I need a tiny camera with me which is easily potable with not-so-bad image quality. Video clips are also preferred. Finally narrow down on the above three options. Can the kind souls with more experience in consumer digital cameras give me some tips on which one of the above to get? Image quality wise, which is better? thx!
Need some opinion: A70 or 2nd hand V3 or S400
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Since you ask, will go for the A70 anytime.
It seems to have a good manual setup, ISO as low as 50 and up till 400, full manual control.
Like the grip, that means sweaty palms you still have a good grasp.
Like the form factor (size, feel and weight), which means steady shots. dont like the "ladies handbag" type of tiny metallic cameras because holding them feels precarious, and many do not even have a slip of rubber for grip.
And I love AA batteries. they are cheap, you could get 3 sets of AA for 1 lithium-ion battery. Think how far you can go with 3 sets of the Sanyo 2100Mah.
As for image quality, all are using the same processor, i think the printout for 4R will be hard to differentiate. At 3MP, you could go up to >8R and still get good results. So image wise, i do not think you will get screaming differences between the A70 and the V3, perhaps slight difference with the S400.
However, I think the other criteria which i have little idea, is the responsiveness of all 3 cameras. Shutter release lag and AF. Then again, most non-DSLR digicams suffer a little in these 2 departments, some more than the others.
It seems to have a good manual setup, ISO as low as 50 and up till 400, full manual control.
Like the grip, that means sweaty palms you still have a good grasp.
Like the form factor (size, feel and weight), which means steady shots. dont like the "ladies handbag" type of tiny metallic cameras because holding them feels precarious, and many do not even have a slip of rubber for grip.
And I love AA batteries. they are cheap, you could get 3 sets of AA for 1 lithium-ion battery. Think how far you can go with 3 sets of the Sanyo 2100Mah.
As for image quality, all are using the same processor, i think the printout for 4R will be hard to differentiate. At 3MP, you could go up to >8R and still get good results. So image wise, i do not think you will get screaming differences between the A70 and the V3, perhaps slight difference with the S400.
However, I think the other criteria which i have little idea, is the responsiveness of all 3 cameras. Shutter release lag and AF. Then again, most non-DSLR digicams suffer a little in these 2 departments, some more than the others.
I share the sentiments and all the pros as stated by Fruity but so far, i have not heard any cons as yet... anyone?
The price itself is down right attractive too.
The price itself is down right attractive too.
value wise, the A70 will be nice. But after looking at the sample pics, in my opinion S400's picture quality is better, megapixel difference aside. I base my deduction on dcresource's sample pics.
Saw A70 2 days ago, very nice and cold design.
Saw A70 2 days ago, very nice and cold design.
Hmm... i guess it's quality and what you pay for...
But for the A70, @ 3.2MP, it's pretty sufficient for a newbie yah?
Why even consider the V3? It only has 2x optical zoom versus the 3x for the S400, and 3Mp vs 4Mp for the S400. Price difference between these two cameras new only $100.
So the fight is probably betw the A70 and S400. Main differences would be size (S400 quite a bit smaller), weight (4 AAs are quite heavy), exposure (whether you need manual controls), battery (AA vs lithium), price ($520 vs $775) and style.
Personally, I'd go for the A70.
So the fight is probably betw the A70 and S400. Main differences would be size (S400 quite a bit smaller), weight (4 AAs are quite heavy), exposure (whether you need manual controls), battery (AA vs lithium), price ($520 vs $775) and style.
Personally, I'd go for the A70.
Update. Already got myself an A70 from AP. Happy. Or more precisely, excited! The same feeling when I got my D60. It's a great value at its price with so many features. Fully manual modes. All my existing SLR experience could contribute to better handling of this baby. I have a strong feeling this toy would help me capture more memorable street moments. Will get an underwater casing later, so turn it into a full-weather condition camera.
eh tom, how much did you get it for? am going down later with a friend who also want to get it (aftre my evil persuasions...hehe..)
Tomshen, the A70 uses CF right? Any performance difference between a normal CF and High Speed CF?
Pretty decent. If i used the S602 as a bench mark, then i would say it isn't too far behind. Esp under low light, the AF illuminator comes in and assists the camera in doing the AF.
I like how it feels too. And the price is quite economical to boot...
Originally posted by tomshen
Only have a 128MB CF, cannot do any comparison. But I dun use it to shoot actions (no AI Servo mode), so dun think any problem with me. It's just a carry around tiny camera, dun expect too much.
How much is the underwater casing? Anyone care to comment?
well, well, well...
the A70 is hardly warm on the display shelves and i can already see it garnering the kind of devout following we saw of the A40, except this is a much improved version.
Popping down this afternoon to AP, seems i have 2 interested colleagues who are really keen too. Will update on the pricing.
also will try out the sweet and sour shanghai noodle at the basement foodcourt. yum yum...
the A70 is hardly warm on the display shelves and i can already see it garnering the kind of devout following we saw of the A40, except this is a much improved version.
Popping down this afternoon to AP, seems i have 2 interested colleagues who are really keen too. Will update on the pricing.
also will try out the sweet and sour shanghai noodle at the basement foodcourt. yum yum...
May I say it's good? In some cases (low light), it's much better than D60. It can fire under completely dark situation. No problem when focusing on uni-color low-contrast subjects. After one year experience with D60, I was surprised to see what a consumer DC can do. No mention about the video recording. I don't need a bulky camcorder but it's really cool to have a video recorder with such small size. Hey, A70 also has Manual focusing function. Amazed
Operation is very intuitive. I can figure out 95% of functions without referring to the manual. Now it will sit in my bag all the time. Battery perfromance also great, still waiting for the first set to drain. Well, at the end of the day it's pictures right? Let me explore what can do with a low end DC. Now I use low sharpening setting, hoping to use it as a DSLR and do all the post processing by myself. If it works as what I planed, most pictures will be in B/W format, as I was so impressed by Streetshooter's work.hehe, here I come. Doc, just wondering, how MANY cameras do you have huh?
btw, seems A70 is selling fast. AP told me already sold 40 sets. There were only 2 sets left after I got mine. Cheap and decent. It would be a hot cake...
As mentioned, went down to AP to help some colleagues pick up a camera, one came back with the A70, and i was curious. Having not touched a digicam for some time, i worked it a bit, and here's a quick and dirty 1st look:
The weight is excellent, comfortable and sure with the handgrip nicely shaped. Exterior is well-laid out, menu functions easy to use and access.
Good speed, shutter release lag is very minimal. As for AF, have decided that all the hulabalo about 3-5 AF points is really a non-necessity. I always compose by AF lock manually, so AF boxes for me is more of a pain then a help. Good thing, you can switch that off.
In Manual mode, it was a breeze working the controls. Selecting shutter speed and aperture was not a problem, In Manual, Aperture and Shutter speed modes, this is a cam that point-and-shoot folks can experiment and learn fairly quickly. It is really interesting to see how the LCD dims and brightens with the aperture and shutter speeds you pick, i'm more accustomed to seeing the + and - meter.
Playback is fast, and very intuitive, love the zoom-in functions during playback, so you get to scroll around to check if details are there.
Image are sharp. Colours are accurate, and quite pleasing. But WB in auto mode is a bit off. That's where you can select WB overrides. AND there is custom WB.....Macros are excellent, capturing excellent details are about 2 inches away (min is 5cm so the manual claim)
All in, the one word that comes to mind: fun. It is easy to use, with good range of manual controls, and pictures are sharp with accurate colours, a definite winner for beginners and recreational shooters.
Price: Alan Photo, 520 w GST, plus a pouch, get extra 128MB ridata CF at 65.
The weight is excellent, comfortable and sure with the handgrip nicely shaped. Exterior is well-laid out, menu functions easy to use and access.
Good speed, shutter release lag is very minimal. As for AF, have decided that all the hulabalo about 3-5 AF points is really a non-necessity. I always compose by AF lock manually, so AF boxes for me is more of a pain then a help. Good thing, you can switch that off.
In Manual mode, it was a breeze working the controls. Selecting shutter speed and aperture was not a problem, In Manual, Aperture and Shutter speed modes, this is a cam that point-and-shoot folks can experiment and learn fairly quickly. It is really interesting to see how the LCD dims and brightens with the aperture and shutter speeds you pick, i'm more accustomed to seeing the + and - meter.
Playback is fast, and very intuitive, love the zoom-in functions during playback, so you get to scroll around to check if details are there.
Image are sharp. Colours are accurate, and quite pleasing. But WB in auto mode is a bit off. That's where you can select WB overrides. AND there is custom WB.....Macros are excellent, capturing excellent details are about 2 inches away (min is 5cm so the manual claim)
All in, the one word that comes to mind: fun. It is easy to use, with good range of manual controls, and pictures are sharp with accurate colours, a definite winner for beginners and recreational shooters.
Price: Alan Photo, 520 w GST, plus a pouch, get extra 128MB ridata CF at 65.
arrgghhh! you guys are making me itch ;p but I've just gotten a Yashica T Zoom and a Minolta Dimage Dual Scan III for times when I need a compact camera.... the A70 would have been a better alternative (except it's not as wide as the T Zoom)....
the A70 would have been a better alternative (except it's not as wide as the T Zoom)....Originally posted by mpenza
arrgghhh! you guys are making me itch ;p but I've just gotten a Yashica T Zoom and a Minolta Dimage Dual Scan III for times when I need a compact camera....
friend, you are right on the wideness of the yashica. most DCs, if not all, will never achieve 28mm wide, the A70 is 38mm, if im not wrong, which is a bit of a problem occasionally. Since you already have the yashica, enjoy it, it is a reliable workshorse, that will probably outlast the A70 anyways...
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