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Digital Camera Choices

R

Rdizziedog

n00b
Joined
Jul 19, 2007
Messages
18
I need a new digital camera and have been doing a little research. I don't want to spend any more than $350 and would prefer it to be a compact or ultra compact.

The two best cameras that I've found in this price range are:

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS at $279

Canon PowerShot SD950 IS at $325

The SD950 has 4 more megapixels, but once you get up past 8... does it really matter unless you're going to blow it up to poster sizes? The SD870 has a larger LCD screen, which is somewhat appealing. All of the reviews that I've read for both of them have been really good.

I had also been looking at the Olympus Stylus 770SW, and just noticed the new 1030SW is coming out soon. Though these cameras are very appealing because they are waterproof, they are very expensive and I'm afraid the quality won't be that great. Does anyone here have the 770SW and mind giving their personal experience with it? I do a lot of traveling and would have loved to have a waterproof camera when snorkeling in Hawaii a couple months ago.

What are your thoughts on these cameras, and if you have any others to throw into the mix, I'd appreciate any suggestions!
 
You can save yourself some bucks by picking up the SD850IS at $253. The major difference is the LCD screen is smaller.
 
I got the 870 over the 950 because the 870 is 28mm. Yes it makes a big difference. I tested both of them. It was a hard decision between the 870 and the G9. The IQ and noise control of the 870 was better than the 950 from all my tests.
 
darktiger said:
I got the 870 over the 950 because the 870 is 28mm. Yes it makes a big difference. I tested both of them. It was a hard decision between the 870 and the G9. The IQ and noise control of the 870 was better than the 950 from all my tests.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, makes me feel like my leaning towards the 870 over 950 was warranted.

Jerome36 said:
You'd probably get more responses in the Photography & Video Section.
Click to expand...

I didn't even know that section existed, thanks for the heads up. If a mod could move this there I'd greatly appreciate it.
 
Rdizziedog said:
I need a new digital camera and have been doing a little research. I don't want to spend any more than $350 and would prefer it to be a compact or ultra compact.

The two best cameras that I've found in this price range are:

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS at $279

Canon PowerShot SD950 IS at $325

The SD950 has 4 more megapixels, but once you get up past 8... does it really matter unless you're going to blow it up to poster sizes? The SD870 has a larger LCD screen, which is somewhat appealing. All of the reviews that I've read for both of them have been really good.

I had also been looking at the Olympus Stylus 770SW, and just noticed the new 1030SW is coming out soon. Though these cameras are very appealing because they are waterproof, they are very expensive and I'm afraid the quality won't be that great. Does anyone here have the 770SW and mind giving their personal experience with it? I do a lot of traveling and would have loved to have a waterproof camera when snorkeling in Hawaii a couple months ago.

What are your thoughts on these cameras, and if you have any others to throw into the mix, I'd appreciate any suggestions!
Click to expand...


As far as the difference in megapixels is concerned, more usually does not mean better. The problem is that those cameras use both the same sensor size (think of it as digital film). If you cram more pixels onto a sensor, it degrades picture quality and add noise/grain. I didn't look at the cameras, but the one with less megapixels will probably take nicer pictures. 10MP on my 40D is plent already on its sensor size.
 
berndawg3 said:
As far as the difference in megapixels is concerned, more usually does not mean better. The problem is that those cameras use both the same sensor size (think of it as digital film). If you cram more pixels onto a sensor, it degrades picture quality and add noise/grain. I didn't look at the cameras, but the one with less megapixels will probably take nicer pictures. 10MP on my 40D is plent already on its sensor size.
Click to expand...
I got that exact problem with my Exilim 1050. It has so much noise that you can't really take advantage of those 10 MP.
 
most ultra compact's have bad lense mechanisms that need to be replaced if you are near alot of dust, or sand, or salt (sea, beach and such), they are made of plastic and get jammed easily

Panasonic how ever is one of the few this problem happens with , since they are the only company to make %100 of their camera.


as for the MP it is like ghz market myth, what matters it the sensor quality, my Canon 20D 8MP even though almost 3 years old prob takes better pics then most any new 8+ MP camera's in terms of P&S, simply because it has a high quality cmos sensor in it.

Also, more MP really just means that you can take larger pictures, as in the resolution.


^^^ if your camera has alot of noise, has no as much to do with the MP, but likely bad lighting, or badly set manual setting, or a cheap sensor that doesnt handle noise well, a 40D can easily handle more then 10MP, just as my 20D could handle 10MP if it was made that way, but it isnt because camera makers, like computer makers, need something to add to their next line up.

If you want some great advice head over to http://photography-on-the.net/forum/
 
FWIW, I just decided on the A720IS for myself. 8mp, 6x optical zoom, accessory lens attachment, optical viewfinder, and the perfect size.

One major plus for me, but others might not like is it takes run of the mill AA batteries. Every time I've had a camera that takes a battery pack, I end up finding myself wanting to snap a few shots, but the battery is dead.

Check out Steves Digicams for some of the best camera reviews around.
 
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