Steve'sDigicams

ccp · Nov 6, 2005, 4:34 PM

My Fujifilm Finepix 4800Zoom has packed in & I'm trying to decide what to replace it with. I always felt that the fuji lacked some manual controls & I want aperture & shutter priority as a minimum. I've narrowed it down to the Canon A620 or Olympus sp350. What are your thoughts & advice?

sbddude · Nov 7, 2005, 6:01 PM

I've been using canon cameras for a while now, and the vari-angle LCD feature is one that is very handy to have. If I was buying a camera that didn't need a large zoom ( I just bought an s2) I would get the A610 or 620 without question.

Steven R · Nov 7, 2005, 10:35 PM

What will be your shooting preferences? You are asking about 2 different types of cameras. The Canon is a 4x zoom that has a max 140mm lens; vs the Oly 10x zoom that goes to 380mm. The cheaper SP-350 and SP-310 are closer to the Canon's lens size.

If the longer lens is more usefulto you, the SP-500 is a good choice, with an excellent lens, and a 1/2.5" sensor as compared to the Canon's 1/1.8" sensor. It also has an available uncompressed RAW format that the Canon does not offer on the A620.

swgod98 · Nov 7, 2005, 11:32 PM

Steven R wrote:

Quote:

and a 1/2.5" sensor as compared to the Canon's 1/1.8" sensor.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't 1/2.5 smaller than 1/1.8? :?

ccp · Nov 8, 2005, 2:10 AM

Morning, thanks for the replies. I think the 3X lens on the SP350 will be ok. On the other hand 4X must beuseful aswould the variable LCD positioning of the A620. My main thought is for the image quality, especially indoors. In this area the additional pix & option for external flash makes the SP350 look more attractive. I suppose what I'm asking is "which takes the better quality pictures?"

ccp · Nov 9, 2005, 2:12 PM

I've been told by the man in the camera shop that I won't notice any difference in image quality up to & including A4 prints. But he also tells me that using a non Olympus flash may lead to a power surge thus damaging the camera. He was not trying to get me to buy the Olympus & a flash, simply saying that it would be expensive if the external flash was now the only benefit of the Olympus over the Canon. Any thoughts?

orion999 · Nov 9, 2005, 2:36 PM

Yeah, certainly. 1/2.5" and 1/1.8" are the diagonal sizes, meaning 0.4" and 0.56" respectively. Canon also has 1/2.5" sensor camera in the newest slim snap models such as IXUS 55.

swgod98 wrote:

Quote:

Steven R wrote:

Quote:

and a 1/2.5" sensor as compared to the Canon's 1/1.8" sensor.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't 1/2.5 smaller than 1/1.8? :?

Justinian · Nov 9, 2005, 4:11 PM

I love the features on the Oly SP-350, and it handles very nicely too. But I have read some professional users worry that it will not measure up, quality wise. I would wait for a review before shelving out the cash. The only review I know about is at http://www.megapixel.net and it wasn't stellar. Whereas, the A-620 is sure to be a winner for Canon with excellent user reviews. If I had to choose b/t the two, I would go with the A-620.

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Nov 6, 2005, 4:34 PM	#1
ccp Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 10	My Fujifilm Finepix 4800Zoom has packed in & I'm trying to decide what to replace it with. I always felt that the fuji lacked some manual controls & I want aperture & shutter priority as a minimum. I've narrowed it down to the Canon A620 or Olympus sp350. What are your thoughts & advice?

Nov 7, 2005, 6:01 PM	#2
sbddude Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 29	I've been using canon cameras for a while now, and the vari-angle LCD feature is one that is very handy to have. If I was buying a camera that didn't need a large zoom ( I just bought an s2) I would get the A610 or 620 without question.

Nov 7, 2005, 10:35 PM	#3
Steven R Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 5,929	What will be your shooting preferences? You are asking about 2 different types of cameras. The Canon is a 4x zoom that has a max 140mm lens; vs the Oly 10x zoom that goes to 380mm. The cheaper SP-350 and SP-310 are closer to the Canon's lens size. If the longer lens is more usefulto you, the SP-500 is a good choice, with an excellent lens, and a 1/2.5" sensor as compared to the Canon's 1/1.8" sensor. It also has an available uncompressed RAW format that the Canon does not offer on the A620.

Nov 8, 2005, 2:10 AM	#5
ccp Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 10	Morning, thanks for the replies. I think the 3X lens on the SP350 will be ok. On the other hand 4X must beuseful aswould the variable LCD positioning of the A620. My main thought is for the image quality, especially indoors. In this area the additional pix & option for external flash makes the SP350 look more attractive. I suppose what I'm asking is "which takes the better quality pictures?"

Nov 9, 2005, 2:12 PM	#6
ccp Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 10	I've been told by the man in the camera shop that I won't notice any difference in image quality up to & including A4 prints. But he also tells me that using a non Olympus flash may lead to a power surge thus damaging the camera. He was not trying to get me to buy the Olympus & a flash, simply saying that it would be expensive if the external flash was now the only benefit of the Olympus over the Canon. Any thoughts?

Nov 9, 2005, 4:11 PM	#8
Justinian Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 249	I love the features on the Oly SP-350, and it handles very nicely too. But I have read some professional users worry that it will not measure up, quality wise. I would wait for a review before shelving out the cash. The only review I know about is at http://www.megapixel.net and it wasn't stellar. Whereas, the A-620 is sure to be a winner for Canon with excellent user reviews. If I had to choose b/t the two, I would go with the A-620.