Canon s5, Olypus 550 or Sony H-9 Does anyone have any advice on which one of these 3 would be the better all around camera? I will be using it for a lot of sporting events so I want something that is quick and that has good zoom quality. I am leaning towards the H-9, but the 2x digital zoom concerns me. Is it a big deal or not for the digital zoom number to be high or is it just the optical zoom that matters. Any help is appreciated because I am so confused right now. Thanks. Canon s5, Olypus 550 or Sony H-9 Does anyone have any advice on which one of these 3 would be the better all around camera? I will be using it for a lot of sporting events so I want something that... » Read More Canon s5, Olypus 550 or Sony H-9 Does anyone have any advice on which one of these 3 would be the better all around camera? I will be using it for a lot of sporting events so I want something that is quick and that has good zoom quality. I am leaning towards the H-9, but the 2x digital zoom concerns me. Is it a big deal or not for the digital zoom number to be high or is it just the optical zoom that matters. Any help is appreciated because I am so confused right now. Thanks. « Show Less
224330
I read and read. I ended up buying the H-9 and I love it! It is super fast and the pictures are great.
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I'm researching this too, but will not consider any Sony product due to bad experiences with the shutter button popping off the H-2.
474710
I have been looking into buying one of the two as well. One of my interests is birds. The have the highest zoom Nikon 36 zoom and canon 35 zoom and all in one piece. Does anyone use either for birding?Thank you!
154002
Thank you! I haven't heard of the sx40 i'll check it out. I really like the specs. On the sx230. The images looked better than the Sony hx9 I was gonna get. But the canon seem to beat it with quality of picture. Thanks again
222581
I chose the Sony HX1. It isn't perfect, but it fit my needs (action shots, low light) The panorama is pretty cool too. Some pictures of my first time out with the camera: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kdemerly/sets/72157623202912683/
514855
I recently bought a Sony STL-A55V camera and shot a number of high school play cast members portraits using a Sigma 90mm f2.8 fixed lens and did not have any problems at all. I really liked the results. I have some Sigma zoom lenses and I will try those and see if a problem occurs with them. I upgraded from a Sony A300 and think that the A55 is far better camera. I sold the A300 which I enjoyed for two years but I was never happy with its low light performance. The features on the A55 are a lot of fun.
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I love the Canon SX700. The picture quality, zoom, ease of use in a solid little camera sold me. Recently went to MT. Shasta in CA & was amazed at the photos of the mountain I could clearly get because of the zoom, and I also captured hummingbirds and other birds.....Here in FL, I'm using the photo burst to photograph dolphins. Do as much homework as you can & see what is right for you.
1365207
Yes... I'm very happy with the sp570 that I'm using right now, which includes RAW and RAW+JPEG shooting, as well as a hot shoe. I was hoping Olympus would include a rotating LCD after Canon's new model. That would have been nice. I'm upgrading to an SLR shortly, but the specs on this are worth a second glance. 26x... wow. The Bird-Watching mode also appeals to me as a wildlife photographer, although I'm not sure how exactly it would work. I know the smile shot option on the 570 is utterly useless. But the predecessor, although much maligned, is a fantastic camera, so I guess we'll have to see.
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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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I originally bought the Sony W90 based on specs. My first one was defective. It took pictures, but only the pictures in very bright light were acceptable. I exchanged for another W90 and although better, it still had VERY high levels of noise even with flash. I returned that one and bought a Canon 800IS. The Canon has taken EXCELLENT pictures even in low light. The image stabilization works well and the pictures taken with ISO 1600 are about the same noise level as the sony at 400 and 800 ISO. At 800 ISO the Canon produces better pictures than the Sony at 100 ISO. For my money...The Canon is better hands down.
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I am planning to get Canon SX20is since I am hiking the Sierras again late Summer. I like the fact that it uses 4 AA alkaline batteries - which I can easily purchase. It has 20X Optical Zoom so hopefully I can get a lot of wild life pictures from afar. I took several pictures of a bear and her cubs last year with Olympus(4X optical zoom) and they turn out very disappointing :(
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I have the Sony. (Took 3 thousand photos and video on an international trip). It is mostly fine, but there are 2 complaints with which I agree on the message boards. 1. Blue purple tint and glare from the lens coating in bright sunlight. 2. In general, not perfectly sharp pictures usually. (I have 5 year old Kodak 5mp that is often more sharp). The good...amazing motion stabilization. 'Able to take photos in almost any light condition without the flash!! I also have some good photos from moving vehicles. Very compact and no protruding lens or lens motor. Quick startup. HD movie is ok also. Acceptable battery life. FYI. There are assorted complaints about the Canons also. I have now read enough not to expect perfect photos from ANY point and shoot, but like you, I hate to drag around that Nikon. (You might try one of the new cameras with a bit larger sensor, like 4 3rds).
989001
I would get the Canon S95. It has a bigger sensor to collect light and a larger maximum aperture, the hole that allows the light to go in. This is the old fashioned way of getting better pictures. My next pocket camera will be something like the S95. Sony does good stuff and I have a Sony HX5V (and its great), and I go nuts taking pictures of my baby niece and my little nephew, but after learning more about cameras, I'd spend at little extra cash and get a camera that has a larger sensor and bigger maximum aperture. Shooting pictures indoor means less light that the camera can collect, so it best to have a camera equipped with the means to gather the most light it can get....if that makes any sense.
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Don't have any S-series cameras, but as a general comparison to the other Canon PowerShot cameras we have used in the $250-300 range I would say Canon has a better charger, better focusing for outdoors (P340 seems to try to focus on leaves when trying to take a photo of a building), similar battery life, and worse flash re-charge time. The Canon might be better on shutter release lag and simplicity of controls.
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I'm also trying to decide if the Canon XS or XSI is right for me. I own the original 6.1mp Canon digital Rebel slr and am wondering if now is a good time to upgrade? I used to shoot primarily landscapes while traveling, but am doing more portraits now that I have kids. The Digic III processor definitely caught my attention, but I'm wondering how much of a difference in the cameras will I notice?
182601
Jake,I wanted a camera that I could put in my pocket instead of lugging around my SLR equipment. I had the canon s95 before this which was slightly smaller took great shots but has a small zoom. This camera for its flexibility as far as manual controls, great picture quality, more than adequate video and of course 20x optical is a as good as it gets for the price. Depends on what you are looking for however. There are many times I cant tell the difference between the shots I have taken with my more advanced equipment and this one. Very pleased with my purchase. Feel free to ask me any other questions .Milt Jake,I wanted a camera that I could put in my pocket instead of lugging around my SLR equipment. I had the canon s95 before this which was slightly smaller took great shots but has a small zoom. This camera for its flexibility as far as manual controls, great picture quality, more than adequate video and of course 20x optical is a as good as it gets for the price. Depends on what you are looking for however. There are many times I cant tell the difference between the shots I have taken with my more advanced equipment and this one. Very pleased with my purchase. Feel free to ask me any... » Read More Jake,I wanted a camera that I could put in my pocket instead of lugging around my SLR equipment. I had the canon s95 before this which was slightly smaller took great shots but has a small zoom. This camera for its flexibility as far as manual controls, great picture quality, more than adequate video and of course 20x optical is a as good as it gets for the price. Depends on what you are looking for however. There are many times I cant tell the difference between the shots I have taken with my more advanced equipment and this one. Very pleased with my purchase. Feel free to ask me any other questions .Milt « Show Less
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The S95 (or in my case, the S90) takes far better macro shots than the X100. Focus is much faster and solid. But the X100 takes 'bokeh' shots much better than the little Canon. I'm keeping both as I believe they complement each other rather well.
132872
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.