This is my first thread in this section cos I consider myself a noobs in this forum. I have been into photography since my secondary, and that was almost 30 years ago. From film to black-and-white developing to dark room and chemicals, it's been-there-done-that for me. But working life puts a stop in my interest, and by the time I want to pick up where I've left, whoa, I ran smack into a digital era! :faint:
Guess my priorities had changed along the way; from photography (you can't expect kids to wait for you to fine-tune your aperture and lightings etc) to snap-ography. I shudder at the thought of lugging a bag of lenses and accessories when all they wanted to go is shopping :complain:, but still I would love to do a little experiementing along the way.
I'm looking for something light, not deep-end dSLR but some cams with manual controls, a good zoom feature, some gentler learning curve and portability for the good o' times, and now I'm torn between Canon S3IS and Lumix FZ8.
What I could gather from some hands-on are these:
Pros S3IS
1. Good movie mode
2. Uses AA batteries
Cons S3IS
1. Hopelessly small LCD screen
2. "Loose feeling" shutter and buttons
3. Not ergonomically designed for long fingers (personal view)
Pros FZ8
1. Ease of use (I had a Tizzy before)
2. Large and bright LCD
3. Feels better built than S3IS
Cons FZ8
1. Uses proprietary battery
The choice seems to point towards the FZ8 but I'm looking for a change from Pany. Any bros/sis out there who were caught in this similar situation before, I look forward to your experience and advice.
Thanks in advance. Cheers!
Guess my priorities had changed along the way; from photography (you can't expect kids to wait for you to fine-tune your aperture and lightings etc) to snap-ography. I shudder at the thought of lugging a bag of lenses and accessories when all they wanted to go is shopping :complain:, but still I would love to do a little experiementing along the way.
I'm looking for something light, not deep-end dSLR but some cams with manual controls, a good zoom feature, some gentler learning curve and portability for the good o' times, and now I'm torn between Canon S3IS and Lumix FZ8.
What I could gather from some hands-on are these:
Pros S3IS
1. Good movie mode
2. Uses AA batteries
Cons S3IS
1. Hopelessly small LCD screen
2. "Loose feeling" shutter and buttons
3. Not ergonomically designed for long fingers (personal view)
Pros FZ8
1. Ease of use (I had a Tizzy before)
2. Large and bright LCD
3. Feels better built than S3IS
Cons FZ8
1. Uses proprietary battery
The choice seems to point towards the FZ8 but I'm looking for a change from Pany. Any bros/sis out there who were caught in this similar situation before, I look forward to your experience and advice.
Thanks in advance. Cheers!