, and i'd like to take some indoor soccer pictures too

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

-YUP! i'm a soccer player so i'd like to soccer photos

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

-canon, nikon and fuji i kinda like

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

-the Fuji S9100, the nikon D40

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

-image stabilization would be cool. but for action shots and moving objects, i'm told that IS wouldn't help but high shutter speed would



HI GUYS! i'm thinking if the S9100 would solve my needs, or if i should jump to the DSLR world.

the s9100 sounds really appealing because:
+it's got a LOT to offer
+great price
+manual and focus ring
+10.7x zoom included
+DSLR look and feel
+much better EVF than the S6500fd
+no more changing of lenses
-is the 10.7x zoom enough?


however, should i make the jump to the DSLR with the nikon D40? it sounds really appealing because:
+great size
+great reviews everywhere!
+great price for a great DSLR!
+comes with a great lens!
+much better viewfinder
+much better response (especially burst shots)
-however, the lens i'm looking at for the sports shots is so expensive! :(


SERIOUSLY, if the lens that i want (the nikkor 18-200mm that's popular but hard to get) was more affordable, i'd get the D40 without hesitation...

SO:

1. are the other Nikkor zoom lenses (i don't want the sigma or tamron lenses, i'm told they feel cheap and break easily) good?

2. is the VR that important for my needs?

3.how much would a good nikkor zoom lens (200mm upwards) cost?

I really want a DSLR but i just don't think i can afford those lenses :( or it'll take me long to save up for them :(

[flippedgazelle]

Hi Soccerjoe, a few of things:

1. I think the Fuji S6000fd may be a better choice than the S9100. Check out the various reviews, and you'll find that most reviewers find the S6000fd to produce cleaner images at high ISO. Megapixel.net, for instance, has reviewed both cameras and rated the S6000fd higher. It costs less, too. I know the EVF isn't as good, but are you willing to trade that for slightly lower quality pics?

2. What kind of zoom do you want? I know you that you are aware of the Fuji's 10.7x zoom, but that number means nothing. The "real" zoom number is 300mm. In contrast, most other ultrazooms range to about 450mm or more, so you can get much closer to the action. Of course, the Fuji has a much wider lens at 28mm, compared to 35-36mm for other cameras.

3. If your main goal (no pun intended) is to shoot outdoor soccer, and a DSLR is out of the question, it's hard to beat the Panasonic ultrazooms. They seem to be the non-DSLR choice for birders and sports enthusiasts, I guess because of the great handling and sharp, fast Leica lens.

4. Finally, perhaps a good solution would be 2 cameras. Get the Panny FZ30 (or whatever) for the action shots, and a Fuji F20 for low-light, flashless pictures. The F20 is small, has great low-light shooting ability (for a non-DSLR) and you can get that and the Panny for under $600. Many photographers (and even just neophyte picture-takers such as myself) have 2 or more cameras.

[soccerjoe5]

hi there! thanks for the reply :)

i wanted the s6000 before too, but using the EVF was such a pain and strained my eyes :( and while it does perform better at ISO ranges, i didn't think they were worlds apart...

anyway i'm thinking of just getting the D40 kit, and just shoot around with it for a few months before getting a zoom lens (obviously coz i'll have to save up for it haha) :) i'm sure the lenses will be more available and the prices will have gone down :)

i thought of the D50 but i really find it heavy and large.. i really like the way the D40 feels in my hands (i have pretty small hands too)

[robbobo]

I have the S9100. It's a good camera with all the features you mentioned. However, I don't think it's a great camera for indoor soccer unless you are close to the action. The reason is that its maximum aperture at full zoom (300mm) is f4.9. In order to get a fast enough shutter speed to avoid blurriness, you need to go to ISO 1600, and that makes for a lot of noise.

I have two alternatives to recommend.
1. The S5200. 10X optical zoom. No image stabilization. Good low light perfomance. Under $250 online. 5 megapixels. Its max aperture at max zoom
(380mm) is f3.2, so you can take pictures at ISO 800 when the zoomed out
S9100 would require ISO 1600.

2. Any of the entry level DSLR's. However, as many will tell you, you need a pretty good and pretty expensive zoom lens if you want to take good sports shots in low light. Such a lens could cost as much if not more than the camera body itself. If you get a Nikon D50 instead of a D40, you will have a larger number of compatible lenses. This may save you some money in the long run.

[mattdm]

I don't think the D50 would save much money, since generally the lenses you want to get would be AF-S lenses which work with the D40. If you've got a stock of older Nikon lenses that may be a different story.

[soccerjoe5]

ey thanks guys! :) so, the best would be to get the D40, and then save up for the lenses? you think the lenses for the D40 will become more affordable and increase in number? :)

oh yeah i considered the D50 but i really prefer the feel of the D40 in my hands (small hands) :)