SONY R1 vs Fujifilm S9600

[TME]

I am looking for a bridge camera to take over my 7D when I need a small camera to do some snapshots... I narrowed down to two:

SONY R1

Fujifilm S9600

The SONY costs 2x the S9600 2nd hand...

My needs or wants:

1) Must be small and light
2) Good zoom range (must have wide angle)
3) Movie mode (continuous VGA till card is full)
4) Use CF cards
5) Takes external flash
6) Large LCD (at least 2")

My problem is this:

1) R1 does not have movie mode but has superior sensor size and IQ. S9600 has movie mode but inferior IQ.
2) R1 has true wide angle (24mm) and a superb lens (24-120mm). S9600 starts from 28mm to 300mm.
3) Both use CF cards
4) Both take external flash
5) S9600 has a larger articulated LCD. R1 is smaller articulated but on top of body (weird place)
6) S9600 is about 200g lighter... not much difference... but it is much smaller I think...


Which should I get? IQ not very important but must be decent... any comments?

[Drudkh]

Assuming your "needs or wants" listed are in priority, Sony R1 gets the pick. One has wider angle than the other and another has movie mode which the other doesn't. You have to ask yourself if the 4mm has a higher priority than the movie mode. R1 cost much more due to the sensor size and that's for sure.

[zcf]

Both Sony R1 and S9600 are not exactly light and small

Canon G9, but use SD card, and start from 35-210mm.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX35
25-100mm, 126g
Panasonic Lumix TZ4 & TZ5
28-280mm
HD 720P movie mode , but no external flash, use SD card, Panasonic sensor have noisy ISO sensor lately, hope they have improved.

[Parchiao]

If you want a one stop solution for your phtography needs, get the R1. The wide angle 24mm equivalent and articulated screen that sits at the top of the camera is superb when it comes to taking photos. Images from the APC sized sensor simply blows the other PnS cameras away.

[Pynch]

Originally Posted by TME My needs or wants: 1) Must be small and light 2) Good zoom range (must have wide angle) 3) Movie mode (continuous VGA till card is full) 4) Use CF cards 5) Takes external flash 6) Large LCD (at least 2")

If your needs are indeed the above, then the choice between the 2 is obvious for R1 does not satisfy (3).

The 9600 takes excellent picture at lower ISO settings. It's resolution is close to that of the R1. It is also cheaper and lighter.

If Movie mode is not needed then there are many smaller DSLRs (D40x, E410, 400D etc) that will do the job with the appropriate lens, leaving the R1 with little advantage.

[Parchiao]

Originally Posted by Pynch The 9600 takes excellent picture at lower ISO settings. It's resolution is close to that of the R1.

REPEATED LIKE A BROKEN RECORD, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

R1 win hands down on per pixel sharpness, image quality, lens quality, wide angle and LCD.

[Pynch]

Originally Posted by Parchiao R1 win hands down on per pixel sharpness, image quality, lens quality, wide angle and LCD.

No doubt about that. At twice the price, it better win hands down on those scores.

But the needs are movie mode, "IQ is not very important but must be decent", small and light.

[Parchiao]

Wait for the new Fuji before you decide, it looks really good on paper.

[TME]

Thanks for all your dissection... I really just want a low cost all-in-one solution and I am not looking to buy a new camera... a 2nd hand one will do... really like the S9600... but not quite sure about image quality... I am quite sure the R1 will perform ok... CZ lens plus APS-C sensor = good IQ...

As for the Panasonics - zcf, I really dislike them... their interface is horrible, jpeg compression algo is horrible, NR effects are horrible... highlight clipping is horrible plus noise at ISO400 is also horrible... the sensor is very very small coupled with a very very long lens... NG...

The S9600 seems to have a slightly larger sensor, better quality lens (Leica not withstanding), better image processing algos... plus RAW...

That's why after looking around for close to 1.5 years, I have narrowed it down to the R1 and the S9600... oh and I forgot to mention one other very important point - zoom must be mechanical! Cannot stand those fiddly motorised-zoom cameras... next to impossible to use...

Looks like I will have to go for the S9600... the R1 is almost $900 even 2nd hand... but I do want the movie mode... very useful for my line of work... small clips that can be easily edited later... no need to use a DV cam and then need to post process.

[nally the great]

HI, did u know where can I buy SONY R1(Brand new one).I am want to buy Sony R1.

[TME]

Originally Posted by nally the great HI, did u know where can I buy SONY R1(Brand new one).I am want to buy Sony R1.

Sorry dude... can't get one new... not in production anymore!

[cheersjy]

Hey TS, look here: http://www.fujifilm.com/products/dig...0fs/index.html

[dotaboy]

Originally Posted by TME I am looking for a bridge camera to take over my 7D when I need a small camera to do some snapshots... I narrowed down to two: SONY R1 Fujifilm S9600 The SONY costs 2x the S9600 2nd hand... My needs or wants: 1) Must be small and light 2) Good zoom range (must have wide angle) 3) Movie mode (continuous VGA till card is full) 4) Use CF cards 5) Takes external flash 6) Large LCD (at least 2") My problem is this: 1) R1 does not have movie mode but has superior sensor size and IQ. S9600 has movie mode but inferior IQ. 2) R1 has true wide angle (24mm) and a superb lens (24-120mm). S9600 starts from 28mm to 300mm. 3) Both use CF cards 4) Both take external flash 5) S9600 has a larger articulated LCD. R1 is smaller articulated but on top of body (weird place) 6) S9600 is about 200g lighter... not much difference... but it is much smaller I think... Which should I get? IQ not very important but must be decent... any comments?

What is it that u can live without?
Maybe that helps u to narrow down.