which camera has......

[careyjr3]

This is what I'm really looking for in my camera........
1. 12x or higher zoon

2. Good for indoors, but also moving to Whidbey Island, WA soon, so there will be beautiful landscapes in my near future that I wll want to zoom in on!!! But a new baby is my present picture taking obsession! (indoors for the moment)

3. Best iso, and noise results

4. Full manual controls (to achieve at least a LITTLE Bokeh!)

5. Panorama or stitch assist

FUN EXTRAS.....would like to have color swap/accent, HDR but these are not necessary since I can always do it later.

I would like a pocket or purse camera, I THINK.......(the new compact superzooms) BUT am wondering if I would be more happy with something like the DMC FZ35/38 or Nikon L110...........would I actually carry this around? Is it annoying to have a camera this big?

I'll take any brand as long as the pictures are great!!!! I saw on FLICKR all the pictures taken with the FUJI 70 and 80 EXR, and they are gorgeous, but do they meet these other requirements? And I know Sarah Joyce, you said they are hard to figure out? But what if I have the time?
So please help! (movie feature not important, as we have a flip)

[mtclimber]

careyjr-

I love Whidby Island, I was based there years ago. It is beautiful country.

The Fuji F-70EXR is actually better than the F-80EXR camera. Be sure to read over Hards/Dustin's posts in the Fuji P+S folder they tell you a lot about the needed camera set-up and the fact that the F-70EXR is really only a 5mp camera.

If you are willing to make many small adjustments, the F-70EXR is a good camera.

Sarah Joyce

[careyjr3]

ok, the Fuji camera aside, which other camera do you think would suit my needs that I listed above? What is your recommendation?

[mtclimber]

careyjr-

The Panasonic FZ-35 is a very good choice. It has very good image quality and it is a very user friendly camera. I can handle up to and including ISO 800 with ease. We have a very active FZ-35 user group in our Panasonic P+S folder. There you will find many photo samples and photo tips.

Unfortunately, Nikon P+S camera have been in a tailspin for the last three years. Their image quality is only average to barely fair at best.

Sarah Joyce

[careyjr3]

oh my gosh! Thanks to another poster, I have another camera thrown into the mix! AGH!

So I was reading that the Sony H20 can use add on lens'? Well, I went to the Sony website, and I believe it is telling me that the H55 can also use that add on lens? Is this correct? What would that bring the zoom to?
Also, I'm not getting what the difference is between the H55 and the HX5?
But I'm still wondering about those other camera's I asked about, since the Sony doesn't seem to offer full manual controls (one of my wishlist items)..............

[mtclimber]

careyjr-

The Sony H-20 is a discontinued model and is is hard to find. The HX5 camera uses a CMOS imager. The H-55 uses a conventional CCD type imager. However, none of these cameras will beat the easy use and image quality of the Panasonic FZ-35.

What is the issie here??? Are you looking for a whole lot of optical zoom. If that is the case, look at the 30X optical zoom Fuji HS-10, but I am warning you, right up front, that the HS-10 is a very complex and expensive camera.

Sarah Joyce

[careyjr3]

Hello! ok, I'm wondering if there is any camera similar to the FZ35, but smaller?

Also, what is better about the Fuji F70 over the F80? Also, it says one feature of this camera is multiple exposures? Doesn't that make it easier to do HDR?

And do you think the ZS5 is just as good as the ZS7? What is that difference?

If there is something similar to the FZ35 only smaller, that's probably what I'll get, otherwise I think it's between the Fuji or the Zs5.............

[mtclimber]

careyjr-

Let's deal with the F-70EXR versus the F-80EXR. The F-70 has better image quality and what is advertised as HD video is not very good on the F-80EXR.

I shoot with super zooms and DSLR cameras. Recently, I had a chance to purchase a used Canon S-5 12X optical zoom camera which has a nice hot shoe on it. It was less than $200, so I decided to give it a try. I was attracted to the S-5 because it was smaller than my FZ-35 and HX-1 cameras.

Wow! That is was a great decision. The S-5 is a real performer. It is not a high ISO capable camera, you really want to keep the ISO at 400 or lower, but it has a great lens, and the Canon EX-430 flash that I use with my XSi camera works perfectly on that S-5 hot shoe. When I was browsing through www.keh.com yesterday I noticed that they also had 2 more Canon S-5 cameras for sales as well.

I like the smaller physical size of the S-5 and the fact that I have a nice EVF to use instead of staring at a naked LCD screen in the bright sunshine and harly being able to see anything. So, at least for me, the Canon S-5 has been a real blessing.

Sarah Joyce

[careyjr3]

Which cameras (superzoom compacts) have a feature that makes it easier to do HDR (such as multiple exposures or HDR function built in) besides the Sony hx5?
Thank you!

[runner1000]

careyjr -- So which camera did you finally decide on or have you? I'm interested in some of the same cameras: FZ35, ZS5, ZS7. A little concerned about the size of the FZ35 but there are rave reviews about it. I had been looking for something to carry around in my purse. FZ35 seems to have better image quality from what I've been reading. Anyone know how the ZS5 or ZS7 does in low light situations as compared with the FZ35?