Need a new camera...

[BabyGirl06]

Well, after having my Fuji Finepix F401 for 6+ years, it has died on me. So, it is time for a new camera. I am constantly taking pictures of my daughter, I will be using it inside as well as outside. I want something with a good zoom and one that takes good quality pictures.

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible. $500, but that doesn't include tax, etc.

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
doesn't really matter
Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? 6+

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

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10) 8

Do you care for manual controls? no

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? taking pictures of my daughter, nature, animals,taking videos of my daughter, etc.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? only if a picture comes out really good

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? yes, but mainly with a flash

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? action photos

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? not really

Are there particular models you already have in mind? i've been looking at the Canon Powershot S5 IS, Sony Cybershot DSC-H9/B and the Olympus SP 550 UZ

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

So, which camera out of the ones i've been looking at is the best??? Or can anyone recommend one that is better than the ones i'm looking at?? Thanks!

[bascom]

"I want something with a good zoom and one that takes good quality pictures."

Canon S3/S5 or Fuji S6000. Maybe Fuji S8000. Canon A710 is a smaller option with 6x.

Sony H9 got a bad review here. Why Oly SP-550? Do you need 18x zoom?

[BabyGirl06]

"Canon S3/S5 or Fuji S6000. Maybe Fuji S8000. Canon A710 is a smaller option with 6x."

"Sony H9 got a bad review here. Why Oly SP-550? Do you need 18x zoom?"

I don't need an 18x zoom, that's why i'm leaning towards the Canon S5. I was reading the reviews on all three and it sounds like the Canon S5 is a good camera. At first I was looking at the Sony H9, but then I read the review on it.

[bascom]

S5 sounds good. What do you think of Fuji S6000?

[BabyGirl06]

That one looks good too,is it better then the S5?

[tim11]

Indoors use for the kids photos, it's the S6000 hands down.
But if you get S5 and buy an external flash for indoors use, especially when bounced off the ceiling; I don't think its IQ is too far behind the Fuji.

There is also a cheaper Fuji, thought quality is rated the same as S6000fd. It's S700. I'm surprised to see what it can do; there is a thread in Fuji forum for S700 photos and S6000. Sorry if that only makes your choice harder, but at least you are aware of what's available and make better informed decision.

[David Metsky]

I thought the S700 had a regular CCD, not the one that does high ISO so well.

[BabyGirl06]

I'll be taking a good share of photos indoors and outdoors. If I take indoor photos with a flash will they come out good with the S3/S5? I also looked at the S3 last night, is there a huge difference between the S3 and the S5, besides the price tag?? On the S6000fd you have to do the zoom manually, right?

[tim11]

- - -
There is also a cheaper Fuji, thought quality is rated the same as S6000fd. - - - -
.

Thanks David.
My apology. I was really trying to say There is also a cheaper Fuji, thought quality is NOT rated the same as S6000fd

[David Metsky]

I'll be taking a good share of photos indoors and outdoors. If I take indoor photos with a flash will they come out good with the S3/S5? I also looked at the S3 last night, is there a huge difference between the S3 and the S5, besides the price tag??

Yes, the flash on the S3/S5 is pretty good, but it will look like a shot taken with a flash. Natural light is almost always better, so the Fujis that can take shots in low light without a flash still have the advantage here. Having said that, I take lots of indoors shots with my S3 and they come out very well. I have found red eye to be a problem, but that's pretty easy to remove with software.

The S5 has a hotshoe to accept an external flash. That allows you to take much better flash photos, and use bounce flash to eliminate red eye. The S5 also has slightly better high ISO performance, the ability to shoot videos up to 32 minutes (from 9 minutes on the S3) and face detection. If you want the external flash it is definitely worth it, otherwise, I'm not so sure.


On the S6000fd you have to do the zoom manually, right?
That's an advantage, not a disadvantage. :) I would definitely prefer manual zoom and focus rings rather then using awkward buttons. Once you get used to them you'll find you'll never want to go back.

-dave-

[BabyGirl06]

Yes, the flash on the S3/S5 is pretty good, but it will look like a shot taken with a flash. Natural light is almost always better, so the Fujis that can take shots in low light without a flash still have the advantage here. Having said that, I take lots of indoors shots with my S3 and they come out very well. I have found red eye to be a problem, but that's pretty easy to remove with software.

The S5 has a hotshoe to accept an external flash. That allows you to take much better flash photos, and use bounce flash to eliminate red eye. The S5 also has slightly better high ISO performance, the ability to shoot videos up to 32 minutes (from 9 minutes on the S3) and face detection. If you want the external flash it is definitely worth it, otherwise, I'm not so sure.


That's an advantage, not a disadvantage. :) I would definitely prefer manual zoom and focus rings rather then using awkward buttons. Once you get used to them you'll find you'll never want to go back.

-dave-

So, it's not really worth spending the extra $200+ for the S5 instead of the S3. Does face detection really work? Is it really worth spending the extra money for?

I've never used manual zoom.focus rings, so I have no idea how to use them.

[David Metsky]

So, it's not really worth spending the extra $200+ for the S5 instead of the S3. Does face detection really work? Is it really worth spending the extra money for?
IMO, if you don't plan on getting an external flash, then no, it's not worth $200. (Is that really the price difference?)



I've never used manual zoom.focus rings, so I have no idea how to use them.
You twist one direction to zoom in, the other direction to zoom out. It's extremely intuitive and gives you finer control then the push buttons. I wouldn't let this feature decided for you one way or the other. It's nice to have, IMO, but not something that would change my mind about a camera.

You can use auto focus and never need the manual focus ring, but if you ever want to get things right in a situation where the camera needs to choose what to focus on, the focus ring is much easier to use then fiddling with the 4-way control button.

[bascom]

So, it's not really worth spending the extra $200+ for the S5 instead of the S3. Does face detection really work? Is it really worth spending the extra money for?
There are many threads here comparing the S3 to the S5. Read some of them. Some are in the Canon forum. Most people say the S5 isn't worth an extra $200 over the S3. But the S5 price will come down.

I don't think face detection is that useful, but the S5 has the Digic III with red eye fix which I think matters more than FD. To me that's the major advantage of the S5. But if you want FD, the Fuji S6000 has it, also.

[tim11]

IMO, if you don't plan on getting an external flash, then no, it's not worth $200.


I agree with that. Personally, I'd choose S5 over S3 for the hot shoe. And TTL flash for that, meaning the flash works in synch. with the camera to get the correct exposure.

For beginners, FD is very useful so you have less darkened faces when taken with bright light behind.

[BabyGirl06]

There are many threads here comparing the S3 to the S5. Read some of them. Some are in the Canon forum. Most people say the S5 isn't worth an extra $200 over the S3. But the S5 price will come down.

I don't think face detection is that useful, but the S5 has the Digic III with red eye fix which I think matters more than FD. To me that's the major advantage of the S5. But if you want FD, the Fuji S6000 has it, also.

I wanna compare the S5 and the S6000, but, unfortunately, I am having a hard time finding a store around me that has the S6000 in stock.

The S6000 takes better indoor (low light) pictures then the S5, how does it perform outdoors? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make sure I get the better choice for my money.