lord_tushar
03-16-2005, 03:10 AM
Hey there,
I am an amateur photographer, currently owing Canon EOS-300 and am looking for a cheaper alternative to learn photography. :o
Here are the specs I'm looking for:
Optical zoom : Ultra zoom (8x or higher)
Budget : at the max $500
Mega pixels : 3-5MP
Anti Shake : Preferably yes
Image Quality : 8/10
Manual ctrls : Must have PASM, white balance. Manual focus preferable
Enlargement while manual focusing: Preferable
Shutter lag : Definitely minimal (can't stand long shutter lags)
LCD size : 1.5" or more. Bigger the better :p
EVF/LCD low light gain up: Highly preferable
Macro mode : Preferable to 10cm or less
Supports conversion lens: Definite yes
Movie w/ sound: At least 640x480 with sound, 15fps or higher
External flash: Highly preferable
Battery type : AA preferable due to obvious advantages
General usage : Indoors, nature. Since I'm setting my foot into photography, I would keep that option open.
Print size : Mostly 4x6, 5x7, occasionally 8x10 or larger
Action photography: Not much but would prefer the burst mode
Phew! It took me weeks of forum/review reading to decide my specs so precisely! :)
I have narrowed down to Minolta Z3/Z5 or Canon S1 IS and that's where I need your help.
Is it right to...
...have a hot shoe/ext flash support as compulsory feature if I want to play with light/shadows to learn basics of 'good' photography?
...have Image Stabilization (IS) if I need ultra zoom and don't want to carry a tripod most of the times? I think IS is amazing feature that helps in (1)telephoto shooting (2)indoor fill-flash shooting (3)movie shooting. Correct me if I'm wrong!
I chose Z3/Z5 as they are the cheapest ultra zoom Image Stabilized cameras offering hot shoe. The real good burst modes, super quick AF system, minimal shutter lag, flash compensation, remarkable super macro mode, night movie mode & frame capture from movie has really impressed me.
Canon S1 doesn't have hot shoe but offers rotating LCD which I think is a good feature. It also lacks 'unlimited' movie capture which is a big turn off.
Out of all Panasonic FZ series, only FZ4 & FZ20 offer sound in movie and only FZ20 offer hot shoe but it is huge & is way out of my budget.
So finally my questions to you are:
1. Am I making the right decision in falling in love with Z3/Z5 and blindly going for either one of them or there is some competitor sitting in corner or is about to be introduced that might be worth a look?
2. Ignoring the size and price tag of FZ20, is it worth a deal?
3. Is Image Stabilization really a must-have feature?
4. Is external flash support a good idea to learn more about photography?
I apologize for making it so detailed and long but I suppose you would appreciate this home work than throwing an open ended what-camera-do-I-buy question. :)
Many many thanks in advance!
Tushar
I am an amateur photographer, currently owing Canon EOS-300 and am looking for a cheaper alternative to learn photography. :o
Here are the specs I'm looking for:
Optical zoom : Ultra zoom (8x or higher)
Budget : at the max $500
Mega pixels : 3-5MP
Anti Shake : Preferably yes
Image Quality : 8/10
Manual ctrls : Must have PASM, white balance. Manual focus preferable
Enlargement while manual focusing: Preferable
Shutter lag : Definitely minimal (can't stand long shutter lags)
LCD size : 1.5" or more. Bigger the better :p
EVF/LCD low light gain up: Highly preferable
Macro mode : Preferable to 10cm or less
Supports conversion lens: Definite yes
Movie w/ sound: At least 640x480 with sound, 15fps or higher
External flash: Highly preferable
Battery type : AA preferable due to obvious advantages
General usage : Indoors, nature. Since I'm setting my foot into photography, I would keep that option open.
Print size : Mostly 4x6, 5x7, occasionally 8x10 or larger
Action photography: Not much but would prefer the burst mode
Phew! It took me weeks of forum/review reading to decide my specs so precisely! :)
I have narrowed down to Minolta Z3/Z5 or Canon S1 IS and that's where I need your help.
Is it right to...
...have a hot shoe/ext flash support as compulsory feature if I want to play with light/shadows to learn basics of 'good' photography?
...have Image Stabilization (IS) if I need ultra zoom and don't want to carry a tripod most of the times? I think IS is amazing feature that helps in (1)telephoto shooting (2)indoor fill-flash shooting (3)movie shooting. Correct me if I'm wrong!
I chose Z3/Z5 as they are the cheapest ultra zoom Image Stabilized cameras offering hot shoe. The real good burst modes, super quick AF system, minimal shutter lag, flash compensation, remarkable super macro mode, night movie mode & frame capture from movie has really impressed me.
Canon S1 doesn't have hot shoe but offers rotating LCD which I think is a good feature. It also lacks 'unlimited' movie capture which is a big turn off.
Out of all Panasonic FZ series, only FZ4 & FZ20 offer sound in movie and only FZ20 offer hot shoe but it is huge & is way out of my budget.
So finally my questions to you are:
1. Am I making the right decision in falling in love with Z3/Z5 and blindly going for either one of them or there is some competitor sitting in corner or is about to be introduced that might be worth a look?
2. Ignoring the size and price tag of FZ20, is it worth a deal?
3. Is Image Stabilization really a must-have feature?
4. Is external flash support a good idea to learn more about photography?
I apologize for making it so detailed and long but I suppose you would appreciate this home work than throwing an open ended what-camera-do-I-buy question. :)
Many many thanks in advance!
Tushar