Between the Devil (S3IS) and the DBS (FZ8)

[Six-GHz]

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!

 

[night86mare]

S3IS also has tilting LCD, that's a big plus if you're planning to take weird angles.

Some people might see proprietary battery as pro and AA as con, hahaha. But anyways, Panny cameras have noise performance problems, so if you're planning to take any high ISO photos soon, be wary about that.

I was once caught between Fuji's 6500fd, S3 IS, FZ7/30 and Sony H2/5. I took Sony H2. Uses only TWO AA batteries, ~240 shots with mix LCD/EVF usage by rough estimates, good IS too, very fast AF.. To me it was the all-rounder, and noise is intermediate, reviews claim that it attains the best balance between loss of detail and noise reduction. Also, the digital zoom on-cam (I know, some people frown at digital zoom, but this one's one of the best out there) is pretty ok if you're willing to sacrifice some resolution, minimal really.

Why don't you just look at the reviews, and go to the shops to try all the cams out? =) Always keep your options open so that you will enjoy your camera! =)

 

[Six-GHz]

My list of priorities are ease of usage, good zoom, AA battery, full manual options, SD compatible and IS. And from the DCRP website that I've checked, I have only a limited options, namely some models from Canon and GE what.

I knowit would be difficult to to find a camera that suits a person to a T. But I've just been to Tampines Courts today, with a sea of cameras on display! I had a field time, and ended up considering the two models, maybe with the Canon A710IS as an afterthought. It's a pity they don't carry the Kodak 712IS though. Ultimately, I would want a camera that doesn't intimidate too much and still a joy to use. Pretty tough huh?:embrass:

And btw, whenever I view a bright light source through the EVF or the screen, there are always a few blue vertical lines spreading across. What and why is that so?

 

[ExplorerZ]

imho, it gonna be fz8... been a fan of lumix series since i got my fz5 long ago(passed it to a relative due to under usage...:sweat: )

noise? if you do raw those ain't much of a concern. :bsmilie: and fortunately, the fz8 offer RAW! :lovegrin:

 

[night86mare]

My list of priorities are ease of usage, good zoom, AA battery, full manual options, SD compatible and IS. And from the DCRP website that I've checked, I have only a limited options, namely some models from Canon and GE what.

I knowit would be difficult to to find a camera that suits a person to a T. But I've just been to Tampines Courts today, with a sea of cameras on display! I had a field time, and ended up considering the two models, maybe with the Canon A710IS as an afterthought. It's a pity they don't carry the Kodak 712IS though. Ultimately, I would want a camera that doesn't intimidate too much and still a joy to use. Pretty tough huh?:embrass:

And btw, whenever I view a bright light source through the EVF or the screen, there are always a few blue vertical lines spreading across. What and why is that so?

I prefer S3 IS to Panny FZ series, unless you get FZXX (double digit).. Which would be.. Slightly bigger.. =D

Hrm, not sure if you want to get from Courts.. What is "good zoom" though? 6X? You might also consider the Olympus new prosumer.. That one looks pretty good on paper. Or wait for H7/9! =D

The EVF lines should be because of flare. =D

 

[Six-GHz]

I have read about Pany having some noise issues. In my opinion, unless I go to higher ISO; it is visible. For my everyday usage, it would be nitpicking to say it is a problem.

I'm not really into RAW... yet! Maybe when I get more time and knowledge into really playing around, then this is one area I could venture in!

 

[night86mare]

Well, that is true, I research a lot about noise performance in the end I hardly use anything other than ISO 80. All prosumers are pretty limited in that aspect except Fujifilm anyways. And even then Fujifilm has a big minus - no IS!

Still recommend you to try and see which camera you are most comfortable with. Can also just bring your SD card to the camera shops to take a few snaps and compare on your own screen in your own time at home. =)

 

[Six-GHz]

The EVF lines should be because of flare. =D

You means lens flare? Those prosumers stuffs gotta be better right? I don't see it in my TZ-1.

No lah, Courts is a place where you can try out all sorts of cameras. Buying is another! :devil:

Are you referring to the 550? Tried that out this afternoon too... somehow I didn't quite like its clumsy user menu, though I know there's nothing in the market to match its wide-superzoom capability!

Good zoom? Yeah, 10X would be sufficient!

 

[night86mare]

Well, not necessarily. If you read up, the general idea is that the wider the zoom range, the more likely that your lens quality will not be consistent at all focal lengths, i.e. not so sharp. But well, sharp enough for me right now. Though of course I should be moving on to DSLR soon.

Yeah, Oly 550. Oh, no, Sony H7/9 should be wide and super zoom already. So is Fujifilm 6500fd also..

If you want something more compact then you can consider the Canon Gseries or Panny TZ.. Hrm, which you have.

As for the flare thing, not very sure, which cam's EVF did you see it on, or all? Never experienced anything like that before, not lines anyways, I'm sure you know what flare looks like.. =D

 

[Six-GHz]

Well, not necessarily. If you read up, the general idea is that the wider the zoom range, the more likely that your lens quality will not be consistent at all focal lengths, i.e. not so sharp. But well, sharp enough for me right now. Though of course I should be moving on to DSLR soon.

Well, I'm no pro! The long focal lengths are pretty good for me right now! You going into dSLR? Good for you! A land of limitless abilities! :thumbsup:

Yeah, Oly 550. Oh, no, Sony H7/9 should be wide and super zoom already. So is Fujifilm 6500fd also..

Oh issit? But those use Sony and xD card right? I've got like a stack of SDs at home...duh! :sweat:

As for the flare thing, not very sure, which cam's EVF did you see it on, or all? Never experienced anything like that before, not lines anyways, I'm sure you know what flare looks like.. =D

I was puzzled too, it happened to both the S3IS and FZ8. When I pointed the cameras at the bright lamps in the shop, it just showed trailing blue vertical lines. But after snapping the pictures, it looks ok, no more lines. I was stumped... what do you call this in the digital parlance? :think:

 

[leyo04]

I own an s3is, it's a great all around cam. high ISO sucks though, but m not complaining.

what I like about the s3 is the swivel lcd, a bit small though but not a problem. lastly, the AA batts... made me decide to get it. Been into situation where I ran out of juice and just went to 7-11 to get fresh AA's.

it's a great cam with add-on lenses available.

and controls.. IMO are arranged well.

 

[Six-GHz]

Well, it's true most cams out there suck at high ISO. But then again we're talking digital compacts here, so we don't ask for too much!

Yeah, I like to swivel LCD too, but don't you think 2" is a tad too small? Maybe I'm too used to my Tizzy's 2.5", that's why!

AA vs LCD size vs Ease of Use... choices choices!

And referring to my earlier query, since you have an S3IS, train it on a bright source (not florescent tubes). See if you see vertical blue lines on both the EVF and LCD. I don't know what they are, but they sure is bugging me! Thanks.