Newbie require help in cameras

[yilishengxian]

Hi,

I think I'm quite new in photography since I'm currently using my parent's Minolta Dimage X31 and have less experience in dealing

with cameras therefore I may require help in selecting a new digital camera to begin with.

The problem is
1) I have problem taking night photos.
2) I feel that its 3x optical zoom is not enough for me to take distant objects.
3) I feel that its lacking of manual options which i think i might require later on when i get better.
4) the camera takes a long time to save the image onto the memory card which in this case I'll usually miss my next shot.

After reading reviews from websites like www.dpreview.com, I've currently rounded off my choices to either the Fujifilm Finepix

S9500 or the Panasonic FZ30 and might buy one of them during the IT show next week. Therefore I think its better I ask for user

opinions from people who may have actually own or used the cameras before.

Judging from the reviews, it seems that the S9500 is able to take pictures with lesser noise and can focus well in low light.

Apart from that, I need to know
a) whether they'll take a lesser time to save the image on the memory.
b) whether taking pictures at long zoom eg 10x on the S9500 without the image stabilizer will be too blur.
c) are there any accessories to upgrade the camera with in future if i need to (eg add on lenses).

Thanks in advance and maybe hopefully to join you guys in taking good photographs in future.

 

[philliptan]

Do consider the Canon S2 IS... lots of functions for a good price.

 

[Goldenstars08]

You can also waite for the new Canon S3IS to launch...Soon...

 

[Snoweagle]

Recommend the S2 or S3 IS from canon too. These cams have manual controls and megazooms which will fit your liking. Some cams have high ISO ratings which produce lesser noise but if you're taking night scenes, ISO 100 is enough as u will be taking from a tripod.

 

[yilishengxian]

I see,

But if we were to compare between the Fujifilm Finepix S9500 or the Panasonic FZ30, which one of these do you guys recommend. I've also seen the reviews on the Canon S2. But it seems that those I've mentioned offers better options.

 

[Snoweagle]

I see,

But if we were to compare between the Fujifilm Finepix S9500 or the Panasonic FZ30, which one of these do you guys recommend. I've also seen the reviews on the Canon S2. But it seems that those I've mentioned offers better options.

If i were to choose between the FZ30 and S9500, i'll take the FZ30.

 

[yilishengxian]

Hmmm i see. So what are the advantages of the FZ30 over the S9500? I'll be taking note of these when I try them out during the show before buying.

 

[Snoweagle]

Hmmm i see. So what are the advantages of the FZ30 over the S9500? I'll be taking note of these when I try them out during the show before buying.

Got bigger screen with higher res and flexibility, internal zooming with internal focusing, more zoom, mega OIS, etc..

 

[ortega]

problem with night shots?

Get a tripod

 

[Simon_84]

S2 users reported some kind of blue star glaze fault in their night photos.
FZ30 is rather noisier than FZ20 if seriously want to consider about it,try not to go above iso 200 setting.
don't expect much from the OIS either.
S9500,read from some user's reviews saying that the images they produce is rather soft mainly is because it uses a big sensor but the up in mega pixels cause it to have more noise instead guess the noise reduction system tend to make the images softer instead.
overall S9500 is suppose to produce less noise than FZ30 and S2.

 

[yilishengxian]

Hmmm ok. I'll take note of these factors. Maybe I'll be getting a tripod along with the camera.

 

[metallilan]

The problem is
1) I have problem taking night photos.
2) I feel that its 3x optical zoom is not enough for me to take distant objects.
3) I feel that its lacking of manual options which i think i might require later on when i get better.
4) the camera takes a long time to save the image onto the memory card which in this case I'll usually miss my next shot.

1. You need a camera that can do high ISO shots. Fuji F11 is one of them. For other cameras, to do night shots you need a long exposure + tripod.
2. If 3x is not enough, then get a teleconverter or one of the megazoom camera's..FZ5, FZ7, S2 IS, S3 IS.
3. The camera's i listed has manual.
4. Get a high speed card like kingston's elite pro or sandisk's ultra II or III.

 

[Snoweagle]

1. You need a camera that can do high ISO shots. Fuji F11 is one of them. For other cameras, to do night shots you need a long exposure + tripod.
2. If 3x is not enough, then get a teleconverter or one of the megazoom camera's..FZ5, FZ7, S2 IS, S3 IS.
3. The camera's i listed has manual.
4. Get a high speed card like kingston's elite pro or sandisk's ultra II or III.

Yupz, though wide/teleconverters will degrade the image quality by just a bit. The quality's still gd.

 

[yilishengxian]

1. You need a camera that can do high ISO shots. Fuji F11 is one of them. For other cameras, to do night shots you need a long exposure + tripod.
2. If 3x is not enough, then get a teleconverter or one of the megazoom camera's..FZ5, FZ7, S2 IS, S3 IS.
3. The camera's i listed has manual.
4. Get a high speed card like kingston's elite pro or sandisk's ultra II or III.

The camera models which you listed are those around 5 megapixel cameras. I'm trying to get a camera with higher megapixels, maybe like 8 - 9 mp.

And comparing between CF Cards, SD Cards and Microdrives, which would you guys recommend?

 

[Snoweagle]

The camera models which you listed are those around 5 megapixel cameras. I'm trying to get a camera with higher megapixels, maybe like 8 - 9 mp.

And comparing between CF Cards, SD Cards and Microdrives, which would you guys recommend?

Do you need so high resolution?

 

[metallilan]

The camera models which you listed are those around 5 megapixel cameras. I'm trying to get a camera with higher megapixels, maybe like 8 - 9 mp.

And comparing between CF Cards, SD Cards and Microdrives, which would you guys recommend?

you need to know what you're using the high pixels for...8-9 mp are usually for big prints. 8r and all that. 5-6 is usually sufficient for display.

but then again, once the BBB bug sets in people want more and more pixels! so i'll leave you to decide.

 

[yilishengxian]

Do you need so high resolution?

Higher resolution = Better pictures? And besides it seems that its easier to work with in photoshop.

And judging from the pictures in http://elrilmatheren.multiply.com/photos/album/26 , I'd like to know what adjustments which I've done wrong to get this outcome of pictures.

 

[Snoweagle]

Higher resolution = Better pictures? And besides it seems that its easier to work with in photoshop.

And judging from the pictures in http://elrilmatheren.multiply.com/photos/album/26 , I'd like to know what adjustments which I've done wrong to get this outcome of pictures.

Usually higher res only results in more detail but sharpness of pics are still the same. Normally if you like to crop your pics, shooting in high res and in RAW mode is good.

 

[nobu]

Try this website, he tries night shots on each camera he reviews and there are examples of the pictures he takes.

The S9000 and FZ30 diverge when you start increasing the ISO. Where the FZ30 gets bad quickly, the S9000 is able to still produce usable shots up to ISO 400. Above that your output options become limited, with 4 x 6 inch prints being the largest size I found acceptable for photos taken at ISO 800 and 1600. Even with this limitation, you won't be able to pull this off with any other ultra zoom camera on the market. The S9000's high ISO shooting abilities aren't close to a digital SLR (some of which are in the same price range), but they're substantially better than the average fixed-lens camera.

S9500 is better than the 9000 correct? Then even the predecessor is better than FZ30 ^^;

 

[yilishengxian]

Usually higher res only results in more detail but sharpness of pics are still the same. Normally if you like to crop your pics, shooting in high res and in RAW mode is good.

Yes I'd like to crop my pics.