Cameras Comparison

[chem]

Need some expert advice on the following cameras:

1) Canon A510/520
2) Nikon 4600/5600
3) Fujifilm F10
4) Sony W5
5) Panasonic LZ1/LZ2

Comments or any issues with the above cameras, ie picture quality, focusing speed, controls available (fully auto/some manual)....anything...i'm looking for a camera, but can't seem to decide which one to get. i'm looking for one that i can 'play' with, and learn some photography skills, but not too heavy, else i wouldnt feel like bringing it out.

Also its hard to gauge the quality of the pictures when testing it out at the shop. Any tips on how to tell the quality of the picture, such as the sharpness, brightness, clarity, etc and look natural, coz some of the digi photos seem too digital...Also, this sounds silly, but how do i select the camera that is suitable for me?

Thank heaps.

 

[CLQ]

First, welcome to CS
Looking at your questions, i can only advice you to go to dpreview.com to see the buying guide option there, choose the things that you want in the camera and see what cameras they recommend you. You can also select each camera and see the user's reviews.

But importantly when you choose a camera (non SLR), questions you might want to ask yourself:
- What is the price you want to pay.
- The amount of zoom you want your camera to have.
- Do you want manual controls like controlling the shutter speed, aperature etc.
- Hot-shoe? (that is do you forsee you will need external flash)
- Batteries (some of my friends only wants camera that uses AA batteries)
- Weight?
etc etc etc
Only with this answers, then you start comparing between cameras to see the sharpness, the colour, the reactions speed etc...

my 2 cents...

 

[~Arcanic~]

CLQ basically sums it up for u

in short, go read up the reviews (dpreview.com is a good choice)
then go to shops and test the cam on ur own, you'll only know which cam is suitable for u until u hold it in your hands.

 

[chem]

Thanks for the tips, but are the reviews accurate? How do i tell the quality of the photos when i test them out at shops? coz most of the time they look different on the lcd and on the computer. what kind of features should i take into account? start up speed, shutter lag time, recording time? anything else?

 

[snowspeeder]

I find the reviews at dpreview relatively accurate. Testing the cam at the shops does not really help much as that is only within the contraint of a certain lighting condition.

 

[waiaung]

I find the reviews at dpreview relatively accurate. Testing the cam at the shops does not really help much as that is only within the contraint of a certain lighting condition.

Yup.. http://www.dpreview.com is one of the best to compare the features and everything of the cameras...

 

[tao]

IMO, cameras in the market has evolved to a level in which image quality, among the different brands/models in the same feature/price range is NO LONGER an issue at all. ie. they are more or less the same, unless if you wanna pixel peep.

So, my suggestion is to base your purchase decision by trying out the camera, comparing things like ergonomics, interface, basic user interface such as quality of LCD, viewfinder, etc.

Also, other issues such as responsiveness of the camera, shutter lag, etc are also very important to consider.

 

[chem]

does the lcd give a good representation of the pic taken? also, will there be a difference in speed if there is a memory card in the camera vs no memory card in the camera?

 

[reno77]

Get the Fuji F10.

 

[snowspeeder]

does the lcd give a good representation of the pic taken? also, will there be a difference in speed if there is a memory card in the camera vs no memory card in the camera?

The LCD is hardly a good representation of the pic taken. Best is to view it on a color calibrated monitor.

Even if your camera has an internal memory storage, I doubt it is ever enough to take many pics. Your question should be directed at the 'write speed' of the memory card. For simple P & S cameras, I don't think there's diff.

 

[mpenza]

just read the review of the F10. It indeed looks impressive especially the low noise high ISO capability!

 

[zaren]

Need some expert advice on the following cameras:

1) Canon A510/520
2) Nikon 4600/5600
3) Fujifilm F10
4) Sony W5
5) Panasonic LZ1/LZ2

Comments or any issues with the above cameras, ie picture quality, focusing speed, controls available (fully auto/some manual)....anything...i'm looking for a camera, but can't seem to decide which one to get. i'm looking for one that i can 'play' with, and learn some photography skills, but not too heavy, else i wouldnt feel like bringing it out.

Also its hard to gauge the quality of the pictures when testing it out at the shop. Any tips on how to tell the quality of the picture, such as the sharpness, brightness, clarity, etc and look natural, coz some of the digi photos seem too digital...Also, this sounds silly, but how do i select the camera that is suitable for me?

Thank heaps.

hi chem....

i just bought the nikon 4600 for my dad, and the pics come out really sharp with beautiful colour. the function buttons are well placed and easy to use, and the camera is small and compact. battery life seems pretty good too. price is $362 incl. GST and comes with a free 256MB SD card.

hope this helps.

 

[espn]

4600 rocks!

 

[chem]

Thanks for the tips, i bought a panasonic a few days ago =)