panasonic vs canon vs sony

[junji98]

this is a very good site for newbies like me. i have a compact optio s4i however would like to get a better camera. sure the optio is as compact as a camera can be but the pics arent fantastic. based on my readings, my choices would be the powershot g6, the panasonic fz20, the sony v3 or the high end powershot pro1. i am not sure if i should shell out the extra bucks for the pro1 though. am anxiously awaiting your expert opinions...

[m123456]

Sorry I'm a newbie myself and can't offer much useful detailed info.

search forums at http://www.dpreview.com/ they have great info& resources.

People will say; it depends on what you want to shoot, how big of camera you want, what features do you most need, how lrge to print, etc etc etc.

Also, they're all diff cameras. Some will also rec a dslr, some will like the size/convien of all in ones.

It's amazing how much info/opinion there is out there. Some really great and some really overwhelming stuff.

Be careful, if you read enough forums you're headmay eventually explode.

From what I've read things seem to lean this way...

g6/v3 maybe best all arounders
fz20 best bang for the buck long zoom
pro1 puts you in another cat where you might also compare oly8080, nikon coolpix 8800/8700, minolta a2/a200,

People also seem to really prefer that the long zoom cameras have image stablization (fz20, a2/200/8800)

Best and good luck I'm sure you'll find something great.

[Thon]

The listed cameras are all good in their own rights.

As your S4i uses SD cards, the most obvious upgrade for you would be the FZ20. You can swap between the cameras and save you a ton of money on new memory formats. The S4i would most probably be your backup/carry-everywhere camera (or makes a nice gift for a loved one) and the FZ20 for the really serious stuff.

Now, if you think the 5MPs of the FZ20 is simply not enough, or the size of the big fellow is too troublesome, then the Canon G6 or Sony V3 would be worth a closer look. Do bear in mind that you'll need a new totaly memory format and the 7MPs will really use them up quick. The differences between the 7MP and 8MP cameras would be very minimal, and each has its own advantages, as far as I can see.

I was in a similar dilemma earlier, when I was thinking of upgrading my Olympus Stylus 400 to something a little more powerful. At the end of the day, 3 main issues are the most important.

1. Cost
2. Camera Size
3. Print Size

I was considering the FZ20, G6, Oly C7000Z & C770UZ.

I need to keep the cost down as much as possible, so the FZ20 and G6 were sort of out of my reach in terms of new memory purchases, unless I was willing to use a smaller 128MB card 1st and increase the capacity later (I had a couple of xDs for my Stylus).

The camera needs to be as compact as possible for portability so the FZ20 was out on 2 counts. The others were within my max size/weight range.

I don't print very large sizes, so my MP requirement would be between 3-5MPs, so the 7MPs were nice but a bit too much for my use.

The features in all the cameras are nice (give and take a bit), and while the C770UZ has no IS, it didn't bother me too much as the photo quality is good enough for my type of photography.

Your case would be some what similar, and you should list out the most important features, pros and cons to help you decide.

Hope this can help you.

[Xistentialnyc]

If you want a camera which takes much fast shots, and is a bit better in terms of consistantly great picture quality, you should check out the Canon SD300 which is also about the same size as the Pentax S4i/S5i (the Pentax is only a fraction smaller). By reading over many (MANY) reviews, it appears the Canon SD300 is the best all-around ultra-compact camera. Of course there are better cameras, but they aren't ultra-compact.