Digital camera buying help

von551

von551

CAGiversary!
so i have a few-year-old sony dsc-w8 that needs upgrading.I'm torn between the panasonic dmc-tz4k ($200), sony dsc-w130 ($230) & canon's powershot sd750 ($170). i have a canon rebel xti, but want a great point and shoot when i don't feel like lugging it around. now here's my thought's on each camera and let me know what you think, i'm trying to weigh out the pros and cons of each. i'm trying to stay around $200 or else i would've went for canon's sd870. oh yeah, IS is a big factor too, i really want an IS camera (is it really that crucial?), i don't plan on upgrading for five years or so, so i want as much bang for my buck as possible so it's not outdated too quickly.

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panasonic: pros: wide angle lens and 10x optical zoom! also that you can use the zoom actively during movies. HD movie available for recording. SD card. i don't have nor want to lug around a full video camera, and this seems like a good supplement. cons: i've read the mic is sub par as well as some of the picture qualilty, but i've also seen pics and they look great. i read that even at ISO 100, pics are noisy, want more versatility for dark shots, etc.

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sony: pros: 4x zoom, smile shutter, face recognition, HD compatibility, IS, in-camera features like fish-eye, etc. (gimmicks?), ability to handle higher ISO's than most camera's. i'm a sony fan, i've taken some great pics with my current w-8. cons: can't compete with panasonic's zoom or video recording ability, kinda pricey, memory stick pro duo pricey, mpeg movie format.

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canon: pros: great price right now, sd card, mjpeg movie format, elph coloring (black), seems to have superior picture quality to the sony and panasonic. cons: can't compete with panasonic's zoom or video recording ability, noisy at iso 400.


if anyone has any experience with any of these cameras, or some of the features i have question marks on, please give your opinion, thanks! :D
 
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I have a Canon SD1000 that I use as my standard point and shoot. I also own a Canon SD550. I recommend Canons to folks when they want a standard point and shoot camera. All of the Canons are phenominal. The new Canons have face recognition btw.

I really wouldn't buy a camera that doesn't use SD memory. You can pick up a 4GB card nowadays for very cheap.

Recording video typically sucks, no matter which compact digital camera you go with. Zoom is also pretty worthless on a majority of point and shoot cameras after say 3x or so.

I also have a Nikon DSLR that I wouldn't trade for anything.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']I have a Canon SD1000 that I use as my standard point and shoot. I also own a Canon SD550. I recommend Canons to folks when they want a standard point and shoot camera. All of the Canons are phenominal. The new Canons have face recognition btw.

I really wouldn't buy a camera that doesn't use SD memory. You can pick up a 4GB card nowadays for very cheap.

Recording video typically sucks, no matter which compact digital camera you go with. Zoom is also pretty worthless on a majority of point and shoot cameras after say 3x or so.

I also have a Nikon DSLR that I wouldn't trade for anything.[/quote]

yeah, i'm really leaning toward the canon as far as style, price & PQ & VQ goes. does anyone know if any B&M (Best Buy, Fry's, etc.) would price match dell's price?
 
[quote name='von551']yeah, i'm really leaning toward the canon as far as style, price & PQ & VQ goes. does anyone know if any B&M (Best Buy, Fry's, etc.) would price match dell's price?[/quote]

No B&M will match Dell's price that I know of.

Do you have a Toys R Us around? They had the SD1000 on clearance recently for $120. That's when I bought mine.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']No B&M will match Dell's price that I know of.

Do you have a Toys R Us around? They had the SD1000 on clearance recently for $120. That's when I bought mine.[/quote]

thanks, they're sold out though. how do you like it?
 
[quote name='von551']thanks, they're sold out though. how do you like it?[/quote]

For a point and shoot, it's just about perfect. I can't find a flaw with it.
 
I would really just recommend going to Best Buy or some other similar store and checking each of these out. I was really buying into the Pansasonic as well because of it's huge zoom and the Leica lens but when I went to the store to try it out, it just didn't take very good shots. I didn't mess with it at all, but all of the colors that were coming back just did not look very natural. I didn't use the floor model because it was broken so the clerk opened up a brand new one and let me try it out, and right out of the box, I wasn't impressed. I wound up going with the Panasonic DMC-FZ18 which isn't a point and shoot, but for $300 it has a 18x optical zoom and takes beautiful pictures.
 
[quote name='von551']thanks, but it looks bigger than my dslr, i'm thinking pocket sized, even though the panasonic's pushing it. i'll consider sony w-series and canon sd-series cameras pretty much...[/quote]


It's actually pretty small, not pocket sized but not bulky either.

You should check out the thin fujifilm finepix series.
 
sd1000 doesnt have if my memory serves me.
though id buy one regardless, i think they hit a sweet spot on that camera.
id buy a canon p&s i really think they are the best as a whole.
 
yeah, thanks for the info guys, i picked up a SD1000 over the weekend at radioshack for $135. great pics/video and alot of settings. only complaints are the lcd gets smudged too easily and doesn't clean up well, kind of small, and battery life isn't as good as my Hybrio AA's in my sony. i'll post some pics though of the marathon this weekend...
 
[quote name='von551']yeah, thanks for the info guys, i picked up a SD1000 over the weekend at radioshack for $135. great pics/video and alot of settings. only complaints are the lcd gets smudged too easily and doesn't clean up well, kind of small, and battery life isn't as good as my Hybrio AA's in my sony. i'll post some pics though of the marathon this weekend...[/quote]

I get exceptional battery life out of this. What were you expecting? It's much better than any rechargable AA's I've ever had for previous cameras.

You can get a screen protector for the screen if you need it.
 
i think i might return it. after looking at some pics and video from the weekend, i'm not too impressed. probably go with the sony w-130, my w-8 never gave me problems and i don't like the tiny feel and the smudge-happy lcd. video gets purple reflection from sun in videos, flash's edge can be seen in photos, and focus real soft around edges in some photos. some of the photos are great though, but the lens doesn't seem to be on par with sony's carl zeiss.
 
So I didn't want to start a new thread.

Im in the market too, yet know very little about digital cameras.

I posted the Kodak Easyshare a few posts up. (I like this because it takes a picture as soon as you push the button, very little delay)

So I've looked and I've found 2 more that I like
Canon Powershot A580
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830120257
Casio EX-Z9BK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830124063

Both are the same price, and both are 8 MP. I just want something that'll produce good pics, decent video, and be quick to take the picture.
Any thoughts?
 
[quote name='von551']i think i might return it. after looking at some pics and video from the weekend, i'm not too impressed. probably go with the sony w-130, my w-8 never gave me problems and i don't like the tiny feel and the smudge-happy lcd. video gets purple reflection from sun in videos, flash's edge can be seen in photos, and focus real soft around edges in some photos. some of the photos are great though, but the lens doesn't seem to be on par with sony's carl zeiss.[/quote]

Let me know how the new camera turns out. I have yet to have a single instance of what you said to occur. (Nor have my 3 other friends who all bought the SD1000 as well). I personally think you are a little picky. What are you expecting from a sub $150 camera here? Video isn't going to be perfect. Any "soft focus" is expected with a camera of this build quality. I am willing to bet the Sony will produce the same or worse results. The Sony you mentioned is nearly a year newer btw. Most any Canon point and shoot would be considered a great deal by many people, especially for the price paid, along with the fact that it takes a standard memory type (and not a proprietary format, such as the Sony).

My Nikon D40X DSLR is just as "smuge happy" as any other compact digital is. That is expected with most any camera nowadays.

Why you are expecting perfect quality out of a camera in regards to producing video is beyond me. If you want something that is going to produce quality video, buy a video camera. Any point and shoot camera produces *decent* video. It's certainly not going to be anything on par with a dedicated device.

Edit: And I'm sure you already know this, but http://www.dpreview.com/is the source for digital camera reviews.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']Let me know how the new camera turns out. I have yet to have a single instance of what you said to occur. (Nor have my 3 other friends who all bought the SD1000 as well). I personally think you are a little picky. What are you expecting from a sub $150 camera here? Video isn't going to be perfect. Any "soft focus" is expected with a camera of this build quality. I am willing to bet the Sony will produce the same or worse results. The Sony you mentioned is nearly a year newer btw. Most any Canon point and shoot would be considered a great deal by many people, especially for the price paid, along with the fact that it takes a standard memory type (and not a proprietary format, such as the Sony).

My Nikon D40X DSLR is just as "smuge happy" as any other compact digital is. That is expected with most any camera nowadays.

Why you are expecting perfect quality out of a camera in regards to producing video is beyond me. If you want something that is going to produce quality video, buy a video camera. Any point and shoot camera produces *decent* video. It's certainly not going to be anything on par with a dedicated device.

Edit: And I'm sure you already know this, but http://www.dpreview.com/is the source for digital camera reviews.[/quote]

yeah, well all i have to compare this to is my four year old sony w-8 which takes better pics and video. the problem with the lcd isn't that it smudges, but that it's so hard to not touch it because of the size and layout of the camera. i like somewhere to rest my thumbs besides the lcd. my xti's lcd hardly ever smudges and if it does, i don't feel as though i have to rub the hell out of it to clear them, glass is better. the lens glares way too much for all the praise it received in the reviews, i know sony's lenses are better in that aspect. i'm gonna give the sony a shot and compare. stay tuned...
 
[quote name='specialk']So I didn't want to start a new thread.

Im in the market too, yet know very little about digital cameras.

I posted the Kodak Easyshare a few posts up. (I like this because it takes a picture as soon as you push the button, very little delay)

So I've looked and I've found 2 more that I like
Canon Powershot A580
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830120257
Casio EX-Z9BK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830124063

Both are the same price, and both are 8 MP. I just want something that'll produce good pics, decent video, and be quick to take the picture.
Any thoughts?[/quote]

I like my Kodak Easyshare M753. Paid $100 and it came with a mini-tripod, a 2GB SD card, and a leather case. Also, I suggest buying any camera on eBay, as you'll get the best deal.
 
I ended up getting the Kodak Easyshare Z1285. It's 12 MP and has pretty much all I wanted. It was 160 shipped from dell.

I went back and forth but I figured for 30 bucks more I could get 4 more mp, and this records in High Def, and outputs in Mpeg 4. Plus I watched some videos on YouTube made with this cam and they look pretty sweet.
 
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