Sold Canon S2-IS now what S3 or Sony DcS-h5??

[monsoon777]

My fist digital camera was a SonyMavica-CD.. I really loved the quality of the shots especially macro even though it was a 2.4mp or somthing .. But the CD storage was cool but a battery hog and too slow at startup, and taking multiple shots, so it drove me crazy and I sold it.

Then I bought a Canon S2-IS... I have to say my pictures just didn't seem to turn out as good even though this was a big jump in years and tech... And all my inside shots are blurry, and I hate using the flash. (Mostly trying to take pictures of my 1 yr old). and I don't like blinding him, plus flashes give an unnatural look, I think... I got excited when I saw the s3 and the $100 price difference I could get it for... SO I just soldmy S2on Amazon.. but now I don't know, maybe it's not going to be any better..

POINT 1 - I really liked the 12x zoom. And it wasn't crazy big...

Point 2 - But I really NEED a camera that can take good inside shots that don't blur like crazy, and I'm a novice, so maybe the S2 would have been fine, if I knew what I was doing.. but I like auto!

Point 3 - I already have a 1 gb SD card, and I don't really like the Memory Sticks because of price. and sony exclusivity.. but I might cave on that point,

Point 4 - Using AA rechargeableseemed a lot better being I have a million of them with all the kids toys anyways.

Point 5 - I love taking macro shots of bugs/flowers/etc.

Point 6 - Budget should not exceed $400 or very very close to.. all in all.

Point 7 - I'm open TO ANY other model just saw the H5is probably close...

CARE TO HELP ME???? THANKS!

[Sintares]

If you already have Sd cards then go with the Canon.

Both cameras are very close optically , the H5 shades the S3 in low light pics, has all the attachments needed for adding filters, wide angles, tcons etc, but the S3 has a faster burst mode, faster recycling (though less powerful) flash, a swivel screen though it is tiny compared to themassiveH5 screen,and a superb movie mode.

Indoor shots without flash will be a problem for both cameras,really a Fuji F30 would be ideal for this,but it takesyet another card type the xD.

Some otherpeople more familiar with Canon, mightbe able to tell you if any of the current range have a useable ISO 800 or above , at least useable at more than 4x6in

[Sintares]

Shade:

A slight difference or variation;
A small amount; a trace:
Ie the H5 is fractionally / just / a tiny bit / better than the S3 at low light pics.

[monsoon777]

[rinniethehun]

monsoon,

I'm not sure either the S3 or the H5 is going to help your indoor shots all that much. Although they offer ISO 800 capability, well...see for yourself:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyh5/page13.asp

You might want to consider the new Fuji S6500. I haven't seen a professional review yet, but if it performs close to the F30...

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf30/page12.asp

The S6500 has ISO 3200 capability. It won't be DSLR quality, but it might help you get some non-blurry indoor pics without flash...provided you can live with the noise, or edit it out. It doesn't have an SD card slot, and it's only 10.7x zoom, but it has face detection and a 28mm wide angle which will really help with indoor shots.

Good luck with your choice.

the Hun

[kenbalbari]

First I'd point out that the Sony H2 is really the direct competitor to the S3. It's a 6MP version of the H5, with only a 2" LCD--both traits in common with the S3. It's price is also more competitive with the S3. You may be best off sticking with Canon anyway, since you can use your SD cards, but that would be a good model to compare.

Another one to look at might be the new Fuji S6000, which has the high ISO capabilities of the F30 (same sensor) along with a 28mm-300mm equivalent zoom. And if it works right, the "face detection" feature might be good for those baby pics.

Unfortunately, it also uses another proprietary, and infereior, memory card format. And it's over your budget right now, though it should come down as it's just been released and is currently selling for list price.

edit: I see Rinnie beat me to it.

[monsoon777]

I did just get back from the local camera store, and didn't see or hear of the Fuji, but the H5 is out... way out. I thought it was junky looking and feeling, and the grip was extremely uncomfortable. Plus the guy said he would pay more for the Canon s3 than the Sony, and the Sony (for now) is $100 more... So now I'll look into those Fuji's a little. Thanks. He did mention that the s3 is 800 but really 1600 iso but they don't advertise that because it's pretty much unsable = grain. ANd he said s2 was 400. So he said the s3 should be one or two "clicks" better than the s2.. I don't know enough really to know if he was right on... seemed like a smart guy... I'll keep reseaching.. but at $340 on amazon for the S3 and I sold my s2 for $270 I'm right in the right price so far... More help always appreciated!

[monsoon777]

Thanks a lot for that link... More reading to do.. Those pics are quite a bit different between the H5 and the S3.. to bad I didn't like the look/feel/price/memory/batteriesof it. (never easy.

[monsoon777]

I will ad One more point.. I would rather have the noise and remove it in photoshop (for a 4x6) than all these unusable photos where my kids headlooks like a white blurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[monsoon777]

The Fujifilm 6000 does look like a good recommendation... Thanks... I'll keep stalking it for a while online...