camera shopping- suggestions please

cmr164

fish wrote:

Or you can get a very special edition at Adorama for $500:

A.PowerShot S400 Body, B.Wrist Strap WS-300, C.AV Cable AVC-DC100, D.Battery Charger CB-2LS, E.Battery Pack NB-1LH, F.Interface Cable IFC-300PCU, G.Compact Flash Card CF-32M, H.Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, I.ArcSoft Camera Suite CD-ROM.
This Edition includes a Coach Signature Fabric Case with Leather Trim and wrist strap

the $359 includes....
A.PowerShot S400 Body, B.Wrist Strap WS-300, C.AV Cable AVC-DC100, D.Battery Charger CB-2LS, E.Battery Pack NB-1LH, F.Interface Cable IFC-300PCU, G.Compact Flash Card CF-32M, H.Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, I.ArcSoft Camera Suite CD-ROM.

So the Coach "fabric" case is $140 !!!! But don't blame Adorama. This is a Canon idea. BH has the same "Coach" edition.

wxwax

Ruskie wrote:

I'm going to purchase the S400 and am wondeiring if anyobdy knows who is offering the best price from a reliable dealer?

Ruskie, if you're not in a hurry, you might wait a week or two. First, there's a photo show in Vegas at which Canon may make new announcements.

Second, Canon has more camera announcements planned for later this year. They've said they plan to release a ridiculous number of new cameras (25?) I should think there's a good chance that the S400, a very popular camera, will get an upgrade. If so, there's a chance you could get a better price.

Just a thought.

wxwax

Hey Mike, it's already happened. Canon has come out with a new S500 and also an S410. But their marketing page still shows the S400 too. Not sure when the new cams actually hit the market.

Here's the link

Ruskie

cmr164 wrote:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&A=details&Q=&sku=278235&is=REG


http://www.adorama.com/ICAS400.html?searchinfo=s400&item_no=3

Both have it at $359 (at BH the low price does not show until you put it in the cart)

I hope this deal goes well?? $336.00
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2985245981&category=30014&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWN%3AIT&rd=1

So far so good. Got a confirmation number and UPS tracking number. A little bit of pressure to buy the extended warranty but that was it. With the new models about ready to hit the market these S400's willl be dropping in price. (I'm guessing)

wxwax

Nice buy. Post some pics when it gets there. You still have your Nikon?

Ruskie

wxwax wrote:

Nice buy. Post some pics when it gets there. You still have your Nikon?

Received the S400 yesterday. All in good order. I'll post some pics soon. The great price must be because of the new models on the market.
I gave the Nikon 5700 to the son and daughter inlaw, and I sold the Nikon 5000 to a friend.
I love the Olympus E-1. Getting a deal from a relative helped. I would have not even purchased a slr digital if it were not for that.

Ruskie

Ruskie wrote:

Received the S400 yesterday. All in good order. I'll post some pics soon. The great price must be because of the new models on the market.
I gave the Nikon 5700 to the son and daughter inlaw, and I sold the Nikon 5000 to a friend.
I love the Olympus E-1. Getting a deal from a relative helped. I would have not even purchased a slr digital if it were not for that.

wxwax

Who dat?

Buddy

got the Kodak DX6490 today. KBM down in Daytona B has one and I like what he was saying and what I read about it. playing around with it before reading the owners book. I like what I see. the auto focus is a tad slow when you have it zoomed out past 3x to the 4x to 10x range. it has a hard time aquiring the target. but that figures. it has an auto time, a little pause, for the next pic shot, BUT. it'll shoot quicker with a little half button push or just hold it down. it has a few manual options I need to learn. and you can burn up the memory card with video if you want.

the software and docking station is pretty much idiot proof. it fires up like an extra drive on the pc for drag/ drop/ deletes. or you can use the kodak software.

easy to use buttons and features. more info to follow as I get use to it and learn how to use all the features.

it may prove to be bulky for hand shots off the bike while in motion. I'll find out.

wxwax

That seems to be a pretty popular camera. It looks like Kodak may have found a sweet spot.

Buddy

I'll keep ya posted as I learn the features. according to the book it has some basic exposure, aperture, shutter tweeks for manual settings. we'll see.

I got a little cheapy tripod to play with the zoom.

HarveyMushman

Congrats, Buddy.

It seems I may be in the market for a point 'n shoot too. I'd love a dSLR like Nikon's new D70 but I can't justify the expense. However, I still want sharper optics and more control than is offered by my current Olympus D-550 (C-300).

I'm looking at Canon's A80. It has the manual control I want, and apparently the optics are good as well. Another plus, I think, is the shape; I like the SLR-ish handgrip of Canon's A-series. Square- or box-shaped cameras don't agree with my hands. Finally, the accessory wide-angle and telephoto lenses are another bonus for the A80.

Any comments from the gallery regarding the A80? Given the criteria I've mentioned above, what other cameras should I study? I just need a good performing little camera that'll tide me over until dSLR prices fall into a comfortable range.

cletus

HarveyMushman wrote:

Any comments from the gallery regarding the A80? Given the criteria I've mentioned above, what other cameras should I study? I just need a good performing little camera that'll tide me over until dSLR prices fall into a comfortable range.

The A80 is a great camera. I was looking at the A80 for the reasons you mentioned but I wound up getting a Canon G5 instead after I found it on sale for about $80 more than the A80.

wxwax

Yeah, I was gonna say the G5 might be a good fit. You can also find G3's for great prices these days. For sure Nikon and Sony make the kind of camera you want as well. Not that there's anything wrong with the A80 - it's an excellent camera. A co-worker just got an A70, I played with it a bit - very nice.

HarveyMushman

Other than the extra million megapixels and slightly more optical zoom, what makes the G5 $200 more precious than the A80? A quick scan of the specs on Canon's site doesn't reveal much difference, I don't think. Does the G5 have a better lens, bigger sensor?

wxwax

Here are the differences between the two, as listed by Phot.net.

* The "G" series are the high end models, with a faster lens, a hotshoe for flash, full manual control and RAW format capability.
* The "Sxx" series (e.g. S45, S50) have slower lenses, no hotshoe but still retain a lot of manual control options and a RAW image format
* The "A" series. The A80 is pretty similar to the "S" series in terms of features, but the A70/A60 are less advanced. They all use AA cells rather than a Li-ion battery and none have a RAW file mode.

The hotshoe was a big deal to me, I don't like in-camera flashes. The faster lens is nice in low light. But really, the A80 is a great camera. As ever, it comes down to how you expect to use it.

Here's yet another review of the A80.

patch29

Harvey, take a look at the Canon S1.

review

I bought one two days ago and really like it. It is not the best camera out there but it does a few things very well.

What I like about it.

• Lens is 38-380 (35mm equiv)
• Lens is pretty fast throughout its range 2.8-3.1
• Lens has IS
• flip out screen
• almost DV quality video 640x480/30fps
• up to 9 minutes of video on 1 gb card
• uses CF cards
• uses 4AA batteries
• available wide and tele adapters
• available underwater housing
• available wireless remote
• ability for manual controls

There are a few small things that would be nice. If it was easier to follow someone and shot action. It can be done just takes some getting used to how it works. No RAW format, no hotshoe. These would be nice, but it is my fun camera so jpg is fine and it has done really well in Program mode. I also have DSLR's to go to when I need more capabilities and RAW. It is only 3.2 mp. Most of what I will shoot will only be posted online or as small prints 8x10 and smaller so it does fine for that. I have not done a definitive print test, but the one I saw was acceptable at 8x10 and it was not shot at the highest setting. Future tests to come.

Here is a gallery with some day one test images. They were shot at M and L for image size and not at the superfine setting, but they give a good idea of what it can do. The 380mm on the long end is what made me go after this camera. I left the originals accessible, again not the highest quality. I will post some when I get a chance to read the manual and get some high quality samples. This camera is new and sells for $500.00 at the moment. I think you would be happier with it than an A80, just for the extra zoom. It is definitely worth a look. I did notice that in the highlights it does have some chromatic aberrations/ purple fringing, it does not bother me for what I am doing at this point.

HarveyMushman

Thanks, Patrick. I was browsing briefly at Best Buy today checked out a few cameras, including the A80. I also noticed Fuji's S7000, which seems to be similar in scope to the S1. I'm leaning more toward this sort of camera now, rather than a compact like the A80. I need to do more research on the S7000 and now the S1.

The S7000 ($470, after mail-in rebate) is basically a 6mp camera with the ability to "interpolate" to 12mp. I'm skeptical about this claim, but need to read dpreview's write-up. Like the S1, it also has a fast 2.8 - 3.1 zoom lens, although it's "only" 6X. I need to do some readin'.

They also had a Nikon D70 in the glass case. I hope didn't leave too many nose prints . . .

HarveyMushman

wxwax wrote:

Here are the differences between the two, as listed by Phot.net.



The hotshoe was a big deal to me, I don't like in-camera flashes. The faster lens is nice in low light. But really, the A80 is a great camera. As ever, it comes down to how you expect to use it.

Here's yet another review of the A80.

Thanks, Sid. I didn't see this post before now. Oops.

I think I've ruled out Fuji's S7000. The "SuperCCD" sensor strikes me as gimmacky (and the reviews seem to think it's flawed).

So it's between Canon's S1 and A80. I didn't have much time for browsing today, but I stopped by Best Buy to get my hands on a S1. They had about 15, all in their boxes, which the store folk refused to open. I could buy one and return it if I didn't like it, they said, but I couldn't open a box and touch one before buying it. I left.

wxwax

I don't blame you, you did the right thing. Someone once said that you can't really make a decision until you get your hands on the thing, and I agree. It's swayed one camera buying decision for me. Patrick's enjoying that S1. I'm thinking about the only reason to get the A80 is if you plan to make prints. And even at that, Patrick says his test print with the S1 was pretty good.

wxwax

Hey Tim, Dell is selling the A80 for $322 until April 14th (next Wednesday.) Here's the link.

surly

its not so bad...

HarveyMushman wrote:

Thanks, Sid. I didn't see this post before now. Oops.

I think I've ruled out Fuji's S7000. The "SuperCCD" sensor strikes me as gimmacky (and the reviews seem to think it's flawed).

So it's between Canon's S1 and A80. I didn't have much time for browsing today, but I stopped by Best Buy to get my hands on a S1. They had about 15, all in their boxes, which the store folk refused to open. I could buy one and return it if I didn't like it, they said, but I couldn't open a box and touch one before buying it. I left.

Its not a real 12mp but I think it produces pretty fine images
You can get one now for just over 400 with the rebate
thats an incredible deal for what this camera offers

wxwax

Surly, Tim kinda went in a different direction. He went and got hisself a Nikon D70. No self control, I tell you, none at all.