Steve'sDigicams

PNO4TE · Jul 16, 2005, 5:26 PM

I have had my Olympus C-700UZ for 4 years and love it. It is only 2 MP+ but it has a 10x Optical zoom which has me spoiled. It also uses SM cards which are getting harder and harder to find.

So... we are looking at a smaller camera with higher MP and guess we will have to forego the higher zoom.

The Canon A520 and A95 both look good.I think for our needs it might be a toss-up as to whether we need a 4MP or a 5MPso I don't know that this is such an important criteria.

BUT, having been burned with the SM card I am wondering if the CF or the SD card is a better way to go. Any thoughts as to which camera I should be more seriously considering?

Thanks!

Elin

rinniethehun · Jul 16, 2005, 5:46 PM

If you like the Olympus brand and the 10X zoom, why don't you consider the C-770UZ model? It has a 4 MP resolution, 10X zoom, and it's a little smaller and lighter than your C-700.

the Hun

shady · Jul 16, 2005, 5:47 PM

Look on the olympus web site www.olympusamerica.comand search their cameras. You can get a bigger megapixel camera and still with the 10x optic lens. They now use the XD cards which are small, fast and available up to 1 GB storage. Hope this helps.

PNO4TE · Jul 16, 2005, 5:52 PM

Actually, I did consider the C-770UZ, but am not pleased with the use of the xD card. I have a sneaky feeling it will go the way of the SM cards! Also wouldn't mind a slightly smaller camera, even knowing I would still have to give up some of the optical zoom.

There is also the issue of the proprietary battery pack. I like the flexibilty of the rechargeable AA batteries.

Any information that would lead me to a different conclusion would be appreciated :-)

Elin

amicah22 · Jul 18, 2005, 11:44 PM

I had a c700 until last week when it went buh- bye on ebay. It was a very good camera for macros and outdoor shots with out to much direct light; it handled well and was not to big. If you purchased onr four years ago you must be at least somewhat serious since you prob. dropped 500+ on it in 2001 or 2002 and the c700 has pretty exstensive manual controls. So let me suggest a entry level dslr. I have an ist ds and it is not much bigger than the c700 and cost about 700 with the lense, it uses sd cards and aa's. NO shutter lag and great pics. You can find the first canon dig rebel (300d) for a bit over 500 and the ist dl for a bit over 600 soon. If you want to play it safe I have heard great things about the panosonic series of ultra zooms --almost perfect except for a bit to much noise at higher iso's with amazing leica lens. Good luck and enjoy - anything you buy new will have better performance than the c700 uz so you will be happywith whatever you decide.

PNO4TE · Jul 19, 2005, 5:09 AM

Thanks, everyone, for your help. Amicah22 -- in a way you are right. I did drop a little more than $600 on my 700-UZ because I really did a lot of research on Steve's Digicams and it had everything I was looking for at the time. Our 19 yr old hasinherited the camera since we really could not buy her anything comparable for what we could sell it for now.

As for me... I made a decision. I was looking for a smaller camera, not a DSLR. I wanted better zoom than 3x. So, again, with much help from Steve's site, and these forumsI bought a Canon A520. So far, it is what I wanted to supplement our Pentax SLR.

I have not had a lot of chance to play arouns with it since I got it on Sunday, but the couple of shots I have taken were pretty good. The ability to attach a few additional lenses and filters in the future gives me a little more flexibility and gets closer to what I was looking for without the bulk of what I had or what I would have gotten with a DSLR.

Thanks again to everyone for their help . All you comments helped me brainstorm this replacement purchase

Elin

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Jul 16, 2005, 5:26 PM	#1
PNO4TE Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 8	I have had my Olympus C-700UZ for 4 years and love it. It is only 2 MP+ but it has a 10x Optical zoom which has me spoiled. It also uses SM cards which are getting harder and harder to find. So... we are looking at a smaller camera with higher MP and guess we will have to forego the higher zoom. The Canon A520 and A95 both look good.I think for our needs it might be a toss-up as to whether we need a 4MP or a 5MPso I don't know that this is such an important criteria. BUT, having been burned with the SM card I am wondering if the CF or the SD card is a better way to go. Any thoughts as to which camera I should be more seriously considering? Thanks! Elin

Jul 16, 2005, 5:46 PM	#2
rinniethehun Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 1,870	If you like the Olympus brand and the 10X zoom, why don't you consider the C-770UZ model? It has a 4 MP resolution, 10X zoom, and it's a little smaller and lighter than your C-700. the Hun

Jul 16, 2005, 5:47 PM	#3
shady Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 7	Look on the olympus web site www.olympusamerica.comand search their cameras. You can get a bigger megapixel camera and still with the 10x optic lens. They now use the XD cards which are small, fast and available up to 1 GB storage. Hope this helps.

Jul 16, 2005, 5:52 PM	#4
PNO4TE Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 8	Actually, I did consider the C-770UZ, but am not pleased with the use of the xD card. I have a sneaky feeling it will go the way of the SM cards! Also wouldn't mind a slightly smaller camera, even knowing I would still have to give up some of the optical zoom. There is also the issue of the proprietary battery pack. I like the flexibilty of the rechargeable AA batteries. Any information that would lead me to a different conclusion would be appreciated :-) Elin

Jul 18, 2005, 11:44 PM	#5
amicah22 Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 76	I had a c700 until last week when it went buh- bye on ebay. It was a very good camera for macros and outdoor shots with out to much direct light; it handled well and was not to big. If you purchased onr four years ago you must be at least somewhat serious since you prob. dropped 500+ on it in 2001 or 2002 and the c700 has pretty exstensive manual controls. So let me suggest a entry level dslr. I have an ist ds and it is not much bigger than the c700 and cost about 700 with the lense, it uses sd cards and aa's. NO shutter lag and great pics. You can find the first canon dig rebel (300d) for a bit over 500 and the ist dl for a bit over 600 soon. If you want to play it safe I have heard great things about the panosonic series of ultra zooms --almost perfect except for a bit to much noise at higher iso's with amazing leica lens. Good luck and enjoy - anything you buy new will have better performance than the c700 uz so you will be happywith whatever you decide.

Jul 19, 2005, 5:09 AM	#6
PNO4TE Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 8	Thanks, everyone, for your help. Amicah22 -- in a way you are right. I did drop a little more than $600 on my 700-UZ because I really did a lot of research on Steve's Digicams and it had everything I was looking for at the time. Our 19 yr old hasinherited the camera since we really could not buy her anything comparable for what we could sell it for now. As for me... I made a decision. I was looking for a smaller camera, not a DSLR. I wanted better zoom than 3x. So, again, with much help from Steve's site, and these forumsI bought a Canon A520. So far, it is what I wanted to supplement our Pentax SLR. I have not had a lot of chance to play arouns with it since I got it on Sunday, but the couple of shots I have taken were pretty good. The ability to attach a few additional lenses and filters in the future gives me a little more flexibility and gets closer to what I was looking for without the bulk of what I had or what I would have gotten with a DSLR. Thanks again to everyone for their help . All you comments helped me brainstorm this replacement purchase Elin