Buying my first ZLR (entry level)

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

Susan McGee wrote:

> I've narrowed it down to five models--
>
> Minolta Z3
> Canon S1 IS
> Olympus C-765
> Lumix FZ3
> Fuji S5100

In that class, you should also look at the Nikon Coolpix 4800 ...

http://www.steves-digicams.com/200 [...] n4800.html

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

"Susan McGee" <mcgeesusan@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:n0orp05eg22a2a9423aqdj2d2robgq3fci@4ax.com...
> I've narrowed it down to five models--
>
> Minolta Z3
> Canon S1 IS
> Olympus C-765
> Lumix FZ3
> Fuji S5100
>
> I am open to any opinions, suggestions, comparisons, comments,
> praises, and complaints about any or all of these models.
>
> Hope to hear from you.

I was in much the same situation and read everything I found about similar
cameras. Finally I narrowed the list down to S1IS and FZ3. I ended up buying
the Canon, and just received it today.

I have only tried the camera for a few hours, and so far it seems very good.
What made me go for the Canon was the swivel LCD, better video mode, AA
batteries and CF card as I already have a few NIMH batteries and CF cards.

After trying the camera I wouldn't buy a ZLR without image stabilizer. It
really helps!

My suggestion is to get the Canon or the Panasonic.

--
Jan Otto

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

Susan McGee <mcgeesusan@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<n0orp05eg22a2a9423aqdj2d2robgq3fci@4ax.com>...
> Hi everyone!! Glad to see the group up and running.
>
> My first digital camera (a Canon S230 point & shoot) is great, but I'm
> ready to buy something with a bigger zoom range than my current 2X,
> more user control settings, and a camera that is easier to hold on to.
> I've narrowed it down to five models--
>
> Minolta Z3
> Canon S1 IS
> Olympus C-765
> Lumix FZ3
> Fuji S5100

Go with the Olympus. If you can spend a little extra then get the
C-770, as it has a flash shoe and more features.

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

"Woodchuck Bill" <bwr607@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Xns95A6E8BF1758Cbswr607h4@130.133.1.4...
> "Jan Otto Ruud" <navnet.mitt@broadpark.no> wrote in
> news:307g19F2s8h69U1@uni-berlin.de:
>
>> After trying the camera I wouldn't buy a ZLR without image stabilizer.
>> It really helps!
>>
>> My suggestion is to get the Canon or the Panasonic.
>
> The Minolta Z3 also has IS (AS), and an extra megapixel of resolution.

I know, and I liked it a lot from reading the specs. However from checking
forums and reviews there seems to be quite a few problems with it, and the
picture quality is not the best.

--
Jan Otto

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

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 17:15:10 +0000, Pete Fenelon wrote:

> Lukas Varossieau <varossieau@mail2netherlands.com> wrote:
>> Go with the Olympus. If you can spend a little extra then get the
>> C-770, as it has a flash shoe and more features.
>
> The 770 is a nice camera, but I think its lack of IS means that you can
> only exploit its excellent lens in favourable conditions. It was one of
> my final shortlist of three (FZ10, C770 and S1 IS). Resolution is the
> limiting problem with the S1 for me - 3.2 megapixels lags the field a
> little.
>
> What I really wanted was the lens and stabiliser of an S1 IS with the
> 'back end' of a Powershot G5. Alas that's not a camera Canon have yet seen
> fit to market -- so I bought the FZ10.

I have a C-750.

My biggest complaint is the poor low light focus, and the lack of any AF
assist. You can work around this somewhat by saving one of the "my modes"
to have a manual focus (about 6 feet) and force flash on.

I don't know how the other cameras compare in this area, some reviews have
low-light focus tests others don't.

Otherwise it is very nice, and I do not see the lack of IS as a major
drawback, though it is hard to compare without actually having used a
camera with IS, and I'm sure there are better pictures I could have
captured if I had it.

I try to take extra shots and hold the camera as still as possible.

The 4MP is also a plus compared to the (?) Canon.

-- Patrick Mansfield

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

Woodchuck Bill wrote:
> "Jan Otto Ruud" <navnet.mitt@broadpark.no> wrote in
> news:307g19F2s8h69U1@uni-berlin.de:
>
>> After trying the camera I wouldn't buy a ZLR without image
>> stabilizer. It really helps!
>>
>> My suggestion is to get the Canon or the Panasonic.
>
> The Minolta Z3 also has IS (AS), and an extra megapixel of resolution.

But the image quality from the 4MP Panasonic FZ20 beats the image quality
from the 8MP Minolta A2 (to quote two off-original-list cameras!). [I
took the same picture with both cameras, I'm not quoting from reviews].

David

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

varossieau@mail2Netherlands.com (Lukas Varossieau) wrote in message news:<7c03b8b0.0411192108.3bbfa070@posting.google.com>...
> Susan McGee <mcgeesusan@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<n0orp05eg22a2a9423aqdj2d2robgq3fci@4ax.com>...
> > Hi everyone!! Glad to see the group up and running.
> >
> > My first digital camera (a Canon S230 point & shoot) is great, but I'm
> > ready to buy something with a bigger zoom range than my current 2X,
> > more user control settings, and a camera that is easier to hold on to.
> > I've narrowed it down to five models--
> >
> > Minolta Z3
> > Canon S1 IS
> > Olympus C-765
> > Lumix FZ3
> > Fuji S5100
>


We've had the Canon since it hit the market and we're tickled to death
with it. Unless you do enlargements bigger than 8x10 or a lot of
cropping, you'll never miss a couple megapixels with the advantage of
IS. I almost never print anything since I have several programs to
create slide show CD's that I hand out to all the relatives who either
have computers or DVD players that display them. I just got an 8x10
back from Wal Mart that looks as good as anything I ever shot with my
Nikon FG and that came from a 2 megapixel Kodak with no IS.

The main reasons we chose the Canon were IS, AA batteries and CF
memory. We had a Kodak 3600 which used both so we had no need to buy
memory cards or batteries if we stayed with the same format. That's
no longer as big a consideration with memory being much cheaper in the
last several months. I just got a 512 meg SD card for under fifty
dollars. I think the first 64 meg CF card we bought for the Kodak was
$65 and we thought we got a great buy at the time. ;o) As someone
else said in this thread, it will depend a lot on your needs and
preferences. If you want poster sized prints, get all the megapixels
you can and use a tripod. If you're like me and want the best shot
you can get from the hip, get IS. Other factors will decide which
one. Another point with the Canon, I see it's now under $400 most
places, so it's getting more reasonable. Don't doubt for a moment
that three weeks after you buy it, Canon will come out with a six
megapixel version of it or Panasonic will cut prices by $150. Do what
I've done. Start a collection.

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

I didn't hear about the Panasonics till after I'd purchased the Canon
or I might have gone that way. Regardless, we have a *lot* of good
pictures from the last five or six years since we went digital. Our
collection consists of a little Gateway 2mp pocket video/still camera
that I carry everywhere, a Fuji 2mp, the Kodak 2mp and lastly, the
Canon S1. They are all now history. I gave them to my wife. ;o) I
got my D70 for Christmas and I'm in heaven. What a machine!

Anyway, my point is this. To the OP I'd say, just buy something and
start shooting. You won't regret the pictures you get, even if you do
wish you'd done this or that differently. If you wait for the perfect
choice in cameras, you'll never get any pictures. This thread should
certainly give you some great ideas or confuse you completely. Good
luck!