Personal Views needed

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

It would be nice to know some idea of how much you want to spend and
what you hope to do with the cam.

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Steve Haynes wrote:
[]
> I have read reviews on the normal camera sites and now wonder if
> anybody on here could give some more personal feedback or comments on
> my shortlist.

Steve, why not look back on this group (rec.photo.digital) for topics with
the camera name in? There's lots been written already.

(I trimmed your cross-posting).

Archived from groups: free.uk.photographic.equipment.digital,free.uk.photography,rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Steve Haynes" <steven.haynes1@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:A8lde.22780$TT6.18022@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
> Hi
>
> I am looking to purchase a new and indeed first digital camera.
>
> A friend has explained what features to look for and which to avoid. At
> present my preferred ones are the following.
>
> I have read reviews on the normal camera sites and now wonder if anybody
> on here could give some more personal feedback or comments on my
> shortlist.
>
> Minolta Dimage Z5
>
> Fuji FPS 5500
>
> Thanks
>
> Steve

Get the z5. Fujis are nice but lag is still a problem.

Archived from groups: free.uk.photographic.equipment.digital,free.uk.photography,rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Just get a camera...it won't be the right one anyway. You cannot know what
will bug you until you live with it awhile. We cannot tell you whether a
camera will be too simple or complex for you. So, buy one and have fun. In
two years you will want something else and you will know what you do and
don't want.


"Steve Haynes" <steven.haynes1@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:A8lde.22780$TT6.18022@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
> Hi
>
> I am looking to purchase a new and indeed first digital camera.
>
> A friend has explained what features to look for and which to avoid. At
> present my preferred ones are the following.
>
> I have read reviews on the normal camera sites and now wonder if anybody
on
> here could give some more personal feedback or comments on my shortlist.
>
> Minolta Dimage Z5
>
> Fuji FPS 5500
>
> Thanks
>
> Steve
>
>

Archived from groups: free.uk.photographic.equipment.digital,free.uk.photography,rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Steve Haynes" <steven.haynes1@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:A8lde.22780$TT6.18022@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
> Hi
>
> I am looking to purchase a new and indeed first digital camera.
>
> A friend has explained what features to look for and which to avoid. At
> present my preferred ones are the following.
>
> I have read reviews on the normal camera sites and now wonder if anybody
on
> here could give some more personal feedback or comments on my shortlist.
>
> Minolta Dimage Z5

Avoid. This lacks an AF Assist lamp.

> Fuji FPS 5500

Avoid, see: "http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s5100-re..."

Archived from groups: free.uk.photographic.equipment.digital,free.uk.photography,rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Gene Palmiter" <palmiter_gene@verizon.net> wrote in message
news 5rde.9199$xy.6907@trnddc08...

> Just get a camera...it won't be the right one anyway.

Wow, that's the kind of advice people come here for!

Archived from groups: free.uk.photographic.equipment.digital,free.uk.photography,rec.photo.digital (More info?)

>
> "Steve Haynes" <steven.haynes1@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
> news:A8lde.22780$TT6.18022@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
> > Hi
> >
> > I am looking to purchase a new and indeed first digital camera.
> >
> > A friend has explained what features to look for and which to
avoid. At
> > present my preferred ones are the following.
> >
> > I have read reviews on the normal camera sites and now wonder if
anybody
> > on here could give some more personal feedback or comments on my
> > shortlist.
> >
> > Minolta Dimage Z5
> >
> > Fuji FPS 5500
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Steve


A few simple things to think about:-

Do you need an optical viewfinder? Remember LCD screens drink power,
so if you can live with the optical viewfinder and just use the screen
occasionally to check, your battery will last a lot longer. Also
remember screens that hinge can break or become intermittent.

Do you wear glasses? Some cameras have eyesight correction on the
viewfinder.

Can you see the text on the screen for set-up purposes - do you need a
camera with a bigger screen?

Are you likely to travel with no access to mains - such as camping? If
so, look for a camera that takes AA cells so that you can use Alkaline
or Lithium AA's instead of rechargeables.

How big does it need to be? Bigger cameras often have many options,
but are pigs to carry all day if they won't go in your pocket easily.

How big do you want go go with prints? For an A4 print from a full
frame a 3Mp camera will do. If however you want to go A4 from only
half the frame or less then look at 5Mp or higher.

One thing that most people overlook and which can be very annoying is
shutter lag - that is how long the camera takes to complete taking the
picture from the instant that the shutter release is first pressed. I
have an Olympus 5050 which takes two seconds or so; I also have a
Ricoh RR30 (now obsolete) which (supposedly) takes the picture in
220mS from button press. Most cameras will take the picture
considerably faster if the camera is prefocussed (half press on
shutter release.)

Ignore any reference to digital zoom - you should only use optical
zoom, which for most cameras is 2.8 - 4 times, the equivalent on a
35mm of 35-100mm to 35-140mm. Some have a wider start and do the
equivalent of 28-110mm. If you use the digital zoom facility you use
only a fraction of the pixels of a full screen shot. For instance if
you have a 6Mp camera and zoom in by 2x - that is half of the height
and half of the width - that is a quarter of the pixels: in other
words it is equivalent to using a 1.5Mp camera. Some cameras go
straight from optical zooming into digital zooming, sometimes with the
need to stop zooming and restart at the transfer point, others will
only use digital zoom if the screen is on, others allow it to be
switched off.

Be very careful of the Mp rating. Fuji used to say their cameras were
6Mp when in fact they were only 3Mp and interpolated to get the 6Mp,
which by definition will degrade the original. The magic words are
'effective pixels.'

Get a camera with a good lens. Canon, Olympus, Nikon, Pentax, Ricoh,
and Konica/Minolta all use their own, Sony use Carl Zeiss, Casio use
Pentax or Canon, Panasonic use Leica.

Having done all that, go (at a quiet time like mid-weekday morning) to
Jessops, Curry's, Expensive World, or whatever, and get them to get
out a few cameras in your price range and with batteries and card
fitted and play with them. With luck one or more should 'feel' right,
and you should choose from them. It doesn't follow that biggest or
smallest is best. If you are happy to buy from them, do so, otherwise
go home and do some surfing on sites like Amazon or UK Digital to get
the best price.

A few good machines worth looking at:-
Casio QV-R61 - on offer until Tuesday night at Dixon's Stores Group
(DSG - Dixon's, Curry's, Expensive World) at £229. My daughter has the
QV-R40 4Mp with 1.5" screen version, and it is superb. R61 is 6Mp with
2" screen and is very quick.
Sony W1 (or the later W5,) indeed almost any Sony.
Canon A520 or A95 (both 4x zoom)
Nikon 4600/4800/5200
Fuji A345/A350 if you want cheap, E550 if you want to pay more.

And if you want to go the whole hog, the Canon 300SD digital SLR is
now under £500!

Lets us know what you buy.


--
Woody

harrogate2 at ntlworld dot com

Archived from groups: free.uk.photographic.equipment.digital,free.uk.photography,rec.photo.digital (More info?)

On 2-5-2005 17:05, Steven M. Scharf wrote:
>>
>>Minolta Dimage Z5
>
>
> Avoid. This lacks an AF Assist lamp.
>
>
>>Fuji FPS 5500
>
>
> Avoid, see: "http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_s5100-re..."
>
>

I agree you should avoid the 'softfocus' Z5 - I prefer the sharper
Panasonic FZ-5 images: for example see
"http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz5/page7.asp"

As compared to these cameras the Fuji is cheaper and not that bad - but
obviously it depends on your needs.

Of course for all cameras mentioned the noise levels and dynamic range
are in line with the smaller sensor size - if you don't find it
acceptable you should look for D-SLR's

Reinder

Archived from groups: free.uk.photographic.equipment.digital,free.uk.photography,rec.photo.digital (More info?)

"Steve Haynes" <steven.haynes1@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:A8lde.22780$TT6.18022@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
> Hi
>
> I am looking to purchase a new and indeed first digital camera.
>
> A friend has explained what features to look for and which to avoid. At
> present my preferred ones are the following.
>
> I have read reviews on the normal camera sites and now wonder if anybody
on
> here could give some more personal feedback or comments on my shortlist.
>
> Minolta Dimage Z5
>
> Fuji FPS 5500
>
> Thanks
>
> Steve
>
>
Steve,
I haven't touched a Z5, but with the photos I get off my Z3 I'm sure that
you wouldn't be disappointed.
The lens is all glass, which I find is good and the zoom is 12x optical and
4 times digital, I haven't yet needed the digital.
Get NiMH batteries as they last far longer that anything else I've tried,
and I take a lot of indoor location shots, the screen doesn't seem to drain
the battery either.
The thing I like about the camera is the many modes it has - if you want to
treat it as a point and shoot camera it will cope very well on it's own, but
you can also treat it as a manual camera and get as creative as you wish.
See http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/z5.html for a review.

If you are on Broadband email me and I will send you some photos.

Cheers
Steve