Steve'sDigicams

diegofarias · Oct 30, 2005, 5:57 PM

Hi folks!

After 2 months of incessant search, I´ve got even more confused of which camera should I buy. S2 IS, H1, P850, S5200, FZ5.... Why choose one instead of the others? I know it´s a too generic question, but I wake up thinking of one, and go to bed thinking of other. It may be a consequence oflack of objectives, too.

Somebody who have those cameras, some comparisons, main properties and remarkable caracteristics will be welcome!!!

Thanks!!

Carrots · Oct 31, 2005, 2:32 AM

Those cameras are probably the most asked about in this forum. You should do a forum search for them, you will find a lot.

Here's a recent one.

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=70909&forum_id=87&jump_t o=397392#p397392

I personally have a Canon S2 IS, and if I had to choose over again, I would still choose it. The only other one I would consider is the Fuji S5200, because of the low price, and the great ISO.

Quick comparison (from memory, so not so accurate, and probably a bit biased. )

FZ5 - small, very fast
FZ20 - GREAT image quality, very fast
S2 - Ariculating LCD, fast, good image quality, good IS. Great movie mode. Super Macro. Noisy at iso 400. Uses AA batteries.
S5200 ISO 1600 !!!!! No IS. Cheap.
Sony H1 -Large screen. Some like it, I dont.

Either way, if you think a high ISO is a must have, then go for the Fuji. Otherwise, none of these will disapoint.

diegofarias · Nov 1, 2005, 8:44 AM

Thanks Carrots! I´ll take a look on these search!

Actually the S2 is the most quoted in my opinion, but here in Brazil buying a camera demands a big financial effort. As I can see here, some of you have have dozen cameras, and a bog experience in photography, that narrows them to some especifical points.

I think that the most important thing to me is quality of image, even in low light conditions. ISis a must have, so the S5200 wouldn´t be a good option. Other wantedstuff: fast focus,better (or best) image quality, like low cromatic aberration, purple fringing, bla bla bla. Low noise should be important, but I´m realizing that some Photoshop can solve it somehow, it´s just a question of learning how to deal with it. Macro isn´t important, AA batteries are very welcome. Large screen isn´t so important. I´m preocupated with the final quality of the photo.

Video..... I don´t know.... 7 min for 1 GB.... seems to be a little bit worthless, isnt´t it?

Thanks for the contributions!!

diegofarias · Nov 1, 2005, 9:43 AM

Other information:

I know that all those cameras (Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic) are great, but what I want to know is why should an (advanced-)amateur photographer buy one of them instead of the others. To a complete novice all them will fit great.

tclune · Nov 1, 2005, 12:58 PM

diegofarias wrote:

Quote:

Other information:

I know that all those cameras (Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic) are great, but what I want to know is why should an (advanced-)amateur photographer buy one of them instead of the others. To a complete novice all them will fit great.

Besides what Carrots said, the FZ-20 would be a good choice if you want a hot shoe for external flash (the only one on the list that has that). The S2 would be a good choice if video were important to you or if you wanted the best burst mode of the lot. The Fuji would be the best choice if you wanted the highest ISO rating (best low-light with no flash or stop-action under the widest possible lighting conditions.)

diegofarias · Nov 1, 2005, 5:54 PM

tclune wrote:

Quote:

diegofarias wrote:

Quote:

Other information:

I know that all those cameras (Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic) are great, but what I want to know is why should an (advanced-)amateur photographer buy one of them instead of the others. To a complete novice all them will fit great.

Besides what Carrots said, the FZ-20 would be a good choice if you want a hot shoe for external flash (the only one on the list that has that). The S2 would be a good choice if video were important to you or if you wanted the best burst mode of the lot. The Fuji would be the best choice if you wanted the highest ISO rating (best low-light with no flash or stop-action under the widest possible lighting conditions.)

Thanks for the information, tclune! So, let´s see: the S2 has IS, wich is very important to keep quality of imagem when using tele. But S2 has the problem of excessive noise (in opposition of the S5200, I imagine (is it right?), but can be fixed with Photoshop). Video mode andnice burst mode aren´t a must have. So, I have to choose between IS or low noise/high iso. And now I still must take a look on the FZ-20. In fact I don´t think I´ll use an external flash at this moment of DP learning, mainly if the built-in one has good power. Besides FZ-20, there are FZ-5 and FZ-30 (another level). What do I have to keep in mind to buy each one?

Once again, thanks!!

diegofarias · Nov 1, 2005, 5:57 PM

Another question: is the extreme noise problem generalized to Panasonic´s cameras?

Bunuel66 · Nov 1, 2005, 7:04 PM

I have had the opportunity to compare the Panasonic FZ5 and the Fuji S5200/5600.
The FZ5 has a better AF specially in low light and/or when the target is quite reflective (It's a point clearly mentioned in the Fuji documentation anyway !). Don't get me wrong, the Fuji is able to focus but it will take longer in such conditions. Both cameras can have their AF hesitating at full tele range. Still on that point the panasonic is better.
Regarding ISO, the Fuji wins clearly. Practically no noise up to 800 ISO. The Panasonic is clearly more noisy at 400 ISO.
Regarding photo quality, I prefer the results I got from the Fuji.
On the anti shake, don't be confused, only the Panasonic has a real IS. It works great but is not very usefull if you intend to do indoors sport shoots. The Fuji has no IS, the anti shake claim is just pure marketing, but going up with ISO let you increase the speed and, as in the good old time, it works! After using the FZ5 quite a lot, I have been very pleasantly surprised by the results from the s5200/5600 at full zoom range even in moderate light conditions.
About shutter lag both, cameras are comparable once you are pre focused.
FZ5 uses a proprietary battery and a common SD memory format, while the S5200/5600 uses standard A4 batteries but a bit more expensive XD cards.
IMHO, both cameras are good products in their class. I think that R$ for R$ the Fuji is a slightly better choice than the Panasonic, mainly for the very good ISO range.

Carrots · Nov 2, 2005, 2:55 AM

Only the FZ5 has real IS? I think you are mistaken.

In realy low light, the S2 also has a hard time focusing. And it is quite noisy at iso400.

And no matter what software you use, you will always have worse results at iso400 than at iso50.

Bunuel66 · Nov 2, 2005, 5:32 AM

I wasonly talking about FZ5 and Fuji 5200/5600. In that case only the Panasonic has a real IS, Fuji has a dial position for IS but it is just a way to select higher ISO in order to use higher speed. The Fuji camera doesn't use any mechanical device for damping vibrations either atsensor level (Minolta solution) or within the lens set (other manufacturers).

I agree that at 400 ISO you will usually get more noise than at 50 (strictly speaking it's the S/N ratio that will be degraded). But I just want to point out that the Fuji is really astonishing even at 800 ISO. Noise issignificantlypresent at 1600 ISO only in normal light conditions.

Having not experiment with the Canon camera I can't give any feeling.

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Oct 30, 2005, 5:57 PM	#1
diegofarias Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 13	Hi folks! After 2 months of incessant search, I´ve got even more confused of which camera should I buy. S2 IS, H1, P850, S5200, FZ5.... Why choose one instead of the others? I know it´s a too generic question, but I wake up thinking of one, and go to bed thinking of other. It may be a consequence oflack of objectives, too. Somebody who have those cameras, some comparisons, main properties and remarkable caracteristics will be welcome!!! Thanks!!

Oct 31, 2005, 2:32 AM	#2
Carrots Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 377	Those cameras are probably the most asked about in this forum. You should do a forum search for them, you will find a lot. Here's a recent one. http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=70909&forum_id=87&jump_t o=397392#p397392 I personally have a Canon S2 IS, and if I had to choose over again, I would still choose it. The only other one I would consider is the Fuji S5200, because of the low price, and the great ISO. Quick comparison (from memory, so not so accurate, and probably a bit biased. ) FZ5 - small, very fast FZ20 - GREAT image quality, very fast S2 - Ariculating LCD, fast, good image quality, good IS. Great movie mode. Super Macro. Noisy at iso 400. Uses AA batteries. S5200 ISO 1600 !!!!! No IS. Cheap. Sony H1 -Large screen. Some like it, I dont. Either way, if you think a high ISO is a must have, then go for the Fuji. Otherwise, none of these will disapoint.

Nov 1, 2005, 8:44 AM	#3
diegofarias Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 13	Thanks Carrots! I´ll take a look on these search! Actually the S2 is the most quoted in my opinion, but here in Brazil buying a camera demands a big financial effort. As I can see here, some of you have have dozen cameras, and a bog experience in photography, that narrows them to some especifical points. I think that the most important thing to me is quality of image, even in low light conditions. ISis a must have, so the S5200 wouldn´t be a good option. Other wantedstuff: fast focus,better (or best) image quality, like low cromatic aberration, purple fringing, bla bla bla. Low noise should be important, but I´m realizing that some Photoshop can solve it somehow, it´s just a question of learning how to deal with it. Macro isn´t important, AA batteries are very welcome. Large screen isn´t so important. I´m preocupated with the final quality of the photo. Video..... I don´t know.... 7 min for 1 GB.... seems to be a little bit worthless, isnt´t it? Thanks for the contributions!!

Nov 1, 2005, 9:43 AM	#4
diegofarias Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 13	Other information: I know that all those cameras (Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic) are great, but what I want to know is why should an (advanced-)amateur photographer buy one of them instead of the others. To a complete novice all them will fit great.

Nov 1, 2005, 5:57 PM	#7
diegofarias Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 13	Another question: is the extreme noise problem generalized to Panasonic´s cameras?

Nov 1, 2005, 7:04 PM	#8
Bunuel66 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2	I have had the opportunity to compare the Panasonic FZ5 and the Fuji S5200/5600. The FZ5 has a better AF specially in low light and/or when the target is quite reflective (It's a point clearly mentioned in the Fuji documentation anyway !). Don't get me wrong, the Fuji is able to focus but it will take longer in such conditions. Both cameras can have their AF hesitating at full tele range. Still on that point the panasonic is better. Regarding ISO, the Fuji wins clearly. Practically no noise up to 800 ISO. The Panasonic is clearly more noisy at 400 ISO. Regarding photo quality, I prefer the results I got from the Fuji. On the anti shake, don't be confused, only the Panasonic has a real IS. It works great but is not very usefull if you intend to do indoors sport shoots. The Fuji has no IS, the anti shake claim is just pure marketing, but going up with ISO let you increase the speed and, as in the good old time, it works! After using the FZ5 quite a lot, I have been very pleasantly surprised by the results from the s5200/5600 at full zoom range even in moderate light conditions. About shutter lag both, cameras are comparable once you are pre focused. FZ5 uses a proprietary battery and a common SD memory format, while the S5200/5600 uses standard A4 batteries but a bit more expensive XD cards. IMHO, both cameras are good products in their class. I think that R$ for R$ the Fuji is a slightly better choice than the Panasonic, mainly for the very good ISO range.

Nov 2, 2005, 2:55 AM	#9
Carrots Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 377	Only the FZ5 has real IS? I think you are mistaken. In realy low light, the S2 also has a hard time focusing. And it is quite noisy at iso400. And no matter what software you use, you will always have worse results at iso400 than at iso50.

Nov 2, 2005, 5:32 AM	#10
Bunuel66 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2	I wasonly talking about FZ5 and Fuji 5200/5600. In that case only the Panasonic has a real IS, Fuji has a dial position for IS but it is just a way to select higher ISO in order to use higher speed. The Fuji camera doesn't use any mechanical device for damping vibrations either atsensor level (Minolta solution) or within the lens set (other manufacturers). I agree that at 400 ISO you will usually get more noise than at 50 (strictly speaking it's the S/N ratio that will be degraded). But I just want to point out that the Fuji is really astonishing even at 800 ISO. Noise issignificantlypresent at 1600 ISO only in normal light conditions. Having not experiment with the Canon camera I can't give any feeling.