Steve'sDigicams

justinjtm · Dec 26, 2006, 2:25 PM

hello all,

My wife and I just had the blessing of having our first child and like all we would like to capture these new moments. We have decided to upgrade our Pentax 5mp S50 to a newer camera 6mp and above that has good video options. Most of our shooting will be family type stuff and having good movie mode is important. We would like to stay under $500 if possible and have narrowed our search to the S3is or A640 but are certainly open for other suggestions. Ease of use and time between shots is also important. any adivce would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Justin:-)

rinniethehun · Dec 26, 2006, 3:32 PM

justin,

Congratulations Daddy!

Nothing against the Canons, as they are excellent cameras. However, one should not go around blasting bright strobe lights into the eyes of newborns. What I'm trying to say is, the two cams you selected aren't real good when it comes to low light performance. Take a peek at these comparisons...

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona640/page13.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fuji...00fd/page6.asp

The two Fujis in the above comparisons share the same sensor, and have above average low light performance.

Outside photography, in bright sunlight, the two cams you picked are great...but that may not be the type of background you will be focusing on in the next couple of years...especially if #2 comes along soon.

You might also want to consider the Sony H2, as I think it might be a little better in low light than the Canons.

Good luck with your choice, and have fun taking pics of the new baby!

the Hun

digraph · Dec 27, 2006, 9:05 AM

Congratulations!! I would recommend the Fuji S6000, too. Especially if you want to take up photography as a semi-serious hobby.

The movie mode is very good, and the camera comes with software to burn your movies to CD to make a VCD, which plays in just about every DVD player.

As for the quality of pictures...
My wife and I have a 7 month old (our first). At first she was reluctant for me to spend a few hundred on a new camera. Our older canon was fine. Then within the first few days of getting the S6000, she remarked that we shouldn't have spent weeks talking over the camera purchase - the number of amazing shots it helped us capture was 10x greater (at least) than our old camera.

The only real drawback about the S6000 is that it's big - too big to just throw in a bag or your pocket, if you're used to a P&S camera. A second drawback is if you only plan to set the camera to AUTO mode, your photos will not come out as good as possible. This is half of my assertion that the S6000 will be most rewarding for people who want to learn their camera and spend some time learning about digital photography in general.

There are some other cameras that have great movie modes, are a little bit smaller, and might provide better set-it-and-forget-it picture quality.

good luck

kassandro · Dec 27, 2006, 7:07 PM

As far as the movie mode is concerned the Canons are way ahead of the Fujis, especially if there is an image stabiliser like in the S3. On the other hand the S6500fd is clearly superior over the S3 as far as the image quality of still pictures is concerned. The Fuji simply has a much larger sensor. On the other hand the Powershot G7 has an almost equally large sensor and the IQ should be very competitve with the Fuji 6500fd - especially if you downsize the 10 MP G7 Pics to the 6 MP resolution of the Fuji. Also the G7 is a lot more compact. If you are more a wide angle photographer the Fuji 6500fd is a very good choice. If you prefer more the tele range, the image stabiliser matters a lot and you are better of with the Canons.

justinjtm · Dec 27, 2006, 11:57 PM

Thanks for the input. I have looked into the Fuji 6000fd and it is now a contender however, I am a little concerned about not having the image stabilazation which some say can be important. Also, will indoor photos in low lightbe noticibly better with the fuji than the canon?

kassandro · Dec 28, 2006, 3:20 AM

Yes, the Fuji should be clearly superior in low light. I have the A710 IS, which is very similar to the S3 IS, and IQ is only satisfactory with ISO 80 or 100. Video quality of the A710 also suffers in low light but not as much as in the case of still pictures.

Baig · Dec 28, 2006, 4:57 AM

I think we need to be clear when we say 'low light performance'. If you plan to shoot in star night orcandle light, you will need high ISO (1600 or bove) and also a tri-pod as the shuter speeds shall almost prclude hand held shooting. But if 'low loght means a decently lit room, ISO 400 or even 200 would do. However high ISO gives you the advantage of faster shutter speeds, compensationg partly for lack of IS. Is it that a baby will be photographed during dark hours only. For ababy on the move IS should be given preference. Zoom may not be really required for indoors which increases the camera bulk. Enlarged close-ups may be required hence high MP. So my recommendations would beA710 IS and F31fd (in that order).

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Dec 26, 2006, 2:25 PM	#1
justinjtm Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 4	hello all, My wife and I just had the blessing of having our first child and like all we would like to capture these new moments. We have decided to upgrade our Pentax 5mp S50 to a newer camera 6mp and above that has good video options. Most of our shooting will be family type stuff and having good movie mode is important. We would like to stay under $500 if possible and have narrowed our search to the S3is or A640 but are certainly open for other suggestions. Ease of use and time between shots is also important. any adivce would be greatly appreciated. Cheers, Justin:-)

Dec 26, 2006, 3:32 PM	#2
rinniethehun Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,870	justin, Congratulations Daddy! Nothing against the Canons, as they are excellent cameras. However, one should not go around blasting bright strobe lights into the eyes of newborns. What I'm trying to say is, the two cams you selected aren't real good when it comes to low light performance. Take a peek at these comparisons... http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona640/page13.asp http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fuji...00fd/page6.asp The two Fujis in the above comparisons share the same sensor, and have above average low light performance. Outside photography, in bright sunlight, the two cams you picked are great...but that may not be the type of background you will be focusing on in the next couple of years...especially if #2 comes along soon. You might also want to consider the Sony H2, as I think it might be a little better in low light than the Canons. Good luck with your choice, and have fun taking pics of the new baby! the Hun

Dec 27, 2006, 9:05 AM	#3
digraph Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 48	Congratulations!! I would recommend the Fuji S6000, too. Especially if you want to take up photography as a semi-serious hobby. The movie mode is very good, and the camera comes with software to burn your movies to CD to make a VCD, which plays in just about every DVD player. As for the quality of pictures... My wife and I have a 7 month old (our first). At first she was reluctant for me to spend a few hundred on a new camera. Our older canon was fine. Then within the first few days of getting the S6000, she remarked that we shouldn't have spent weeks talking over the camera purchase - the number of amazing shots it helped us capture was 10x greater (at least) than our old camera. The only real drawback about the S6000 is that it's big - too big to just throw in a bag or your pocket, if you're used to a P&S camera. A second drawback is if you only plan to set the camera to AUTO mode, your photos will not come out as good as possible. This is half of my assertion that the S6000 will be most rewarding for people who want to learn their camera and spend some time learning about digital photography in general. There are some other cameras that have great movie modes, are a little bit smaller, and might provide better set-it-and-forget-it picture quality. good luck

Dec 27, 2006, 7:07 PM	#4
kassandro Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 448	As far as the movie mode is concerned the Canons are way ahead of the Fujis, especially if there is an image stabiliser like in the S3. On the other hand the S6500fd is clearly superior over the S3 as far as the image quality of still pictures is concerned. The Fuji simply has a much larger sensor. On the other hand the Powershot G7 has an almost equally large sensor and the IQ should be very competitve with the Fuji 6500fd - especially if you downsize the 10 MP G7 Pics to the 6 MP resolution of the Fuji. Also the G7 is a lot more compact. If you are more a wide angle photographer the Fuji 6500fd is a very good choice. If you prefer more the tele range, the image stabiliser matters a lot and you are better of with the Canons.

Dec 27, 2006, 11:57 PM	#5
justinjtm Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 4	Thanks for the input. I have looked into the Fuji 6000fd and it is now a contender however, I am a little concerned about not having the image stabilazation which some say can be important. Also, will indoor photos in low lightbe noticibly better with the fuji than the canon?

Dec 28, 2006, 3:20 AM	#6
kassandro Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 448	Yes, the Fuji should be clearly superior in low light. I have the A710 IS, which is very similar to the S3 IS, and IQ is only satisfactory with ISO 80 or 100. Video quality of the A710 also suffers in low light but not as much as in the case of still pictures.

Dec 28, 2006, 4:57 AM	#7
Baig Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 16	I think we need to be clear when we say 'low light performance'. If you plan to shoot in star night orcandle light, you will need high ISO (1600 or bove) and also a tri-pod as the shuter speeds shall almost prclude hand held shooting. But if 'low loght means a decently lit room, ISO 400 or even 200 would do. However high ISO gives you the advantage of faster shutter speeds, compensationg partly for lack of IS. Is it that a baby will be photographed during dark hours only. For ababy on the move IS should be given preference. Zoom may not be really required for indoors which increases the camera bulk. Enlarged close-ups may be required hence high MP. So my recommendations would beA710 IS and F31fd (in that order).