Time for a New Camera

[tbean]

It's time for a new camera, my Canon A70 works well but I'm ready to upgrade. I'm going to Belize and would like to be able to get some sort of bird pictures, although I'm not interested in a sophisticated expensive, hard to learn camera. I'd like to be able to take close ups and still do well with the zoom. Other than that I'm looking for a general, all-purpose camera. I've been looking at the Canon A710 IS and the Panasonic TZ1. I'd sure appreciate any suggestions you all might have.



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

Under $400, preferably less


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

As small as possible


How many megapixels will suffice for you?

Doesn't matter

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

At least 6x

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

9

Do you care for manual controls?

Doesn't matter, probably wouldn't use them.

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?

Wildlife, family shots, indoors and out.

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

Some 5x7

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

Sometimes

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

I'd like to have something that doesn't blur when the dog moves.

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?

I'm open

Are there particular models you already have in mind?

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

Image Stabilization

[flippedgazelle]

Do you care for manual controls?

Doesn't matter, probably wouldn't use them.

&

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?

I'd like to have something that doesn't blur when the dog moves.

Those 2 statements are pretty much at odds. Chances are pretty slim of "freezing" a moving dog in Auto mode unless you are in bright daylight.

IMO, I'd give the edge to the Canon A710IS over the Panny TZ1.

[tbean]

Thanks, flippedgazelle, for your answer. I'll have to learn about how to handle action shots, I usually just switch to the action mode on my camera. I'm wondering about the 6x vs. the 10x zoom and how much of a difference that makes when I want to shoot birds. I'm trying to weigh that against the quality and durability, where Canon has the edge in IMHO.

[jac566]

tbean, I am in the exact same situation as you. I'm going to look at the A710 today but part of me wants to hold out until I can see the TZ3 in April. I'm a complete novice when it comes to digital cameras (and photography in general) but these are what I see as the minuses with each model:

Canon A710: long flash recycle time, 6x zoom, smaller 2.5 inch LCD

Panasonic TZ3: it's not a Canon, it requires lithium batteries, not available for 2 more months, I believe it does not have an optical view finder (not sure about this)

The long flash recycle time and 6x zoom are really holding me back from running out and getting the A710 but I'm not sure if that's any worse than needing to buy lithium batteries and not having a viewfinder.

Good luck.

[mattdm]

I wouldn't hold not being from Canon against the TZ3. However, I'm not impressed with any of the Panasonic camera's indoor photography ability (forum poster John Reed will give the alternate view, though), so I'd also give the 710IS the edge for what you're looking for -- it's a more general-purpose camera.

The fact that a camera with AA batteries has slow flash recharge isn't a coincidence. In my Olympus stand-alone flash, flash recharge time is something like 12 seconds for alkaline, 6 seconds for NiMH, and 3 seconds for CRV-3 lithium.

Also, why would you have to run out and buy lithium batteries? How long are you going to be away from electricity?

[jac566]

thanks, mattdm.

I should clarify what I meant about the lithium batteries. I know I wouldn't need a ton of them, but at $50-$100 each and with spending 2 weeks out of the country, I'd want to have 1 or 2 backup batteries. I know I can buy a charger but that's just another thing to cart around Europe and hope everything works well (and buy an adapter and whatever else I might need). I just have this fear of running out of battery life somewhere in Barcelona. I figured with AA batteries being cheaper, I could carry a lot more with me in case I end up needing them. Maybe that doesn't make sense but as I mentioned, I'm a novice so maybe I'm worrying for no reason.


John Reed's photos are amazing. If he were my next door neighbor I'd definitely get a Panasonic and then bug him for lessons.

[MatthewCollin]

*sigh*

Wouldn't it be nice if we could take the best of both cameras/brands and throw them into one super-camera?

The lens/zoom of the Panasonic
The photoquality of the Canon (no crazy NR).
The body of the Panasonic
AA usage like the Canon
Panasonics Movie mode
Canon's manual control
Panasonics hi-res screen.


oooooh it would be a gem.

[mattdm]

Don't be fooled by AA batteries. I'm not sure about the Canon 710IS in specific, but alkaline AAs will only get you a few dozen shots in most digital cameras. They're really designed for NiMH rechargables -- which means you'll need to lug that charger around after all, plus you'll have to buy it (and the batteries, for that matter) separately.

Although I haven't tried them, lithium AA batteries should do (much) better, but you're unlikely to find those in a pinch. (As far as I know, only Energizer makes 'em currently.)



MatthewCollin -- and let's not forget the high ISO performance from Fuji.

[tbean]

Wow, I just looked at the TZ3. One article says it will be out in March, another says April. I'm leaving for my trip on 4/18 and will need some time to learn how to use it. Decisions, decisions, decisions. I was very impressed with John Reed's bird shots. Can the Canon A710 IS do anything like that?

[jac566]

I just got back from a local camera store and Circuit City. My local (mom & pop) camera store was unfortunately not very much help. The sales associate knew next to nothing and they only sell Canon and Olympus cameras (and the A710 was out of stock).

At Circuit City I played with both the A710 and the TZ1, as well as numerous other cameras including the S3 (which I decided was more than I need right now). I liked them both so of course I bought nothing. I also noticed, though, that I definitely need at least a 2.5 inch LCD to be able to see things clearly (another reason to avoid the S3). Getting old stinks.

Is the 710 better than the TZ1 indoors in low lighting? I remember being in France a few years ago and all the museums and cathedrals said "No flash photography". My 35mm did very well but it seems that digital cameras don't do as well in that department.

Thanks.

[Jonathan Gingerich]

Be aware that the S3 has an electronic view finder (EVF - a little LCD under an eyepiece) with a diopter. This makes my FZ-5 a real lifesaver, as anything close is hard to see these days with my glasses on...

JG

[tbean]

Now my hubby is saying that if I want to take pictures of birds and landscapes that I should get a DSLR. I saw John Reed's TZ1 photos, what would I need to get to improve upon them? (besides some skill and patience!)

[mattdm]

John as posted previously about the external viewfinder contraption he's bolted on to the TZ1. Clever, but not for everyone.

[coldrain]

Now my hubby is saying that if I want to take pictures of birds and landscapes that I should get a DSLR. I saw John Reed's TZ1 photos, what would I need to get to improve upon them? (besides some skill and patience!)
You can take tele photos with a Canon S3 IS or Sony H5 for instance, no problem.

A DSLR will give better image quality if you get a good lens for it, it will allow you to "isolate" a subject better by having only the subject sharp and the rest blurry, for instance, and its higher ISO settings will be less noisy.

So get a DSLR with the same tele range and image stabilization as an ultrazoom, and with better optics, you must look at something like the Canon XTi/EOS 400D (10mp) with an EF 70-300 IS USM. It will be quite a bit more expensive though, and less compact. And you will still need a lens for the wider end of the spectrum, like the cheap 18-55 kit lens or for instance a Sigma 18-50 f2.8 EX DC Macro which will be better than the kit lens.

A kit like this will cost you around $1500... (with the Sigma).

If you want a DSLR on the cheap with IS in tele, get a Pentax K100D (6mp)kit with Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro. This will not reach the quality of the above mentioned Canon set, but it will get you a decent setup with tele reach, IS (the Pentax has image stabilization in the body), 1:2 macro ability and possible image quality that is on par or better than the ultrazooms, with high ISO advantage. This should cost you around 800-900$.

[tbean]

Thanks, coldrain for the detailed information on dslr's. I think that's way over my head. You all have helped, and I sure appreciate your comments. I have decided to hold out for the TZ3, unless it's not here by early April. If not, I'll get the TZ1. Now I just have to keep my eyes open for it's release!