ok...i currently have the fuji finepix s3000, but i'm thinking of doing a bit of an upgrade to a camera with bigger zoom and more features. it seems like the canon powershot S1 IS is a good choice.

one thing that makes me question it is that in alot of reviews i've reead people said that it had trouble focusing in dim light...is this a huge problem? like will it refuse to take the picture or just not come out good? my fuji has a similar problem, and it seems like alot of other cameras do to.

i guess i woul djust like to get some feedback from people who have it. do you like the camera? does it seem to work well? i love the fact that it has a 10x zoom with the stabilizer, and that you can zoom in during the high quality movies! and the swivel lcd seems cool...let me know what you all think.

thanks.

p0k wrote: Okey-dokey -- I think that if you are worried about low light focusing, then perhaps you should consider a megazoom that has a focus-assist light. That way you won't have to worry about it....

PhilR.

If you don't care about video, the Panasonic Lumix line (eg. FZ3, FZ20, etc) is better... THe Panasonic Lumix cameras are pretty similar to the S1 IS--the main competitor is the Panasonic DMC-FZ3...

The Canon S1 IS is not very good in low light. It doesn't have an AF-assist lamp so it is really poor in the dark. Basically what will happen is that the camera will take a very long time to focus.

I have the S1 IS and don't run into issues with this (mainly because I shoot long-range low-light pics (eg. city buildings at night) or shoot all indoor pics with flash (eg. family pics)) but those trying to take short range low-light pics should stay away from this camera...

New models may be announced within one month so if you can wait a few months (and are willing to pay more for the 2005 models) then it is worth waiting...

i've also been looking at the minolta DiMage Z3.

if you had to choose between the two what would you pick?

p0k wrote:
Which two? Panasonic vs Minolta? Or Canon vs Minolta?

If you don't care about video, the Panasonics are way better...

If you care about video then the Canon is better IMO. It has brighter lens (F2.8-F3.1, whereas KM Z3 goes past F3.1 if I remember correctly). Canon also has a few more advantages over the KM...

(HOwever do note that KM announced their 2005 models, and the KM Z5 isn't that bad)...

the panasonic FZ20 looks perfect other than the movie quality...the only thing is its alot more expensive. i'll have to decide if i want to spend that much. so you would choose the canon over the minolta?

The Fugi S5100 has good low light focusing ability, 10X zoom, better image reviews then the Z3, and a good movie mode!

you may also check into the Panasonic Lumix FZ-15.. basically the same as the FZ-20 but 4 megapixel instad of 5 and about 100 dollars cheaper...

also, i concur with mikdee and check out the Fuji 5100..

i think i might go with the panasonic FZ3. it has most of the features of the FZ15 and 20 except for manual focus...and of course the lesser megapixels. what do you guys think of it?

p0k wrote:
FZ3 is the best budget choice. Some even claim it has less noise than the FZ20 (because it has less megapixels for its sensor size). You'll miss the extra megapixels, larger LCD, and flash hot-shoe but that's why it's cheaper...