Kodak Z812, Canon S3/S5, Panasonic FZ8, FinePix s700

[k0rdell]

bayani wrote:

The S5 has 2 advantages for your needs of photos of the family:
1. Face Detection - allows for faces of subjects always clear and not dark as is many times the case with digicams without this feature unless you do some manual adjusting

2. External Hot Shoe - allows for an external flash that brings out softer people photos. A direct-on flash shot using the onboard flash usually results in harsh face shots, specially when the subject has some moisture on their face off which the flash reflects. A bounce flash of an external flash softens the face. Very nice.

I had been wondering what people meant by a hot shoe. Thank you for that.

Point #1 is a great one, I had run across mention of the face detection and it sounded very nice. I seem to be leaning toward the S5, now I'm questioning whether it is out of my budget or not.

Thank you for your input.

[k0rdell]

slmulkey wrote:

Regarding the flip screen, you probably won't miss it too much if you don't have kids, or animals that you take pics of. Over half of my shots are taken at a low level, and not only is kneeling/sitting on the ground a pain to do to frame the shot, it also has the tendency to make my son and my dogs come towards me, which doesn't make for the greatest shot. If I didn't have a flip screen, alot of my pics would be taken at a downward angle which wouldn't make for the greatest pics. I tried taking pics today with the screen folded in, and it drove me nuts, so I still really haven't decided. If I were more patient, I would wait for a camera with a flip screen that does HD video to come out. Yes, I know the Canon TX1 fits that bill, but its pretty expensive, so freaking tiny and the reviews on the IQ and ergonomics aren't that great.

There are several differences between the S3 and the S5. Only real biggie for me is that the S3 can't record a long video. I think it maxes out at 1 gb. That would probably be enough for me, but I would hate to run into that limitation down the road. The screen is also smaller and it doesn't havea hotshoe.

BTW, amazon is having a deal where you get a $50 rebate if you buy a canon camera and printer.I may take advantage of that as my DHneeds an all in one printer for hishome office. That along with the fact that I would need to buy a charger and extra battery for the z812 actually makes the S5 cheeper for me.

I'm also curious about the sound quality of the video on the z812. I know that the canon sound is supposed to be really good, but haven't heard about the kodak.

Good luck deciding. I research this crap way too much too

I have read some on the TX1 and was not overly impressed. Even if it wasn't outside my budget I would probably pass on it.

I think I might be alright with the 1 gb video issue with the S3.. of course, I say that now and when the time comes I would be cursing myself.

Thank you for pointing out about the Amazon sale, I'll look into that.

Hmm.. great point about the charger and battery for the z812, I had forgotten all about that. I would still need to grab a few more AA's but.. hmm.. that sure makes things a lot more interesting.

Thank you again for all your input. That bit about the extra charges was a great point. I was leaning toward the S5 but was afraid it was outside my budget, but taking the battery/charger issue into consideration makes that reach a whole lot smaller.

[slmulkey]

Well, I went ahead and ordered the S5 along with a printer. After looking at the video samples on Steve's review for the S5, I'm sure I'll be happy with that aspect. HD or even just widescreen mode would be better, but it is really awesome compared to my current camera's video mode.

[bayani]

Congratulations!

You'll love the S5IS. Once you get it, I suggest you go through the manual completely and follow the setup instructions. There was one feature I was initially not happy with - the macro.

But only to find out that I did not read the manual carefully and was doing something wrong.

There are so many options and shooting schemes for the S5 that you could miss out on getting truly good photos unless you are aware of all of its capabilities.

Happy shooting!

[k0rdell]

slmulkey wrote:

Well, I went ahead and ordered the S5 along with a printer. After looking at the video samples on Steve's review for the S5, I'm sure I'll be happy with that aspect. HD or even just widescreen mode would be better, but it is really awesome compared to my current camera's video mode.

Congrats on your purchase. I hope it works out great for you.

I'm leaning really heavily toward the S5, just haven't pulled the trigger yet.. I do believe that's the direction I'm heading as well, though.

[gerrydee]

Wise decision, it's probably the most versatile digicam on the market. The movie mode is superb and second to none with a dedicated movie button right on the back, one push and you're filming with no time restrictions.
This is a camera that you will grow with and when you have mastered it, you will be ready gor a DSLR if you so desire.

[bayani]

You might want to now get a couple of sets of good rechargeable 2600 or 2700 mAH NiMH batteries and fast charger that'll charge the batteries from flat to full in 2hrs or less. There are models that also include an adaptor for the charger that will allow you to charge off a vehicle's cigarette lighter socket.

I a Uniross charger and battries from the same company and from Ansmann. The charger has the 12-volt adapter also and charges in under 2 hours.

[gerrydee]

As for batteries, I would highly recommend Sanyo Eneloops. They keep their charge for up to a year when not in use and last longer than most of the others.

[Alan T]

Both the Z812 & the S5is are reviewed on the website of my excellent local camera shop....

Z812: http://www.wrexham-cameras.com/WHATS...EST-DIGI-5.htm

S5: http://www.wrexham-cameras.com/WHATS...EST-DIGI-6.htm

They like both very much.

The author (another Steve) tests all the cameras they sell (and many they don't) on location in sunny places with his model. There are so many of his minireviews with the rapid changes in the marketplace, published in a leaflet every couple of weeks, that sadly they can't keep their website up to date with all of them, so only their 'recommended cameras' get somewhat fuller writeups like these.

He also has an excellent page on the site discussing the pros and cons of hybrids versus dSLRs.

[k0rdell]

Excellent points, all. Thank you again..

Alan, thanks a lot for the reviews. It is great to get word about the z812. As positive a review as it was it makes me wonder if the S5 is worth the extra $80 or so.