Canon Powershot SX100 IS
- 4.0 out of 5
- 5.0 out of 5
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Editors' Comments
Meet the Canon Powershot SX100 IS, the first new offering in what should prove to be an exciting compact zoom line. The SX100 IS is looking to compete with Panasonic's TZ3, giving consumers a large, 10x optical zoom lens in a tiny, compact body. Lenses get longer and packages get smaller; there's no stopping this trend. So check out the SX100 IS, and get more from less.
Specifications
- 8 megapixels
- 10x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom
- Lens-shift image stabilization
- Auto and manual focus
- Auto and manual exposure
- ISO 80-1600
- JPEG file format
- Movie mode with sound
- 2.5-inch LCD display
- Secure Digital memory storage (32MB card included)
- 2 AA batteries
Comments on the Canon SX100 IS
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Canon Powershot SX100 IS Reviews
- 4.43826086956522 out of 5
Canon Powershot SX100 IS Reviews by Digital Camera-HQ Users
- 2.0 out of 5
I was canon fan but not any more after this item. The camera worked fine for about one year. After that it shutter wouldn't open fully. I saw several reviews discussing same problems with other Canon model. So. it seems that they have some design flaw in their models.
- 1.0 out of 5
I enjoyed the camera and its features until I was bitten by the infamous "Lens Error" (former E18) bug after 1 1/2 years of ownership. (Never dropped or abused!) Being 6 mos out of warranty, Canon assumes NO responsibility to cover this error. After reading many posts about this error, decided to invest the repair fee into a Panasonic DMC-FZ28, instead.
- 4.0 out of 5
This is a very good camera. It takes excellent photos in both outdoor and indoor situations. The 10x zoom range is very handy.
However, it isn't without problems. The auto-focus at the telephoto end is very slow, and sometimes inaccurate, especially in low light. It may require a few tries to get it to focus correctly.
However, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives, so I do recommend this camera.
- 5.0 out of 5
The Canon Powershot SX100 IS is the second digital camera I have owned. My fiance purchased it for me as a gift and I have to say, I love it! Previously, I had been using my Sony Powershot (can't remember the specific model, but it is 4 years old) With the medications I'm on, I have twitches and shaky hands, so snapping a somewhat clear photo is nearly impossible for me. So when I was looking for a camera, I was looking specifically for a camera with an image stabalizer.
After picking up this camera and shooting a few 'test' photos with my shaky hands, I was amazed at how the photos came out. Even with the camera zoomed in all the way (which is a major plus considering I love to birdwatch and have always wanted to shoot pictures of the birds I see) it snapped clear wonderful photos! I have had this camera for about a month now and even though I don't know everything about it, I still give it a 5 star rating for picture quality, zoom capability, image stabalizer, and the many other features that are packed into it.
It's larger than my Sony Powershot was but it's not too bulky that I can't carry it with me. I take it with me everywhere. And I'm going to be having so much fun with it on my honeymoon to Japan coming up soon! The price wasn't bad, considering this is my second digital camera and I'm not a pro-photographer. Mine cost around $300, which I think was worth it.
- 5.0 out of 5
Its quality is so good but for farway have problem
- 5.0 out of 5
when we go places friends with 1000$ cameras leave them at home and ask me to email them my pictures...clear, easy to use, great zoom! It has all the manual settings and way more than I'll ever use, but it has automatic point and click too, very user friendly! Also love the flip up flash, this was one of the things I didn't think I'd like, but control over use of flash or not as easy as this on automatic settings has allowed for some amazing dusk pictures that I'd not have gotten had I chosen another camera! I absolutely LOVE my camera and haven't regretted my decision since I bought it!
- 5.0 out of 5
I purchased this camera on my wedding day because my Nikon was nowhere to be found. To my surprise it took excellent pictures in the shade and in the sun. (The wedding was ourdoors, in a garden).
It was used right from the box without reading a manual. It tells you if you need the flash so you get picture perfect shots each time.
Everyone that has seen the pictures have commented on how life-like they are. It really saved the day.
- 4.0 out of 5
I must say, I love the handsome black sx100. It's an awesome camera, wonderfully working IS and zoom. Pictures are of a first rate in daylight. Some noise in the evening shots, but what P&S doesn't have it? I took thousands of pics and my friends and I, we all said WOW!. Sure it's not DSLR, but it does the job that suppostu do. A few people posted that the video is terrible, well, it's not true at all, I think if you could complain about the noise in the pictures above ISO 200, i would say ok, there is some noise, but the video is excelent. I took plenty of videos and i know what i'm talking about. Keep the video all possible settings to all auto only. When taking pics I set it to P mode and to custom for +1 saturation and sharpnes, that's it, you'll get always good pics. I would give it the score of 4 and a half stars.
Hope this help to make your choice. P.S. I'm waiting for the new sx110 wich you'll be able to buy in a few days.
- 4.0 out of 5
As a new user to a higher end Cannon camera all I can say is "WOW". I fly radio controlled giant scale model aircraft and this camera has all the features I need. It takes great video with sound and really good for fireworks displays too. I still have yet to master all the aspects of this camera. The instuctions could be more clear in dpi use as there is no mention of it anywhere. I need at least 300dpi to send high quality photo's of the model planes I am writing about to the National Magazine via e-mail. Great pic's and color.
- 4.0 out of 5
The camera is easy to use...and takes great pictures.
- 5.0 out of 5
Great little camera! From full auto to full manual - as you like it! Great macro! Great zoom! Very decent image quality. A bit of noise - but nothing unmanageable. Love it love it love it!
- 5.0 out of 5
I've used 2 digital cameras previously,the Lumix F-1 (3.2 megapixels) and Nikon coolpix P4(8.1 megapixels).Buying theSX100is was one of the best decisions I''ve made.This camera has all the manual controls and 10x zoom really unlocks the great potential of this camera.Macro is superb and so is its image stabilization.Low light image noise is a bit of concern though.Overall, an all-rounder camera.Battery life is also very good.I'll surely recommend this camera to anyone who wants to hone their skills before they bou an SLR.
- 4.0 out of 5
Areading all the reviews i have only one thing to say this camera offers excellent picture quality,zoom and shooting modes for a point and shoot camera....10 x zoom is excellent for a camera at this price. Cannot to be compared to any other cameras except those offering the same specifications. ALL in all i am very happy to use it at a semi-pro level. Highly recommended for travellers and semi-pro photographers..trust me...and thanks Canon.
- 5.0 out of 5
I wanted a cheap point and shoot that took great photos and had a load of manual features. This camera is just great, it outperforms my friends cameras. I bought it to replace my aging Canon A70.
- 5.0 out of 5
Its a fantastic Camera.. working exceptionally well.. what can u demand more.. when all the features for the perfect price were given.. ..though I would like to add that some times.. it takes a bit long to charge the flash.. and we may miss rapidshots.. but we cannot expect more from its 2 batteries.. otherwise.. its an exceptional camera.. its 10x zoom in daylight works tooo good.. at nights.. the flash is not enough for the 10x range.. otherwise.. no complaints..
thanks canon for this good camera..
- 5.0 out of 5
This is a great little 10x zoom point and shoot for the price! Very good macro mode. Did very well with low light shooting a show. Try to keep the ISO to under 400 to avoid excess noise. I have no use of the video mode so I don't know how it is. The flash recharging can be slow - but I hardly use it. I've taken up to 500 pics on one set of AA NIMH rechargeable batteries!! I take it with me everywhere!!
- 3.0 out of 5
Maybe it is me, maybe it is the camera. I am getting grainy prints. I took it back to the store and we all agreed the prints were not good. We ran some test prints using their equipment, still not good. Again, it may be operator error, but I thought it was basic enough that even I could use it. I bought it because I wanted a powerful zoom for wild life. I may trade it in for a simpler camera or maybe I need to take a class. I am disappointed, I had an older, simple point and shoot olympus stylus that took great pics but not much zoom. Uncertain what I'll do.
- 4.0 out of 5
I recently purchased a Canon Powershot SX100 IS with my income tax return and love it. My wife and I were in desperate need for a new digital camera because our Kodak 5 megapixel piece of junk decided to start taking blurry pictures. Okay okay, maybe we let our 2 year-old son hold on to it one too many times, but thats only because we knew we were going to buy something else.
My wife and I, just as any other proud parents, required better quality pictures of our child. I wanted a Canon and she just wanted a large LCD screen. Bieng the nephew of a photographer, I knew it would have to be a Canon or Nikon. I also knew I wanted something with a bunch of manual options(shutter speeds, aperture settings, etc.) without spending an arm and a leg on SLR technology. We love our son but we're amateurs. She still wanted a large viewer.
We arrived at our local Best Buy with the firm intention of purchasing a camera that day. We shopped for a good 30 minutes and she was convinced we didn't need a 3 inch display and i was sure we were purchasing a Canon. We thought the G9 was a bit out of our pricerange still and that if we were going that route, we would buy a Rebel series. Then we saw the SX100 IS. I knew it was the one and so did she. I trusted its picture quality and was attracted to its zoom potential.
Needless to say, we purchased the camera. We also made away with a case and a 2GB memory card for under $325.
Three months later we only realized 2 things. The first thing was that we would have to purchase a rechargeable AA battery station and the second thing bieng that we saw it cheaper 3 months later. I have to tell you, if you purchase this camera prepare to go through batteries rather quickly. The average AA battery lasts 1 hour. Lithium AA batteries last 1 week. Lithium batteries are expensive! I wish Canon manufatured this camera with its own rechargeable.
Oh yes and one more thing. The flash on the camera isn't great but you do have the option to increase the flash. Of course thats probably why my batteries died so fast.
The bottom line is that we love our camera and the pictures it takes. Iv'e learned a lot with this camera and find it a good investment for rookies like ourselves.
- 5.0 out of 5
I upgraded from an A460, and found the SX100IS ease of use wonderful. I am by no means an expert photographer, but found for everyday use the 100IS produced great photos and all the added options the camera contains should provide me with years of learning’s. The camera is comfortable to use, has a decent build quality and it’s functions are fairly self explanatory...since I came from another Canon product most things were the same in regards to transferring photo's to PC's and such. I never used a view finder with my old A460 so I don’t miss it and the large LCD display works well in sunlight and dim lit situations.
I have read that pictures shot using an ISO value of 200 and above are grainy, but again I have not experienced this. Also I have heard and read about less than stellar video performance, but again this to me is a photo camera, not a video camera so I don’t place the emphasis that others do on its performance in this category. Again in the Auto mode the camera worries about most things so what I have used it for it far surpasses the clarity that I was getting from the A460 and the image stabilization feature has helped me save photos that I otherwise would have lost with the A460.
The only thing I could recommend at this point is a good set of 2500MaH rechargeable or higher batteries as the camera seems to go through standard batteries fairly quickly and will slow down the recycle times as they wear.
- 3.0 out of 5
The Canon PowerShot SX100 IS is a new, 8 megapixel, compact superzoom debuting this month (October 2007). The SX100 delivers good image quality at 200 ISO or lower, average shot-to-shot performance, poor burst speed and is ultimately let down by embarrassingly bad video quality.
Despite its very significant flaws, the SX100 is the best of the current crop of compact superzooms, the newest genre of digital cameras started less than two years ago by the Panasonic TZ1.
The 10x zoom lens is fast at f/2.8(W)-f4.3(T), stopping down in both cases to f/8.0. However, the Canon lens exhibits noticeable purple fringing at telephoto ranges. The lens is also not very wide at only 36mm.
At ISO 80-100, pictures exhibit Canon's trademark buttery smoothness, but noise can be quite noticeable even at ISO 200 under low light conditions. At ISO800, pictures are barely usable and image noise is significantly worse than that produced by the similarly priced Kodak Z812.
The Canon SX800 has full manual photographic controls, which is a big advantage over the Panasonic LZ1 and LZ3. However, unlike the LZ1, the SX800 cannot zoom while recording video and does not autofocus once recording has started. The image quality of the VGA movies is also poor compared with the LZ1's output.
In fact, it is not an overstatement to call the Canon PowerShot SX100 IS video capabilities atrocious. Canon should be embarrassed by hamstringing an otherwise decent camera with such awful, rudimentary video.
Canon has long lagged behind other digital camera manufacturers in offering real-time histograms while snapping pictures. The SX100 is no exception and lacks this very useful feature.
It is often handy to extract photographs directly from the SD memory card, rather than connecting the camera to a computer. Unfortunately, Canon has created a real headache by placing the SD card under the same door as the two AA batteries. This makes it annoyingly easy to dump the unsecured batteries on the floor almost every time the SD card is removed.
The camera is constructed entirely of plastic. Build quality is average. Out of the box, our camera's self retracting lens cover was covered in gunk, but fortunately the lens was not affected and the foreign material cleaned off with alcohol.
The camera features a pop-up flash which helps reduce red eye.
The 2.5" LCD monitor is bright and clear with an acceptable resolution of 172,000 pixels. Unfortunately, it does not swivel and stowaway like those on many other Canon cameras.
Start up is fast at under two seconds, but shutting down the camera is sometimes very slow, ranging up to five seconds.
The SX100 IS has average responsiveness with shot to shot times usually between one and two seconds. Autofocus is generally quick and accurate. Face recognition is fast and surprisingly handy. Burst mode is poor at barely over one frame per second. Auto white balance is not very accurate under most household lights, casting most pictures in a deep orange-yellow hue.
The SX100 IS features effective optical image stabilization. Unfortunately, the camera defaults to the less effective continuous mode, but it is easy enough to switch to the better "shoot only" mode through Canon's intuitive menu system.
Like most Canon cameras, the SX100 has a control layout that most enthusiast photographers can appreciate. Additionally, the SX100 menu system is simple and easy to navigate while offering many broad ranging functions.
The Canon PowerShot SX100 IS excels in terms of manual photographic feature flexibility and easily leads the current, nascent genre of compact superzooms in this regard.
There is no escaping the fact that the Canon PowerShot SX100 is a flawed camera. If the SX100 were simply a superzoom with optical image stabilization, it would be overpriced and outclassed by cameras like the Kodak Z812 or the cheaper Panasonic FZ8 which is equipped with a much nicer Leica lens. The SX100 is put to shame by newer, only slightly more expensive cameras like the Panasonic FZ18 and even Canon's own S5 IS which is rapidly tumbling downwards in price due to stiff competition from Panasonic, Kodak, Fuji, Olympus and Sony.
However, if portability is an issue, the only competitors for the SX100 are the two Panasonic cameras, already mentioned, and the new Sony DSC-H3.
If video recording is even remotely important to you, forget the Canon SX100 IS because its video capabilities are simply lousy. The much cheaper Panasonic TZ1 is light years ahead of the Canon SX100 in terms of video quality and video recording features.
However, despite its many and significant shortcomings, the Canon SX100 gets the nod over both the Panasonic TZ1 and TZ3 due to superior image quality, despite being saddled with a lens that is inferior to either of the Pansonic's and suffering from significantly lower build quality.
Just as importantly, the SX100 offers a full host of manual controls making it far more flexible than either Panasonic camera for picture taking.
The Sony DSC-H3 has similar image quality as the SX100 at low ISO settings, while suffering similarly at ISOs above 200. However, the Canon SX100 offers both shutter speed and aperture priority exposure modes, which the Sony lacks.
The Canon lens is faster than the Sony's and the SX100's maximum shutter speed is slightly faster. The Canon SX100 IS also has a better LCD monitor and is equipped with an automatic lens cover, which the H3 lacks.
The Canon uses cheap, AA batteries and has very good battery life with a decent pair of NiMH AAs. Its Sony and Panasonic competitors all use expensive, proprietary lithium ion batteries. Sony also insists on foisting its proprietary flash card formats on its customers rather than using the ubiquitous and cheap SD/SD-HC or CompactFlash standards.
In Sony's favor, the DSC-HS has better build quality and has much more attractive styling compared with the homely Canon PowerShot SX100 IS.
All things considered, the Canon PowerShot SX100 barely edges out its Panasonic and Sony compact ultrazoom rivals, but only if video recording quality and video features are of no value to you. And if the compact form factor of the SX100 is not vitally important to you, then your money would be more wisely spent on one the many fine and inexpensive ultrazooms that are currently on the market.
Canon Powershot SX100 IS Comments & Questions (write your own!)
16 times 20 = 320
11 times 14 = 154
and 320/154 is only 2.1
In fact, even IF (small) pixels were visible at a print larger than 16x20, it probably would not be a big deal----since one does not stand RIGHT next to a 24x36 print.
If video is where you're mind is, then you may want to look for a video camera that has digital still features that save to an SD card. Some are up to 6mp now.
I like the fact that they use AA batteries and SD cards, too.
And, even though you think you've put in fresh batteries, underpowered batteries are just as bad. At the very least, make sure you are using Alkalines. Even better, batteries with a higher mAh - like around 2500mAh would satisfy the higher power requirements of your camera.
SD Cards. Allow me to make an pitch for using several cards, rather than one large one. Reason being, insurance. Any memory card can fail or become corrupted. And when you're on vacation the last thing you want is to lose the opportunity to take pictures until you can recover that media card with a software utility. If your card goes bad, swapping another one for it at that moment is of advantage so you can keep taking pics. Then, later when you're in front of your PC, you can use a utility like "F-Recovery" ( [url=filerecoverytools.com/produ... ) to get back your pictures and recover your card.
The TZ3 has the fewest pixels (7.1MP vs. 8.1MP and 8.3MP), which isn't a big deal. Oddly enough, the TZ3 also has the largest CCD (1/2.35" vs. 1/2.5") which, coupled with fewer MPs will help low-light performance.
I think the biggest difference you'll notice is on the actual zoom itself. The SX100 is 36-360mm, the H3 is 38-380mm and the TZ3 is 28-280mm. So while all of these are "10x optical zoom", the actual 35mm equivalents put them at 10.29x,10.86 and 8.00x. The TZ3 then has quite a noticable loss of zoom on the far end, but it's also the only camera of these 3 that has the wideangle, which I find much more useful.
All 3 of these cameras have optical image stabilization, which is a must with ultra-zoom cameras. The image stabilization also gives you less shaky movies and helps in low-light situations, too.
A small detail: The SX100 and H3 have manual focus (the H3 slightly more limited with 5 presets); the TZ3 doesn't. I don't find this feature useful, but it is a small difference you may have wanted to know.
The SX100 has the best macro ability, focusing in as close as 1cm. The H3 has a 2cm focus range and the TZ3 has a 5cm macro focus. Again, my opinion is that focusing within 2 inches is very adequate for any camera, especially one with a long zoom lens, but take it as it is.
White balance can be set on all three cameras. One interesting point is that the TZ3 has 4 presets and 2 manual presets, the H3 has 7 presets (but no manual) and the SX100 has 6 presets and 1 manual preset. Especially with tungsten lighting, a lot of people like having their own preset to make the color tone to their likeness.
The SX100 F2.8-F4.3, the H3 has F3.5-F4.4 and the TZ3 has F3.3-F4.9. So whereas the SX100 has a nice large aperture range (of the 3), the TZ3 (with slightly shorter long-zoom, fewer megapixels and larger CCD) will still give similar quality low-light pictures as the SX100. Expect the Sony (as usual) to have the "worst" low-light pictures. I say "worst", because all these cameras will give perfectly acceptable 4x6" prints at ISO800 and lower. And anything above ISO800 will be of very limited use.
The H3 has the strongest flash of the 3, followed by the TZ3 and then the SX100. Any of the three will be able to adequately light up an area, though.
The TZ3 has the best continuous shooting speed, though limited (up to 3fps, but for only 5 pictures); the H3 can handle up to 2fps while the SX100 is only 1.3fps.
The TZ3 is the only one of these 3 cameras that supports 848x480 movie mode, and at 30fps no less. With everything becoming widescreen, this is a nice feature to have.
The SX100 has a 2.5" flip-out LCD w/172K pixels, the H3 has a standard 2.5" LCD w/115K pixels and the TZ3 has the nicest 3" LCD w/230K pixels.
Finally, the SX100 uses 2 "AA" batteries (which to me isn't a good idea, because every time the flash is used, the batteries take awhile to recharge it. "AA" battery cameras should be using 4 batteries, not 2.). The H3 uses its own Li-Ion rechargable and the TZ3 uses a Li-Ion rechargable as well (with very cheap additional batteries for sale).
For the size, you picked out good cameras to choose from. There are other cameras, like the Canon S5IS, that are great, but they're bulkier, and more expensive.
I would personally reduce your search to the H3 and TZ3 -- the SX100 is too much of a compromise between the "A" series cameras the the "S" series. However, just for your sake, here are some sample pictures from each camera. I will let you be the ultimate judge. But my final decision, basing my compromise on image quality and portability/pocketability, I'd buy the TZ3.
SX100: flickr.com/search/?q=sx100&...
DSC-H3: flickr.com/search/?q=sony+h...
TZ3: flickr.com/search/?q=tz3&am...
I know there are thousands of pictures here, but make sure you skim through a good amount of them from each camera before making an impression. It would be unfair if you looked through amateur SX100 pictures and said the picture quality was bad, but saw a few great H3 pictures and assumed the picture quality was that much better. For fairness sake :)
I think the biggest difference you'll notice is on the actual zoom itself. The SX100 is 36-360mm, the H3 is 38-380mm and the TZ3 is 28-280mm. So while all of these are "10x optical zoom", the actual 35mm equivalents put them at 10.29x,10.86 and 8.00x. The TZ3 then has quite a noticable loss of zoom on the far end, but it's also the only camera of these 3 that has the wideangle, which I find much more useful.
All 3 of these cameras have optical image stabilization, which is a must with ultra-zoom cameras. The image stabilization also gives you less shaky movies and helps in low-light situations, too.
A small detail: The SX100 and H3 have manual focus (the H3 slightly more limited with 5 presets); the TZ3 doesn't. I don't find this feature useful, but it is a small difference you may have wanted to know.
The SX100 has the best macro ability, focusing in as close as 1cm. The H3 has a 2cm focus range and the TZ3 has a 5cm macro focus. Again, my opinion is that focusing within 2 inches is very adequate for any camera, especially one with a long zoom lens, but take it as it is.
White balance can be set on all three cameras. One interesting point is that the TZ3 has 4 presets and 2 manual presets, the H3 has 7 presets (but no manual) and the SX100 has 6 presets and 1 manual preset. Especially with tungsten lighting, a lot of people like having their own preset to make the color tone to their likeness.
The SX100 F2.8-F4.3, the H3 has F3.5-F4.4 and the TZ3 has F3.3-F4.9. So whereas the SX100 has a nice large aperture range (of the 3), the TZ3 (with slightly shorter long-zoom, fewer megapixels and larger CCD) will still give similar quality low-light pictures as the SX100. Expect the Sony (as usual) to have the "worst" low-light pictures. I say "worst", because all these cameras will give perfectly acceptable 4x6" prints at ISO800 and lower. And anything above ISO800 will be of very limited use.
The H3 has the strongest flash of the 3, followed by the TZ3 and then the SX100. Any of the three will be able to adequately light up an area, though.
The TZ3 has the best continuous shooting speed, though limited (up to 3fps, but for only 5 pictures); the H3 can handle up to 2fps while the SX100 is only 1.3fps.
The TZ3 is the only one of these 3 cameras that supports 848x480 movie mode, and at 30fps no less. With everything becoming widescreen, this is a nice feature to have.
The SX100 has a 2.5" flip-out LCD w/172K pixels, the H3 has a standard 2.5" LCD w/115K pixels and the TZ3 has the nicest 3" LCD w/230K pixels.
Finally, the SX100 uses 2 "AA" batteries (which to me isn't a good idea, because every time the flash is used, the batteries take awhile to recharge it. "AA" battery cameras should be using 4 batteries, not 2.). The H3 uses its own Li-Ion rechargable and the TZ3 uses a Li-Ion rechargable as well (with very cheap additional batteries for sale).
For the size, you picked out good cameras to choose from. There are other cameras, like the Canon S5IS, that are great, but they're bulkier, and more expensive.
I would personally reduce your search to the H3 and TZ3 -- the SX100 is too much of a compromise between the "A" series cameras the the "S" series. However, just for your sake, here are some sample pictures from each camera. I will let you be the ultimate judge. But my final decision, basing my compromise on image quality and portability/pocketability, I'd buy the TZ3.
SX100: flickr.com/search/?q=sx100&...
DSC-H3: flickr.com/search/?q=sony+h...
TZ3: flickr.com/search/?q=tz3&am...
I know there are thousands of pictures here, but make sure you skim through a good amount of them from each camera before making an impression. It would be unfair if you looked through amateur SX100 pictures and said the picture quality was bad, but saw a few great H3 pictures and assumed the picture quality was that much better. For fairness sake :)
Does any of them zoom, optically or digitally, during the video recording and which one does a better job at night/low light? From reviews I have read in many places TZ3 does a poor job at night/low light, above 200 ISO, and the comments are not that bad for low light conditions for H3 and SX 100, but then again, they just came out in late August and TZ3 came at the beginning of theyear. Which of them has the menu settings the most friendly user? Is the lack of face detection at TZ3 a problem or they have fixed it in another way?
Thanks again for the thorough help.
Face detection is a cool feature, but it isn't that important. I suspect the Panasonic would have it in its upgrade to the TZ3 (TZ4? TZ5?) Overall, IMO, the SX100 IS is your best choice.
Toni: The size difference between the TZ3 and SX100 is substantial, as far as ultracompacts go. But, as always, there is a compromise between size. In this case, the SX100's larger body with less lens ability will help it take slightly better pictures... a lot better? Not at all. Something you'll notice in 4x6" prints? Nope.
Here's a good review of the Panasonic TZ3: dpreview.com/reviews/panaso...
The TZ3 does not have optical zoom during movie mode. All of them have digital zoom during movie mode, but you do NOT want to use it... even though it seems useful at the time, when you go back to watch it on a computer or TV you will see horrible degradation of picture quality that really ruins the flow of the movie... it's really bad. You might get away with a little digital zoom in good light, but definitely experiment with it before even considering digital zoom during a movie that's important to you.
The Canon S3IS and Canon S5IS are two of the very few cameras that allow OPTICAL zoom during movie-mode, as it has an ultra-quiet zooming mechanism (other cameras don't allow optical zooming during movies, not because it's not possible, but because all you'd hear in the audio is the humming of the zoom). The Sony H3 also allows optical zoom, which is a plus. The Canon SX100, like Thomas pointed out, only does digital zooming. So essentially, if you plan on taking a lot of movies, the Sony H3 definitely has a huge edge up on the TZ3 or SX100!
Face detection, as Thomas pointed out, isn't a deal-breaker... it's a nice little feature to have, but generally doesn't work as well as you'd think. However, if your camera does have it, then it will help get a little sharper focus in portrait shots and shots where people's faces are the prime focus.
For user controls, I think the Canon is easiest, followed by the Panasonic and then the Sony. However, after a while of practice on any of these cameras, you won't have a problem with the controls, so I wouldn't worry about this feature much.
In my opinion, the Sony H3 may be your best bet. I'm (personally) rather disappointed with what Canon could get out of the SX100, and the TZ3's compact form doesn't seem to be as important to you as the zoom, movie mode and picture quality, so the compromise doesn't make up for the features it loses. The Sony H3, with optical zoom movide mode, good picture quality, optical image stabilization (Super Steady Shot), long zoom, etc, may be your best bet (even though it's the largest).
I know my answers were all over the place in this post, so if you have any more questions, please ask!
"The Sony H3 also allows optical zoom, which is a plus. "
Matt, are you sure about this ? In some reviews i read that H3 does not support optical zooming while recording video....
onecall.com/ProductDetails....
Just search for "Optical Zoom" and it'll find the area for you, it's nearly at the bottom of the page.
Sorry for the confusion. I need to start posting my sources :)
support.sony-europe.com/DIM...
Anh, the H3 can zoom in better w/ 380mm compare to the TZ3 only 280mmm/f4.9
The SX100 has the fastest lens of the three w/f2.8-f4.3. With a faster zoom lens, you can use a faster shutter speed, which means better for sport photo and also have better exposures in relatively low light indoor situations.
You may want to check out the SX100's SafteyZoom and Digital tele-converter features which can also help.
1
the price for an additional battery for TZ3 (e.g. Panasonic S007E/1B) is not so cheap (33£ on pix mania -pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/315164...
2
the review mentioned by dpreview.com/reviews/panaso... seems to cast some doubts on the picture quality (heavy noise reduction and detail smearing already at ISO 100)
I have the same need as toni and I'm still doubting between the sx100 is and the tz3. I think I'll go for the first.
Although I still would get the SX100 IS, since the TZ3 has no manual control.
Lenmar TZ3 battery: amazon.com/Lenmar-Lithium-i... My dad purchased this battery. Works fine. The only reason is has 3 stars is because amazon screwed up. This battery is perfectly fine, and only 15 USD.
dpreview is very analytical with their reviews. I was almost not going to buy the SD800IS, for example, because dpreview said there was noticable barrel distortion, soft edges, and poor picture quality. Lo-and-behold, it takes better pictures than my fiance's 6MP Fuji superzoom camera. Very impressive, so I'm glad I didn't listen to dpreview on that purchase.
That being said, it's true the Panasonic (and Sony's) have a less-acceptable noise reduction engine. But at ISO100, you'll be hard-pressed to seriously see any degradation in picture quality from noise reduction. I'm sure you'd see a little in ISO200 if you're looking at a hi-res screen or make 8x10" or larger pictures. But for 4x6's you'll be safe for anything up to ISO400. It all depends on how much of a pixel peeper you are. These types of cameras aren't for pixel peepers, though, dSLR's are :)
And if you use flash in the museum, you shouldn't be worried about high ISO's anyway :)
For Clicks: If I said the SX100IS has a flip-out LCD screen, I was wrong, absolutely. I talk about the S3IS and S5IS so much that I may have slipped. I apologize if I did. If I didn't..... then you're right, the SX100IS doesn't have the flip-out screen :)
I personally just think that, if you're willing to go bulky with the SX100IS, you might as well get a better camera with the S3IS you can find for <$250. But that's just IMHO!
one of disadvantages of living in europe is that the prices are quite different from the us market:
e.g.
If I want to buy original batteries I have to pay something like 50 € (something like 70$). I tried once to buy non original batteries but it was really a waste of money.
And the price is of the tz3 is around 270 € while the SX100 is around 250 €
It's a pity that one cannot fully rely on review. Do you have more review site to recommend?
Thank you for your advice,
Alessandro
I actually haven't checked out what the TZ3 was given (this doesn't have number ratings, it has a good/bad type rating). So enjoy reading :)
Tony, how could you get it for just $205?
dcresource.com/reviews/pana...
1.) It's on sale (usually about $250)
2.) You have a $40 off $200 coupon (you can get them in the mail, E-mail, or in Sunday newspaper fliers).
3.) You can use a 10% off AAA discount by showing your membership card, or printing out a coupon online. Check out www.slickdeals.net and search for AAA discount.
However, you'll have to get a pretty stupid employee (but most Circuit City employees are) to get them to stack all your coupons. But it's possible, and worth a try! Otherwise, you can get it only www.amazon.com for about $250... the amount you save on tax brings your relative price down to $235 if you were to buy it at the store.
I noticed few other differences not yet discussed here in these cameras while comparing side by side on dpreview. These are:
- Speed of USB connection. H3 got high speed.
- Picture Aspect ratio. H3 and TZ3 got 16:9
- Video Out. H3 got HD.
If one has HDTV and like to plug camera directly to TV, HD video out is a good feature.
Thanks!!
Rajesh, the only difference between Ultra 2 and Extreme 3 is how fast the memory card can read and write data. Ultra 2 is preferrable over the regular speed SD cards, because video recording won't have any occasional choppiness, and continuous shooting of 2fps or better won't bottleneck as it would with slower cards. I would definitely suggest Ultra 2 cards... but like you said, Extreme 3 cards aren't necessary except if you have a dSLR with fast performance characteristics. Besides, Ultra 2 cards are nearly the price of regular SD cards now, so it's a worthy buy.
Very soon I will leave on holiday to Asia and I would like to have nice holiday-pictures. Family pictures, nature, ... .
I heard from a shop that the lenz of Sony would be better, image-stabilization is an invention of Sony so they're better, ... Sony is better than the more expensive Panasonic ... , the Sony is just out thus latest updates.
Which one would you recommend ?
For a 1500 pictures during one month, which extra cards, accesories would you recommend ?
I am reluctant to buy it via internet as I won't have a clear expanation about all such cards ... but internet can be 30% cheaper. Difficult to compare prices, as they offer it with or without cards, etc ... .
Thank you in advance.
Rica: I would love to know the shop that says Sony is better, lol. Is it Sony affiliated? :) That being said, the H3 will most likely take better pictures than the TZ3, not because of the "better" lens, but because the lens isn't compacted into such an ultracompact frame. You pay premium for size, and if you don't mind lugging the H3 around, it's a good camera. The TZ3 is the king of ultracompact ultrazoom cameras, but you can pick it up for <$240, even at Amazon.com, I believe. This is cheaper than the H3. I'm very leary of this shop... Sony is always more expensive than an equally equipped camera of another brand, because people for some reason are willing to pay for the Sony brand, which I think is nuts. And then they'll pay double-price for their proprietary memory cards, and batteries, and cables, etc.... it's amazing.
But anyway, if you're willing to get the H3, you should consider the SX100IS instead. It's slightly cheaper, the memory cards and accessories are cheaper, the higher-ISO noise reduction is better than the Canon, you still get the 10x optical zoom, etc.
And in terms of Sony's image stabilization being better because they invented it...? A simple analogy of Ford vs. GM. vs. Toyota of who's first and who's the best... I don't even have to explain that one to you, right? hehe
Buy it online, buy a non-OEM extra battery (LenMar is a good non-OEM battery manufacturer, and they work with the included recharger the camera comes with, don't worry), and two 4GB memory cards that can handle 9-10 MB/sec read and write speeds. I'd suggest sticking with SanDisk because they have good customer service, but Kingston and other brands are just as good with quality.
You should find that Panasonic is actually one of the cheapest (price-wise) when looking at comparable cameras. Sony is always most expensive, and Canon is usually middle ground. Fuji is also usually lower on the price-end.
In summary, the H3 is probably better than the TZ3, but it's not apples to apples comparison. Compare the cheaper-than-the-H3 SX100IS... I think it's better and, if I wanted a cheaper zoom camera, it's the one I would go for. Of course, if I was going for pure ultra-zoom and didn't care about price, I'd go for the Panasonic FZ18 or Canon S5IS (both <$330)... but that's another thread :)
I purchased the Panasonic TZ3 this weekend. Now looking for a suitable case that can snugly fit this camera. The problem is that most of the cases avaiable online are either for TZ1 or are generic camera cases. Any suggestions from the readers? What did you purchase for your TZ3? Pockets for extra memory card or battery are optional. Fit and durability are preferred.
As for the carrying case itself, there are so many to choose from. If you're looking for fit, this one looks interesting... it'll be a little bigger, which will be nice if you want to stash an extra card or two in with the camera: cgi.ebay.com/Black-Camera-C...
Cases come in leather, too, like this: cgi.ebay.com/F12-Leather-Ca...
Panasonic also makes their own cases for their "TZ" line of cameras, like this standard one: cgi.ebay.com/PANASONIC-LUMI...
Just search around, I'm sure you'll find one you like :)
I was thinking in the Tz3 or the Canon S5is...
Thanks in advance
If you were to compare just the TZ3 and S5IS on just picture quality alone, the S5IS would win. But again, you get what you pay for. The TZ3 is more affordable, more compact, and has the 28mm wideangle... the S5IS has better picture quality, but it's bulkier, more expensive and doesn't have wideangle. Compromises everywhere!
Note: By better picture quality, I don't mean night-and-day better. But it is marginally better.
it compares apples to apples - the same picture setting taken between 2 of many different cameras of your choosing. using this site i found the canon sx100 is better than the panasonic dmc-tz3, but maybe not as good as the sony dsc-h9.
SX100IS: Haven't found yet, but continuous shooting is 1.3 fps, so expect about half that for non-continuous shot-to-shot time, or 1.5 seconds per picture (or better).
S5IS: 1.3 seconds per picture
TZ3: 1.1 seconds per picture
H3: Haven't found yet, but continuous shooting is 2.0 fps, so expect about half that for non-continuous shot-to-shot time, or 1.0 seconds per picture (I won't say "or better" on this one, though, because Sony is notorious for overstating all their performance characteristics, regardless of what product they're trying to sell you).
Shot-to-shot speeds w/o flash
SX100IS: See above.
S5IS: 2.4-3.5 seconds per picture
TZ3: 2.3-3.0 seconds per picture
H3: See above.
For some reason, the H3 isn't reveiwed as much as the H9 is, so it's hard to find direct comparisons. I wouldn't doubt the SX100IS is a slightly better performer than the TZ3.... but you again get what you pay for. I'd hope the SX100IS would be a little faster... it's bigger, has more battery strength, and just has more room to incorporate a bigger motor. Same thing goes with the H3 and S5IS.
Truth be told, if you could care less about pocketability and size, then you wouldn't be considering the TZ3 anyway. You really have to prioritize your camera needs, and then narrow down the camera playing field from there. If you don't know if size is more important than a very small downgrade in picture quality, you'll be going in circles with cameras all day :)
I need a camera that will provide me, a novice, great pictures of my family in all situations and our vacations with few manual adjustments...I had entertained the Canon a720 and the Panasonic Lz7, but after reading this blog I don't know anymore...I feel overwhelmed at the options available...Please lend me some guidance...
Thank you in advance for yur time and help..
I personally think your best option may be the Canon S3IS (because it's very similar to the S5IS, with a little less megapixels which will help VERY SLIGHTLY with the low-light problem), because you can find it for <$250 if you look. Otherwise, you can easily find the S5IS for $320, maybe less. Again, the nice thing with these cameras is the 12x optical zoom so you can get close to your son without having to resort to digital zoom, and the optical zoom during video mode. It's also a bulkier frame, so the lens quality isn't compromised, and the flash is strong (probably not strong enough, like I mentioned above, though).
Outside of the low-light gym situation, you'll be very happy with this camera. In low-light, though, even at ISO800 you will have some acceptable 4x6" prints, and if you experiment before the concert begins, you might be able to pull of ISO400 pictures... depending on lighting and distance from the stage. Don't plan on blowing these pictures up any bigger, though.
To be completely honest, though, you need an F/2.8 aperture or better lens, which is essentially impossible to come by on non-dSLR cameras. So going into this expecting great pictures with a basic camera is just begging for disappointment. See, the biggest problem is that, even with a tripod, you're still taking pictures in low light, which means you either 1.) need to increase the shutter speed to capture more light, which makes moving objects blur, regard of how still you are!, or 2.) need to increase the ISO sensitivity to decrease the time the shutter needs to stay open, which increases noise/grain on the picture.
I would suggest the Fuji F30 or F31fd.... but these guys are nearly impossible to find. I'm still suggesting you look around for an S3IS model at a good price, or pay a little more and get the S5IS.
S3IS for $289: url=amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-...
S5IS for $320: url=amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-...
If this works, this is a picture in low light, but unfortunately without moving subjects: url=amazon.com/gp/product/custo...
This is the type of picture you can expect to get in low light. Notice the detail is still there, but there is a little blurriness due to the motion. That picture looks to me to be ISO400. url=flickr.com/photos/supermacr... and this one: url=flickr.com/photos/heylisa/2... and this one: url=flickr.com/photos/chadwho1d... even this one: url=flickr.com/photos/chadwho1d...
I don't know if that helped, but I just think the S3IS and S5IS are about as good as it gets for the types of shots you're looking for.
Few days after the review (and an extensive comparison with the TZ3 and the H3) appeared on dpreview (dpreview.com/reviews/canons...
Given that I do all of my printing on 4x6, and given that I would like to have a decent zoom and wide angle capability, do very little night shooting, and want to avoid the bulk of the s5 or s3 or FZ18 for travel purposes, does the choice get any easier or clearer?
HELP!!!!!
I can tell you that I get amazing picture with my SX100 in outdoor condition (indoor one has to play a bit with the settings to get the best results).
TZ3 has wide angle down to 28mm which might be cool if needed, plus it is less bulky than the sx100.
I would make a list of pros and cons and give weighted scores according to your needs. Then sum the pros and subtract to cons: maybe the choice is easier,
well, this is certainly a helpful post!! I need a camera for a trip to Africa I will be taking this summer, and decided it was a good christmas present so I can learn to use it before my trip. I can't decide between the H3 and the SX100IS though. When I visited a knowledgable camera store, the merchant sold me on the sony because it was marginally cheaper (in store) and he said many of the employees took the cameras out and they found the image quality to be better. After using it for a couple days though....I'm not so sure. I have experince with Canon's and the settings on them (only the digital elph's though) and I've seen them withstand the test of time better than any other camera.
With this sony, I seem to be having problems with the pictures coming out yellow in low-light indoors settings.
I'm also wrestling with the double AA versus battery pack debate. I had a crappy HP that I won in a raffle and the thing ate AA's (even the really good expensive ones) like crazy....it ended up being a money pit and I don't want to go through that again.
so, I guess what I'm wondering is if it reasonable to pick a brand based on familiarity alone, or should I branch out? and what about this whole battery situation?! I'm a student on a shoestring budget so I don't want to end up in a money pit!
thanks for all your help already!!!
I checked the ratings at-the Washington Post, CircuitCity, Best Buy, CNET, PC World, Smarter Com and Dave's Picks AND THE WINNER IS??? the Canon SX100, BUT by so close a margin you can argue it's still up for grabs!
After all the time spent, and help from all you nice people it's going to come down to which camera is more ergonomically pleasing to the user, the price and what tech support you can expect. For the tech support answer just call each of the company sites and make your own judgement.
Again, my sincere thanks to everyone who posted to the site with really useful suggestions
Pro:
1) Wide-angle(28mm), good for group photos/shots of buildings w/o needing to move back so much
2) burst shooting w/o flash, high-speed(lower quality[you can set the compression to lower or higher quality]) burst 3fps for 7 pics, or
continuous shooting at around 2fps till the memory card is full <- love the burst feature, always have it activated.....with my 4GB SDHC card
3) Compact for a 10x zoom camera with a 3 inch LCD screen
Pro
4) 4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9 <--- so you can have 848x480 widescreen movie mode<--- TZ3 has 8.5 effective pixels so that you can switch between these 3 modes w/o changing the aperture or something(too technical for me, didnt understand).... its partly a con because you can't shoot in RAW mode...
5) Built-in lens cap.... could be a con b/c of the dust that can easily get in or that its easy to break the cap....(pro for me)...
Pro 4) : without changing the aperture or focus something(too technical terms for me to understand...)too bad no RAW mode to use the 8.5 effective pixels over the 7.2mpix camera
Con:
1) no optical or digital zoom during movie mode. you have to set it before shooting, no change while shooting <--- of all the cons, i hate this)
2) poor low-light shooting,flash is not that great,noise apparant in >800 ISO
3) Little to none manual controls <--- alright for me because i'm not an expert photographer, auto mode usually works, though i wish i had more control over manual focus or shutter speed
4) full-speed USB(1.1 speed) instead of high-speed(2.0)...... trust me, its REALLY slow...... get a SD(HC) card reader...
<finally figured out the problem... i used the slash to indicated or, but the formatting editor on this site cut out the stuff afterwards)
Problems or features that can go either way
1) 28-280 mm (10x zoom, but less range than H3's 38-380), but longer zoom means you need a steadier hand and the image stabilizer has to work perfectly, and the wide-angle makes up
2) Depending on whether you like AA batteries(easily replace or bought), or TZ3's Li-Ion battery(longer battery life, but more expensive to replace, but Li-Ions usually give you faster flash recharge)
3) Movie mode is in .mov container, MJPEG (motion jpeg), meaning ~>40MB per minute, but you can extract CLEAR INDIVIDUAL FRAMES(640x480 or 848x480 widescreen) as there is no video compression or compression artifacts
happy with the camera...... although things can be improved (eg Panasonic firmware upgrade, unlock movie mode zoom<--- low possibility of that happening)
if you want a case for the TZ3, panasonic has a semi-rigid case (DMW-CHTZ3), but i got the Fellowes Body Glove(cheaper, but a little bigger than the Panasonic case)
I'd take the TZ3 over the SX100 any day. Just my humble opinion again, of course :)
Here some test result on sx100 (...and TZ3 and H3)
popphoto.com/cameras/4664/c...
I'm trying to weigh that against the SX100 Face Detection capbability-not available with the TZ3.
I have no feel at all for what FD adds to the final image end product, but it seems to be a technology that all the new cameras are adding
Face detection, if it works (I seldom can get more than 4 faces detected, and usually 2 is hard enough), is nice, but definitely not a deal breaker. Especially when you already have optical image stabilization, which will deter blurriness already.
Keep in mind, if you use the TZ3, the default settings are set to be softer edges. You may want to increase the sharpness level if you prefer the sharp outlines. I prefer real-life shots that a slight softness gives you.
I think the final answer needs to come down to you, and not so much other peoples' opinions. Either way, I hope you enjoy the camera you pick :) $238 at amazon, now :) amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-TZ...
you're beginning to make a believer out of me. As you say, the bottom line is the decision is mine to make.
I really appreciate your inputs and insights over these past few days. They've been of real value to me.
Thanks
The A720 has 6x (7groups/9elements) and F/2.8-8wide and 4.8-8 tele.
Adding extra lens convertor to A720 will reduce light to the lens by a multiple factor.
BTW Both machine has digital-tele converter and safety-zoom features:
Similar to placing an extra lens on the front of the camera, Canon's Digital Teleconverter adds a constant digital zoom to every shot (1.6x/2.0x). While optical converter lenses cause a reduction in aperture and consequently require a slower shutter speed, the Digital Teleconverter maintains aperture size, reducing the risk of image blur.
Thanks Clicks, it took me several times of reading this until I understand it. I think. Are you saying the digital teleconverter is a disadvantage to both models in the way of reducing light? I don't think you are, but just to be sure. If this is a flaw, I may want to look at other models. Also, are both about as simple to navigate as the other? Thanks again.
Unlike optical converter (add extra lens), digital converter does not add any extra lens to the camera. These Canon's camera come with a "digital" feature that allows us to have 1.6x or 2.0x without reducing light, and in turn, require a slower shutter speed.
Finally, and most importantly, if you were to buy one of these cameras, budget not being an issue, which would u chose as the perfect camera?
Look forward to all your help. Thanks.
Also for those trying to find great deals. I find these websites have fantastically low prices. Just search for the specific camera u want:
www.bwayphoto.com
www.86photovideo.com
www.lowpricedigital.com
As Luis asked: Which camera would you buy to capture kids in movement or sports in low light? The G9 works well? Which one will work better, the S5IS or the G9? The G9 is good for taking pictures of sports?
As you wrote: UGH, post got cut off: You need an F/2.8 aperture lens or better, which is essentially impossible on non-dSLR cameras.
I read this in the G9, is this what you are talking about? I mean the G9 fits on this?
Aperture and Shutter
Maximum Aperture
f/2.8 (W) - f/4.8 (T)
Be careful. I've read dome really negative postings about the business practices of at least two of the vendors you mentioned. Their prices may really be too good to be true
Donna: The one disadvantage of digital zoom is that you are reducing the picture quality by letting the camera crop pictures internally. The best thing to do would be to crop your picture on your computer once you upload your pictures... leave the digital zoom for emergencies only (although a 2x digital zoom will be fine for 4x6" prints). As for the A720 -- it takes great pictures, and the only drawback I find (as with all "A" series cameras) is that the time between pictures when using flash can take up to 6 seconds! It just takes so long to recycle the flash with "AA" batteries. With strong 2,500 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries that are fully charged, the time can be reduced to about 3.5-4 seconds, though. Otherwise, it has great performance, great video mode, nice point-and-shooting abilities as well as some fun features like the Color Swap and Color Accent modes. You can read more about it here if you'd like: steves-digicams.com/2007_re...
Monique: Firstly, some websites, including broadwayphoto.com, have bad reviews, and it's a hit-or-miss on whether you get your order from them. You definitely want to read up on websites, especially if their prices seem too good to be true... oddly, most of the scam digital camera sites are situated in New York. To answer your other questions:
The W55 is a great camera, but it's showing it's age. The picture quality is good, but it was released a year ago. It doesn't have optical image stabilization, which is now a standard. Otherwise, for the price it's great.
The W80 is, I think, where Sony started dropping the ball on their ultracompacts digital cameras. They started advertising to the wrong crowd, tried to push all these weird "HD" options and accessories you could have, and didn't focus on updating their camera to compete with the other Greats. The LCD screen is very low resolution, face effects and screen options are poorly done, their new image stabilization doesn't work well, any HD accessories cost extra, etc. I'd avoid this camera.
The H3 is a great camera, one of the better ones in the 10x optical zoom category. It's still trying to advertise to sucker people into it, buy saying things like "Super HAD CCD", even though it's still a 1/2.5" standard CCD. And "Super Steady Shot" for their (IMO) inferior optical image stabilization.... but it's still a good camera. And for $250 it's a good deal for a Sony product. However, you'll still have to pay double for their proprietary memory cards, which essentially negates the effect of a good base price on the camera. I'd opt for the SX100IS over this camera, personally.
The Canon S5IS is the best of the cameras you mentioned: Optical zoom during video mode, amazing macro mode, fast performance (except for continuous shooting, which is more-or-less just average), great picture quality, 12x optical zoom, etc. The only downsize is the size (much bulkier than the TZ3, and noticeably bigger than the SX100IS).
I'd put your camera selection in this order, with price not an issue:
1. S5IS
2. SX100IS
3. TZ3
4. H3
5. W55
6. W80
Note: The above list is comparing picture quality and size. If you don't care about size, the H3 would probably be tied for 2nd place.
I am interested in three cameras:
S5IS
(I found it to be better and faster than the H7 in the store and comes with a good reputation .. I could do without the hot-shoe).
FZ18
(I like the idea of the extra long zoom if it and the rest of the camera is really usable).
SX100IS
(I like the lack of bells and whistles and the size seems handy .. I do not know how the image quality compares to the others .. I read that you can use NiMH batteries to improve the life).
I do not want to loose picture quality for zoom and price and movies are not my first concern .. I am not up to an SLR:
I mostly take photos of nature and my dogs outside and prefer natural light (even indoor low light) over flash and want a good zoom and macro.
I do not care about the missing view finder on the SX100IS and am not impressed by the flip out view finder on the S5IS.
I do care about all things some but not ultimately above the picture quality and of course functionality.
I have read a number of the pro reviews but no one seems to have compared the S5IS to the SX100IS and the FZ18.
All thoughts are welcome .. Thank you.
For me, personally, I would take the FZ18, because (even though shot to shot time between pictures is aggravatingly long) in low light you can always use RAW uncompressed mode to avoid the Panasonic's VENUS III noise reduction.
Can you tell me how the S5IS and the SX100IS compare.
I looked at the mega zooms one or two years ago and was not impressed by the image compromise .. Thank you again, imadele.
SX100IS has 8.3 MP compared to S5IS's 8.0 MP
SX100IS has 36-360mm zoom compared to S5IS's 36-432mm zoom (10x vs. 12x)
SX100IS has about a 1/2" macro focus, compared to the S5IS's nearly 0" macro focus
SX100IS has F2.8/F4.3 aperture, compared to the S5IS's F2.7-F3.5/F8 (the S5IS has a nicer range of aperture settings)
SX100IS has 3.0 meter flash, compared to the S5IS's 5.2 meter flash range
SX100IS has 1.3fps continuous shooting, compared to the S5IS's 1.5fps
SX100IS has 640x480 @30fps video mode without zoom, compared to 640x480 @30fps WITH zoom for the S5IS
SX100IS has a 2.5" LCD w/172K pixels, compared to the S5IS's 2.5" LCD w/207K pixels (S5IS has better resolution LCD)
SX100IS only takes 2 "AA" batteries, compared to the S5IS's 4 "AA"'s... this will give the S5IS faster shot-to-shot time with flash on
SX100IS dimensions are 4.3x2.8x1.9"... S5IS dimensions are 4.6x3.2x3.1 (S5IS is almost exactly twice as bulky)
EDIT: I should mention that at almost $100 cheaper, the SX100IS offers near-as-good picture quality (the only real difference is the slightly more soft edging on the SX100IS output when cropped at 100%). And if you want to save some money, have a smaller camera, and are willing to always carry an extra set of batteries and don't mind the sluggish shot-to-shot times with flash, the SX100IS is a good alternative.
just to help Matt answering Imadele, here are some more differences between IS100 and IS5
- SX100 has no viewfinder. S5 does
- SX100 has no external flash hot-shoe. S5 does
- SX100 LCD doesn't flip out. S5' LCD does
- SX100 does not have an annoying lens cap. S5 does.
Thanks alot!
-Monique
Thank you for the information on the SX100 and the IS5:
- I rarely use the view finder.
- I never use an external flash hot-shoe and it bothers me some that it is there.
- I am not really impressed by the LCD flipping out.
- I do prefer the electronic lens cap.
- I read that you can use NiMH batteries to improve the life to approximately 400 photos.
I guess you can see why I am interested in the SX100 .. I am not really concerned by the price difference.
Please let me know if you have anything to add on how the SX100 and the IS5 compare image quality and function wise ??
Thank you all again, imadele.
I would have to disagree about corner softness with the SX100 IS. I have compared on imaging-resource.com and the S5 IS actually would seem to have more corner softness, more purple fringing, and more noise. Other online reviews I've read seem to agree with that.
I'd wait until after CES and PMA to see what Canon will announce, or, if you must have a camera now, get the SX100 IS, IMO.
- Features wise it seems S5 does give few more of what you (and many other) dont really need.
- Photo quality wise S5 and SX100 is about equal. If must choose, I do prefer SX100 over S5.
See them for yourself imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP...
- Performance wise S5 does have a faster shot-to-shot with flash
Shot-to-Shot, flash off: S5 1.7sec vs SX100 1.6sec
Shot-to-Shot, flash on/red-eye reduction off: S5 2.0sec vs SX100 5.9sec
Shot-to-Shot, flash on/red-eye reduction on: S5 2.0sec vs SX100 6.7sec
If you dont mind the sx100 flash cycle time delay than the showdown is over.
Hope this help.
(I agree with Thomas if we wait long enough, the 2008 models will come out! better?)
Thank you so much for your input Thomas,
Can you tell me when the CES and PMA are as I have never heard of them .. I guess the time line depends as I am looking to get some puppies who would of course require photographing right away and my current camera is only kinda working.
I am seriously thinking of getting the SX100:
Can anyone recommend a memory card brand and size (I heard that Kingston was the best) and batteries (I heard that Energizer were Ok but there are so many types now) and a charger .. Oh and a bag .. Thank you all again, imadele.
Thanks for your help!
Traci
Please let me know when the 2008 models might be due out .. Thank you again, Imadele.
Initially I wanted to buy Canon SX100, but because of the price i also started "flirting" with Sony H7.
I had a Canon A75 before, it broke down after 2 years of usage, was good enough not to upgrade yet. Most of the pictures will be shot indoor, most of the pictures with A75 were taken with flash.
If some of You had both or can tell a good advice please do. (or please advice on a camera for use in low light)
Thanks,
Paszti
To Matt: I meant no offense. I didn't realize you had used both cameras. I was just going by what I saw online.
Thanks for ur reply.But still I am confuse.In some of the site,Canon S5 is ranked as No. 1.
DSC P-41 since 4 years and not satified with the outcome though I have not taken any hard copy till now but I consulted with some of the Studio photographers and they told that the print out of all canon is really good in all aspects than Sony?Is it true?
In some of the review also it has been mentioned that canon is good in Picture quality.But Sony has faster outcome and good in softcopy.
Actually I need the following
1.Good Features
2.Good Quality Print out.
3.Low time for taking the photo.
4.High in optical Zoom
5.Long Lasting
6.Light and Good Look with Good quality.
7.A camera with which I will happy to hold for another 5 years....
I am a frequent flyer from ome country to other and in the coming days i will be there in Uk for a 1 year or so.
and in that light we need a good flash light also.
So keeping all this in view,please suggest the best among Sony(H3,H9) and Canon(SX100,S5)
Thanks in Advance
Alok
Can any one tell me whether to buy 4 or 8 2700mAh AA batteries with my MH-C401FS charger.
I am also getting a SanDisk 4GB Extreme III SDHC SD Memory Card for $17.99 or $19.95 after a $30.00 Rebate.
Any thoughts needed fast as I need to order .. Thank you again, Imadele.
- you'll be quite ok with 4AA. But if you want to be extra sure for all occasions go for 8.
- SanDisk 4GB Extreme III SDHC is a great choice and good price too
dont forget to share your Sx100 experience
Good luck
I purchased 2weeks ago the SX100 and wanted to share the experience.
First of all I can tell You it is a great camera. The best point&shot I camera I ever hold in my hand. In low light condition the result is acceptable (maybe some manual settings needed for extra performance) but the moment the light condition gets better the camera just smiles. I can truly say there is almost no need of manual settings. Just zoom & shot, the pictures will be clear, colors are natural, I’m a happy man :)
For those who are in doubt: just buy the camera, it is a great one.
Paszti
How could estimate and compare to previously mentioned Sony and Canon cameras, new Panasonic DMC-TZ5 camera.
Panasonic DMC-TZ5
( popphoto.com/cameras/5109/h... )
Thank's in advance
Yan
I would recommend the Sanyo Eneloop Rechargables.... they tend to hold onto their charge longer when not in use, meaning you dont have to take out a pack of rechargables to find that they're discharged after a month, though the Sanyo Eneloops are only rated at 2000mAh
@Anh
do you have those blurred pictures? post them, i would like to see the settings the the auto mode chose(eg ISO, exposure...), generally you want to have a quick shutter speed because of the action, and you need higher ISO for the camera to select a quick shutter speed
TZ5: initial pre-release camera photos show the quality to be average or mediocre, though the HD-video with optical zoom sounds like a deal clincher, too bad it comes out in April and is @ $350, or i would have waited to buy it instead of my TZ3
I bought Canon SX100 IS 2 weeks back. Though i am quite happy with the performance of camera in day light but for some reason it is not able to capture the night photos clearly. Its always hazy and if you try to zomn then you can be sure it will never be sharp and I dont see any effect of using image stabilisaton as well. Can anyone help me with the correct settings for night mode.
Thanks in advance.
Parvinder
Please help me.
Thank you,
Allison
If you are taking a person at night/low light go to 'night portrait' mode. It has two flashes, one after each other, one for the background and one for the face. If you are taking just scenery at night, use the 'night scenery' mode. One problem with 'night scenery' mode, though, is that the exposure time in 'night scenery' is too long and, unless you rest the camera on a tripod or over a sturdy place, it is useless. But if you can rest the camera so it doesn't move during the shooting, which sometimes takes up to 10 secs, it can get some great pictures even at night. 'Night portrait' mode takes less time because it has 2 flashes but you might lose some of the background details there but face would come up not bad. So, if you got a sturdy place and just a scenery to take, use night scenery mode, otherwise, just use night portrait mode.
I have two options in mind currently .. either to go for SD 870 IS or Sx 100 IS? which one is good in terms of dim light ? This is my first camera ..
The SX100IS and SD870IS are such different cameras, it's hard to tell you which one to get. The biggest differences are their size/weight (SX100IS is 4.3x2.8x1.9" and 11.1 oz compared to the SD870IS 3.7x2.3x1" and 5.8 oz); optical zoom (SX100IS is 10x or 36-360mm compared to the SD870IS 3.8x or 28mm wideangle-105mm... please note that this equates to only a 3x optical zoom at the far end, but it has the coveted wide-angle that the SX100IS doesn't have); LCD screen (SX100IS has a lousy 2.5" LCD w/172K pixels and nice flip-out screen compared to the SD870IS 3" LCD w/230K pixels).
What it comes down to is two things:
1.) What's more important, a really small form factor or a long zoom?
2.) What's more important, wideangle or a long zoom?
Neither of these cameras will be any better in dim light... in fact, pretty much all ultracompacts are poor in dim light without a flash, and the SX100IS won't be any different, either. But in their category, they both do well. Just don't expect a bunch :)
I personally (and this is just me, talking) would go for the SD870IS because it has the wideangle and is pocketable... but I'd fully understand what I'm losing -- the zoom. To me, if I wanted the extra zoom but wanted a pocketable camera, I'd choose the Panasonic TZ3 (not as good of picture quality, but completely unnoticeable with 4x6" pictures... and let's face it, no one uses a pocket-size point-and-shoot camera to make professional blow-ups of pictures). And if I didn't care about a pocketable camera, I'd go for the S5IS for the zoom and amazing movie mode. But if you don't care about pocketable and don't mind a purse-size or wrist-strap only camera, then the SX100IS is completely fine. I'm just putting out my opinion :)
.... i dont mind being bulky .. but what matters is the picture quality and the one that is taken indoor and under dim light . so can u suggest one. Thanks for the answer and will be expecting the fast reply..
Fortunately, the optical image stabilization (and Canon has a good system) helps in low-light... BUT NOT ON MOVING SUBJECTS! See, O.I.S. still results in a slow shutter speed to absorb light (unless, again, you compensate with the higher ISO or aperture)... so while the O.I.S. can compensate for your bobbing hand movements (similar to how a tripod would help), it will not help remove blur from a moving object.
If you don't mind a bulkier camera (the S5IS isn't much bigger in length or height, but it's an extra inch thicker), the S5IS is the way to go. I personally think the SX100IS is caught in the middle between being a great ultracompact (which it isn't), and being a great ultrazoom camera (which it isn't.... although it does both tasks adequately).
Thanks MATT, Appreciate your help on the same.
I was considering the canon Sx 100 IS and you seem to have explained the pros and cons better than any other site I have come across. You also mentioned that O.I.S takes care of your hand movement but not the movement of the subject. Can you please advise on what I should look for to overcome fast moving subjects?
Thanks
Pat
I like many features of the TZ3, but all my pictures are washed out.....I took a pix of my daughter at 10 feet under normal light in the evening and her & the background are completely washed out. I took the same picture with my old Canon A70 & the colors are full & pretty true. Also, pictures taken at a distance (no zoom used) are real grainy. I have a question on these posted on the TZ3 page. Does the SX100IS have a washout problem?
This is a little off the subject, but I want a point & shoot camera that does most everything on Auto (like my A70) - little need to do manual adjustments. I have a 4 year old & an infant, so gotta be quick on the draw with the camera. Most pix I take will be inside, or at events (like daytime school programs). Would the Canon SX100IS satisfy these needs?
I'm not sure how you have a washout problem with the TZ3. I think I mentioned before that my dad has the TZ3 and I got my hands on it. And it's really good. I'm just wondering if the default settings weren't satisfactory for you (they rarely are for me) and you'd be best changing them. Graininess without zoom can only indicate to me, for example, that the camera was setting it's own ISO, and may have been using ISO200-400 when it should have been using ISO100.
If you can take the TZ3 back without penalty (like a 15% restocking fee), you should be happy with the SX100IS (the battery life is fine... >200 pictures with a fully-charged set of good batteries).
Also keep in mind that, when taking pictures inside, especially in school cafeterias where their yellow lighting is horrible, you'll want to take a few test pictures and play around with the white balance in order to avoid those ugly yellow pictures that are so typical of tungsten lighting. Otherwise, you should be able to let the camera do most of the work on the SX100IS.
With the washout problem on the TZ3 again... did you use flash?
I have 10 more days to return my TZ3 no penalty, so I'll mess with it some more. Thanks for the info on the SX100IS....if I can't get what I want I definitely think thats the one I'll go with.
How does the colored fringing and noise compare in these cameras?
Thanks Thomas !!!
My only hesitation is that you should go to a store, not necessarily for the purchase, but to hold it. if it feels wrong in your hands youll never be happy with the camera. the feel and use of a camera can make or break a purchase.
Other cameras i would suggest include the Fuji S700. Fuji, like Canon, only produces solid products and are still a serious contender in the Point and shoot market. Also, the Canon 720 IS. Now, ive never used that last one, but i have read some really nice things about it and the reviews on this site are quite nice about it. And all of them are in the $200 price range.
Good luck picking a camera and happy shooting. :)
From what I can tell in the user manual ( gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/090000... ), you are able to use the digital zoom in movie mode (see page 224 of the user manual ( gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/090000... )). As for the quality, I have used an older model of this camera for over 6 years, and have had no big issues with the video format. Lower light situations are harder because there is no continuous lighting function in the camera. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
The overall video quality on the tx100 is about average because the camera also does not autofocus during the video mode. Canon has intentionally blocked these feature to get you to buy the higher models.
Which will have better overall image quality?
The Fuji S900 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does rate over 4 stars (out of 5) from 188 reviews, so it can't be all that bad. It was introduced over 2 years ago while the Canon SX100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is new. The SX100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) also comes with image stabilization; something that wasn't as available two years ago. It will do better in low light situations because of that function. I get the less expensive Canon ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )
Andrew
I actually think i'll get a dslr
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. Use alkalines at least. But I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.
4. Shoot in "sports" or "Kids" modes when you're in situations that require action. Night or available light modes when in night time settings. These presets can help in speeding up your shots, rather than the camera taking a split second to evaluate the conditions of the lighting.
5. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
6. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
Also, here's a great article about shooting pictures of kids ( babycenter.com/0_picture-pe... ).
Emma
But it has something called Digital Tele-Converter. User has a choice to put a constant conversion 1.6x or 2.0x.
With the Digital Tele-Converter the camera maintains aperture size (and shutter) for better sharness and reducing blur.
Often with physical converter lenses the aperture and/or shutter speed need to be compromised resulting in more blur.
You can use the digital tele converter only smaller resolutin then the maximum because the digital tele converter take a maximum resolution photo and cut out the centre of the pics. It's not a real tele converter. It's similar to the digital zoom, just the digital tele converter don't interpolate the picture to a higher resulution.
Another stellar option in the Canon family is the SX100IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It sports a 10x optical with 8 megapixels and the same image stabilization.
Both are top notch options.
I think James meant to write that You can NOT do better than the Canon G9. I have one and researched long and hard before purchasing it. I am very pleased with it. For me, the 6X optical zoom is sufficient plus if I want more I just crop and enlarge on my computer which further zooms it out (admittedly with pixel loss but with 12MP who cares). There is always a compromise with these values you have listed and I think the G9 maxes these out compared to the others.
Best Wishes. Larry
1. The 6x optical zoom may be elongated into the 4x digital zoom mode with photos taken of reasonable quality and not blurred as happens w/ some telephoto digitally taken shots.. Digital telephoto is notorious for BAD BAD imagery , not so the G-9..
2. The scens modes allow for bight light photos ( BEACH - SNOW) plus you can adjust the white balance and the exposure compension modes. These tweaks yield good photos with coloration in tact..
3. For flash exposure ,the hot shoe allows a approximate doubling of the flash range when you add a auxiliary flash..
4. For low light shots without flash - you can increase the ASA and Iso and stop down to 2.8F - you have a night scenes option in SCENES mode and you can leave the aperture open up to 15 seconds ( tripod only) plus the other manual creative ways of letting more light in to the photo.. great options missing in lots of P and S digicams .
5. You have a 3 inch LCD read out which can be seen undistorted from angles plus a a view finder ( w/ diopter setting for eye glass wearers or less than 20 20 vision folks) This viewfinder works when things are just to bright to use the LCD screen..
6. You can do a slide show, easily erase unwanted shots ,and change modes easily with a wheel on the back of the G-9.
7. you can add auxiliary booster lenses ,both tele and wide angle by means of a treaded tube that goes around the lens housing. You can mount filters on this tube and use it as a sun shade.
8.There is face detection technology and Red eye removal technology
9. Vertical shots are easy to hold ,as the G-9 works up end easily. lots of P and S digicams are not suited to easy holding for vertical shots.
10. the Lens retracts behind a mechanical gate that protects it when not in use. ,say vs. a DSLR digicam that uses a tether to hold on to a lens cap that must be handled manually to open and close lens opening
there is a lot more concrete reasons to invest in a G 9 but these 10 items are very primary reasons to respect the G-9 - a solid performer -hal5141
Hi. I just reviewed the users manual for this camera on line available in PDF at
usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...
The manual isn't exactly clear on this, but if you go by the Canon implications plus the SD/SDHC card specifications, the largest SD card should be 2GB with SDHC starting at 4GB and going (eventually) up to 32GB. 4GB SD cards were made for a while and are still probably floating around. They are not compatible with all SD cameras and there seems to be no practical way to determine which ones to use them on. All that said, this camera just was announced in August 2007 and should be up the full SD/SDHC standards.
Now for the talk on the street - If you plan on doing a lot of video with this camera (or even a little video at the END of the memory card), then you should be aware that "it is said" that if you are videoing and fill the card up you won't be able to read it. I don't know what you can do about it other than reformat and try again. That is why folks are getting 8 GB cards as soon as the price gets down to where they can afford it. (Need 133X-150X and Class 6 for full speed video). Best price I've seen is at Newegg. Try looking at NextTag or Amazon Market Place. Just be careful. There are a lot of Class 2 cards out there, and you don't want them for video or fast shooting (though they are fine for most general use otherwise).
Summary: there is no way to be certain that this camera will accept the 4GB SD card. 4GB SDHC cards are now getting much less expensive, and I would recommend going with SDHC for sizes 4GB and above.
Best Wishes for you, Larry
The SDHC format cards should work. At the bottom of page number 1 in the [url=gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/090000... user manual, it lists the compatible SD card types. That is the way I would go.
Andrew
Thanks for the tip Andrew. I just re-read page one (which I had overlooked) in the manual. I agree with you completely that for 4GB and above SDHC is the way to go for this camera. I thought I understood Jenny's question to be whether she could use a 4GB SD card (rather than SDHC). That's why I explained (or tried to) that SD cards officially only go up to and including 2GB. SDHC cards start at 4GB and go up to 32 GB. However, some manufacturers have produced 4GB SD cards (not SDHC) and they are NOT universally compatible.
Bottom line: if you already have a 4GB SD card it MAY work in this camera. If you don't already have a 4GB SD card, don't buy one. Get a 4GB (or more) SDHC card instead.
Hope that is clear. Larry
Very few digital cameras allow optical zooming during movie mode due to the sound of the motors being recorded which causes a terrible noise during playback.
I am looking at these cameras. The Sony T70, Canon 870, and the Canon 950. The 950 is a little out of my price range, but I just want opinions. I want to know which has the better image quality, more zoom, I basically just want an opinion on these cameras. Have you used them before? Which is better and in what ways?? Please explain your answers. This is worth 15 points. Please help quickly. Thank you!
I'm outlining the major specifications for the three cameras in the following order: Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), Canon SD 870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), Sony T70.
- Megapixels:
12.1 vs 8 vs 8
The extra resolution will be noticable in large poster print sizes, if you're not printing over 8x10" or just placing the photos online, you won't see much difference between the 12 and 8 MP.
- Optical zoom:
3.7x vs 3.8x vs 3x
I'm a big fan of optical zoom. The more you can get the better. Digital zoom will cause you to lose resolution, so I try not to use it at all. In the case of these cameras, the difference in optical zoom isn't that big.
- ISO Range:
80-1600 vs 80-1600 vs 80-3200
There is a bit of an argument about the pros and cons for a higher ISO setting. While you do get more noise or "graininess" with a higher ISO setting, you get a lot better performance in low light settings. I like the higher settings and just use some software, PaintShopPro, for noise removal after transferring to my computer.
- Manual Exposure Capability
yes vs no vs maybe
The Sony gets a maybe because it is not specifically called out on camera's specification site ( sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/st... ) but it does site step increments for exposure control. This leads me to think you can control the exposure level manually. I like this because you can adjust the camera to do what you want it instead of just auto settings.
- Image Stabilization:
yes vs yes vs yes
This is a great feature to have in low light settings and/or if you have shaky hands.
- Face detection technology
no vs no vs yes
While this may sound neat, I've heard some issues with this. If your subject isn't smiling, the technology doesn't work as well.
All in all, I like the Sony T70 the best. The ISO 3200 setting really does it for me. I also like some of the other features that come with the camera like widescreen capability and the smile technology sounds very interesting (takes pics automatically when the subject smiles or laughs). I'd be interested to see how that works, but the camera seems pretty functional beyond the tech stuff as well. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
Tyler
I'm glad we could be of assistance. Please come back to DCHQ ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) with any more issues or questions. Happy Holidays.
Andrew
You chose the Sony T70 because of the ISO setting.
I have no idea what ISO is or what it does for your pictures.
Could you please explain why a higher setting is good to have.
Thanks!
ISO settings are comparable to film ISO settings. These numbers refer to how much light is exposed on film in a certain amount of time. The higher the number, the more light. They actually have a one to one ratio. For instance, ISO 1600 will allow twice as much light in as ISO 800. In film, its how fast the silver halides change when exposed to light. The settings in digital cameras were made similar for an easier translation from traditional film photography.
One thing to be aware of with higher ISO settings is the increased "noise" issue. Higher ISO settings do cause a greater amount of graininess in the photos. This can be reduced with noise reduction options in photo software like Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop.
To sum it up, higher ISO settings let you take more visible pictures in low light situations.
Andrew
So you told Sony T70 will be the best choice from compacts? What will be the best choice now from compact cameras?
From the choice of the three cameras outlined below, I liked the Sony T70. What are you trying to do with your camera? You can see some differences in top rated compact cameras here ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) for a better idea.
Andrew
Some of the Canons have face recognition technology, but not all. Thank you for pointing out my error above though. The Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and the SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) both have Canon face detection technology. I have heard its not the best when people don't have a big, teethy smile either.
The Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does have manual exposure control, not focusing though.
I need a camera to take a good picture, it has to be small enough to put it into the pocket. That's basically everything what I expect. Pictures I'm taking during the trip, party with friends/family. And if I want to take a picture of nice view (mountains, architecture), it will allows me to do that and everything will be visible on the photo. Price, I don't really want to pay more than $300-$350, but to be honest I have no clue how expensive is the camera, which will satisfy my "huge" expectations. What would you recomend me? I am a photo amateur.
Sebi
You should be able to get all of that and more. Something like the Panasonic Lumix TZ3 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) might be a great option for you. It is small enough to fit in your pocket, has an amazing 10x optical zoom for better close ups, and a wide angle lens (28mm equivalent) that will help with your landscape type photos. It also has some settings that enhance low light photos without a flash (image stabilization and higher ISO functionality). You can also pick it up for around $200 right now, so that is well below your budget, but still has all the functionality you're looking for.
Andrew
Maybe there is different equal option, because I hate this design of camera....:P and I don't think I will be using so big zoom. btw, do you know how does look like photo in 10x zoom made by this panasonic?? is it quality the same like without zoom?
sebi
I have a plan of buying a camera and for some reason i hold canon as better compared to sony,as snaps out of canon are really good, can you suggest me the best one in the canon brand,major features which i look for are :
1. good amount of optical zoom with IS
2. More Pixels
3. manually configurable
4. pretty good memory slot
more over my craze for camera being good is, when i zoom on to the picture on my PC, the pixel should be clear and the picture should not get blurred for a good fare amount of zooming
I have an eye on A570 IS , A590 IS, SD870 IS and SD1100 IS.
Kindly suggest me the best one,as this camera is one i am looking for from long time.
Will look on for your valuable reply
While the cameras you have listed are decent, they won't have the zoom you are looking for. I would recommend the Canon S5 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) to suit your needs better. It has 12x optical zoom with image stabilization. This camera also has a shoe for an external flash and can accept extender lenses with an adapter tube. This will give you even more flexibility. At 8 mega-pixels of resolution, you'll find it more than capable for large size prints.
If you feel this camera is too large or too much (around $300), you can try the Canon SX 100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It also has a 8MP resolution and 10x optical zoom, but is a bit smaller in size and runs around $200.
Both cameras have manual controls for focus and exposure. They also use SD memory cards and AA sized batteries. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
I go for canon 870 due to it is wide angle, and better image quality, also partly becos of its large lcd screen.
You pretty much hit the nail on the head. If you want high quality pictures buy a Canon.
Also for the people buying a camera based solely on the Mega Pixels read this. 6mpixel.org/en/?
first, I appreciate your work.
I own a t70 and im unable to capture an image with more than 2.5 mb of size.
could u help me in taking a image with more size (which increases the picture quality) so that image wont get distorted when zoomed.im worried for this since last 4 months.i shoot in day light and my maximum pictures contains faces..plz help
The image size will depend on how much detail there is in your picture. If you take a shot of a blank wall the size will be much smaller than if you take a picture of grass. If you take 10 pictures of with different subject matter, they will all be different sizes on your computer.
btw, in auto settings with flash on, and shot with a distance of 1 to 2 meters from the object(with face detection ON), the image is good but when zoomed in, the image is getting distorted. How to get rid of this. though the image dimensions are 3072*2304 in 8 mega pixel setting.
And can u plz explain the term NOISE in photography.
tnx once again.
Digital noise comes from two main sources. The first being the inherent noise in the camera's sensor. This is exacerbated by heat buildup on the chip from multiple exposures or long exposures, or by having many photosites clustered onto a small chip. Digital SLR's have less noise than point and shoots cameras because the image sensors are much larger. The second source of noise is from the ISO rating. The ISO setting amplifies the signal through the chip, much like turning up the volume on your stereo. With the volume at 3, you can't hear the noise in your stereo, at 10 you hear the hiss through the speakers. This is amplification noise.
Noise Ninja and Neat Image do a good job of making it less noticeable, and in some cases almost eliminate it altogether.
what about this PHIL
Thank You,
Rosh
I usually do research on cameras. To my knowledge one should always look in to Megapixels, Optical Zoom (dont even worry about digital) and aperture (especially when used for indoor shooting). and ISO range
8-10 Mepapixels is really good
3x is ok , 4X is good and 5X optical zoom is better
coming to the aperature , It should always be high. For instance say f/2.0 is better that f/4.0
let me define few terms
Focal lenght: the distance between the camera lens and the sensor is called focal lenth. For a good camera the focal length should
be always less. f is the focal lenght
Aperature : is the maximum opening of the lens. say if aperature is f/2 , then the lens gets opened by half of the
focal length which enables to gather more light and thus avoids the use of flash. Now a days we can get a maximum aperature of f/2.8.
Note . a camera with aperature f/2.8 is far better than a camera with f/3.5 and also this will be little expensive than the later one.
Coming to the ISO setting .
Usually it is recomemded to take picture on low iso when there is enough light and vice versa.
This really doesnt matter when you have good aperature
CONCLUSION
i would go with canon sd 950 among those three.
with regards
sundeep
Also use the "Resources" button found at the bottom right hand corner of this page to research these Canons further.
Best wishes and good camera hunting, Larry
dpreview.com/reviews/compar...
Enjoy, Larry
Larry
Which batteries will be better? The NiMH or the AA? Or do they work the same?
As for which batteries, LiOns will be much better than NiMH. AA rechargables with an mah of 2500 is even better.
1. You can now accomplish the same effects as Canon's My Colors with any digital camera by downloading the FREE Picasa2 software complements of Google. Picasa2 has all that and more and is free and easy to use. Try it. You'll be glad you did.
2. A camera positioned part way between the SX100is and the G9 is the Canon S5is which costs a little more than the SX100is but (I think) has a lot more (making it worth the extra money IF you are interested in the features it has to offer).
The S5is does NOT have My Colors but has a different color system in camera called Color Swap and Color Accent. Plus you can use the Picasa2 and have the equivalent of My Colors anyway. The S5is has 12X zoom, shoots continuous mode at 1.5 frames per second, takes time lapse photos, has a 2.5 inch LCD which will Flip out and Twist (useful for taking shots where you hold the camera high overhead to shoot over the person standing in front of you and shots of objects low to the ground like flowers and bugs), and has a hot shoe if you ever want to get a flash unit that will significantly increase your flash capabilities. The S5is is also a little larger and a little heavier if that matters to you.
You can check these two cameras out side by side here ( dpreview.com/reviews/compar... ).
Best wishes and good luck, Larry
PS Batteries are not a major issue unless you travel outside the USA a lot. Let us know if that is the case and we'll advise you about it.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed.
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be an answer as well.
Do you know if the Canon G9 has the Color Accent and Color Swap, Picasa2 does not have anyone of them, Picasa2 has Focal B&W.
What I want is just put in color one thing of the picture (Color Accent) or change only one yellow thing to red (Color Swap).
Does Canon G9 or Canon SX100IS have them?
Thanks for your reply.
Happy New Year!
Then Canon SX100is does not fit my wantings.
So, I will buy the G9 or the S5Is...
Let me ask you something.
There is that 12MP is not necessary.
If I want to take a picture with good resolution -I mean a sharp, well defined picture- which would it be better, the 12MP, 6Xoptical zoom or the 8MP, 12X optical zoom?
And if I want to zoom, if I use the 12x will the pictures will see sharp, clear? Or 6x is enough? My sons play soccer and I want to take pictures of them playing. I will not print pictures bigger than 8x11.
Thanks again for your good replies. You really help!!!
I really appreciate all the time you took on my questions.
Thanks a lot!!!
And have a good time!!!
So you mean that cause I will not print pictures bigger than 8x10 I will not need 12MP?
Does it mean that I will better go for the SX100IS or the S5IS?
I liked the color swap and color accent, pictures look great!
And I have Adobe Photoshop 7.0 and Adobe Image Ready 7.0 and believe me! I don't have any idea how to use it. And some days ago, I downloaded Picasa2 that Larry recomended, but it does not work on what I want: color accent and color swap.
Thanks for your reply!
Best wishes for New Year!!!
I must correct my error. Above I stated the S5is did not have My Colors. That is incorrect.
According to the Canon Website and dpreview.com --
The G9 has Color Accent and Color Swap in shooting modes plus My Colors (extended set) in playback
The S5is has Color Accent and Color Swap in shooting modes plus My Colors (extended set(per dpreview)) in playback
The SX100is does NOT have Accent and Swap; has My Colors (not extended set) in playback
Sooooo, if you want Color Accent and Color Swap in the camera, do NOT get the SX100is.
Also, my apologies for the data error above on S5is and the My Colors option. Sometimes the internet databases have it wrong and we advisers get stuck. My advice is to check it at the store in person to be absolutely certain before you buy it if any particular function is critical to your purchase decision.
Larry
Thanks for your message...You solved my indecision on the SX100IS!!!
Now, I am still between the S5IS and the G9.
New question:
If I use the S5IS and use the 12x zoom as long as it can, if I print the images I took in 8x10 does they look sharp and well?
Or do I still stick to the G9?
dpreview.com/gallery/canons...
You can further enlarge the picture by clicking on the yellow letters (below the picture) img_0355_gs.jpg
There are others images at that web site as well. I chose this one because it was 12X.
Enjoy, Larry
And yes, I'm saying that IMHO 12MP on a point and shoot is overkill. In fact, since ponit and shoot cameras often rely on smaller CCDs (although the G9 has a larger chip) the larger mp you have, often the more noise comes with it. ( 6mpixel.org/en/? )
And at over $500, I'd rather go to an SLR than pay that much for a point and shoot. SLRs give me options beyond megapixel count.
The G9 shoots up to 4000 X 3000 pixels and should print sharp up to 10 X 13 and look OK even larger.
That's one of the reasons the manufacturers have fallen for the pixel race. But they don't realize there are technical factors (physics) that enters in once the pixels get too small (as noted on the website James found) so the image can actually deteriorate beyond about 6MP unless you enlarge the sensor (which so far they haven't). This is just one more reason that these two cameras are closer in image results than the pixel count would have you believe. Of course, pixel count is far from the whole story. I was just trying to "zoom" in on that one factor.
Larry
That puts you onto the A570is, SX100is and S5is ( in order of increasing cost).
The SX100is has no viewfinder and the other two do.
The A570is has only 115,000 pixels on the LCD, where the SX100is has 172,000 and the S5is has 207,000.
Zooms are A570is=4X; SX100is=10X; and S5is=12X.
The A720is has 50% more zoom power than the A570is, but without manual exposure control.
Now go to this web page and check out the shutter lag times (found in the In-depth reviews) and look at the gallery photos and you'll be done.
dpreview.com/reviews/compar...
Summary: Comparing the A570is, SX100is and S5is -- you really are getting what you pay for with these three, and I would advise getting as much as you can afford OR are willing to carry around (8oz, 12oz, 20oz). Make sure it fits your hand well and get started taking lots of pictures. I say lots of pictures because at first a lot of them of going to be learning pictures to be thrown away after you have learned from them. Every time you find a situation that your new camera doesn't do well with on Auto or Program, you have an opportunity to learn how great it is to have manual exposure control.
Larry
PS Sorry for not really answering your question, but I'm so certain that you won't be happy with the A720is without manual exposure control I just couldn't get excited about it for you.
Thanks again.
Thanks again Larry! I will, as soon as I find one, lots are sold out now. I hesitate to order online from some of these companies. Seems like I can get one for about $220, but smaller name sites. It may be worth the extra 30 or 40 bucks to avoid any possible issues.
You better buy it in Amazon.com. You can get the SX100IS for: $239.00
And Amazon is a very trustable website. I bought there many times and I have never had any problem.
Enjoy your camera!
Killari
As noted by Kiki Llari, when you find a price $30-40 less than Amazon's best price, it is often an offer for the camera with nothing else, sometimes even without the warranty!! Always check the site out before you buy. Sometimes just a phone call and talk with the sales representative will let you know that you don't want to do business with them.
Thanks for the correction. I obtained incorrect information from the database at dpreview and have informed them also.
I am embarrassed for the error since almost all the Canon Axxx models have manual controls and I should have realized the error but obviously was not paying attention. Thank fully you caught it.
gina
I noticed that too. Nice feature. I acutually took a picture without the flash when the camera told me I needed it and the picture came out fine. Sometimes the flash washes out a picture so it's nice to be able to easily not use the flash feature. On my old Elph SD500 I had to turn off the flash if I didn't want it and that always took extra time. I read that you can also adjust the brightness of the flash if you are concerned that it might be too bright.
Gina
Enjoy and have fun, Larry
Thanks in advance!!
Gina
Shutter speeds typically range from seconds to fractions of a second with the fractions of a second being considered "faster". So you might have a "long" shutter speed of 2 seconds, a "slow" shutter speed of one-half (0.5 or 1/2) second and a "fast" shutter speed of 1/500 (0.002) second. The faster shutter speeds mean that the shutter is left open to take the picture for a much shorter time, and that is what makes moving objects look like they are not moving. The kids just don't move that much in 1/500 seconds even a full racing speed.
The ISO number is a measure of how sensitive the camera is to the light that the shutter does let in. The higher the ISO number the more sensitive the camera becomes. So you might think, "Well just raise the ISO and leave it there all the time." The drawback to increasing the ISO is noise/graininess in the resulting image (just like in film ISO 800 shows more grain than ISO 100).
So what all this has to do with is getting enough light into the camera to make the image. You can make more light with a flash (or go outdoors in the daytime), or you can let more light into the camera (by "slowing" the shutter down or opening the aperture up [sorry I didn't cover that yet], or you can dial the camera to be more sensitive with higher ISO and keep everything else the same (and accept the grain).
The aperture is the size of the opening that lets the light in and it can be larger (f-stop 2.8) or smaller (f-stop 8). I know at first everything seems backwards with smaller numbers being larger and faster and very confusing. But if you will review these short few paragraphs you will have all the basics you need to really get started figuring out what the heck is your camera doing and how it does it.
On your camera's mode dial it has Tv for "time value" and that is shutter speed. Av is for Aperture value.
Now go take lots of photos on lots of different settings and see what happens when you change one value at a time.
Have fun, Larry
Gina
And I would enjoy hearing how the weekend pics turn out.
Ah, yes, the drawbacks I mentioned earlier. I don't think you will be much bothered by these, but this camera is low priced for a reason. Canon cut the corners wherever they could do so and not lower the image quality. For instance, the tripod mount is plastic and off in the corner. So in you use a tripod a lot (not likely) you MUST be EXTRA careful putting the camera on the tripod. If you cross thread it just one time you'll ruin the mount. The shot to shot time is about 1.7 seconds in regular mode shooting. You can speed that up to 0.7 seconds in continuous shooting mode because it doesn't refocus between pictures. With only 115,000 pixels on the LCD, the image is not as good as most other similar cameras. It will do the job, however, and it saved you some money over the newer 230,000 pixel LCD's. It has a viewfinder but don't expect much from it. When you use the flash it will definitely slow down the shot to shot time so be patient.
Don't expect a decent picture over 400 ISO.
Since you are used to SLR film cameras you will have to adjust quite a bit to the digital technique of shooting. You MUST use the half-pressed position on the shutter button to allow the camera time to focus before pressing the button the rest of the way. Otherwise, you will get out of focus pictures. Once you adjust to this technique on EVERY picture you've got it. Also, if any of the auto mode pictures are not to your liking, switch to A mode and force the aperture where ever you want it to be. The camera will select the shutter time for a good exposure and you're back in business again.
Enjoy and let me know if I can be of further assistance. Larry
I forgot to tell you about the SPEED of the SD/SDHC cards. They are rated from slowest to fastest, Class 2, 4, and 6. Class 2 is fine for general photography, snaps, etc. Class 4 is needed for best video. Class 6 is required for best speed when using the continuous shoot mode. The price goes up as the speed goes up (surprise).
Also, don't let them confuse you about the capacity. SD cards go up to and including 2GB. SDHC cards start at 4 GB and go up to 32GB. DO NOT buy a 4GB SD card no matter the price!! The 8 and 16GB are the newest just out so the prices are best at 2 or 4 GB now. Depending on where you are going in NYC, you may walk right by several camera/electronic stores and could easily check it out. You might be able to find a 2 GB Class 2 card for $10-15 if you are lucky -- maybe even a pack of two for $20-25.
Be certain to keep the wrist strap on. These little digitals are slippery, fragile and small. One drop can be fatal to them.
This trip will be a great opportunity to try lots of different exposure settings with and without flash.
You probably know all the info on this link but I found it so useful I'm listing it anyway.
forum.digitalcamerareview.c...
It helped me realize that shooting in A mode was more flexible than Tv mode since it gives the camera more choices to match up with whatever aperture I select (instead of the other way around).
Enjoy NYC AND your new camera. Larry
I am delighted to hear of your successes with the kids and the dancing pictures. That is wonderful.
When you are ready to try some manual exposures, I will suggest you read this short description of the A mode. It explains it very well and helped me understand why shooting in A can be better than using Tv.
forum.digitalcamerareview.c...
After you get comfortably with shooting in A mode, you can explore the exposure value settings which will allow you to lighten or darken the pictures to get the exposures you want especially in difficult lighting situations.
Really glad you are enjoying the SX100.
The only disadvantage to the S5is is that it is a little heavier and a little larger than the other two. So, if you go to the store and heft them a while and find the S5is isn't too heavy/bulky for you, grab it and start taking pictures.
If the weight of the S5is is uncomfortable, then the SX100is would be my second pick since it has a slightly better lens, LCD and flash than the A720is.
The A720is comes in last but could be your choice over the other two IF having an optical viewfinder is your top priority (not likely).
You also might want to post your question as a new thread since most people won't come looking at the bottom of this one for your new question.
Best wishes and good (camera) hunting, Larry
Toward the telephoto end, especially in low light, it was almost impossible to get a picture in focus with out manual focus. I got maybe 1 out of 10 shots. I never found that to be a problem with the A720 IS.
For that reason alone I would go with either the A720 IS or S5 IS over the SX100 IS.
Within the Powershot Canon point-and-shoot family there are 1) A-series (Affordible), 2) SD-series (ELF-Subcompact or Shirt-pocket size), 3) S/SX-series (Extend zoom), and finally 4) the G (Prosumer photography enthusiasts)
The S/SX-series was originally a line of compact point-and-shoot cameras, lately evolving into a prosumer line of cameras slotting right beneath to the G-series.
Based on your description, problably somewhere between SD, S/SX (or even a G? may be)
Here are some 'top' models in each categories listed by their compact-size: The SD950S (3.7x, Lithium) , SX100 (10x, AA), S5 (12x, AA) and G9 (6x, Lithium).
If pocket-size is a must than it's easy, SD950... otherwise go with SX100 or S5 for more zoom and AA.
SX100 is an excellent compact that will do a great job.
S5 is a bit bigger in size... and problably you grow with it toward the EOS line (SLR) easier... at least by getting used with the lens cap part ;-).
Good luck in your choice.
Gina
I'd say the SX100 IS is better than the H3. The noise reduction in low light is much better. The H3 just smears it away (and detail), but the SX100 IS seems to use a more effective system. Plus, the lens has less chromatic aberration and colored fringing.
Of course, if you don't need the extra zoom and you have the money, the G9 is a better camera. It is faster, has even better image quality, and has an optical viewfinder. But, it is around $175 more, and while viewfinders are handy, they can get dust in them (I had to send back a Canon A720 IS because of dust in the viewfinder). Viewfinders can help in bright light, but LCDs aren't that hard to see in bright light.
One of the problems with having cameras with AA batteries is they do take a little while to charge the flash back up. But the advantage is that NIMH AAs are available cheaply these days, and if you ever run out of charge, you can buy some alkalines in a pinch.
I believe imaging-resource, CNET.com, and possibly dpreview.com?? show cameras.
I keep thinking that I made a decision and then I change my mind...but I think I would like to get the A720, because it can fit in my purse and I want something small. But I just went to the store the other day and the SX100 and G9 are also fairly small...or at least 'purse-able'... someday in the future I would like to get the S5IS (or by then, if something better comes out)...so for the moment, I want something with the most of what I want in something somewhat compact. I guess I am still confused! At least I have narrowed it down that I definately want a canon. And I narrowed it down to these 4 I've mentioned. I'd prefer something small at first, but with good macro, good quality, good zoom and thats fast for kids. Maybe I should just get the SX100 cause it is small and it does have AA batteries, and has the most zoom...and its a good all around camera....what do you think?? And then eventually I'll get the S5, or by then the next model up from that. I know you said the G9 is a better camera, but it seems very heavy, and I'm not so sure about that battery...my friend just bought a very small compact camera with the same kind of battery and the battery died within the first week she bought it!
Thanks again for your help!!!
Gina
Although I would say if you are going to get the SX100 IS that you probably won't need the S5 IS. It actually has more Chromatic Aberration and more noise at higher ISOs. It would seem the only advantages are the Flip out screen, little extra zoom, EVF, and hot shoe. You probably wouldn't notice the difference in zoom, and most people never use a hot shoe. The Flip out screen and EVF are handy, but I wouldn't buy a camera based solely on that.
I've been so confused about this...I think I started researching digital cameras off and on for over a yr now...and then over the summer ON VACATION, my film camera broke after the second picture! So I knew it was time to go digital...so I've been insanely looking since then, so many options...I knew I wanted canon...so I will definately get the SX100 sometime this week and hopefully learn how to use the basics of it for my neice's 1yr bday party this weekend!! I was also looking at the Olympus 18x zoom as well as S5IS...but thats probably another 6months- to a yr from now when I start looking to updgrade...and after I learn how to use my first digital!
Thanks again so much for your time and suggestions!!! Its not that bad to read and understand the basics that are listed on the websites, like the specs and features of cameras, but whats difficult is KNOWING what all that stuff means, and have experienced users like you guys available to make suggestions and clear up any ambiquity there is to know about all the different features out there and whats important for each user!! Thanks again so much!! I'm sure I will keep you posted with what I think of the camera after I use it for a while!!
Gina
Glad you found the answer. Let us know if you need anything else answered.
Andrew
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed.
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be an answer as well.
To that end, you may want to look at the A540 or the SD630. Then, when camera manufacturers begin using SLR CCD chips in their cameras (and that's coming) you will be able to benefit from larger MP.
While Canon does have a number of under water housings ( search.ebay.com/canon-water... ), I don't think they've made one for the Canon SX100 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) yet. Hopefully that answers your questions.
Andrew
Then I saw the SX100 IS, with the 10x zoom. They both have the same 1/2.5" CCD image sensor, 8.0 MP, & ISO sensitivity. Other than the obvious differences (zoom, lcd size, camera size, & battery type) are there any other differences that make the SD870 IS superior to the SX100 IS? They have a different shutter speed, but I'm not sure which one is better. Help there too please! Thanks!!!
Having said that, I suggest you go to the Canon website (www.canonusa.com) and look at the specs for each camera and as you do so think about how you will use each capability of each camera. Next go to the store and hold them and discuss with the salesperson (assuming you are at a camera store). If the decision is still not clear, come back to your computer and click on the "Resources" button near the bottom right hand corner of this page and read more reviews always keeping in mind, "How am I going to use this aspect of this camera?". Lastly, come back to this post and check for more opinions and post more questions.
Choosing a new camera can be excruciating, but I can tell by your post that you are doing a good job. Just keep going and don't give up. When you have done the work yourself you will know without doubt which camera will be best for you.
Thanks!
SX100is has the zoom VS SD870is has the wide angle -- take your pick 'cause you can't have both! (unless you go for TZ3)
SX100is has manual exposure control -- Maybe you are used to not having manual exposure control with the SD750is, still I would advise you to think long and hard before you give this up
SD870is shoots time lapse photography if you are into that, and it is smaller and lighter.
From my point of view the SX100is wins because I want manual control for the occasional time when you can't get the picture without it, and it allows me to learn more and more about "real photography". I only told you that so you will know my bias, not because I think you should get one or the other.
I'd really appreciate your wisdom on this!
thanks,
Joan
All these cameras are great choices. Personally, I've always been partial to Canon cameras. I find that their user interface is very easy to work with. As a former SLR user, you should find the manual options in this camera will suit your skill level a little better too. I hope this helps.
Andrew
Joan
I'm glad we could help. Please come back with any other questions or issues.
Andrew
Shot to shot time 1.7
Time to first shot 2
Shutter lag (typical) 0.5
S5IS
Shot to shot time 1.6
Time to first shot 1.3
Shutter lag (typical) 0.5
G9
Shot to shot time 2
Time to first shot 1.7
Shutter lag (typical) 0.5
Even straight across the board.
This camera won't be too bad for what you want to do. You might find its zoom a little lacking though (only 4x optical). I would go for something with at least 10x like the Canon 100sx IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The range of shutter speeds and longer zoom will be great for all you want to do. The manual focus option is also nice for extreme closeups, making sure you have just the right focal length. Good luck and happy shooting on your trip.
Andrew
Vallii
I think the Panasonic LZ7 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is a great option for a beginning photographer. The 7(+) MP resolution will render great prints, and the 6x optical zoom will still get you decent zoom capability on your trip. I hope this helps.
Andrew
Cheers.
Valli
Andrew
I'm a huge Canon fan, but the Fuji is nice as well. The Canon will offer you a wider aperture and shutter speed range though. With manual controls, this can be very powerful. My vote goes for the Canon SX100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). I think you'll find the image stabilization (not available on the Fuji) helpful in low light situations as well. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
6mpixel.org/en/?
If you agree with their ideas, your choice boils down to buying a used (or old but never used) 4-6 MP camera with a larger CCD (such as the Canon Pro 1 now going for about $1800.00!!!!) or accept the new models in order to get all the bells and whistles that have come out and try to minimize the "damage" by keeping the MP down to 6-7MP (such as the Canon SD800is, A570is and A710is). The Axxxis models have manual exposure control while the SDxxxis models do not.
Also, when you get your new digital, be certain to install and use the wrist strap. The new ones are even more fragile than the old ones, IMHO, and can easily be totally ruined with just one bad drop.
Your mileage may vary and there are lots of other valid opinions out there. Hopefully, some will show up here to help sort things out for you. To let you know my situation (and potential bias) I bought a Canon G9 before I found out about the excess pixel problems detailed on the above web site, and I really enjoy it a lot.
With all the choices and options out there, I can understand how you're a bit overwhelmed. For a max size of 8x10, you will be fine with a 6 or 7MP camera with no issues to loss of resolution or color. I've found that the Canon line of cameras is great for user controls and has a good balance of manual and automatic controls. Something like the Canon SX100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) would be a great camera to use. It has image stabilization, which helps in low light situations, 8MP resolution for sharp photos, 10x optical zoom if you need to get closer to your subject, and both manual and auto focus and exposure controls. It does use AA batteries, but the NiMH rechargeables are just as good as the lithium ion batteries, and if you find yourself in a jam, you can just plug in regular AA's. You get all this for as low as $235 (well below your budget). With the extra money you can get batteries and a larger memory card to take more photos without having to download or change them out. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
- 10x optical zoom lens
going from 36mm to 360mm (35mm equiv) with f2.8-f4.3
- 4x digital zoom
Other zoom ralated features include
- Optical Image Stabilizer
- SafteyZoom
- Digital tele-converter
No optical zoom during video. In video mode only digital zoom is available.
i am considering buying a new camera, and i can't decide between canon SX100 and sony H7. I am a beginner so i want to buy something on which i can learn the basics and practice a lot, but also something that i can manage to make good photos with after i gain some experience. I have read lots of reviews but still i am not sure which one would be the better choise. the prices by the two cameras are almost the same, but what disturbs me in the canon are its batterys. What would you advice me and why? I'll apreciate every opinion:)
thanks
Well these 2 cameras are totally in different classes. The Cannon is an entry level high zoom wheras the Sony is midlevel. The Sony offers a larger zoom (15x versus the Canon' 10x) and more features overall including a viewfinder in addition to the LCD (though the viewfinder is rather small).
The canon takes more "crisp" photos but it is slower than the Sony. Both cameras offer manual features for you to learn from but the Canon is a bit easier to use than the Sony. The problem with the Canon is that it is much slower than the Sony... especially the time to recharge the flash.
As for the other commenter's remarks concerning batteries, I would have to disagree. The cannon can use AA alkaline, NiMH rechargeable, and disposable lithium. The sony ONLY uses a proprietary lithium pack that is expensive to replace and it does not take more than 300 photos per charge (normall I get about 250 shots on a full charge from my Sony).
Another problem is that the Sony requires you to remove the battery in order to charge it and it takes several hours to charge.
For the Canon, you can buy a set of 4 recharageable AA NiMH batteries and charger for less than $20 dollars so you can use one set and have one set on standby in case the batteries run out. Worst case, if the batteries ever run out and you need to take pictures you can use disposable alkaline AA wheras with the Sony lithium you are out of luck and have to wait hours before you can take pictures again.
Despite the battery issues, the Sony is still a much better camera overall compared to the Canon Tx100 (it should cost much more also). For the price of the Sony you can buy the Canon S5 which is much better than the sony but compared to the TX100 the Sony wins hands down.
I am intending to buy this Kodak V1253 camera for party functions and for crisp quality shots. Is the right camera to go for?...
Are there any flaws that this camera might have that needs to be addressed?...e.g problem with battery life, lacking in anti-shake??..
thanks.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
And with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better." In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
Finally, with 95% of your pictures being snapshots, you wouldn't even see the benefit of 12MP even if you didn't have the noise issue. That much MP wouldn't assert itself unless you were enlarging above 11x14 prints. So think of it as a Lamborghini. You buy one that goes 250 miles an hour. But unless you're driving on the AutoBahn every day, what's the point of having all that power when you can't even use it on highways here in the states?
I think that for that price, you'd be better served with something along the lines of Canon's SX100IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It comes with Image Stabilization, a 10x optical zoom, and it's much higher rated.
To fix that, you can either raise the ISO (if you don't mind grainier photos), or use a tripod or monopod for stability. If you don't want to get the tripod or monopod, I would set the camera on a steady surface and use the timer for a more stable shot. I hope this helps; good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
You might try some high power rechargeables. You can get 8 for $20 on Amazon ( amazon.com/Rechargeable-Bat... ). Good luck.
Andrew
The Energizer e2 2500 mah batteries should work fine in the Canon SX100is. All NiMH AA batteries are 1.2 V which should not be a problem. Sometimes NiMH batteries have to go through a few charge-discharge cycles before they reach full capacity. You might try putting them in a flashlight and running them down then recharging fully before trying them again. The batteries Andrew mentioned on Amazon are still NiMH. They have a higher capacity at 2700 mah but may not have the maximum current available with Energizer e2. Maximum current is what recharges the flash unit faster whereas the mah determines how many total shots you can take per charge. 2500mah is plenty. Some cameras have different settings for NiMH vs NiCad vs non-rechargables. I don't think that applies to the SX100is but I'm not totally certain about that so you might want to check the user manual.
Did you buy the set with Energizer charger and batteries or are you using a charger you already had? It makes a difference whether the charger is specifically built for NiMH or NiCad batteries. If the charger has a switch be sure it is set to NiMH.
Of course, it is rarely the case that the charger isn't working right or the batteries are out of date from sitting on the shelf too long.
I would try the charge-discharge-recharge cycle at least 4 cycles before taking them back.
Even more rare is the possibility that the camera battery low circuit is malfunctioning. Have you used the camera with other batteries?
Let us know what results you obtain.
Most folks using NiMH batteries keep 3 or 4 sets. That way you can have one in the camera, one set in your pocket and one set in the charger at least. Hence, the Amazon.com 8 batteries in a set bargain.
The high performing card for your camera that holds the most pictures would be something like the SanDisk 8GB Ultra II SDHC card ( amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-Mi... ). The SanDisk Extreme III 8GB card ( amazon.com/Sandisk-SDSDRX38... ) writes even faster, allowing for faster picture taking.
Andrew
The card capacity is measured in GB with 2 and 4 GB being low priced now, 8GB higher and 16GB way up there. Probably better to have a few 2's and a 4 or an 8GB card. You can buy Class I 2GB cheap for general use and have the 4 or 8GB Class II or III for high speed. That way you have it all covered and even if a card fails on you out in the field you'll have a backup.
Good catch on the SDHC. Always make sure that your camera can handle a SDHC card before buying it. The Canon SX100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) will accept both SD and SDHC.
Andrew
I did however purchase the SX100IS, With the savings and my discount it brought it down to about $160 and I just could not see passing up such a good deal when I did not have a camera at all. When I have the extra money to upgrade, I will get the other. Thanks again.
I assume you already have Picasa2, but if not just Google "Picasa" and download Picasa2 for free. It will keep your pictures organized and do all kinds of tricks with your photos including sharing them online, changing colors, changing size, adjusting light/dark and on.......
You'll need some SD/SDHC cards. You can use the cheapest/slowest (Class I) for general photography. Class II is a little faster and will suffice for video. If you want to use the Continuous Shooting mode, you'll need Class III for top speed, otherwise the camera will not be able to reach its potential. Last time I looked the 1, 2 and 4 GB seemed to be at good price points. Have lots of fun!
Thanks in advance,
Gina
Things to keep in mind are the overall light level. If it is outside and very bright, when you force the 2.8 aperture, your camera may not be able to go fast enough with the shutter resulting in too bright exposure. In that case, you have to either adjust the aperture to a bigger number (smaller opening size and less light) OR switch to Tv mode that allows you to set the shutter speed and the camera picks the aperture.
Play around with that a little and you should be able to "freeze" those little ones in their tracks as long as you have enough light.
Another trick is to use the flash even when you otherwise don't need it. That will only work if the kids are well within the flash range which isn't very much.
Let me know how it turns out for you.
gina
Just Google "Picasa" and download the correct version for your computer.
as far as the focus, i've usually only used the auto setting, and i do press down halfway, but i never get a green indicator light. do i need to adjust something in settings for the focus to be automatic??
Thanks heaps :-)
1st option - you should be able to connect your camera via USB and simply drag and drop the movie onto your PC, depending on the OS you're using. Check Canon's website for drivers. The other option is to invest in a $10 USB memory card reader and simply take your card out and plug it in. The PC will read it as a drive and it's a simple drag and drop to get your pictures onto the PC for editing and printing. Much better than trying to trouble shoot driver issues.
The other option is a tad trickier. We get this question alot. All Powershot cameras do come with RemoteShooting capability so that they can be used as a webcam. You only need a screen capture software, like Camtasia Recorder from the Camtasia Studio and Canon's own software, (which you can also download from Canon's website). Camerawindow -> Remote shooting. You only need to start these programs, enable the Liveoutput option in the Camtasia Recorder, place the capture frame over the Remoteshooting window and start recording.
Do you happen to know if RemoteShoooting capability is inlcuded on the Canon Ixus 75?
When I boot up the Canon software it is greyed out but is this just because I don't have the Camtasia software?
Actually finding whether RemoteShooting is a feature of the camera has been pretty difficult.
Thanks.
I'm sure I'll find my old card in a few weeks, would have preferred not to fork over dough for a new one but it wasn't as expensive as I thought.
Thanks again.
Manda, I noticed that you haven't marked any replies as the "best answer." Are you still looking for an answer? If so, I recommend you re-submit it on digitalcamera-hq.com so it will have a better chance of being noticed. These days it looks like most questions are being answered within a few days.
Sorry about the delay in replying and thanking you for the informed reply. I will have a crack at the 3rd option over the weekend ... and attempt to record directly to the PC.
Thanks again for taking the time to help me out ... Appreciate it!
Manda
Can someone help me out here? I'd hate to have to return it, as action shots are 90% of the pictures I take...mostly in low light. Thank you in advance!
As for ISO, I would even set it as high as 1600 to allow more light in (depending on how low the light is).
This camera is a point and shoot, and not designed to take action shots in very low light. A dSLR with a wide aperture lens would perform much better for these types of shots.
Andrew
I know it seems counter-intuitive to use aperture setting when what you want is a fast shutter, but this technique forces the camera to use the fastest shutter it can get away with since you have pre-chosen the wide open aperture.
One thing to remember -- the next day when you are shooting outside at the soccer game, be sure to switch back out of aperture mode or you will get a bunch of really overexposed pictures like I did! :)
A side note for completeness. Most likely the reason your SD1100is did well in low light is because it only has 3X zoom (114mm) whereas the SX100is zooms to 10X with consequent light reduction. If you use less zoom you'll probably get about the same picture with either camera. Of course, the reason you got the SX100is is the added zoom so now you just have to try new techniques until you find one (or two) which give you the pictures you want.
good luck, and let me know how the pictures turn out at the next game.
PS I just remembered to mention the white balance setting. White balance won't change the dark vs light aspect but can help you get the colors to turn out more realistic/natural. Once you are in the arena and have set the aperture and ISO where you want it with the test shots, next try each different while balance setting on your camera and see the differences. Overall, you will see some come out too "blue" and others too "orange". Pick the shade you like the best. You can also do this adjustment after you load the pictures in the computer using Picasa2 and other post-production software.
If you're going to go with Larry's suggestion on the aperture with slower shutter speeds, you can also "pan" with your subject. Moving your camera to follow your subject will blur the background and get a sharper photo of your subject. You can see an example of that here ( blackdoorphotos.deviantart.... ).
Andrew
Andrew, I like your idea of panning and will use that at my next BB game. Thanks.
Andrew, I've just recently learned how to pan. The glass panes in the rink make it hard to pan but I'll be sure to keep doing that. :)
Thank you so much for your help! I wish I could give everyone some points. =/
I'm glad things are working better for you. Please come back with any other questions or issues.
Andrew
So I have been trying to review cameras, SX100, S5, FZ8, (no Sony please) and comparable units, on the various sites and like most common users I'm blown away by all the tech stuff. I would be the standard guy with a camera-point -zoom-shoot. I would preferr a camera with a optical viewfinder.I am open to any camera to about $350.
My primary goal- I run retrievers-Labradors. I would like to get some shots of the dogs working. The most beautiful time in the marsh is when the sun is just breaking and everything is golden, but we are also out alot on overcast days. Low light capabilities(dawn,pre-dawn) will be a huge factor. The dogs could be out as far as 20-30 yards, but I understand I won't get shots at this distance in the low light times.
So I guess I'm looking for my best option, if there is one for my purpose.
to photograph dogs you need
1. a good marco lens for close ups
2. fast shutter times for action shots
3 a long zoom
my choice would be the panasonic fz8
here is a link to some dogs photographed by a fz8
flickr.com/photos/avi8orn8/...
thanks
for comparison, you may want to check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side.
Any suggestions??
What about the DSC h3, I knw the battery it have is quite good.
Now, onto camera comparisons. you may want to check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side. Doing so, although the SX100 has a better macro range, I find the H3 yields a slightly (and I do mean slightly) more natural portrait image. Color saturation is more or less the same as is the clarity.
And when you consider SONYs penchant for using proprietary technologies like the Memory Stick, and the fact that you seem to have to pay a premium just for the SONY nameplate, for my money the SX100 would be the better buy. IMHO.
No need to lose the moment because you relied on one card one when several can solve that problem. At the very least, you want to get more than one of whatever size you settle on.
Bill
what am i doing wrong? from far away- photos come out great.
Hi, your suggestion sounds like exactly what I'm trying to do. I'm not very experienced but have access to CS4 in my office. I tried what you described, but I don't know what I'm doing;( Can you please clarify your directions?
Where is the color select tool?
Where do I right click to invert?
Where do I choose B&W from?
thanks for your time!
-Jay
Picture quality is pretty good on the FE line, with above average colors and sharpness. As for blur, that depends on your steady hand. It does have Digital Image Stabilization, but make no mistake, DIS is a software manipulation of the image and not as good as an optical IS.
I have just bought the new Sony W150 (8mil pix)and it produces rubbish photos indoors, not even fit for a 4 x 6 print. other user reviews of recent Sonys seem to be the same.
I am fed up reading reviews of all the latest gimmicks like smile and face detection ( I know a face when I see one) and never a mention on whether the flash can take good photos indoors. Occasionly the reviewer will add almost as an afterthought. "some noise above ISO200". I am no expert but that implies to me, grainy pictures with flash and ISO 400.
I think you can do better, however, like the Canon SX100 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The optical IS alone is worthy of consideration. But here's the thing, as you get farther away from the "sweet spot" of 6 megapixels, the more MP that's stuff inside a tiny CCD chip, the more noise and blur is invited to the party.
Steve also gave his opinion of the camera as well as to suggest an alternative, if you would top up another $50.
As regards the question whether FE340 is the best camera, one would find that what is the best today probably will be outdated in a few months.
However, there is such a thing as " most popular camera " or " best selling camera " which you can find in many sites if you Google for it.
Otherwise you can click, on this page, the Digital camera-HQ's list of " the most popular point and shoot " or " Best Pocket Cameras " for assistance.
i don't need it and in daylight lcd is fine. by the way, you will LOVE the zoom!
My email id: ssvenkat73@yahoo.co.in
As the digital file is marked by a date and time when it's saved, the use of a date stamp feature in digital cameras has lost popularity amongst camera manufacturers as a feature. Sorry, but the camera's postcard feature may be the best you can do unless you're willing to add the date/time after the fact. The date stamp function remains the same as other Canon Models and is only available in Post card mode.
It involves two steps in the setting. Step one selects the postcard mode :
Function > Recording Pixels > Post card
Step two sets the date to on/off :
Record Menu > Date off/on.
Date stamp is set to off by default and there is no way to remove the date once it is stamped on the picture.
Check out MAGTIME - filedudes.com/MagiTime-down... it's an application which adds date/time to the picture. But beware, once you do it, it can't be undone.
Cathy
They both are pocketable and IMHO I like TZ5 looks better.
It looks like TZ5 is considered THE best Point and Shoot camera that is on the market.
Here is what I'm looking for in a camera.
-at least 7 MPs
-2.5-3.5 LCD Screen with proper representation of of the shots I'm taking.
-a mode that will take action shots in a theatrical setting. (Flash is ok, but if I can do with out that would be awesome)
-Extended zoom. Z712 has 12X, I loved that, but would sacrifice a couple Xs for better quality over all.
-I've got big hands so the tiny pocket cameras don't really work for me.
-"Trying" not to spend over $250.
I'm looking at the:
Cannon SD1100
Cannon SX100 IS
Panasonic TZ5
Any thoughts? Feelings? Gut reactions?
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner (of points that is)
I realize the logical thing to do is move up to the Canon S5 IS, but that looks like too much camera for me and it's not exactly small. Thanks in advance for any info.
Cathy
Thanks Cathy, I hope you have a great experience with your new camera.
Susan
I have been using a Canon Powershot SD for the last 2 years and I don't think I ever used the viewfinder. I too, thought about the S5 and the Powershot A720. I very close to ordering but have decided to stop at a locally owned camera store.
Mark
Apart from the viewfinder, the S5 has a better LCD that is moveable, it has better picture and video quality, and it MUCH faster than the Sx100. The biggest problem with Sx100 is that it takes too long to recharge the flash so you will be waiting a while before you can shoot another picture with the flash.
If your budget is limited, the Kodak z812is is better than the Sx100 but if you can afford the S5 then it is the best overall.
Thanks for the best answer designation. Just wanted to let you know that another great camera in this range is the Panasonic Tz3,tz4, and tz5 (all are essentially the same but with added features and price). These also do not have a viewfinder (like the sx100) but the real advantage is that the LCD is better and the camera itself is much quicker and takes excellent photos in most lighting conditions. It has the same zoom (10x) but it has a much wider angle (28mm instead of 35mm) so you will be able to get more of a scene at the widest zoom.
The cannon s5 is still among the best overall but if you do not plan on taking advantage of the manual features then it may be overkill (and bulky overkill like you stated). The Panasonic takes equally great pictures but is much smaller and it is more user friendly with less settings.
If the viewfinder is the most important factor than the Kodak is reasonably small with decent photos and great video (though the audio recording may not work for concerts).
All of these options are much better than the canon tx100 so you cannot go wrong!!
Cathy
Even if the camera has no internal memory you can attach it via usb and it will read off the memory card. Personally I always remove the memory card and transfer the photos to my hard drive before doing anything else so I have a backup in case something goes wrong.
Picturebridge is not necessary because most photoprinters will have memory card slots to insert the memory directly.... that way you can save your camera battery life!
As for the photo printer... the canon prints excellent photos but for4x6 prints you would be hardpressed to tell the difference versus the HP. The problem with both of these printers is that the prints get to be pretty expensive. I personally use a Kodak 5300 and have been pleased with the print results (the prints end up costing me 15-20 cents per picture wheras the Canon and the HP run in 25-35 cents per picture). The unfortunate thing is that the Kodak has some inital printhead problems but once you get past those it is the cheapest to use in the long run and with very good results. Here is a link to a good review of the Kodak 5300 in case you want to read more about it:
hubpages.com/hub/Kodak-Easy...
Hope this helps you
i t has a 3 in screen
good low light capability
and a very good movie mode
cameralabs.com/reviews/Pana...
the tz5 is the newer version not much difference between them except you use the zoom in video on tz5
Out of curiosity..did you go with the SX100is ? I recently purchased it, having to replace my HP R937 after it was dropped. I really like the 3.6 inch touch screen, it was very easy to use and really took nice shots. My boyfriend is also in a band and I take lots of photos of him. However, I am not happy with my SX100is, to me the colors are not as vivid, and there is too many shooting modes to deal with and at times I can barely see the screen. I really wish I had gone to a simpler point and shoot....I may as well use my Canon Rebel if I want to deal with all the gadgetries. Just curios what you went with and if you are happy with it.
But as for the M50, I'd advise patience as it's way too new to determine how good or bad it is. Why not just use it for a weekend and see how you like it? If you're happy with the results, then keep it. If not, then return it by the 14th. We can offer opinions all day, but it doesn't compare to actual experience.
Of these, I think that Indoor or Kids and Pets would be the best along with "Special scene." What I would recommend is to try and duplicate the lighting conditions and experiment with settings until you find the one that works best for you.
First of all, select an ISO value on your camera that is as low as you can get away with. ISO 200 will give you far better photos than ISO 800, but if all your photos turn out blurry because of lack of light, then you would have been better off with ISO 800 after all.
Second, observe. Concert lighting move in patterns, and you need to try and snap the photo of once the lighting is exactly right.
Always shoot in fully manual. It’ll be too dark for your auto focus, and the rapidly changing lights mean that your light meter is worthless. You need to be good, but your instincts will save you. If you can’t “feel” how a photo is going to turn out before you look at your digital display at the back of the camera, perhaps you aren’t ready for concert photography quite yet. There’s no shame in that - just keep practicing.
Take a lot of photos. Personally, I throw away 99% of my concert photos. In fact, some times, I come home without any really good photos - it isn’t always your fault. The lighting can be particularly tricky, etc. And you can’t plan for any of it - you have to roll with the punches.
Change your vantage point. You can walk all the way back and forth in front of the stage. Do it. If you are in your face enough, chances are that the lead singer will show off for the camera a little - they may even look at your cam for a fraction of a second. That is your cue. Get the photo.
Finally, get as close as you can. I guess this is mostly a personal thing, but I prefer photos where I get really close. Action portraits, if you will: photos taken of an artist at work.
If you are planning on spending less then most any Canon will give you good results.
Here is a good place to look around. imaging-resource.com/WB/WB.HTM
Without knowing what kind of picture taking we're talking about here, it's hard to go on what you've given us.
A little more info will open up a plethora of options!
But to be sure for comparison, you may want to check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side.
Thanks again..!
/Shami
Which has better image quality overall - outdoor as well as indoor?
But for a real comparison, you may want to check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side.
I think the SX100 has more natural colors and a far superior macro mode. And you get slightly more detail and sharpness with the SX100. And at high ISOs, the TZ5 invites more noises to the party. ALOT more. IMHO, that is.
Here's why I chose the sx100 over the TZ5. One important factor because I'm on a budget is the price difference.. about 50-70 dollars. Two, the manual controls over focus, aperture and shutter were a priority as I wanted my first camera to be user friendly and complicated at the same time. I have sufficient experience now to take advantage of those 3 features. The TZ5 does not have these features. Three, SX100 is much better at macro mode (1cm closeup vs 5cm). Doesn't sound like a big deal but I take a lot of closeup shots and the extra 4cm makes a difference.
Next, the ability to use AA batteries was also important but I find that 2 AA batteries actually runs out fairly quick (1 week's worth of average use) .. but that's easily fixed with 2500+ mAH rechargeable NiMH batteries which I do use. Finally, I went with the SX100 because of Canon's reputation. You can never go wrong with a Canon it seems and its always a safe bet whether its low light situations, outdoor, indoor or w/e. You'll always end up with better than industry standard pictures from other brands.
* I didn't mention the TZ5's LCD size advantage because as James noted.. its disadvantage is the increase in battery consumption which kinda negates it for me as well.
Thanks
Another tip is to go to Canon's website ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ) and look for firmware updates. Download and install them.
As for those videos, you can reorient them in Quicktime Pro. Best $29.95 you'll spend.
you can use your still camera. There are two ways you can use it. You can import files using Stop Motion Pros "File Import" function from the file menu. Or, you can use the software that came with the camera that lets you capture and save a photo to a specific folder on your hard drive (not all cameras do this - check the documentation that came with your camera). Make a note of this folder because you need to tell Stop Motion Pro where to look for it.
Now start up Stop Motion Pro, select digital still camera as the "source" (not live video).
Enter the dimensions of the shots your camera is taking (eg 800w x 600h pixels, or whatever your camera is set to) in the two text fields. You also need to locate the folder that your still camera is saving the images to. Now when you trigger a frame on the camera Stop motion Pro will monitor the directory that you have specified and add the frame to the end of the animation as you go. You will need to experiment with this set up, as it is an advanced way of working with the software.
What OS are you using? Your issue may be there.
What do you mean exactly? Do you mean the camera being triggered by a motion and firing when something moves? If so, no. The camera does have various modes that are designed to be used with fast motion shooting, like sports, but can't be set up in a way so that it fires when motion is detected.
It's really making me angry.
What program are you using to play the video files on the PC? Sometimes certain media programs don't know how to handle video files captured by digital cameras, and it can lead to odd issues like this.
In general, yes, I think the SX100 is a great all-around shooter in its price range. Canon's mid-range P&S's in general are probably the class of the field. The SX100 is Canon's attempt at a budget super-zoom camera. It takes the features of their A-series point & shoots and adds on a huge zoom lens. In general it's regarded as a very solid performer.
I'd suggest giving a good read to some customer reviews, both here at DCHQ and at places like Amazon, Circuit City, dpreview.com, and so on. Your peers are really the best judges of how it stacks up.
Hope this helps!
No need to lose the moment because you relied on one card one when several can solve that problem. At the very least, you want to get more than one of whatever size you settle on.
One last thing. Cards have different speeds. The faster a card is, the quicker it'll save the photo and cycle to be ready for another shot. In the end, your camera is only going to be as fast as it's slowest link in the chain. So check for speed when you purchase a card.
But Photoshop Elements will be the best $60 you can buy.
Will purchase this weekend.
Please suggest as to what needs to be done to rectify this.
It would be too long to reproduce everthing here but you can refer to your manual pg. 26-29 for the details.
If for any reason, you need a pdf copy, non printable, you can download it from the download library of <a href="usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... USA </a>
If you have difficulties following the instructions on the manual, try to use the card reader.
Windows have no problem in recognizing card readers. What you need to do is to insert the memory card into the slot of the reader and plug the reader to the USB port of the computer. You need not install any driver.
Windows will identify it as a removable drive. You can then copy the files to the hard disk.
What is the fps when using the continuous shooting mode (withOUT flash)?
How does the Canon SX 100 perform in low-light conditions (withOUT a flash)?
In manual shooting mode, do you find that there are enough increments to adjust the aperature?
Much appreciated!
Not very fast. It'd be even slower flash wise, so I'd say 4 seconds is fairly accurate.
Usually changing to a new card will solve the problem, but if you want to try, cleaning the contact points of the faulty card with eraser may work in certain cases, while re-format the card with your computer using FAT 16 may also help.
FAT 16 is the FAT command of Microsoft Windows that you use to operate the computer.
Use your mouse and right click the removable drive that represents the card reader will bring up a window.
In the window there is an item called ' Format '.
Click Format and you will be given a choice of the format type. NTFS. Fat32 and Fat are the format types.
Fat usually means Fat 16.
If you are not familiar with the above, just buy a new card to replace the old card. New cards are formatted in the factory and picture ready.
this actually happened to me and it's not really serious...just a glitch.
i googled it and believe it or not, the solution is very simple.
you need to bang the side of the camera against your hand, and it will resolve the issue.
don't remember which side of the camera, but just try both.
hope it helps.
works with mine everytime!
Maria is right that there are ways of banging it that help solve this problem... but if it's new/ still under warranty/ still worth it to you, please just send it in for repair as mbrady suggested!
in other words BANGING IT DOESNT WORK(:
So your best bet is to run it in XP.
When i am in Play mode watching photos - the camera is working ok
For this camera rechargeable NiMH of at least 2500 mAh capacity is best.
Also, if your new batteries are rechargeable NiMH of adequate capacity, they may still need to be cycled a few times to reach their full capacity. That means charging them fully, then using them until discharged, then charging them again. Some brands have been reported to take 5 charge-discharge cycles to reach full capacity. I don't have a clue why this would be, but it does seem to be accepted fact for NiMH.
Tell me everything you can about your new batteries and I'll try to figure it out.
the camera works great until yesterday.
i will try with a new set again
1. Turn on the camera and press the <MENU> button to open the menu.
2. Using the [->] button, highlight the yellow (Set up) tab.
3. Using the [v] button, select [Reset All.] and press FUNC SET.
4. Select [OK] and press FUNC SET.
You can download the manual here ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ).
Lastly, do a google search for tips on how take pictures of kids. Sites like this one ( diyphotography.net/the_comp... ) can give you great tips on how to take pictures of your kids and get good ones.
Maybe need a maintenance.
I just bought my Olympus E-Volt 500 the other day. =]