Pls help Pentax Optio SV or Canon SD300(Ixus 40)?

[alcdragonfly]

I am really stuck trying to decide between the canon 4mp 3x zoom, or the new Pentax 5mp, 5xzoom. I am very tempted by the Pentax as it also has some manual control, and am worried about the canons reports of blurry edges and purple fringing, but I think I am heading towards the Canon because of the amazing size. Do you think I am better off getting a 5mp, for cropping?
I wish the SD300 was available as 5mp, I can't believe making a decision is so hard!
Can anybody help me decide? I really am only looking for a camera to take photos of my baby and family. Speed is definately important to me as I am sick of missing the moment! Although it would be nice to have some manual control to play with.

If I go for the Canon then I wan't to buy it tomorrow when I can get it on sale, so please let me know if you have any thoughts. Or if you own the pentax optio SV.

Many thanks
ALC

[Matthijs]

Hi,
I own the Canon, and I am very pleased with it. It is small, very fast and takes great pictures with beautiful colour and has a great moviemode. On my pics I don't see the blurry corners nor extensive purple fringing. There is some haziness though, but only if I examine the pics at 100%. It seems that these soft corners show up in some models, but not in all ! I don't know the Pentax, but I wouldn't worry about the 1 megapicel difference between them, 4 megapixels is still really enough. Hope this helps.

[rachelb]

I played with the Pentax 5mp 3x a bit in the store yesterday and was rather displeased with how flimsy it is and how slowly it takes pictures. It actually froze up in the middle of my fifth shot with the zoom out in the store and I had to frantically push buttons until it turned on again. My father has the 4mp Canon, and I've played with it quite a bit with good results. It turns on faster, too.

[Ching]

My hubby finally agreed to buy me the SD300, the pictures are good for me, didn't notice the blurry corners. It is so small but not so light that you might forget about it. I'm just waiting for the free case and I'll bring it with me always.

Ching

[Tremendo]

Baby and family pics mostly? The most important thing is probably having the camera with you, therefore size makes a big difference. The SD300 takes great pictures and I'm very happy with mine. Better video than I expected and fast operation.

[variozin]

.
how does the LCD looks on SD300 ? is it bright and sharp enough ? because what I have seen in shop is very dull LCD i.e the real time view on LCD looks unsharp and hazy .I am a bit put off with this thing

[Tremendo]

.
how does the LCD looks on SD300 ? is it bright and sharp enough ? because what I have seen in shop is very dull LCD i.e the real time view on LCD looks unsharp and hazy .I am a bit put off with this thing

I've always liked the brightness in different light settings of my S100 & S230, but I like the SD300 LCD more since it's bigger and more functional. Most any camera in bright sun will be tough to see. You always have the optical viewfinder if you really need it, which is a plus on a small camera like this.

[Need4Spd]

I went with the Canon despite the 4 vs. 5 mpxls, and I was comparing the Optio 5si vs the SD300. It felt more substantial and robust even though only a few grams heavier. The LCD screen has an antireflective coating. It starts fast and shoots fast! The pictures are plenty sharp and clear and I've not noticed any purplishness or fuzziness.

A big difference to me is travel size and weight. The Optio 5si and Canon SD300 cameras are close to the same size and weight but the Optio's charging cradle is 2 or 3 times the size of the camera and needs a bulky cable besides. The Canon charger is no bigger than the camera itself and has a built-in plug so you can even carry it in your pocket if you want. You can't do that with the Pentax's charger.

The controls also have a better, higher quality feel. 4 mpxls is plenty although more I suppose is always better. Still, I'd say go for the Canon.

[humara]

The s5i has noisy images. They sadly dont look as good as the sd200 with its 3.2mp. canon simply has the optio s line beat. not too mention how much faster the sd200/300 is, how much better the video mode is, how much nice the screen is and how much more solid the camera feels.