Fuji S5100 ?

[kevin68]

I am looking for a long zoom digicam and my choice primarily based on my budget is the Fuji S5100. I really like the SLR looks of the Fuji and don't mind the 1.5" LCD if it saves on batteries but I have read both the LCD and EFV are hard to see in the direct sunlight. I have looked at countless photos on pbase, fotobase, flickr and I liked the Fujis overall image quality. I must of looked at at least 100 photos and I have not seen any signs of vignetting which some people say plague this camera. What stands out are the subtle life like colors with nothing to punchy and the sharpness of pictures with moving subjects like motocross races. After viewing the photos produced by all of the current mega zooms the images are so close to me it is pardon the pun a photo finish to determine a clear winner. I would like to explore & learn digital photography. So I am wanting a camera I can grow with. My most favorite times to take photoss are early in the morning and at dusk be cause of the natural lighting. I also want a camera for photos trips to the Zoo and to capture my kids playing. In addition nightime photography really interests me. I often wonder if I should come up with the extra $250.00 and purchase one of the new mega zoom stabilized camera such as the FZ5, H1, S2. These latter models sell for $699.00 CAD while the S5100 is $449.00 CAD. I have read the reviews about the Sony H1 and I am weary about the purple fringing this camera is reportebly prone to. I have seen evidence of the H1's purple fringing myself in other peoples uploaded photos. I dislike the Panasonic FZ series $99.99 replacement batteries and as a class leader in the lense department it just doesn't stand out. From what I have seen the Canon really cannot be beat for macro shots but falls short in everyday picture quality because of higher ISO noise and lack luster capture of moving subjects. After reading all the reviews and viewing all the different photos taken by these cameras I am left with a headache and the opinion none are better than the other. This is because they all have serious flaws and deciding which camera to buy comes down more to brand loyalty than performance. My first digicam a Casio QV-R51 which was a major dissapointment and I ended up returning. The Casio took what I would describe as overly soft and warm (reddish) pictures and had major problems with purple fringing. I have had very little photography experience but did own a Canon AE1 with a manual focus lense which took wonderful pictures. It is to bad that the Olympus C8080 wasn't a couple of hundred dollars less and have a longer zoom. Please provide me with some links to various photos with comments on the deficencies the camera is producing.

Thank you in adavance.

K.W:?

[turkish a. punkass]

me and my step dad got my mom the 5100 for her birthday. it's a great camera for the money. only thing its missing is optical stabilization. but for the $$$, it's damn good.

[paulhaase]

If you read all the reviews on long zoom cameras and analyze photo quality and features, you will probably come to the remarkable conclusion that thecameras with more featurescost more.

What sold me on the F5100 was price and how well it fit my hands. The cameras you listed are all very good cameras. If you haven't done so, I recommend you go to the camera shop and try all these cameras. Look thru the viewfinder, try the zoom,and snap a couple of shots. I think you will be able to drop one or more cameras from your list because they just don't feel right.

[Steven R]

I agree with the others, the S5100 is an excellent value for the money. While you can buy a camera with more features, it would also cost more than the Fuji. IMHO you will be satisfied with it. It's a good camera for someone new to digital photography, but wants to learn more.