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Fuji FinePix F20
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"Fuji F20 - Great Buy for the $$"
  • 4 out of 5
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SLA (blonddbaby) 0 pts
December 16, 2006 10:31 PM

Wanting quality ultra/compact for taking pics of my small grandchildren. The Fuji advertises no blurry shots...Anything else comparable/beter?

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This question is also associated with Canon SD800 IS, and Canon A630.

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Brenda P (BrendaP) 28728 pts
December 17, 2006 1:50 AM
2 people rated this answer helpful, 1 people rated this answer not helpful
 
Hi there,
The F20 is a nice little camera. It works particularly well in low light situations where you don't want to use flash- it captures what light there is very well, and does a good job avoiding "graininess" even when the photo is fairly dark.

There's no such thing as a camera that delivers 'no blurry shots,' but this camera does have what they call Anti-blur. But it's not quite what you might think. It is based on the idea that in low light situations, cameras usually use a very slow shutter speed (the shutter stays open a longer time to capture more light so the picture isn't too dark). This long exposure time can increase the chance of the image becoming blurry. The anti-blur speeds up the shutter by making the camera more light-sensitive so the long exposure isn't required; this reduces the chance of a blurred image due to a slow shutter. Also, the faster shutter speed is better at capturing fast-moving things (like grandkids!)

I would recommend this camera but I have one question for you first. Are you concerned about blurry shots for a particular reason? If it is because of fast-moving subjects, then this camera will work great. If you are getting blur because the camera is shaking or because of something else, you may want to look for a model with Image Stabilization instead.

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SLA (blonddbaby) 0 pts
December 21, 2006 11:32 AM
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Thanks for the info. We are still looking ...Any info on the Canon. We've looked at the SD620, 630 and the new SD800 IS. We have also looked at the lower/middle Casio's My problem with the Casio is I think of watches, keyboards, etc., not camera's. Will any of these perform better. We currently have a Sony Cybershot w/5.0 mega pixels which is several years old. It is large and takes beautiful pictures, however it's not quick enough. The kids smile, I take the pic, it flashes, clicks a couple of times then records.. so by then the kids have already either moved or quit smiling!! It's just too slow. I noticed the 800 does have image stabilization. Does one have a quicker shutter speed than the other? Sony/Nikkon/Cannon I'm seeing mixed reviews of the 800. Alot of salesmen (kids) are recommending the 630. Any comments or thoughts...
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Brenda P (BrendaP) 28728 pts
December 21, 2006 6:10 PM
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In terms of speed, the Canons you mentioned should be just fine. Avoid any of the early A-series Canons (the A520, A540) as they use slightly different chips and operate slower. I'm kind of surprised they are pushing the A630, not because it isn't good (it's a newer A-series so the lag time is excellent) but because the A640 is out and seems to be the big one this year.

In terms of speed, you're looking at a very close race between the A630/640 and the SD800 IS. I think the SD800 is a hair faster, but you're also paying more for the ultracompact size and the image stabilization. But both are speedy cameras and you should not have the issues you're having with your current one in terms of lag time with either of the A cameras (630/640) or the SD800.

My advice on shutter lag: regardless of what camera you have, you can reduce shutter lag a lot with a little trick. Put your finger on the button and push it down halfway; let the camera frame and focus. Then, when the action actually happens, push it the rest of the way down, and the picture will fire much much faster. It can be a pain to have to set it up beforehand like this, but it does lower shutter lag to fractions of a second over pushing it once and making the camera do all that focusing before it snaps.

Also, I was going to say that Casios seem to be speedy little cameras from what I've heard. But I don't know a lot about them beyond that so I'd hesitate to recommend one.
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Lisa (lisasturm) 75 pts
May 10, 2007 3:25 AM
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I take a lot of moving pictures in low light (I go to bars to listen to live rock bands). The Canon A630 camera usually delivers flawless shots in auto mode - AND there is little to no delay between pressing the shutter button and the aperture opening. I have tried both the night scene and night portrait in this setting with disappointing results - they are a bit blurry and for some reason pick up a lot of pink and purple from the lights. However, those two flaws combined sometimes make for a cool action shot of the bands! So, I stick to auto with flash. But when I have the opportunity, I will try to use the other modes just to see what they do.

Night shot mode
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j193/lisasturm/individual%20pix%20for%20sharing/March302007028.jpg

Auto mode
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j193/lisasturm/individual%20pix%20for%20sharing/March302007133.jpg

Auto mode
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j193/lisasturm/individual%20pix%20for%20sharing/March302007064.jpg

The absolute ultimate test: this shot was taken to truly test the camera's power. It was pitch black in my bedroom. I sat on my bed about 4 feet away. My fan is on high speed. I pressed the button half way to meter the light and set the focus - CLICK! Zoom in on the fan blades if you can. Not a hint of blur. Remember - the fan is on high in total darkness. BEAT THAT!
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j193/lisasturm/individual%20pix%20for%20sharing/IMG_2132.jpg

I got the Canon A630 (two of them in fact, one for mom) in March for $213 from PCrush.com. Now the list price is just over $190 and two of my friends are each getting one tomorrow. The shipping is 2 or 3 days via UPS and is under $20 (that's how much to ship to Hawaii, which is normally more that most other places in the US).

If you are a first-time Google checkout user, they knock $10 off your order.

As for IS, the Canon A630 has a warning light. I thought the red shaking camera in the corner meant that the pic was going to be blurry, but it is just a suggestion to use a tripod based on a calculation by the processor based on the settings, light, focal distance, f-stop, aperture, etc. However, I read a reviewer who said he TRIED to make the shots blurry while shooting (HAHA) his son outside in daylight (and I have taken shots from moving vehicles) with no problem. The only time there is a problem is in low light, which I have addressed above.

Happy shooting!
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Matt (MAK1981) 6009 pts
July 20, 2007 7:13 AM
0 people rated this answer helpful, 0 people rated this answer not helpful
 
Ready to close on this question, or can we help you with anything else, SLA?
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