SD300 v A95 & keeping my 35mm SLR as well?

[hotchilidamo]

Hi, I have done some research and I have narrowed it to two (possibly 3) cameras. The two I really like are the Canon SD300 (also known as IXUS 40 here in the UK) and the A95. The other one I feel that I should consider is the Fuji E550 for the features it offers at the price.

My questions are:

If I just want a compact camera to take on holiday will I notice any difference in quality between the Canon SD300 or the A95 ?

I have a growing interest in photography but I don't have the money to spend a lot on a digital SLR. Should I just stick with my 35mm SLR to explore my photography skills, or should I go for the A95 which I may be able to grow with buy adding lenses etc.?


I love going out and finding good scenes and angles to snap and I would love to start producing good landscape work but I'm still very much an ameteur.

I just wanted a digital camera to put in my pocket and take on holiday with me to take holiday snaps and a few ameteur landscape shots which might make it onto my wall as an a5 ish size framed image. But then I started getting caught up with the size of megapixels, the optical zooms and so on. Now I'm confused.

[David Metsky]

If I just want a compact camera to take on holiday will I notice any difference in quality between the Canon SD300 or the A95 ?
Image quality, hard to tell, both are very nice cameras. If you want to use manual controls, you will notice them missing on the SD300 right away. Aside from a few items, it really is a pure Point and Shoot.

I just wanted a digital camera to put in my pocket and take on holiday with me to take holiday snaps and a few ameteur landscape shots which might make it onto my wall as an a5 ish size framed image.
IMO, the A95 is not a pocket camera, it's just too big to comfortably carry around in a pocket. The SD300 is slightly smaller than a credit card and extremely thin. If you really want to carry the camera with you at all times you should be looking at ultracompacts, not compacts.

[speaklightly]

An ideal digital camera for lanscapes should include a very usable wide angle lens. Perhaps in your search you should also give some consideration to cameras like the Fuji E-510 and the Canon S-50.

Sarah Joyce