Is smile shutter necessary?

[lollipop320]

See my other post....

I'm deciding between Nikon S550 or Panasonic FS5.

The Nikon has smile shutter and blink warning. Are they really necessary? I'm leaning towards the Panasonic which doesn't have these features because it has OIS.

I'm expecting a baby in November, so will be using the camera mostly for this. Sorry for all the questions, but I want the most bang for my buck and one that takes good photos!

[David Metsky]

No. We got along quite well without them. They're a bit more then gimmicks, but not a whole lot more.

[tkbslc]

I tried smile shutter at the store and it didn't even work unless you smiled big enough to show your molars and held it there. Natural smiles didn't set it off.

You can already tell if someone blinked because you get to see the picture right after you took it. No big deal.

[Beowulff]

The Nikon has smile shutter and blink warning. Are they really necessary?

Absolute waste of time! Both features are simply marketing hype, and have no place in any photographers' — amateur or professional — camera gear.

I'm just waiting for the day when one of the manufacturer's includes a "fart shutter" which delays the shot until the atmosphere has cleared! Sorry; couldn't resist LOL.

Cheers :)

[lollipop320]

Great, thanks for the replies! Now I'm all set to buy the Panasonic then! Thanks.