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Comments
DaveM
tom
Wow, Apple is bundling iTunes with QT, eh?? How very Microsoft of them!!
Craig
Hey, that's in my price range. :-)
I need to change strategies with my suggestions to Subaru.
OK, I need a Tribeca price in the -$38,000 range, please.
Actually, some GM cars may reach those prices soon if rebates keep climbing.
-juice
While the new Oly C-8080, the spiritual successor, is nice, the body and weight grew to the point where I not sure I want to tote it. We have a Canon EOS-650 (pre Rebel days) and multiple lenses, and the C-8080 is rapidly approaching that bulk. I am starting to think that the Canon PowerShot G6 might just be the best replacement in this price/feature category.
Steve
It was nice meeting you and the other crew members on Saturday.
Thanks for the edmunds.com shirt.
Also, thanks go to Patti, juice, Bob and mod Bob for setting up the meet.
DaveM
P.S. Membership dues are payable on the 1st of the month. ;-)
Sony makes some decent cameras, with good lenses, but like I was saying earlier, they tend to be a little more difficult to use (as are Nikons). Pentax and Kodak are also reasonable cameras. It all depends on what you want to use them for and your level of comfort with technology. ;-)
tom
The camera world is the same as the auto world:
Ford vs. Chevy
Honda vs. Toyota
Tribeca vs. Aztec (j/k) ;-)
You have your diehard Canon, Nikon, etc. fans
DaveM
Auto Show lost & found called back, not turned in.
Ed
Steve
It sounds like shuttler-lag and shot-to-shot lag is what you need to decide on. There are many cameras in your price range, all with competitive features.
Pay attention to a few key specs like startup time, shutter lag and time between shots. That was my biggest beef way back when I had an Olympus (can't even remember what model it was). I later bought a Canon S30 as it had relatively quick shot-to-shot times. Even one second can make a huge difference when using a camera.
On dpreview.com, they measure the various times. Here's an example with the more recent Canon S60:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons60/page4.asp
The lag comes from a number of sources. One is the quality of the digital processor in the camera. Most mid-high range consumer point and shoots have pretty decent processors nowadays. Another factor is the speed of the flash memory card. The core speed along with the quality of the logic interface makes a huge difference in performance if the camera's processor is quick enough. While you may not need the most expensive Lexar or Sandisk Pro media, don't cheap out and buy some no-name clearance version at Fry's (it's kind of like buying tires for your car).
Also, don't shop for megapixels -- shop for lens quality. Once you are over the 3-4 megapixel range, you don't gain much by paying for more resolution unless you're planning on doing prints in excess of 8x10 or lots of cropping. In fact, many bleeding edge 6-8MP compact cameras have noisy images as you'll see from the reviews. The main reason why megapixel ratings keep growing is that it's one camera spec consumers have been sensitized to (ie. more must be better).
If your use model and budget allows, nothing beats a digital SLR in performance. Lag times are minimal and image quality excellent due to the large amount of glass. I'm currently using a Nikon D70 and it performs just like a film SLR. It would be at the upper end of your budget, but you might be able to squeeze in a Canon Digital Rebel -- another excellent entry level digital SLR.
Ken
Go to your local electronics store and hold a few cameras, see how they feel. There are so many available that you could go crazy trying to pick out just one! Just pick a price point and any Cannon should do fine. Ken is right about the whole megapixel race. You probably won't notice much difference beyond 4mp. At about 12-14mp (pro-level DSLR $5-8K) you can notice a difference. So putting an expensive zeiss lens on a digital point and shoot camera is a waste. To reach the equivalent of good 35mm film you would need a 20mp camera. But I'm sure we'll get there in a few years. ;-)
Oh, another nice camera is the Cannon S1. It has a built in optical stabilizer. Takes good pics. Unfortunately is only 3mps, so don't blow the images up too much. ;-)
tom
In Subaru news, my '97 Outback has a new battery to replace the OEM one, just in time for its 50,000 birthday later this week.
Steve, Host
(Now I went to the orthopedist about a sore on my finger that won't heal. As the kids say .. it's the 'bad one' on the right hand ... I will have to have surgery, but it's not critical that I get it done right away .. I'll probably try to have it done when school's out for the year so I can keep all typing fingers intact til then!)
http://www.gorlingroup.co.uk/bccs.htm
I'm having them removed next month. The cyst seems to have healed, but there is still a tiny lump there, so that may also have to be addressed next month.
Sorry to hear about your finger. It's not fun getting up in years, is it?
Bob
My OEM battery on the '03 WRX looks like it's on its way downhill. Funny that my '99 OBS with its original OEM battery is still cranking strong.
-Dave
I have my eyes on that one. Waiting for a steal, um I mean deal on one.
Another thing I've heard is that sensor size is more important than megapixels (or maybe just as important). If you jam too many pixels onto a small sensor, you'll get more noise. My A60 (2MP) has the same size sensor as the A70/A75 (3.2MP) and A85 (4MP). The A80 is also 4 MP but has a larger sensor (same size as G6). Is there any truth to this?
DaveM
Flash recovery is greatly influenced by battery capacity and state. Buy the best you can in this area as well. The present camera uses 4 AA, but unfortunately many new models use proprietary form factors. NiMH AA are available in up to 2500 ma now. Over the past 4 years I have lived with 1100, 1600 & 1950's. Amazing how the overall performance improves with higher capacity cells.
I would like to be able to do more cropping, and that is part of the desire for better than my present 3mp. But there is other things that will make better use of what you have. For instance, even in 3mp mode (1536x2048) there are several choices on compression and file type. The default is an approx 7:1 JPEG compression, which yields an average size file of 700k. When I want more detail for blowups, I change to 3:1 JPEG, and get a 1.8M file. The ultimate is pure TIF at about 8Meg. The downside is that processing time gets ungainly, and a card fills up very fast!
Steve
Our doctor is very positive. "The cancer to have if you have to have cancer". But who needs it???
Steve
Craig
DaveM
I'm encouraged by the news that the doctor seems very positive about it. A friend of mine had thyroid cancer and it was treated very successfully.
I'll be hoping for the best.
Ken
Bob- pretty common form of skin cancer-easily treated. Consider yourself lucky. :-) Maybe put on more sunblock too! Hopefully the little bump where your cyst was is just some scar tissue.
Brenda- Hope it's not serious with your finger. Maybe it'll slow down your typing some so we can all catch up! ;-)
Lot's of health issues. I guess we're all lucky to be able to share them together, though. ;-)
Lot's of prayers to each of you!
tom
Bob - Hoping after next month you'll be good as new.
Brenda - Hope everything with you is well.
juice - Now's your chance to type as fast as Brenda! (Fat chance!)
Jim
But this is a generality, and size doesn't necesarily matter. The quality of pictures differs from camera to camera, and a higher price does not necesarily mean better pics. That's why websites like dpreview dot com are good sources of info on how the cameras actually perform in real life situations.
Sorry for the long posts (all of them! Swampy must be having a coronary! ;-) ) Hope all this isn't too confusing. Just trying to be helpful. ;-)
tom
ps Dave, I hope you get a good steal on an S1. It's a nice camera. I've used one quite a bit. I just wish it were 4mp!
Steve - all the best to you and Beth .. as others have said - I've known others who have had this and done well ... but it's awful to have to think about, go through, etc ...
Back to Bob - yeah, I wondered about the cyst thing... I still have a little lump back there, too, and figured we weren't done with the cyst yet either ... <sigh>
To repair and repaint the bumper and to replace the headlight assembly .... almost $800 ... remember .. MINOR damage ... oh well, the way it all happened ... I'm just glad it wasn't worse in terms of property and humans ....
(I have $250 deductible.) Just have to figure out when we can get the car over there for a day ...
<sigh>
DaveM
Steve, hopefully Beth's cancer will also be just a small bump in the road.
Bob
Positive thoughts to all, speedy recovery, and continued good health.
-Dave
It is good to have a doctor on this board! Thanks for your comments and questions. She has been on synthroid for years as her thyroid has never been quite right. Now with this, the surgeon recommended taking it our entirely to be sure. He told us of the challenges of identifying the vocal control nerve bundles that flank it, etc, and the care required in working in this tight space. He said that he used to do node removal almost weekly prior to routine use of needle biopsy, so seems very experienced. The wait time prior to administering the radiation part seems like it could be a challenge.
Steve
Steve
Hope everyone's procedures go well and recovery is quick!
Unfortunately it seems cancer is cropping up all over the place lately. At least when we did the 48hrs run this past Jan, we raised money for the American Cancer Society.
Again, best wishes for a quick and easy recovery for all.
Mark
Mark
The Canon S1 IS may be an upgrade candidate. It has a 10x (380 mm equivalent) optical zoom. Uses CF cards. And most important, it's been given Tom's seal of approval. :-)
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons1is/
Your A40 has 3x (105 mm equiv.)
DaveM
It sounds like she's got an experienced surgeon, which is very good! I think you'll find she does very well (maybe even better if they've been having problems controlling her thyroid hormone) after this is all over. It is a challenging time for both of you, but hopefully it will make you both stronger when you look back on it years from now!!!! ;-)
Praying for the best,
tom
-Dennis
Of course that doesn't mean I'm not still reading your advice!
Ed
Mark
Pros
- 10x Optical Zoom
- Quiet zoom operation
- Zoom enabled during video. Others often don't allow zooming during video because the microphone picks up the noise of the 'noisier' zoom motor.
- Image Stabilizer (that's the IS in the name). Essential for using the 10x zoom factor w/o tripod.
Cons
- Smaller CCD, may cause low light autofocus problems.
- 3MP is a bit low for the target user, although the proper use of the zoom reduces the need to crop images.
- Hasn't come down in price enough for me to spring for it.
Its a great idea but I would wait for the next version of it
I ended up getting the A85 which I am pretty happy with.
Alan
98 OBW Ltd
There was no vocal chord damage but like you say it is pretty tight in there so there was some bruising to her chords.
Bob and Brenda positive vibes your way too.
Cheers Pat.
When I get the free time to actually sit and learn advanced photography techniques maybe a digital SLR will make sense. For now, this should suffice for what I mostly shoot: family, vacations, and car shows.
Thanks for all the input.
Ed
tom
The one feature all consumer digicams still lag in is the focus/shoot/write speed. They're just too slow to keep up with fast shooting situations. Trying to photograph my 11-month-old daughter with a digicam is a true trial in patience.
That's one of the reasons I went with the Digital Rebel, and subsequently the Canon 20D. The Rebel was good but not great. The 20D blew my socks off. Instant start up, 5 frames per second shutter speed, nearly instant focus speeds, unmatched low-light response. Just an amazing camera if you know how to work a SLR and are willing to pay the price of entry.
-Ty
That's one of the reasons I went with the Digital Rebel, and subsequently the Canon 20D. The Rebel was good but not great. The 20D blew my socks off. Instant start up, 5 frames per second shutter speed, nearly instant focus speeds, unmatched low-light response. Just an amazing camera if you know how to work a SLR and are willing to pay the price of entry.
Our son is 14 months old so I know wherefrom you speak. I'm just not quite ready to jump to the Rebel or 20D. If he continues to be a blur on the screen then that may be the next step. Then again, that's why I bought a DVD camcorder.
Ed
Excellent choice. The Canon S-series is a very solid camera in terms of performance and features. It should be relatively quick and suit your needs well.
Just FYI, digital SLRs all have full auto modes that allow anyone to point and shoot. The entry level models like the Digital Rebel and Nikon D70 are coming down in price so maybe next time.
Ken