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My new P&S ?

geclinke
Posted 13/01/2010 - 22:29 Link
I was in a similar situation over Christmas, and went for a Powershot S90. Same sensor and processing as a G11, in a much more compact form factor.
Takes good shots, and high ISO / Low light performance is very good.
Also has the benefit of being able to be left in Auto all the time, but also support Av, Sv, etc...
k5, 50mm FA, 18-55mm Kit, 50-200mm DA, 15mm Fisheye Sigma, 10-17mm DA Fisheye, 18-55mm DA WR, DA* 60-250, DA* 16-50
techno-terminator
Posted 13/01/2010 - 22:38 Link
Pentaxophile

Thanks for that one - put it on the list now . Certainly that review was a good one
let the education continue

proud owner of a couple of cameras and a few bits and bobs
konrads
Posted 13/01/2010 - 22:52 Link
technoidiot wrote:
OK - plus points for the Fuji - and remember I've only read about it. Still to handle it - if I can find it locally

it's a pocket sized camera , It's got Stabilisation , an inbuilt flash , lots of programme possibilities , incredible zoom and what , from reviews posted on Amazon , a good lens .

Minus points - it seems very complicated and I'm a slow learner in as much as I learn better from being SHOWN what to do than reading it from a book .

Do I actually need some of these clever things / tricks it has - after all I've got a DSLR and I'm really looking for a walk around in town camera - not a posh take pics with the real "WOW" factor.

OK konrads and Imagesteve - you are both praising it to the skies - now tell me why this is the one camera that I should buy ? What makes it so much better than the Canons Panasonic Lumixs or any other compact ?

Just the fact that you have a 800 % dynamic range makes a diffs. What fuji is doing with the EXR Super CCD is that what you see with your eyes, they put it on your photos. So what you actualy see is what you get. So compact. Lith batt, 27mm wide - 270mm tele, fast focus in low light, SR Auto 6 scenes. It Will make your life a bit easier. But it's stiil up to you and I hope you find something that's gonna give you joy
K20D,24-90 3.5-5.6,50-135 2.8 + GRIP. SAVING FOR 60-250 F4
FUJI S6500 + FUJI Z33WP
Konrad
Hardgravity
Posted 13/01/2010 - 22:57 Link
Sorry to miss the point, I assumed you were a little more familiar with cameras than you say you are.

I was only suggesting the WS60 because it's cheaper, will have fewer image problems with a lower count sensor and is waterproof.

I agree with others on this thread that the current Optios aren't the best Pentax have sold, for those you need to look at the older (no longer available) 5 meg models.

I have a Panasonic Lumix, currently at university with my son, which I found slow to focus and often missed shots with it. The Optio E50 was a replacement for it, but that has problems. It was a cheap model though and seldom comes out of Green mode.

In your situation I'd head down to Jessops/Currys/P.C.World and try a few of the suggested alternatives out.

Then order from a reputable supplier like SRS.
Cheers, HG

K110+DA40, K200+DA35, K3 and a bag of lenses, bodies and other bits.

Mustn't forget the Zenits, or folders, or...

PPG entries.
konrads
Posted 13/01/2010 - 23:15 Link
Out of the 4 Fujis I owned I still have 3. Between 3000 and 8000 shots taken with my Fujis, not one has ever given me a problem. Even the one I sold. Hope I could help
K20D,24-90 3.5-5.6,50-135 2.8 + GRIP. SAVING FOR 60-250 F4
FUJI S6500 + FUJI Z33WP
Konrad
techno-terminator
Posted 13/01/2010 - 23:38 Link
This is definitely worse than buying my K-x - that was meant to be a Powershot SX 120 IS , which sort of morphed into a Canon Rebel and then I found myself with this rather lovely K-x

OK - being sensible now - on price grounds I have to rule out the Powershot S90 and the LX3 , both of which are over £300 - the K-x cost me £341 [ yes including tax etc ]

I enjoyed the couple of months I had with the Fuji S5000 so I would not object to a Fuji

The F70EXR is just such a clever camera - I wonder if all its clever tricks are possibly too clever for me - are they essential - undoubtedly NO but useful , probably YES BUT at the same time are they a recipe for going wrong ? - unknown I suspect as yet - it seems to have come out about September.

This leaves the Ricoh , the Lumix FS62 from today's suggestions .

This is really going to need a lot of thought [ and yes I'll go and handle cameras before I finally decide which one is going to live in my bag ]
let the education continue

proud owner of a couple of cameras and a few bits and bobs
techno-terminator
Posted 14/01/2010 - 00:22 Link
Umm
Since this now has moved away from the Optio range ,perhaps a kind

Mod would move the thread to a more appropriate Board.

Thanks
let the education continue

proud owner of a couple of cameras and a few bits and bobs
iceblinker
Posted 14/01/2010 - 00:42 Link
Let's drag the thread back to the Optio range by pointing out that they're still often smaller and lighter than recommended alternatives.
~Pete
Photomonk
Posted 14/01/2010 - 01:25 Link
Pete,

Interesting comment. Care to elaborate on any of the pros as opposed to the cons expressed earlier? I believe she is still in the research stage so any information would be helpful.

The Photomonk
iceblinker
Posted 14/01/2010 - 02:50 Link
Sorry I can't elaborate on the current Optios beyond mentioning that the P80, for example, weighs only 105 grams with the battery.

That would make it comfortable enough to carry in a pocket or bag at nearly all times. It's a pro that might overcome some of the cons in image quality and features.
~Pete
Hardgravity
Posted 14/01/2010 - 08:16 Link
You want pros for the Optios?

As Pete says, small, light, all use SD cards of any size and they're Pentax!

My E50 takes good shots most of the time, all of hthe time in good light. It takes AA batteries which seem to last forever and it has a selection of (seldom used) shooting modes, including Sports, Panorama and Green.

It was affordable as the models change regularly(that could be a con though!)

Did I say it's a Pentax?
Cheers, HG

K110+DA40, K200+DA35, K3 and a bag of lenses, bodies and other bits.

Mustn't forget the Zenits, or folders, or...

PPG entries.
johnriley
Posted 14/01/2010 - 08:38 Link
I currently have a Pentax T30 always in my jacket pocket. It is capable of taking quite sharp pictures of anything that needs recording, but the small sensors will always mean that ultimately it is nowhere near DSLR quality.

The sad truth is that even if you spend £300 or more you will still not get the same quality as your K-x. I have never found any compact camera that is really up to scratch, and I include the Rollei 35 models and the Minox ones as well in that. Some are not bad, but that's not the same as the SLR quality experience.

Compacts at the higher end of the Pentax range (you get what you pay for) are great for casual shots, holidays, parties, recording accoidents and other events and they also shoot great party videos all fine for Facebook or YouTube. I need one of these type of cameras, but it takes a lot of skill and care to get the highest quality out of them. Any of them.
Best regards, John
bretti_kivi
Posted 14/01/2010 - 08:39 Link
My two pence worth:
A P&S represents a "closed system". It's very different from the dSLR, where the sensor / body can be combined with any one of lots of lenses. Theoretically, this means that you can get an interesting system, because the sensor and optics can be matched to one another.
Practically, this doesn't mean that much in a world where price tag rules.
What is important is that the sensor is normally tiny - we're talking little finger fingernail size. Your dSLR sensor has the same number of pixels, but the sensor is 3/4" or so in width. Therefore, a lot more light hits each sensor in your dSLR, meaning it's far more usable at night. This is why lots of megapixels isn't a good thing in a P&S.

The fuji does look rather good, mainly because of the real zoom and decent wide-angle in a small package. It appears to be available online for around £175 with £30 cashback until the end of the month.

It uses SD cards, too, and the reputation of Fujis is excellent. I know of very few users who are disappointed with them. Many buy their higher-end bridge cameras instead of dSLRs (lighter, easier to use, no dust problems, massive zoom).

Bret
my pics: link
my kit: K3, K5, K-01, DA 18-55, D-FA50 macro, Siggy 30/1.4, 100-300/f4, 70-200/2.8, Samsung 12-24/f4, Tamron 17-50, and lots of other bits.
johnriley
Posted 14/01/2010 - 08:43 Link
Quote:
Many buy their higher-end bridge cameras instead of dSLRs (lighter, easier to use, no dust problems, massive zoom).

I've used three of these - the Fuji S602Pro was quite good, the S7000 was very good and the S9600 was very poor, a real backwards step.
Best regards, John
techno-terminator
Posted 14/01/2010 - 08:59 Link
It's a good job I have plenty of time

I'm looking back at what RichardDay said earlier
Quote:
I have the P70 and the software based image stabilisation (same as the P80) is worse than useless, it can take up to 4 seconds to record the shot. Also the AF is nothing to shout about. Using either I invariably miss shots. I now use pre-set manual focus (called snap focus by Ricoh) and no image stabilisation. In fact I hardly ever use it now apart from the odd e-bay product type shots.

If I was going for a P&S I would look for mechanical, lens or sensor, stabilisation.

Now I discovered that even with the little C703 there were many times when it told me of hand/camera shake - and I'm well aware that this for me is a real problem - I can do everything possible to avoid shake but there is still the big possibility of it . OK so a tripod would solve that - but being practical , this camera is to go in my pockets / bag so it's with me and a tripod is weight which I can struggle with.

This stabilisation is one of the big plus point to me in the K-x , it was one thing I was looking for when I started all this camera hunting after the Fuji S5000 demised and well - and we all know what I ended up with
let the education continue

proud owner of a couple of cameras and a few bits and bobs

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