Fuji E-550 Vs Sony W-1

[Paparazzi]

Hi,

Now, who could advise me???? :)

I'd really like to buy a "First" Digital Camera and these happen to be one of the short-listed ones.

My father in law has an old Fuji 2800 and I like it and hence the direction I
looked. The 2800 however, has the problem that in low light, nothing is seen on the LCD Screen and I don't know what I'm taking. When the picture is taken, it turns out fine ... just that I never know what is being shot until captured. I've heard that this is a known problem for must Fujis... Is this the case or is the E-550 better? Or, is this the case for most digital cameras?

Beside that, how would you rate one to another ... narrowed down on
these two as both use AA batteries (which is important for me). How about the pictures and the menu acces? I'll be using it primarily for taking family snaps.

Regarding the memory card, would you think that the XD card and the Sony Memory Stick / Pro are in the same price range? Sorry about these lil details, but I live in Kuwait where we do not have too much to search on in terms of competitor products!

Cheers & Thanks ...

[Geoff Chandler]

I would suggest the Sony. The Fuji has a lot going for it - but one problem area is the low light capeability. The Sony's seem to do very well in that area.
The Sony is 5MP the Fuji is 6MP - but the Fuji only has a high compression (lower quality) setting at 6mp (odd!) Sony always seem to produce nice sharp pictures as well.
Geoff

[gary_hendricks]

I certainly recommend the Sony DSC-W1.

Fuji digital cameras - sad to say - have become pretty unreliable lately - at least to me. I had bas experiences with early models of Fuji cameras and since then, have lost confidence in them.

[Paparazzi]

Hey! Thanks for that :) I mean, I really appreciate those straight forward replies!

The Sony is a bit more cheaper too and maybe I could put it the extra buck to buy a Memory Stick Pro! .... Just one question about the W-1. Is it true that in every 8 or 10 snaps there are 1 or 2 hazy pictures? If yes, are they really that intolerable?

Thanks again and Cheers!

[poikkeus]

In my experience, "hazy" pictures on the W1 are almost always the result of not reading the instruction booklet thoroughly. I don't see haze on even one of my pictures; I've taken nearly 500.

Indeed, if you pick the wrong mode, your image may turn out blurred or even mis-colored. But if you follow the instructions, your images should be consistently sharp.

The instruction booklet is over 100 pages long, so many people decide to shoot without instruction -- and the images suffer.

[macd]

I have been considering the same two cameras and I decided on the E550. I like the E550s features and display. I really wanted to like the W1 but the display is Horrid! Its big, but doesnt have enough pixels to clearly see if the shot is composed correctly. Plus I've read a number of reviews that had problems with fuzzy pics. I just couldnt stand the display on the Sony.

The E550 didnt have AF assisted beam but all the indoors and night shots I viewed looked great, so I dont think that will be a problem. Plus the E550 has more manual controls than the W1. The other thing I liked about the 550 was 4x optical zoom vs 3x with the W1. Both cameras have great startup times and use AA bateries.

Compare photos on all the websites from the two cameras and go to the store and physically handle both cameras, then make your decision.

[Digideb]

I considered the Sony W-1 while researching for my latest camera. The reports about fuzzy pix scared me off. I've also read Sony owners mention reading the complete manual & I am a believer in reading instructions, but that doesn't make the W-1 sound like an easy camera to use. I'm reading the very long(200+pgs.) manual on my Olympus but, in the meantime, I've been easily taking clear sharp pix since the camera was fresh out of the box.(& I'm a newbie!)
I started out expecting to find a camera I wanted with AA batts. During my research, it seemed to me that all the newest & best compacts are using the new Li-ion type batts. I'm wondering if experienced photographers have noticed this trend & aren't we all going to have to start using the Li-ions soon anyway? Does anyone know if camera companies are phasing out the use of AAs?

[gary_hendricks]

I considered the Sony W-1 while researching for my latest camera. The reports about fuzzy pix scared me off. I've also read Sony owners mention reading the complete manual & I am a believer in reading instructions, but that doesn't make the W-1 sound like an easy camera to use. I'm reading the very long(200+pgs.) manual on my Olympus but, in the meantime, I've been easily taking clear sharp pix since the camera was fresh out of the box.(& I'm a newbie!)
I started out expecting to find a camera I wanted with AA batts. During my research, it seemed to me that all the newest & best compacts are using the new Li-ion type batts. I'm wondering if experienced photographers have noticed this trend & aren't we all going to have to start using the Li-ions soon anyway? Does anyone know if camera companies are phasing out the use of AAs?


The problem with Li-ions is the cost - in terms of time. I hate having to charge up the battery at a critical photo opportunity. I own a Canon A95 which uses AA and I'm really happy with it. If battery runs out, I have no trouble just popping in new batts - no hassle of finding some electrical socket to charge up ...

[Digideb]

The problem with Li-ions is the cost - in terms of time. I hate having to charge up the battery at a critical photo opportunity. I own a Canon A95 which uses AA and I'm really happy with it. If battery runs out, I have no trouble just popping in new batts - no hassle of finding some electrical socket to charge up ...
I agree, the Li-ions are very expensive. I bought an extra one so I always have an extra to pop in "on the fly" & then I charge the used one later & pop it in my camera pouch so I always have a fresh spare. The compact size & easy handling do make them nicer to use. I'm wondering if the Li-ions are the "wave of the future" for digicams & something we should plan on transitioning over to soon?

[Paparazzi]

Yes, it does seem that a lot more Li-ions are coming out these days! ... now if only the manufacturers could standardize the shape of those, it would be nice. :) But as things turn out, it seems that most income from sale of cameras cheap comes from these proprietory accessories :(

Having an extra to backup a Li-ion is nice, but the problem is that batteries have a life and they expire whether used or not, and when its time for a replacement, most all wish that it was a AA!

As things stand, it seems that most are for W-1. I don't think an extra MP is going to make a difference for me as I'll most probably view my pictures on my monitor ... set as a screen saver! Most of my pictures will be indoors ... or rather in the 60/40 ratio and with 40 outdoors, I felt terrible using the 2800 under lower lights!

Thanks again for all those comments.

[Digideb]

When I bought my new Olympus, the camera was about $300 & I spent almost another $100 just for a spare Li-ion & 256MB picture card. It will be a drag when I have to replace a Li-ion, but it was my understanding they'll last a couple yrs.(?) I found it interesting to learn that these new Li-ions prefer to be kept "topped up" instead of being run down before charging like the others.
As far as your choices of camera, it sounds like you probably have the experience to deal with any so-called fuzzy pic problem. My camera is suppose to be "not the best" for indoor shots, but most all of my photos are taken outside. It goes to show, the most important factor in choosing a camera is considering intended use. ;)
That W-1 sure looks like a nifty little camera. If I felt more experienced with cameras, I probably would've chosen it. I was torn between getting a camera that was quite different & new (exciting) to me or going with a camera similar to the one I was familiar with.(easy to learn)
You're right about the amount of MPs. I've read that's not an important factor in choosing a camera. I know I don't know enough to tell the difference between 5 & 6MP. It's obvious my new (6MP) Oly takes noticeably better pix than my old 2MP Oly, but I think thats due to alot of factors besides MPs.

[gary_hendricks]

You're right about the amount of MPs. I've read that's not an important factor in choosing a camera. I know I don't know enough to tell the difference between 5 & 6MP. It's obvious my new (6MP) Oly takes noticeably better pix than my old 2MP Oly, but I think thats due to alot of factors besides MPs.


The number of megapixels should never be an overriding factor when choosing a digital camera. The guidelines which I use are as follows:

1 megapixel or less: Cameras in this range (e.g. web cameras or cell phone cameras) have very low image resolution. Don't expect to be able to print high-quality photos using these cameras. You can, however, email the photos or post them on your web site. The good thing about such cameras, of course, is their low price.

1 to 2 megapixels: My first digital camera was a Canon PowerShot S110 which only had a 2 megapixel sensor. Cameras in this range are pretty decent though - you can expect to print out great 4x6 prints at this resolution. Of course, if you want larger, blown-up protraits of your birthday party or holiday in Italy, then I would certainly recommend getting more megapixels. Cameras in this range should sell for around $100 currently.

3 to 4 megapixels: Most new point-and-shoot cameras these days tend to have at least 3 to 4 megapixel image resolution. Bring these images to the lab and they'll be able to develop great looking 4x6, 5x7 and even 6x9 printouts. Expect to pay slightly more though - we're looking at around $250 for a good model.

5 megapixels and up: The more advanced cameras tend to have image resolutions of 5 to 8 megapixels. Newer point-and-shoot cameras have 5 megapixels, while the newer digital SLRs come with 8 megapixels. The quality of images shot by these cameras is simply stunning. Of course, their price tags are equally stunning. In this megapixel category, expect to pay around $300 for a 5 megapixel camera and up to $700 for an 8 megapixel SLR.