710 vs 720 I am in the market for a new Canon and have narrowed my choice to these two models. I am however stuck as to why the older 710 is more expensive than the 720. I can only see, being a digital virgin, that the color accent feature has been removed and an upgrade to Digic III is listed on the 720. Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I am feeling a bit intimidated purchasing a digital. Are either pretty user friendly for a beginner? 710 vs 720 I am in the market for a new Canon and have narrowed my choice to these two models. I am however stuck as to why the older 710 is more expensive than the 720. I can only see, being a... » Read More 710 vs 720 I am in the market for a new Canon and have narrowed my choice to these two models. I am however stuck as to why the older 710 is more expensive than the 720. I can only see, being a digital virgin, that the color accent feature has been removed and an upgrade to Digic III is listed on the 720. Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I am feeling a bit intimidated purchasing a digital. Are either pretty user friendly for a beginner? « Show Less
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You might not care yet as a beginner, but the Digic II processor (but NOT the Digic III) can be modified with the third-party CHDK firmware. This means that, down the line, you can turn on all sorts of advanced features in the 710is (live histogram, RAW format, intervalometer, etc, etc, etc) but not in the 720.I have a 710 and absolutely love it.
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Initially, I was also thinking of purchasing XSi earlier but now zeroed in on T1i (or 50D - wallet permitting) because (1) higher Effective Pixels in T1i / 50D - 15.1 M as against 12.2 M. ( I agree not a big factor for casual / normal photography) (2) HD Video in T1i (though one of my last considerations , but still it's a cool feature to have - managing a DSLR & Camcorder during an event / ceremony is difficult for me ) (3) DIGIC 4 Image Processing engine in T1i / 50D is better than Digic III in XSi (4) Lower ISO Rating / range in case of XSi (100-1600) as compared to T1i / 50D (100-3200 expandable to 6400,12800) meaning better performance in low light for T1i / 50D. (5) Number of LCD dots (in the LCD screen) is much higher in T1i / 50D (920,000) as against XSi (230,000) meaning better LCD visibility in bright sunlight. (6) Last but not the least , XSi was launched in January'08 as against March'09 for T1i - so you have already lost ~1.5 years out of 5 year life!! However , in case of Pixel density and price XSi scores over T1i/50D. Btw, cost difference is not much for T1i with and without the kit lens - better go for T1i kit. Canon 28-135mm zoom lens is ok but I like Tamron AF 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC LD Aspherical IF Macro Zoom Lens. Hope this will be helpful for you.
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I too am wondering the same question. Picked up the 1100IS the other day for $150 but now I see the 770IS for $160. I know MP's aren't too important on the little cameras (not DSLR's) but can't help to think the 770IS is better because of it. Anyone have a tech opinion of the two?
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Just read this:..."I believe Canon discontinued these because they use the same sensor as their "professional" cameras costing up to $4k."They don´t make these cameras anymore, and they come with a very expensive piece. Probably it´s this.
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Lets face it the Canon EOS-iD Mark II was released in 2004, and Clearly the Canon 1D2 was the very best for its time. Its now 10 years later, and there are many cameras that have FAR SUPERIOR low light and color rendition that a device engineered 12 years ago. Knowing that one can buy the 1D2 for under $500, your money is much better spent on a Canon 7D, which has excellent low-light performance. I highly recomment that you do NOT buy any 10 year old digital camera. It seems that every 2 year there are amazing improvements, so take advantage of the most current model. Todays Canon REBEL is superior to the 1D2 in Color and Low light capability. Currently my pick for the most optimal cost/performance Digital is Canon's EOS 5D Mark III. Marilyn and I covered an auto show last weekend, take a look at the shots taken with a 5D and Canon D650, the link is www.416-1100.com Later this year I will likely move back to the 1D cameras as I miss the Audio file for captioning images. I cannot take notes when I'm covering an event, and the 1D record button lets one attach an audio file to each image, or any image... I changed to the 5D3 because it was lighter and more compact, but I always use the Battery grip, so that defeats the size/weight consideration. Jim.Wilson
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I'm confused, how does the zoom on the 640 which is not as much as on the 710, make you lean toward the 640? That should make you lean towards the 710, no? I don't know if I would say that the camera would be "significantly" heavier because of two AA batteries, but yeah, it will be heavier. On the other hand, heavier in photography isn't a bad thing. If the camera has more weight / momentum, it will be less prone to "human induced" blur, or so the theory goes. I would also guess that the batteries on the 640 last longer. From reviews I have seen, it appears that the 640 has a slightly better picture quality. On the other hand it does not have image stablization. Although, image stabilization is more important at higher zoom levels which is what the 710 has. I really think it's a toss up. Do you need the zoom? Get the 710. Would you like the best quality possible? Get the 640. It might help if you go to a local store and check those two cameras out, and then decide.
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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.
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I've used a Canon A80 for the last three years (just bought the 710 this weekend) and have had excellent luck with it as an underwater camera. True you have to wait about four seconds while the photo is being stored to the disk, but it gave me time to decide weather or not I wanted to keep it (and believe me, I junked plenty of shots, anenome fish are not cooperative subjects.) I took the 710 into my pool (with the housing, of course) and found the shutter lag to be almost un-noticeable. I almost always use flash u/w, so I find the time waiting for next shot delay was a non-problem (have to wait for the flash to build up again). I was particularly impressed with the macro photos. My little $400 setup took comparable macro photos to my buddies who were using housed SLR's with twin strobe setups. I'm not sure what happened with your memory card (unformatted) but I think you'll be happy with the 710.
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The A-700 is one year newer than the D-80, it's 12 megapixels to the D-80's 10 MP. The A-700 uses a CMOS, the Nikon uses a CCD. CMOS uses less battery power and usually gives better low-light, long exposure (night) photos with less noise than CCD sensors. The A-700 has the new 900K pixel LCD screen, the D-80 has the older 230K pixel LCD. The list of differences is too long to detail out here, read up on the cameras at DPReview. The most fundamental difference of course if the lens mount. As it's always been since the beginning of D-SLR's, people who already have a collection of SLR film camera lenses for a particular brand will probably buy whatever digital camera body will accept the lenses they already have; People who own a collection of Minolta MD and "A" mount lenses will probably at least consider the Sony A-100 or A-700 cameras before they would start from scratch by switching to Nikon, Olympus, Canon or Pentax. There are lots of old Minolta Rokkor MD mount "prime" lenses out there that were made with very high quality glass; these can be used (with manual focus and exposure) on the Sony A-100 and A-700 by adding a simple $35 adapter ring to the lens mount. Canon owners who already have a bunch of "L" series lenses are for-sure going to buy a Canon D-40 or 400. If you already own Nikon-mount lenses, you will probably want to consider the new Nikon D-300. It looks similar in specs to the Sony A-700 and probably uses the exact same sensor (it's a 12 MP CMOS). Or, there's the D-80 which is probably going to be $400~$500 less than the D-300.
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I am considering the same three cameras. I went to CNET.com and they have reviews for all three of these cameras. Just click on REveiws and then DIGTAL CAMERAS. CNET provides some inside information about digicams. It was very helpful in helping make a decision. The website also explains the difference between optical and digtial zoom. I am going to purchase the A710 because it has image stablization because I often take pictures free hand. There is a Canon A570 IS with the same thing at a less price.
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Im debating between those 2 as well, I always loved canon lenses, image quality in my opinion always outranked Sony. But recently my father bought the Sony a55 and image quality is amazing, my 12 year old sister took some pictures with it, and they look like done by a pro. Any help from experienced pros please!!!!, thanks in advance, I appreciate it!!
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I have the same sentiment. This will be my first foray into digital SLR. I want one camera for nice photos and also for HD video. This sony was the only one I could find that has continuous autofocus in video mode so that's why I'm opting for it over the rebel.
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You want the A710 IS. There is just no comparison to the others.The other two are only 3x zoom and lack key features. You will hate yourself the next day. For the $40 difference, how many photos do you think you will take? A thousand, 5 thousand? So the cheapest one will save you a penny a shot?And the Canon cameras have so many features that typically are only found in big, expensive Digital SLRs.
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I was faced with this exact problem and chose the 700. Here are my reasons. The 700 has a longer lens but the 800 has a wider lens. For my shooting purposes, longer is definitely more useful. You should think about what kind of shots you're likely to shoot and decide based on that. The 800 has a newer sensor and higher ISO capabilities. The higher ISO enables you to shoot in dark light so if you often shoot at night, that might be something to think about. I doubt the newer sensor is worth the $80. It's not like the 700 had a terrible sensor.
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I own both. Bought one of first 18-200s made in Japan to go with my first dslr: D50 that I got for a trip to the Bahamas. Have wonderful images I still enjoy. Now have lightweight D5000 and super D7000. Bought 18-140 for light weight to hike w/D5000. Use 28-200 w/D7000 otherwise.Both focus quickly, iq is similar. Both have VR but 200 has active mode for shooting while moving, which I love. So 140 wins on weight, price, while 200 adds focal length and versatile VR.
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I am leaning towards SD1000 as well. I find it hard to justify the $100+ extra for an SD870 IS for only marginally better, and rarely used features:SD1000 v/s SD870 IS (using the Product Comparison on the Canon site):* pixels: 7.4MP / 8.3 MP* focal length: 35-105mm / 28-105mm* Shutter speed: 15-1/1500sec / 15-1600sec* Shooting speed: 1.7fps / 1.3 fps (so, actually slower!)* Screen: 2.5" / 3"* Optical zoom: 3.8x / 3xWell, the main feature on SD870 is the IS - but for an ultra compact camera point-and-shoot camera it will remain a rarely used feature. I am leaning towards SD1000 as well. I find it hard to justify the $100+ extra for an SD870 IS for only marginally better, and rarely used features:SD1000 v/s SD870 IS (using the Product Comparison on the Canon site):* pixels: 7.4MP / 8.3 MP* focal length: 35-105mm / 28-105mm* Shutter speed: 15-1/1500sec / 15-1600sec* Shooting speed: 1.7fps / 1.3 fps (so, actually slower!)* Screen: 2.5" / 3"* Optical zoom: 3.8x / 3xWell, the main feature on SD870 is the IS - but for an ultra compact camera point-and-shoot camera it will remain... » Read More I am leaning towards SD1000 as well. I find it hard to justify the $100+ extra for an SD870 IS for only marginally better, and rarely used features:SD1000 v/s SD870 IS (using the Product Comparison on the Canon site):* pixels: 7.4MP / 8.3 MP* focal length: 35-105mm / 28-105mm* Shutter speed: 15-1/1500sec / 15-1600sec* Shooting speed: 1.7fps / 1.3 fps (so, actually slower!)* Screen: 2.5" / 3"* Optical zoom: 3.8x / 3xWell, the main feature on SD870 is the IS - but for an ultra compact camera point-and-shoot camera it will remain a rarely used feature. « Show Less
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Gregory, I don't know if you are purchasing the Canon 20D camera body from the same person that I did. If so then this is what I think. After much research on the camera, I found it was the top of the line, of all cameras, when it first came out. The original price was up around $1800 and had more "bells and Whistles" on it than you could imagine. It was stated that it was in very good condition. When I got it in the mail, I found everything was sealed in its original wrappings and the manual's pages were not even bent. I really believe that it had never been out of the original box. It was in mint condition. I am using it strictly for astrophotography on my 3 large telescopes. It is performing flawlessly. I still had a couple of lenses from my old 35mm film camera, so I bought an adapter for the 20D so I could use the lenses. The photos are great. The 20D was made back in 2004, I believe, but it is far from being obsolete. It has a great range of speed and apertures and the ISO is very good. It even has an electronic noise reducer that gets rid of graininess when you go above 800 ISO. That works very well. Go for it. Ron