Prosumer Camera

[somnobulant]

Hi, looking to kickstart my interest in photography, but wld like to upgrade from a normal digicam to a prosumer one. Not really considering DSLR because of its cost & bulkiness.

I was looking around and 2 models kept poppin up - Canon S3IS and Sony H2/H5. Wouldn't mind Olympus too as i'm currently using a 3.2 megapixel digicam fr Olympus. It's most important to stress that being a pint-sized gal, i'm looking for something light to carry ard w/o breaking my wrists. Wld probably like to purchase a second-hand equipment.

In light of all that, i'd appreciate any advice or comments on the cameras i mentioned. Thks!

 

[Hexlord]

What's your budget?

 

[Buggy]

canon s3 IS would be nice.

if budget is a concern, you can try scouting for 2nd hand sets at B&S... maybe u can also consider the lumix fz series or the older km A series.

 

[cagivaz]

I was looking at the Lumix FZ-7. Cost about a ~$100 lesser. Interms of size it is quite compact.
But the S3 is using 4xAA batteries and that to me is an advantage.

Both have optical stabalizer.

 

[Static]

Hi, looking to kickstart my interest in photography, but wld like to upgrade from a normal digicam to a prosumer one. Not really considering DSLR because of its cost & bulkiness.

I was looking around and 2 models kept poppin up - Canon S3IS and Sony H2/H5. Wouldn't mind Olympus too as i'm currently using a 3.2 megapixel digicam fr Olympus. It's most important to stress that being a pint-sized gal, i'm looking for something light to carry ard w/o breaking my wrists. Wld probably like to purchase a second-hand equipment.

In light of all that, i'd appreciate any advice or comments on the cameras i mentioned. Thks!

Hmm same as u, i was deciding between the S3 and the sony H5 juz a few months back. Both have 12X zoom.

Few factors i was considering:

1) Storage media: I prefer SD cards cuz its smaller, cheaper, slot-in available in laptops and oso becuz the nikon compact I was previously using oso uses SD cards.

2) The LCD screen can swirl. A must when u r snapping idols among crowd. U can hold ur cam high above the rest and still see wat u r shooting.

3) Batteries. I prefer AA batteries as it is easy available, no need to buy extra lithium battries and spend hours charging one by one.

Controls of the S3 are pretty easily accessible in manual mode. Up/down on the dial controls the aperature and left/right the shutter. ISO settings can be adjusted conviently wif a button near the screen. Its all located at the back of the cam. Do play around wif the sony and compare the difference wif the canon.

Image quality wise.. well some say sony is better while others say canon better. I oso dunno.
Quite statisfied wif my S3, not selling even if upgrading to DSLR

 

[jdredd]

Hi, looking to kickstart my interest in photography, but wld like to upgrade from a normal digicam to a prosumer one. Not really considering DSLR because of its cost & bulkiness.

I was looking around and 2 models kept poppin up - Canon S3IS and Sony H2/H5. Wouldn't mind Olympus too as i'm currently using a 3.2 megapixel digicam fr Olympus. It's most important to stress that being a pint-sized gal, i'm looking for something light to carry ard w/o breaking my wrists. Wld probably like to purchase a second-hand equipment.

In light of all that, i'd appreciate any advice or comments on the cameras i mentioned. Thks!

S3IS is a good choice. theres also 2nd hand S2's in the market that are quite good.
just bear in mind, that for the longer zoom prosumers like the S3 and say the panasonic FZ30, they are relatively long at the wide end. but then again, its hard to be both a 400mm zoom, and a 16mm wide angle all in one lens...

check out the reviews on www.dpreview.com. they are quite reliable & thorough.
as i mentioned, the other major contender is the FZ30. but its a little bigger i think, and its high ISO performance isnt fantastic.

if i was getting one now, it would prob be between the sony and the canon. in terms of quality etc both are quite similar. so what should decide it for u is how they both feel in your hand and their functionality. so go to a good camera shop, take some time to handle both cameras and see which one u intuititvely prefer. u wont make a bad choice either way.

having said that, you may also want to rethink your views on not getting a DSLR. because the entry range models are all pretty compact these days and prices are getting cheaper and cheaper.. and whilst they do cost a little more, it just means that, further down the line when u want to get more serious about photog, u dont have to change bodies... of course. a DSLR with kit lens, wont have the same reach as a S3IS or the sony, but there are cheap zoom lens options for most DSLR bodies.

 

[jasongcp]

I'm using a H5 currently, up to date I'm got nothing except praises for this prosumer cam. lots of nice tweak to do (practise before stepping into the expensive world of DSLR). One plus point of carl zesis lens is the nite shot capability I find. It is pretty amazing of how good those photos turn out to be.

 

[somnobulant]

What's your budget?

I'm hopin for something below/ard $600 for a second-hand one. That may be a bit unrealistic especially looking at the Canon S3 & Sony H5. It's quite a bit of money for a student like me so i'm taking time to consider my options.

 

[somnobulant]

Sorry but I see many of you seeing AA batts as an advantage, but wldn't lithium be more economical or environmental-friendlier(i know i'm lame)?

On the topic of DSLR, my fear is that I really wouldn't be able to pick up manual photography & end up with an expensive equipment I don't use. In terms of learning curve, I've had the impression that a prosumer is easier to pick up than DSLR. Just treading in at a really insanely basic level & see how things go...

 

[metallilan]

Sorry but I see many of you seeing AA batts as an advantage, but wldn't lithium be more economical or environmental-friendlier(i know i'm lame)?

On the topic of DSLR, my fear is that I really wouldn't be able to pick up manual photography & end up with an expensive equipment I don't use. In terms of learning curve, I've had the impression that a prosumer is easier to pick up than DSLR. Just treading in at a really insanely basic level & see how things go...

A student eh? Same here. =) Are you a poly student or...something else?

For me i bought a prosumer, Panasonic FZ5, spend the same amount as if i bought a DSLR, in terms of converters like macro, tele and wide, flash etc, but i learned learned quite a lot during the 6 months i had it in my hands. Loved it to death!

But alas, i bought a DSLR as of recent and sold of the camera, so missed it alot.

Prosumer and DSLR are different worlds, and personally, if you dont have the financial means, a prosumer would do the trick, but you'll have to learn the work-arounds of some things like 'bokeh'. But trust me, you can do lots of stuff with prosumer camera, if you're willing to do it.

IMO, AA batteries are an advantage as you can easily buy 2 sets of rechargable batts and not worry about it as you use it for other stuff, like a flash for example. Having a propietery battery means it'll be only exclusive to that camera, unless other models use that battery, hope im making sense here

There's lots of prosumer cameras out there. Pick the one you trust the most Personally i like the FZ20 for its constant f/2.8 aperture..even if the 5mp may not be appealing to nowadays generation of high MP prosumers...

 

[jdredd]

I'm hopin for something below/ard $600 for a second-hand one. That may be a bit unrealistic especially looking at the Canon S3 & Sony H5. It's quite a bit of money for a student like me so i'm taking time to consider my options.

jus ttake your time, and keep checking in with B&S. and as i said, can also consider canon S2IS. the S3 was only a relatively minor update of the S2. as u can see, most sell for around $400-$500
http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?t=212534&highlight=canon+S2IS

as for batteries, li-ion is of course good. but with high quality rechargeable battery, it snot really a problem.

 

[jasongcp]

I preferred AA batt because I know about the pain of running out of power in the midst of something. My Nikon failed on me several times and I don't have spare power source with me to continue snapping, soon the cam is sitting on the table collecting dust. A cam without power is as good as junk. No such worries if I'm on AA if I'm out of batt, I can still grab a pack of 4 alkaline batt from the shelves and continue snapping away...

 

[somnobulant]

I'm a student studying at one of our local unis.

Spoke to a professional photographer & he recommended Canon, saying that 5 megapixel wld be sufficient for a hobbyist like myself. Not sure abt that cos mps just keeps going up!

It seems that Canon is widely popular among photographers. Keepin my fingers crossed on the B&S section then. Oh and waitin for prices to fall.

Thanks everyone for your help! Greatly appreciated.

 

[panzerpunk]

I'm a student studying at one of our local unis.

Spoke to a professional photographer & he recommended Canon, saying that 5 megapixel wld be sufficient for a hobbyist like myself. Not sure abt that cos mps just keeps going up!

It seems that Canon is widely popular among photographers. Keepin my fingers crossed on the B&S section then. Oh and waitin for prices to fall.

Thanks everyone for your help! Greatly appreciated.

It really depends. Canon makes the S series like an American Car with muscles while on the other hand Fuji makes their F series like a sleek French sports Car with style.

So its really up to you. Canon is definitely a good buy but don't forget to reconsider the other cams as well... You should go down to the shops like Cathay and have a feel for yourself. Don't feel shy to try, you have no obligation to buy.

 

[Hexlord]

Sorry but I see many of you seeing AA batts as an advantage, but wldn't lithium be more economical or environmental-friendlier(i know i'm lame)?

On the topic of DSLR, my fear is that I really wouldn't be able to pick up manual photography & end up with an expensive equipment I don't use. In terms of learning curve, I've had the impression that a prosumer is easier to pick up than DSLR. Just treading in at a really insanely basic level & see how things go...

Haha I don't really see the Lithiums being any more economically friendlier than the AAs. :sweat:

Yes, a prosumer is easier to pick up than a DSLR but you might be limited by its capabilites once you have mastered the basics and wanted more. But, it does fulfill 80% of anybody's photographic needs

And don't mind the noise level at low lighting.... not just the Panasonic, but even the Canon prosumers suffer at high ISO as well.

 

[westwest1]

S3IS.....highly recommended....

 

[Zaknafein]

do check out the new S6500fd from Fuji.
good high ISO performance, 10x+ zoom if im not wrong
price wise, and whether its out yet, im not sure...
u can also check out S5600/9500 since no one has mentioned yet.

i prefer AA batts too. 1 drawback is, AA batts tend to be a bit bigger/heavier than lithium batts.

 

[somnobulant]

hey thanks Zaknafein and everyone else who've given me a tip or 2.

There's far too many choices available, & every camera seems to be equally good if not slightly better. I've got my heart set on a Canon or Sony having researched through those review sites. Yup. Currently waiting for the prices to drop a bit & still snooping about the B&S section.

I'm just real worried I'd have no clue what to do with the camera after I buy it. Even reading thru all that stuff about apertures, bokeh & whatnot is kinda overwhelming & i'm not quite sure what it's all about (cos i dun have a manual cam with me). :embrass:

 

[wrx_sti_22b]

Canon G7 seems good on paper spec. http://www.dpreview.com/news/0609/06091405_canon_g7.asp

 

[karnage]

I own a Panasonic FZ20, and I have to say it really is a good camera! I love its sharpness! And I don't really find myself using high ISOs much... I've been snapping around for some time now, and sometimes I feel quite limited by my camera. Like when I DO need high ISO, and when I need lightning fast yet accurate focussing, or when I need a quick zoom. Macro work & normal shooting is alright but people... oooo people. Expressions are so fleeting u need to be really fast to shoot people.

I guess for me, what I want is a manual zoom lens, razor sharp images, fast & accurate focus and a bonus would be good output at high ISOs... I might be stealing my dad's Canon 350D when I go back to Singapore. Haha!