canon a85 vs. fuji e550

[briana76]

Hello,

I'm new to digital photography and I am trying to find the camera with the best image quality and all-around usability. I am a student so I am working on a budget. I am considering the canon a85 and the fuji e550. With the more expensive xd card, I think that the fuji will end up being about $40 more. Do you think that the Fuji will deliver better pictures for that price? Has anyone had personal experience with the e550. It seems to be discussed much less frequently relative to the a85.

Thanks a lot,
Briana

[PhilR.]

Do you think that the Fuji will deliver better pictures for that price?

You are comparing a 4 megapixel camera to one that has 50% more mp's. Therefore, if you are talking about 16x20 pictures, then sure the Fuji would have the advantage. If you are talking about 5x7, then there wouldn't be any advantage.

I think it all comes down to whether or not you need those extra mp's.

PhilR.

[briana76]

Thanks a lot for writing back so quickly. I don't think that I need huge pictures. I was just wondering if either was better for regular sized pictures or more flexible for different situations.

Thanks,
Briana

[speaklightly]

Brianna-

I happen to own both of these digital cameras. Personally, I like the extra zoom, the higher resolution, and the Higher ISO settings of the E-550. The Canon A-85 is fine. It is a good all around digital camera. However, in a head to head comparison I would choose the Fuji E-550.

Speaklightly

[briana76]

Thank you for writing back Speaklightly!! I think that I will go with the Fuji. Do you know if there are a lot of problems with the flash breaking off?

Thanks again,
Briana

[speaklightly]

Brianna-

Ihave not had any problems at all with the flash or durability in general over the 9 months tht I have owned and used the Fuji E-550. I like to use it.

Speaklightly

[speaklightly]

Brianna-

I have not had any problems at all with the flash or durability in general over the 9 months that I have owned and used the Fuji E-550. I like to use it.

Speaklightly

[ReF]

i was wondering why you were deciding between the a85 vs the 550 as the a95 is more comparable to the fuji. the fuji looks like quite the camera (I don't own it) but I did notice some problems from the review. the first problem is the limit on slow shutter is only 3 secs! not sure how many long exposure shots you will do but for me at least, it's a HUGE drawback. that 3 sec limit seems like an even bigger problem if you shoot with small apertures at night. Infrared photography might also prove difficult, and again it's worse with small apertures. if you look at the gallery photos, upon closer inspection you will see a bit of purple fringing, and it's worse at night (i know, some don't believe in looking at a picture too closely). the photos do look good zoomed out, but up close something just seems a bit off. i prefer the way the canon a-series photos come out and I like their night shooting capabilities better, but the cams are slow, lens range is not nearly as nice as the fuji, and the fuji IMO looks better. I still think the a95, is more comparable to the 550 in build quality and resolution.

fuji pros:
faster
much better movie mode
more resolution
better lens range

cons:
xd cards are a rip off!
seems to have more purple fringing than the a-series
poor low light shooting

canon pros:
better low light shooting
better detail/pic quality (In my opinion. come to your own conclusion)
compact flash cards are cheap!
(a95 only) flip out screen!

cons:
slower
movie mode isn't so great
lens range is just standard (especially on the wide end)

I'd say that if you shoot pretty much only during the day and/or flash pics, the fuji sounds much better. but then again, you'd never know how great it is to do long exposures at night or infrared photography if you are limited to a 3 sec exposure. I'd say that the canon A-series is better for creative photography.

[briana76]

Thanks to PhilR., SpeakLightly, and Ref. I really appreciate your comments. I decided to get the e550, because the pictures just looked the best to me of the samples that I saw. You guys are very generous with you time.

All the best and many thanks,
briana