Nikon S8100 vs Panasonic DMC-ZS7? With the understanding that both have their respective pros and cons which would you recommend for the amateur photographer?
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Hello, the zs7 actually does allow the +1EV; set the wheel to P and push the up button twice. The first time you get exposure and the second push will give you the choice between +1/3, +2/3, and +1EV. I hope this is what you are talking about. Its kinda an odd place to put this setting IMO.
876661
Also consider the Canon SX210is. Great camera. Out of the 4 cameras mentioned I would say go with the S8100. It's the newest compact mega zoom of the bunch, has a backlit CMOS chip for excellent low light shooting, great Nikkor lens, stereo 1080p video, beautiful lcd and excellent for factor.
876662
Donald, do you have some low light (indoor pics) you can post taken with the ZS7? Thanks.
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Brad - I don't think you can go wrong with either camera. Add to for your consideration the Sony HX5 - it's on a par with these two.I looked long and hard at all 3 of these, researching specs and comments, as well as trying them out in camera stores, etc. I finally chose the S8100, although only coming out in September the amount of reviews is sparse - but even compared to the S8000 earlier model the improved S8100 proves to be a great camera. One thing I really like is the heft and feel of the camera, as well as the professional and high quality look and detail of the camera. It's a joy to take photos with this camera. The photos from it are stunning. Brad - I don't think you can go wrong with either camera. Add to for your consideration the Sony HX5 - it's on a par with these two.I looked long and hard at all 3 of these, researching specs and comments, as well as trying them out in camera stores, etc. I finally chose the S8100, although only coming out in September the amount of reviews is sparse - but even compared to the S8000 earlier model the improved S8100 proves to be a great camera. One thing I really like is the heft and feel of the camera, as well as the professional and high quality look and detail of the camera.... » Read More Brad - I don't think you can go wrong with either camera. Add to for your consideration the Sony HX5 - it's on a par with these two.I looked long and hard at all 3 of these, researching specs and comments, as well as trying them out in camera stores, etc. I finally chose the S8100, although only coming out in September the amount of reviews is sparse - but even compared to the S8000 earlier model the improved S8100 proves to be a great camera. One thing I really like is the heft and feel of the camera, as well as the professional and high quality look and detail of the camera. It's a joy to take photos with this camera. The photos from it are stunning. « Show Less
876664
Brad - I don't think you can go wrong with either camera. Add to for your consideration the Sony HX5 - it's on a par with these two. I looked long and hard at all 3 of these, researching specs and comments, as well as trying them out in camera stores, etc. I finally chose the S8100, although only coming out in September the amount of reviews is sparse - but even compared to the S8000 earlier model the improved S8100 proves to be a great camera. One thing I really like is the heft and feel of the camera, as well as the professional and high quality look and detail of the camera. It's a joy to take photos with this camera. The photos from it are stunning.
1023637
I have been going back and forth with the same question. I have read all the reviews and opinions I can find on both. After going to the local store and playing with the TZ5 and the 100 (since the 110 is not out yet) I did not find many major difference from the point of view of a novice user. The two main difference I noted were 1) the TZ5 is more compact and I really liked that, however 2) when I zoomed in with the canon on a small sign the image was crystal clear, when I did the same with the TZ% the same sign was very blurry, not even close to readable. This decided it for me. I went with canon.
1426268
I have both. The S95 is more of a photography toy to me, in a good way. I like tinkering with all the settings to try (keyword try) to take photos that are above and beyond amateur. Six months ago when the S95 was still $399, I would've recommended the S8100 because it'd have been cheaper and would've taken very decent pictures. Plus, the S8100 has better zoom and is faster (CMOS sensor). But, given the S95 and S8100 are about the same price now, I'd go with the S95. If you're taking sports photos outside, the faster CMOS of the S8100 sensor doesn't have much on the S95, especially since you can adjust the S95's shutter speed to make it faster. But, keep in mind the S95 does not have continuous shooting speeds the S8100 does. The S8100 has a continuous mode that can capture several photos in one second. The S95 simply cannot do this. As for low-light indoor shots, both are good. The S95 has a bright f/2 lens so it definitely helps with low light shots. And the S8100 was designed to do well in low-light situations. I have a HD camcorder so the 1080p video on the S8100 wasn't a selling point. However, if you don't like carrying around a camcorder and a camera, the S8100 doubles as a great camcorder. As for the quality of the video, neither the S95's 720p nor the S8100's 1080p has anything on the true 1080p quality videos of a real HD camcorder. I guess in the end, the tie breaker would be how much fun you could have with the S95, especially if you like manipulating camera settings to get the perfect shot. The S8100 is more of a pick up and shoot camera. I have both and I definitely use the S95 more. My significant other holds on to the S8100 because I gave it to him (if that's any further indication of which one I'd pick).
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Here is a nice review of Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 on youtube by cameralabs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g4icsP8kRE
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Well, I'm now reading about another option: Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20/B 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization.This one compares to the Panasonic ZS3 and both sell for approximately the same price. I guess I'm still stuck in wanting to figure out which one of these models (DSC-H20, ZS3, DSC-W350, W370) can do all of the things they promised but at a faster speed.
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I actual still have both the H20 and the ZS3 - I really love them both, but if you make me choose - the Panasonic wins! Four factors, stereo vidoes, the auto lens cap, smaller size, and SD Card instead of the Sony cards. I think you will really like the Panasonic!
1813534
I love how this always works out for me. I wanted this camera for my cruise on the 18th, but went ahead and got the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Red) last week because I didn't think the Nikon would be here in time. Now that it's here, what should I do? I like the GPS on the Panasonic, but it takes HORRIBLE low light pics. Any help would be appreciated!
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Not at all. I think that if you have used any recent Nikon for a year, you will have no problem stepping up to the D7100. It's very similar, menu wise and you will enjoy the user defined settings, the dual memory slots, etc. The biggest problem I had moving up from a D80 was the zoom in and zoom out buttons on the back were reversed, and I had to read up on all the new focusing modes and settings. It's a great camera.
1440613
d7100 is far better, but its also more money, if you are just starting out 5300 is great, lots of features like toy camera mode, painting mode , it also has wifi and gps built in, my wife is just starting out so I opted for this instead of the more advanced 7100,also d7100 was named most stolen camera in the world!
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I was going to buy this one too, but if the price stays over $400, I'll get the Olympus XZ-1. The main benefit of the S95 for me is price!
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S120 ;) (sorry don't know anything about the Nikons so I really have nothing objective here, but, I love this camera, love it). This camera is worth it's weight in my pocket for what it does when I need it to. Unreal quality and speed, and the video is on par with my 6D if not better in the same conditions.
719551
I have the Kodak zi8. I took it to Macchu-Pichu and performed beautifully well, spite being banged a few times. I am not sure the Panasonic would stand the roughness, even though it performs well. And the Kodak has a larger screen, so you can see what you are filming.
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Hey Julie- I too had this same question so I went out and purchased the Lumix DMC-TZ5. I found the camera to be very good in the zoom department and video was nice as well. The reason I returned this camera was because of the picture quality. Panasonic seems to me, to have yellow pictures. Even though there is IS, I still had many shots that turned out to be blurry. I owned a Pansasonic in the past and had the same issues on that camera. I now own the Olympus Stylus 1010 for about 2 weeks. I had a mid-size camera for years and loved it but wanted a pocket size camera that would do justice. I am very picky and have bought and returned 4 different point and shoot cameras. The Olympus 1010 is the first camera that I have fell in love with. Very fast, very small, and the image quality is awesome! I have a very difficult shooting base but this camera far exceeds any other camera I have purchased or spent many hours playing with. I am so very satisfied with my purchase and Olympus really has come through with this camera. Hope this helps!
724480
I do not know how it compares to the dmc zs8. In my research I found that the zs25 was a newer version of the zs20. A few people seemed to prefer the zs20, however, I am extremely happy with my zs25. It has 20X optical zoom and is small enough to put in a pouch to carry on my belt anytime. These were my major criteria, though I preferred also to have a viewfinder. The only camera with a viewfinder that would go in a small belt pouch was a a Fuji camera, but its zoom was only 4X, so I sacrificed having the viewfinder in order to get a belt pouch size camera with the 20X zoom. My zs25 if fantastic. It comes with a brief user manual, so if you want a complete user manual you would have to print it from your computer, and it 150 pages long though I only printed about 100 pages. Lastly, I decided that the belt pouch recommended by Amazon to go with the camera seemed a bit tight on the dimensions, so I bought my pouch from B&H Photo on line (free shipping) the pouch that they recommended for that same camera. It had about 1/4 extra inch on the width dimension that works just fine, enabling the camera to slip out of the pouch easily when I pull on it. Hope that helps. The zs25 is a great camera. The 20X zoom means a lot to me for a small carry anywhere camera. I think that series by Panansonic may be the only ones available with these two features (hi zoom and belt pouch size) combined, at a great price.
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http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/nikon_coolpix_p520_review/image_quality/ I havent tried the Nikon but this Sony is pretty good in low light video , no zoom noise ,its pretty quiet . But I believe for big portraits, full fledge photographers wont recomment this Sony model but I wont be blowing up pictures with this camera. The Fz200 is a panasonic model has a shutter speed of 15 seconds while Nikon is 8 seconds, so I would say Nikon is better but Sony has 4 seconds shutter speed , so for night photgraphy Sony is the best in the group .
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I have had both the s95 and s100 and they are wonderful cameras..What I love about the Canon 120 : touch screen..great for spot focusing with stills and movies Faster Af Slow motion video option Shoots 10 fps Very sold feel....great pocket camera HDR that really works very well Terrific low light So my answer to you is I think you would be very very happy with the S120//Hope that helps Dave
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Hi Glenn,Wow, thanks for doing that research for me. You found out in minutes what has taken me weeks!!! Well I guess with what you found I will have to narrow it down to either the T90 or the ZS3. I was reading other blogs that said that Panasonic is going to introduce a ZS7 and that might result in a price decrease on the ZS3 which is always good. I've talk to some people who are big fans of Sony cameras but, when you look at the table for shutter lags, they really are not doing so well. I will take your advice and go give them a "test drive" at Best Buy before I finally buy one. Thanks again for your time, that was very nice of you ;)Isabel Hi Glenn,Wow, thanks for doing that research for me. You found out in minutes what has taken me weeks!!! Well I guess with what you found I will have to narrow it down to either the T90 or the ZS3. I was reading other blogs that said that Panasonic is going to introduce a ZS7 and that might result in a price decrease on the ZS3 which is always good. I've talk to some people who are big fans of Sony cameras but, when you look at the table for shutter lags, they really are not doing so well. I will take your advice and go give them a "test drive" at Best Buy before... » Read More Hi Glenn,Wow, thanks for doing that research for me. You found out in minutes what has taken me weeks!!! Well I guess with what you found I will have to narrow it down to either the T90 or the ZS3. I was reading other blogs that said that Panasonic is going to introduce a ZS7 and that might result in a price decrease on the ZS3 which is always good. I've talk to some people who are big fans of Sony cameras but, when you look at the table for shutter lags, they really are not doing so well. I will take your advice and go give them a "test drive" at Best Buy before I finally buy one. Thanks again for your time, that was very nice of you ;)Isabel « Show Less