S3, S5, FZ8, FZ18, FZ50 - You Decide!

[winterminute]

I'm not following the template because I think the choices I outlined do a better job answering those questions regarding MP, budget, features. On paper, all of the cameras above meet my requirements. However, we all know the paper specs vs the real world can be a bit of a gap.

All of these cameras seem to be going after the same market, the 12x+ optical zoom which is exactly what I'm looking for, but they all seem to have different problems and I'm not sure which one will work best for me. I'll be shooting everything from indoor/outdoor, wide angle/tele, night/day, macro, etc. So I really need an all purpose camera. Most of my night shots will be with a tripod and longer shutter times so hopefully I won't be shooting many ISO 800+ shots.

I've had Canon's all my life, but it seems like Canon might not be the best choice in this market. I know nothing about Panasonic; are they a true competitor?

I won't pretend to know everything about cameras, but it sounds like there is a noise problem when you cram more MP without enlarging the sensor, so I added the FZ50 thinking that might resolve that issue.

Also, can the noise issuse be over come by turning off nosie reduction and running the photos through a post-processing step to reduce the noise (i.e. NoiseNinja)?

[abhinavmishraa]

Hi,

I have had the same dilemma since quite some time. See my post as it has some replies.
I have thrashed it down to 4 choices:

1. Canon Powershot S5 IS
2. Sony Cyber-shot DSC H5
3. Olympus SP 550 UZ
4. Panasonic DMC-FZ18 (due to release in Oct 07 so no reviews available)

and as you said, on paper they all seem equal and great though each lacking at some count. Like panasonic dosent hv AA battery support but can shoot in RAW, Olympus has only xD memory stick support, sony hs not so gud battery performance, problem with purple fringing and button clutter but over all gives gud performance. All in all I find canon S5 to be the most balanced camera in the above list (but am no expert..no where even close).
So do help me out if you get any answers.

Regards,
Abhianv

[anco85]

IMHO...canon s series. if you need an external flash, get the s5 if not, get the s3.

They offer great IQ at a decent price

Just my 2c

[AlexMonro]

Winterminute, there are some differences in the specs of the cameras you list which might help you decide, if you can prioritise your requirements.

Focal length range - the FZ18 goes wider (28mm equiv) and longer (504mm equiv) than the others, though the difference at the wide end is most significant - most of the others only zoom out to around 36mm equiv.

Noise - you're right in thinking that more pixels on a small sensor is likely to lead to noise problems, but the related issue, of excessive noise reduction leading to smearing of detail, also can be a concern. Sadly this seems to apply to the FZ50. Not many ultrazoom cameras allow you to turn off the noise reduction (I can't think of any offhand - maybe the Olympus SP-550?), but your idea of doing noise reduction in post processing is good.

If wide angle and low noise are your most important requirements, you might also want to consider the Fuji S6000 / S6500. Only 300mm equiv at the tele end, and no image stabilisation, but if you're happy to use a tripod, that's less of an issue. The manual zoom is a delight to use (although I have heard of someone who prefers electric toggle switches).