Help me pick my camera

[topazpaintball]

I'm looking to buy a new Prosumer point-and-shoot (no, I can't afford a DSLR... wish I could) and I've narrowed it down to these two

http://reviews.cnet.com/Kodak_EasyShare_V610/4505-6501_7-31813552.html?tag=pdtl-list

http://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_PowerShot_S80/4505-6501_7-31475440.html?tag=tpr

Does anyone have any experience with either, or another recommendation?

[billybob_81067]

You can pick your camera and you can pick your nose... but don't pick your camera's nose? Wait... that's not right.

You can pick your friends and you can pick your camera, but don't pick your friend's camera!

There... that's better!

/Sorry... was just feeling like making a retarded post
//Must beat out cphil in posts!

[Steelrat]

You can pick your camera and you can pick your nose... but don't pick your camera's nose? Wait... that's not right.

You can pick your friends and you can pick your camera, but don't pick your friend's camera!

There... that's better!

/Sorry... was just feeling like making a retarded post
//Must beat out cphil in posts!

Yes, it was a retarded post.


Now, I don't know much about the particular cameras you posted, but I own a Canon elura miniDV camcorder and a Canon 20D DSLR, and both have been amazing products. Canon even fixed a problem with the elura under warranty, even though it was 2 years out of warranty. Now THATS service.

[billybob_81067]

Yes, it was a retarded post.

Thank you... Thank you very much.

[Kevmaster]

Canon makes the best cameras I've ever shot. I own 3. I highly recommend Canon in any situation

[Dharma punk]

I vote Canon as well. I can't wait to get my 30D.

[MicroMiniMe]

/Summons Hexis

[Muzikman]

Take a look at the Canon S2 IS. It's a great camera for the money and now that the S3 came out you can find it pretty cheap.

[tropical_fishy]

You're going to regret not getting a DSLR. Are you set on digital? Because film SLRs come cheaper than digital.

I agree with everyone up there ^. Canon.

[Muzikman]

Problem is, film in the long run costs more and the real cost with an SLR is not the body (film or digital), it's the lenses.

[tropical_fishy]

Problem is, film in the long run costs more and the real cost with an SLR is not the body (film or digital), it's the lenses.

But still. I know that my photography wouldn't have evolved to the place it's at now as quickly without my DSLR. A good camera really does make all the difference in the world.

[Muzikman]

I don't believe that to be true. I can take the S2 and take a picture that most would not be able to tell the difference between it or one taken with my 10D. Also, no matter how good the body is, the quality of the photo is largly based on the quality of the glass. A good SLR with a crppy lens will take a crappy picture. It's all up to how much control the camera allows and then what the optics are like. Now if I was a professional or didn't have a budget, it would be a different story.

[Hexis]

I don't believe that to be true. I can take the S2 and take a picture that most would not be able to tell the difference between it or one taken with my 10D. Also, no matter how good the body is, the quality of the photo is largly based on the quality of the glass. A good SLR with a crppy lens will take a crappy picture. It's all up to how much control the camera allows and then what the optics are like. Now if I was a professional or didn't have a budget, it would be a different story.

For the purpose of simplicity let's just talk digital. Film has a whole set of it's own concerns.

For somone ust starting to get into photography: go digital. There are so many advantages of digital for somone learning. You can shoot a lot more with little or no cost. Just delete anything you are not happy with. Each image stores the exposure infomarion in the image headers. This means you can tell what happened for any images, without the hassle of trying to record all of it on paper.

Muzikman's point is true to a point. Any camera without a removable lens will have limitations that do limit the options avaliable to a photgrapher. A good P&S will allow you to take some images that you can with a SLR (and others, but I'll limit it for the purposes of this discussion), but nothing like all of the images possible with an SLR.

That being said, a P&S is a far better choice for most people who want to take photos. The sensors on P&S cameras are much smaller than on DSLRs. This gives you a couple of traits, that for a normal person are advantages. It allows for much smaller and lighter lenses. This keeps the whole package small and light, and much more compact. It also gives a larger Depth of Field (the distance range in forcus) than a larger sensor would for the same field of vision. This makes focusing less critical. P&S cameras are high enough resolution (MegaPixels) for even decent sized prints (8x10). The lower resolution means a smaller file size, so storage is far less of a concern. The P&S cameras are sealed, so dust on the sensor is not a real concern. Dust is a big problem on DSLRs.

I own a Canon A80 for P&S stuff. I have taken some great images on it. There are many times where taking along a large DSLR is simply not possible. If there was one feature I would like to see on more than P&S models is Image Stabilized lenses.

As for a general suggestion I would say pick a budget. Perhaps not your top limit, but a general idea of what you would like to spend. Then pick a Canon P&S that fits within your budget. I have been very pleased with all of my Canon gear. I like the look of the S3/S2, the Pro1 is interesting, the super compacts are decent. One of my favorite things of the A80 is that it uses CF, not SD. So I can use the high capacity cards for the DSLR gear for the lil one.

A good place to do some pre-purchase research is www.dpreview.com. They have reviews on most modes out there.

[Indignant]

Canon owns in the realm of PAS. Nice dSLR's, too. I'd pick the Canon over the Kodak for sure.

[topazpaintball]

I'm looking at high-end PAS's because there are times when I need the capabilities of a DSLR. Usually I only need a PAS for general shooting. Even if I could buy a DSLR, I'm not sure I would, given their larger size (I also favor size) I just need to know which of these PAS's is the better choice