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Thread ID: 84828	2007-11-20 08:04:00	Digital camera with Focal Length. Portability & Resolution	Hokonui (8280)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
613256	2007-11-20 08:04:00	Which camera? - I've read all the reviews, followed the threads etc. and still can't decide. I want image quality, portability and a fair amount of zoom. Short list is, Canon A720 IS - cheapest & versatile Canon A650 IS - dear and higher spec but not sig better? Canon SX100 IS - long zoom but with some faults Canon S5 IS - high spec but bulky Canon G9 - overpriced but good Panasonic TZ3 - long & wide but little control Panasonic FZ8 - well reviewed but bulky and some image problems Who has what, and what do people who have used some of the above recommend?	Hokonui (8280)
613257	2007-11-20 08:06:00	If you want quality then I think get a cheap SLR like a portable Nikon D40 and the kit lens. Pricewise and size wise it can be smaller than some Pana's.	Nomad (952)
613258	2007-11-20 08:13:00	I have a Canon A510 which I hardly use one time overseas. Portable and stuff but maybe for fiddetry to use. When zoomed in they don't have a lot of detail - ie., SLR will still have detail but not for A510 ie., the fur on the rug when zoomed in 100% but zoomed out looks nice. They have less dynamic range - ie., glare is more apparent on the smallers, I also tend to find that if you took picture of a white wall or skintone smallers tended to smooth it up and record less textile on wall/skin, sometimes the gradation isn't smooth its like even in NORMAL JPG at full megapixel size, a person's black polo shirt you could see the lack of textures and even some harsh JPEG rendering at pretty much high quality even when viewed on screen at size of 12% view or what. I don't know if that is JPEG or not .. as the camera on mine was JPEG only but I doubt it cos the JPEG was set up at pretty high resolution - it wasn't BASIC JPEG. IMHO I would get portable in small or if you are getting mid/big size just get SLR unless you need a live LCD to work with.	Nomad (952)
613259	2007-11-20 08:45:00	I've owned a Canon S2 IS - the S5 IS looks much the same but they've upped the megapixels. It was a very nice camera to handle and I didn't find it all that bulky to carry around Melbourne city on a trip. The swiveling LCD is a very handy feature sometimes although I mostly used the viewfinder to save battery and because the camera is more stable that way. The IS is for Image Stabilisation. It's great but it lengthened shutter lag. It can be turned off though. But I'm getting a Digital SLR next. You could look at it as saving yourself the money in the long term and just get a basic DSLR kit. After that you can spend money on lenses as money becomes available and you will then have those lenses for your next camera body. Few people regret buying an SLR.	Deane F (8204)
613260	2007-11-20 09:00:00	That's what I hoped to hear D. Due to the price of the better models (and a limited bgt) I didn't want to buy a higher spec camera only to leave it behind because it was a nuisance to carry around. I'm not sure whether I'm up for a DSLR yet.	Hokonui (8280)
613261	2007-11-20 18:41:00	Go into a store and handle any camera you're thinking of buying. Don't buy on specs alone. Canons handle nicely because they've had decades making cameras. The Sonys I've handled are terrible - even that Alpha SLR they've recently released. How they handle is important because all the features in the world are useless on a camera if you can't use them quickly - unless you're doing landscapes.	Deane F (8204)
613262	2007-11-21 05:01:00	Which camera? - I've read all the reviews, followed the threads etc. and still can't decide. I want image quality, portability and a fair amount of zoom. Panasonic FZ8 - well reviewed but bulky and some image problems Who has what, and what do people who have used some of the above recommend? FZ8 - Image problems - not heard of those !! I have recently bought one. However portability - I have to think about transporting the lens hood etc which comes along with it. In some way, shape, or form I am willing to live with that........ but you might not want to !!! Misty :D	Misty (368)
613263	2007-11-21 05:43:00	I've recently bought a Pentax K100D and love it to bits (megabits, in fact :D ). It was $900 and worth every cent IMHO. It is so good using something that feels like a "real" camera. I already had (in fact still have) a Canon A95, which I also liked, but the DSLR just blows it away. I went for the Pentax rather than the Nikon D40 because the Pentax has the anti-shake built into the camera rather than the lens, which means in theory you can use any Pentax lens with that camera and still benefit from the anti-shake. My only disappointment has been the download and processing software, which works, but is fairly awkward - especially when dealing with RAW data. I looked at a Canon G9 when I was shopping, and it was about the same price as the Pentax (if I remember correctly). I had also seen mixed reviews of the G9.	Tony (4941)
613264	2007-11-21 06:17:00	Panasonic FZ8 - well reviewed but .......... some image problems :eek: Consumer Magazine says recently Best auto and manual image quality of any camera tested this year Misty :confused:	Misty (368)
613265	2007-11-21 22:51:00	Historically the FZ series have suffered noise problems at higher ISO numbers. Whether the average Joe Blow would notice, I doubt it. They have very good lens though (the 12x leica). Camera buying decisions ;)	dolby digital (5073)
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