Hi, I'm always and continue to be baffled by this picture. I'm been waiting to get a digital camera that produces the best quality picture printouts. I'm considering 3.2 mega pixels and at least 4 optical zoom. Just wondering, does the camera manufacturer make a difference,say if I have Canon, Olympus, Nikon, Pentax and Minolta cameras, all 3.2 mega pixels, all having the same optical zoom and developed at the same photo developing shop, which would produce the best quality pictures? Thanks...
Which camera has the best photo printouts?
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Red,
too many variables to consider. It's not just a matter of optical zoom. The lens, sensor, in-camera processing, post-processing, the lab you use all contribute to the final image quality. And the most important thing, you personal taste. What works for you may not work for someone else (don't underestimate this!). Frankly, if you took 5 different 3.2 MP consumers cams, took the same pic with similar settings, I seriously doubt you would see much difference in "quality", just that you will prefer some over the others.
Don't lose hope, plenty to learn out there.
Cheers,
too many variables to consider. It's not just a matter of optical zoom. The lens, sensor, in-camera processing, post-processing, the lab you use all contribute to the final image quality. And the most important thing, you personal taste. What works for you may not work for someone else (don't underestimate this!). Frankly, if you took 5 different 3.2 MP consumers cams, took the same pic with similar settings, I seriously doubt you would see much difference in "quality", just that you will prefer some over the others.
Don't lose hope, plenty to learn out there.
Cheers,
Thanks for the guidance. The reason I asked was that there's this photo developing staff who told me that of all the digital camera's pictures that he had developed, Olympus is the best. Reason why I was hesitant to buy Olympus was that I had an old Canon camera and had invested in the flash cards --> quite unwilling to buy the Olympus as I have to re-invest in the XD ... Guess I need to learn more
That's as close to crap as I've heard. Or flame-bait, at least...red88 said:
Most digicams today can produce pretty decent prints, even 2Mp ones. What you should be considering is how to take good pictures and draw the best out of you camera. From your posts to this point, it is obvious that you are looking at what is now an entry-level prosumer digicam, so all that investment in L or ED lenses and the like will not apply to you.
The lab staff you spoke to probably doesn't know much beyond the Oly camera he has come across. Or maybe they happen to also sell Oly cameras. Or it could be a zillion other possible reasons which we can give the benefit of the doubt to.
Since you have a Canon cam already, then you should maximise and optimise your shooting with it. There are many Canon prosumer cam users in this forum who've gotten good printouts. As there are also Olympus, Nikon, Fuji, Minolta and Sony (and other) brand users who've got great prints.
End of the day, go join some of them/us for outings, shoot with them/us, learn from one another. Some of post-processing via PhotoShop can help make an average shot print out great. Monitor calibration, in-camera tuning, etc can contribute to making your printout better. ... so maybe a better approach could be to share with us what you are using, the settings, etc. Maybe someone in this forum will be able to help.
Cheers
While the difference in sensor quality among the compact digital cameras are quite negligible, the lenses that come with these cameras play an important part...
Generally speaking the longer the zoom, the poorer the image quality. That's primarily the reason why photographers avoid superzoom lenses. However, on a compact digital camera you cannot change the lens on it and a superzoom lens does offer its convenience. You have to weight the differences.
Lenses that extend beyond 200mm (35mm equilvant) will benefit from extra-low dispersion (ED) lens elements. I would even venture to say it's essential. Light have a spectrum of wavelengths and they all bend at a different degree when they pass through glass (remember the prism experiment in school?). ED glass elements will help to minimize the differences, so the resulting image will maintain a better colour accuracy and hence apparent sharpness in the photo.
Olympus' prime Zuiko lenses are excellent in quality, and I would think their zoom lenses will try to maintain a certain level of quality. I won't be surprised if in a lab test, an Olympus lens performs better than the competition. However that said, in practical "in-the-field" usage, such differences are usually negligible. It's like saying "hey magnify this photo under a 100x microscope, and you can see that this photo shows a sharper strain of hair on my head than that photo!".
Ultimately the photographer makes the photo. Under normal circumstances, techniques used in taking the photo affect the final output more than differences among the lenses can.
Generally speaking the longer the zoom, the poorer the image quality. That's primarily the reason why photographers avoid superzoom lenses. However, on a compact digital camera you cannot change the lens on it and a superzoom lens does offer its convenience. You have to weight the differences.
Lenses that extend beyond 200mm (35mm equilvant) will benefit from extra-low dispersion (ED) lens elements. I would even venture to say it's essential. Light have a spectrum of wavelengths and they all bend at a different degree when they pass through glass (remember the prism experiment in school?). ED glass elements will help to minimize the differences, so the resulting image will maintain a better colour accuracy and hence apparent sharpness in the photo.
Olympus' prime Zuiko lenses are excellent in quality, and I would think their zoom lenses will try to maintain a certain level of quality. I won't be surprised if in a lab test, an Olympus lens performs better than the competition. However that said, in practical "in-the-field" usage, such differences are usually negligible. It's like saying "hey magnify this photo under a 100x microscope, and you can see that this photo shows a sharper strain of hair on my head than that photo!".
Ultimately the photographer makes the photo. Under normal circumstances, techniques used in taking the photo affect the final output more than differences among the lenses can.
Hi, thanks for all the information. The Canon camera which I have now, is really useless. It's Canon Powershot A200 and it offers no optical zoom at all -- can you imagine my disappointment when I saw snowy mountains in the far distance and not being able to take them. This purchase was a misinformed decision. Thus I am extremely cautious when making the second purchase and that the minimum requirement should be at least optical zoom of 3. Judging from the comments given, it would seem that the skills of the photographer are more important than the camera manufacturer. If that's the case, I would be more assured to purchase a Canon camera (given that I had invested in the flash cards) rather one that requires different storage media. Thanks for all the tips ....
merry christmas
merry christmasI own the Canon Powershot A100 - exactly the same as yours except that it's 1.3 megapixel instead of 2. For its days, this camera is so packed with features it puts the $500 cameras to shame... the only thing bad about it is that it has no zoom (digital zoom is just a gimmick in my opinion), requires A LOT of power and relative slow AF. I guess that's expected of old digital cameras. Personally I don't find the lack of a zoom disturbing, but I really hate the power drain of that camera...
Besides Canon, there are other manufacturers which make cameras that uses CF cards and/or microdrive as well, so you probably won't need to be restricted to just looking at Canon.
Besides Canon, there are other manufacturers which make cameras that uses CF cards and/or microdrive as well, so you probably won't need to be restricted to just looking at Canon.
The A200 is a good camera. One of my ex-students use one and his shots have printed out at a couple of labs without any problems. The zoom limitation hasn't been a factor for him, as far as I know, as he has gone on a couple of AG outings with other Clubsnappers and myself.red88 said:Hi, thanks for all the information. The Canon camera which I have now, is really useless. It's Canon Powershot A200 and it offers no optical zoom at all -- can you imagine my disappointment when I saw snowy mountains in the far distance and not being able to take them. This purchase was a misinformed decision. Thus I am extremely cautious when making the second purchase and that the minimum requirement should be at least optical zoom of 3. Judging from the comments given, it would seem that the skills of the photographer are more important than the camera manufacturer. If that's the case, I would be more assured to purchase a Canon camera (given that I had invested in the flash cards) rather one that requires different storage media. Thanks for all the tips ....
Perhaps you may want to explore working around your camera's limitations first rather than splurging on new gears. :think:
And if you are already quite familiar with the Canon system, menus, etc, then getting another Canon (G3, A80) will be a very good idea. Though you may want to plan to invest in a lens adaptor and a teleconv for the far-away scenery. Both A80 and G3/G5 are prosumer-class digicams. Learning to use them and use them well is definitely a prudent step forward. My guess is that you are shooting for record and leisure, so going DSLR may not be warranted at all.
Azure said:
Sorry for going OT, but I'm curious and still learning - what kind of shooting/conditions warrants having a DSLR? E.g.:
- for professional shooting (for income)?
- having extra money to splurge?
- wanting to look "fierce"?
- etc. ?
Pray tell.
ghibli said:Sorry for going OT, but I'm curious and still learning - what kind of shooting/conditions warrants having a DSLR? E.g.:
- for professional shooting (for income)?
- having extra money to splurge?
- wanting to look "fierce"?
- etc. ?
Pray tell.
Well, most people buy DSLR is becos:
1) they can afford it and the enjoyment they get is 'priceless'
2) Shutter lag (they use SLR, so their patience with prosumer cams are shorter, related to point 1)
3) professional shooting (now client wants an option, do you provide?)
My first digi cam is a 1.3mp too! Oly fix lens/f2.8 using 2xAA batteries. Mimic my MjuII. BUT no high ISO like fuji press800 or xtra 1600
adding on to Snowcrash's replies...
4. variety of lenses - can't afford it? borrow one from a friend before you actually plonk down the money and buy one lens you may end up hardly using.
5. peace of mind (sort of) - in case your lens get damaged, you still have a 50-50 chance of being able to use your (d)slr body with another lens.
4. variety of lenses - can't afford it? borrow one from a friend before you actually plonk down the money and buy one lens you may end up hardly using.
5. peace of mind (sort of) - in case your lens get damaged, you still have a 50-50 chance of being able to use your (d)slr body with another lens.
Azure said:
Aiyah, you know sales people lah...
"Special price, for you only."
"How are you, brudder?"
"Import from Japan, last piece."
... et al.
agree all camera ca produce good pics....
no lousy camera only lousy photographer.......
I use to think my digi cam is lousy...cause the pic dun always turn out the way i wanted it to be....but after using it for a while.....u will understand it more...how it works in tricky condition..
It is me lousy not the cam lousy.......
no lousy camera only lousy photographer.......
I use to think my digi cam is lousy...cause the pic dun always turn out the way i wanted it to be....but after using it for a while.....u will understand it more...how it works in tricky condition..
It is me lousy not the cam lousy.......
ghibli said:Sorry for going OT, but I'm curious and still learning - what kind of shooting/conditions warrants having a DSLR? E.g.:
- for professional shooting (for income)?
- having extra money to splurge?
- wanting to look "fierce"?
- etc. ?
Pray tell.
I presently have the 300D, but am still holding on to my Nikon CP4500. IMO, the Nikon takes great pics under ideal conditions (good light, immobile subject), which the Canon DSLR will be very hard pressed to beat. Also, the split body and live preview is a definite plus.
But there are a few situations under which I frequently shoot, where the P&S Nikon falls short --> Indoor parties with friends, indoor family (& baby) pics, sports and action photography. The shutter lag and intolerable noise at anything higher than ISO 200 makes good picture taking under these conditions impossible. This is where the DSLR wins hands down. The interchangeable lens is both an advantage and disadvantage IMO.
P.S. Definitely don't shoot for a living, don't have that much money to burn, but looking fierce is quite fun!
Some insight I hope. Cheers,
Azure said:
Just to balance the scale a bit, I think what the salesperson said was his own opinion. According to red88, he merely said of all the pictures he developed from different camera brands, Olympus-camera-taken pictures are the best. That's his personal judgement, he didn't say the other brands are not capable. Not too nice to say that what he said is crap right?
hi all, thanks for all the tips ... per advice, I'll polish up my photography skills and concentrate on getting another Canon brand with optical zoom .. one more question, one problem with using my existing canon digital camera is that the time lag between pressing the shutter and actual taking of picture is really slow (I'm sure that's a photography jargon for this but am not sure ) .. is this a problem common to all Canon brands e.g. G3, A80.. thanks..
) .. is this a problem common to all Canon brands e.g. G3, A80.. thanks..red88 said:hi all, thanks for all the tips ... per advice, I'll polish up my photography skills and concentrate on getting another Canon brand with optical zoom .. one more question, one problem with using my existing canon digital camera is that the time lag between pressing the shutter and actual taking of picture is really slow (I'm sure that's a photography jargon for this but am not sure
that is called shutter lag... to capture the 'moment' and expressions, you would want a camera with as short a shutter lag as possible
Get a cheap & compact camera will do if you got limited budget. In this case, i recommend you Olympus cos i did use C-1, C-300, C-10 now>>C-720.
But say no for sony digital camera, the quality really can't compete with Olympus . I did compare the quality of Sony P1 with 3.3 mega pixel with Olympus C-1. C-1 picture quality still ahead P1 with 3.3 pixels while C-1 only has 1.3 mega pixels.
Of course if you are getting the Olympus with Zeiko lens or Nikon 5400, Canon G5 or D1 then is different story already!!
In this case, i recommend you Olympus cos i did use C-1, C-300, C-10 now>>C-720.But say no for sony digital camera, the quality really can't compete with Olympus
. I did compare the quality of Sony P1 with 3.3 mega pixel with Olympus C-1. C-1 picture quality still ahead P1 with 3.3 pixels while C-1 only has 1.3 mega pixels. Of course if you are getting the Olympus with Zeiko lens or Nikon 5400, Canon G5 or D1 then is different story already!!
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