Hello,
I'm planning to purchase a new digital in the next month or so and I've started researching. The two that really seem to stand out in my price range (around $500) are the Nikon 5700 and Nikon 5400. That is a refurbished 5700. I've read several reviews on both cameras and cannot decide between the two. I understand they both have low-light focusing issues. How bad is this? I owned an Olympus C-700, which does not have an AF illuminator, and it had some focusing problems, but it was possible to fix these with the tweaking of manual settings. I was able to get some extraordinary pictures at a concert with the 10x zoom on the Olympus and a monopod. Is this the way the 5700 and 5400 are? I am very knowledeable about using manual settings, so is this something I could overcome? Battery life is another thing that I'm concerned about. According to some reviews, the 5700 has very poor battery life. Has anyone found this to be true? What are the buffer issues with these cameras? Has there been a firmware update to fix the problems? Some of these reviews have me terrified about the 5700. I've always thougth I'd like that camera, but after reading the reviews, I'm beginning to question it. Well, I guess that's about it. Please let me know which would be the better camera. I'll take other suggestions too! I want at least 4x zoom, like to stay in the 5mp range, and good battery life. Thanks!
The CP5400 and CP 5700 are somewhat dated. Both are about 2 years old and while they are fine cameras, they lack some of the newer accoutraments. Of equal repute is the Panasonic FZ10 and the Canon S1 IS. Both in the same price range with a little more sophistication, including image stabilized ultra zoom lenses. Unfortunately they are not 5MP, but 4MP and 3.2MP respectively. But then again if you can't take a clean shot it doesn't matter what the resolution is. Both will give you 8 x 10's. Give these two a try. You may be pleasently surprised.
While at the camera store, you may want to give the Canon EOS 300D (Digital Rebel) and the Nikon D70 a try. Just to see what $900 to $1300 will get you in a digital SLR these days.
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Side X Side comparison of Nikon 5700 and Panasonic FZ10
Quote:
Originally Posted by scott
The two that really seem to stand out in my price range (around $500) are the Nikon 5700 and Nikon 5400. That is a refurbished 5700. I've read several reviews on both cameras and cannot decide between the two. I understand they both have low-light focusing issues. How bad is this? I owned an Olympus C-700, which does not have an AF illuminator, and it had some focusing problems, but it was possible to fix these with the tweaking of manual settings. I was able to get some extraordinary pictures at a concert with the 10x zoom on the Olympus and a monopod. Is this the way the 5700 and 5400 are? I am very knowledeable about using manual settings, so is this something I could overcome? Battery life is another thing that I'm concerned about. According to some reviews, the 5700 has very poor battery life. Has anyone found this to be true? What are the buffer issues with these cameras? Has there been a firmware update to fix the problems? Some of these reviews have me terrified about the 5700. I've always thougth I'd like that camera, but after reading the reviews, I'm beginning to question it. Well, I guess that's about it. Please let me know which would be the better camera. I'll take other suggestions too! I want at least 4x zoom, like to stay in the 5mp range, and good battery life. Thanks!
Scott
Following what George suggested, here's a quote from a poster over on the dpreview "Panasonic Talk" forum:
"I went on a one week photo safari to Costa Rica with a friend who has a Nikon 5700. I had my larger, but lighter FZ10 with me. We compared shot after shot. The Nikon is VERY complicated to operate. It is VERY slow in focusing. It has VERY short battery life. It has no manual focusing assist screen display. The 5700 is a dud and if it would not have the Nikon name on it, nobody would admit ever having bought it.
I got perfect picture after picture, while my friend (an engineer) still fiddled with his controls
Stay with the FZ10! I could not see a difference in resolution, despite the 4 Mpixels versy 5 Mpixels."
She didn't even mention the FZ10's IS system, which for most shots, would do away with your monopod requirement. The FZ10 is a great camera, and is available for ~$500 on-line, right in your price range.
Thank you for the replies! I will definitely look into these two models. The image stabilization would definitely be a major plus. Does anyone know the battery life on the FZ10? Well, off to work for now! Thanks again!
Again, in all fairness to Nikon, the 5700 is (almost) 2 years older technology. When it was introduced in March 2002, it was a very competitive camera, with the one of the first of this genre, the Sony 707, leading a very small pack of ultra-zooms.
Fortunately Nikon has forgone developing ultra zooms (with the exception of the 8700) to fill the demand for a moderately priced dSLR. We may still see an IS version as there are only 3 real competitors so far. It will be interesting to see how the Minolta DiMAGE Z3 fairs in this group.
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Does anyone know the battery life on the FZ10? Scott
If you use the battery that comes with, and a good quality spare, charged, you'll have plenty of capacity for photos. I recently got 400 photos on a single charge. On my recent trip, I was finding that a single charged battery would go about 2 days before I had to slip in its brother. I always use the EVF, rarely review on the LCD, and I don't use flash very much at all.
I've been researching the FZ10 and seems like an awesome camera. I am highly considering it. One thing I have not been able to find...is the camera plastic or metal? Thanks!
I've been researching the FZ10 and seems like an awesome camera. I am highly considering it. One thing I have not been able to find...is the camera plastic or metal? Thanks!
Scott
Does it matter? Be aware that we have runmors of an FZ-15 and FZ-20 in the mill.
Jeff. If you are cruising the posts, could you give us an update on the rumor?
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Once you go dSLR you'll never go back
I've been researching the FZ10 and seems like an awesome camera. I am highly considering it. One thing I have not been able to find...is the camera plastic or metal? Thanks!
Scott
It's plastic. Seems to be a very rugged plastic; I banged the heck out of my plastic FZ1, and nothing ever broke. One guy took a tumble while hiking, and fell down about 10 meters, dragging his FZ1 along. He had to be hospitalized, but his camera kept on ticking! I actually think the FZ10 is even more rugged than the FZ1, though that's just a subjective feeling.
Thanks for the replies! I've nearly decided on this model. I'm still looking around to be just be sure. I'm a high school student and a fraction of my summer earnings is going towards this camera, so I want it to be a good one! I enjoy bird photography, so I think this would be an excellent camera! Thanks again!
Nikon 5700 or 5400?
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