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$600 decision - help me pick my new digital camera!

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damn

i got my sony dsc 85 from Mwave for $590, but that was like 5 months ago. i don't know what their going for now.

i musta got a SWEET deal, cause it's a lot better than either of the ones you mentioned.
 
I'd really try out the *flash* in low light conditions before I'd buy another digital camera from now on.

My dad got one. Fufi 2100 or something like that. No optical zoom, but it has 2.1MP and was half price when my dad got it so cheap and cheerful.

But the flash is bad. Its far too focused centrally and doesn't spread out well at all. The viewfidner is really bad for framing the shot also. Others I've told NOT to use it still do and you get bad pics as they didn't use the LCD screen.

Apart from the flash everything else I have found to be good.

I'd also check out the quality of the optics on the cameras if you can also. If the lense is bad then the CCD won't be able to capture the image as well if its bad to start with.....
 
Why not the Canon S30 or S40?

S30/S40 - Max Resolution 2,272 x 1,704

Both have 3x optical and 10x digital zoom

S30 is a 3.2 Megapixels camera while the S40 is 4.0.

30 seconds video recording at 320x240

Plus they both look really nice! I have the S30 and I loooove it, a great camera and can be had for under $600, just head on over to Gateway and apply a $50 off coupon code.

Canon S30 and S40
 
"I'd also check out the quality of the optics on the cameras if you can also. If the lense is bad then the CCD won't be able to capture the image as well if its bad to start with..... "

I'd agree with this. Go look at review sites that have sample pictures. One of the things that made me choose the 2100 was how nice I thought the pics looked over the competition at the time. It doesn't really matter if your cam has 3mp if you don't like the picture itself.
 
Well, the 2100 "UZI" has a pretty big cult following, based on everything I've read about it (and the 10x optical, drool), of those two I would take the 2100. But, if I had 600 to spend on a digicam, I'd get an Oly c4040 (4mp, 1.4 lens, only 3x optical though), they're $575 on pricegrabber. Digital zoom is a joke (so is the "video" recording), and if you want more optical zoom you can get a telephoto lens, although you'd be pretty much stuck with a fixed focal length. It really depends on what you're going to do with the camera.

BTW, I have a 3020z, essentially the same as the 4040, only with 3.3mp and a 2.8 lens.
 
hey guys..got another n00b question, but can u apply an extension lense to the c-2100 or the fuji 4900?

Im sorry I am terribly new at the zoomage, I have a crapy old mavica.

So? Can I Add an extra lense or sumpin?
 
The only thing I know for sure is that you want more optical zoom rather than digital zoom.

...and thats all I know.

..guess I can die happy now that I have passed on my knowledge.
 


<< The only thing I know for sure is that you want more optical zoom rather than digital zoom. >>



I agree I'd be concerned with optical zoom and not digital zoom. Also super high resolution isn't important unless you plan on printing your pictures. Otherwise look at other features.
 
Yes, you can get telephoto extension lenses for the 2100, I assume also for the Fuji. Like I said though, with a telephoto lens your going to be stuck at a fixed focal length; you'll basically have to be a max zoom. Plus you'll need a tripod in order to get decent shots with an extension.
 
what defines a hardcore photographer?

depends on what youre going to be doing with the prints. if youre going to be making big prints then id say go with a Canon G2 or one of the DSLRs (theyre way outta youre price range).

if youre gonna just print out 4x6 or 5x7 then go with the olympus. youll like the 10x zoom and the resolution will be fine for these size prints. video recording is a joke in my opinion. if you really wanna do this youd buy a mini DV camera anyway.

the digital camera i use is a canon powershot s20. its not perfect but its great for taking quick snapshots with my friends and the 4x6 pictureds look pretty good. its 3.3MP. for pictures that matter i use my Canon Elan II SLR.

good luck.
 
I'd get the oly c-2100. 10x optical zoom is awesome. I have the oly c-700, which also has 10x but lacks image stabilization.

if you want a good zoom camera that goes 10x, you'd better get image stabilization (IS). those aren't cheap you know. so, if you get the fuji and it doesn't have IS, you'd better be carrying a tripod around if you want to take clear pictures in the distance. Cos it won't matter how much resolution you have if the picture is blurry.

If you're only printing out 4x6's or 8x10's, 2mpixels are enough. Watch out for the fuji though... it uses the superccd which interpolates (kinda) the picture to achieve the high res. there's a more detailed explanation on this, read up on the digicam sites around.

i personally would go for the olympus, because i know they make good lenses, has 10x optical, and IS. then, i'd buy some good lens filters and you'd be set!

good luck.
 


<<

<< Here's a side-by-side comparison of both digicams. >>



thx rossman 🙂 can someone answer my question about the extra lenses?

Cuz if I can just buy a super zoom lense later on, that would open this up

to a few more cameras 🙂 >>



I dont know about the Fuji, but I saw a couple of mistakes in the comparison.

The UZI also comes with software, Camedia from Olympus and Photodeluxe (SE, I think)
The UZI comes with a battery charger and 4 1600mah AA batteries.
Has TIFF format

Yes, I own one, but I am no pro....

The lens has external threads (49mm) so you can screw filters and lenses right on the end of it.

The Image Stabilization is no gimmick, at high zoom you need it or the pics will get blurry from the camera shake, unless you use a tripod. The IS even works 20x optical and beyond.

Max Smartmedia size is 128mb, some places show 64mb, but it really is 128mb.

Digital zoom isnt worth squat on a 2MP camera, IMHO.

So is it the camera for you????
Consider if you really want a big zoom, do you always take pic that are pretty close up? Or do you take them from farther away? If you take them from a distance the zoom really makes a difference.
2.1MP seems pretty small these days, but consider that if you dont use the full frame of the picture and have to crop it down you are losing MP's, with a big zoom, you fill the entire frame before taking the pic.

Adding a lens onto a camera isnt as easy as it sounds, yeah you can just screw them on, but sometimes you lose "zoom range". What happens is that the add on lens only works well when the camera is zoomed out past a certain extant. It has the effect of looking down a pipe. This means that you connect the lens for long shots and remove it other wise. If you shoot pics of inanimate objects that's not a problem, but if you shoot people or animals swapping the lens is a pain and you miss some shots.
Now this doesnt happen to all cameras and lense, so it would be good to check each model and see how it handles an add on lens.

So the high points of a C-2100UZ are:
10x optical, stabilized lens.
Fast shot to shot
EVF
Fast focusing
Included nimh batteries and charger
IR remote, great for posed shots and viewing your pics on a TV directly from the camera (camera has a A/V cable included)
IR autofocus assist lamp for low light focusing

Not so high points:
only 2.1MP
It's big, about the size of a regular SLR. This may actually have some geek factor, since it looks more like a pro camera than a point and shoot digicam.
 


<< MrChicken - Damn after reading your post you've practically sold me on the Oly 2100 >>



Well I said I am no Pro, actually this is the first digicam I've ever owned. Of course I've used others and most of the people I know have/had one, so I was familiar with them.

The UZI came highly recommend from the online crowd, visit the Olympus form at dpreview and you will see what I mean. After I got it I was amazed by both how easy it is to use as a point and shoot, and how many manual controls it has. Now that I have the digicam bug, I started looking for an upgrade for me and letting the wife have this one all to herself. The problem is that I cant find any camera that offers a significant improvement for less than 2 or 3 thousand dollars. The Dimage7 would be fine if it focused faster, but the slow focus wont work with what I like do the most, take animal pictures. I also lose 3x on the optical zoom, which I am really hooked on.

The new models are getting announced this month, maybe somebody will make a 10x optical zoom camera bigger than 2.x MP this year. Either that or I'll have to wait for the DSLR's to come way down in price. It's not like the UZI isnt good enough, it's just that better is better. 🙂
 


<<

<< MrChicken - Damn after reading your post you've practically sold me on the Oly 2100 >>



Well I said I am no Pro, actually this is the first digicam I've ever owned. Of course I've used others and most of the people I know have/had one, so I was familiar with them.

The UZI came highly recommend from the online crowd, visit the Olympus form at dpreview and you will see what I mean. After I got it I was amazed by both how easy it is to use as a point and shoot, and how many manual controls it has. Now that I have the digicam bug, I started looking for an upgrade for me and letting the wife have this one all to herself. The problem is that I cant find any camera that offers a significant improvement for less than 2 or 3 thousand dollars. The Dimage7 would be fine if it focused faster, but the slow focus wont work with what I like do the most, take animal pictures. I also lose 3x on the optical zoom, which I am really hooked on.

The new models are getting announced this month, maybe somebody will make a 10x optical zoom camera bigger than 2.x MP this year. Either that or I'll have to wait for the DSLR's to come way down in price. It's not like the UZI isnt good enough, it's just that better is better. 🙂 >>



Mr Chicken, You are awesome. Thx for the input man! Yeah you said it was fairly jumbo, thats what i like about the 4900 is that it isnt quite as large (when not zoomed). Also, I really love the looks of the 4900 (i know, lame..lol) so what do you think man?!!??! Jeeez someone help me. its official, I got the money today so I am ready to roll. Dammit why is this decision so hard?!

SO Mr. Chicken, what were you saying about the fuji messing up the image? (back up in ur first post - the long one)
 
hrrrrrrrrrrrrrm, Im pretty well set on the Fuji 4900, bu does it have the image stabilization?

I cant seem to find it anywhere - must be a bad sign.

Any one know?!

I R TEH NOOB!
 

<Mr Chicken, You are awesome. Thx for the input man! Yeah you said it was fairly jumbo, thats what i like about the 4900 is that it isnt quite as large (when not zoomed). Also, I really love the looks of the 4900 (i know, lame..lol) so what do you think man?!!??! Jeeez someone help me. its official, I got the money today so I am ready to roll. Dammit why is this decision so hard?! >

No problem, really if the size is important, than you have to decide how important. Is that more important that taking pic at longer distances? My decision came after two events, taking pictures at the zoo and at my son's graduation. At both places the closest shots I could take made the subject about 1 inch in size on a 5x7 print. That was with a 35mmm camera with a 3x optical zoom. My son's grad pics were the most frustrating, in some of them he was so far away, 200+ feet, that he cant be recognized on the photo, he is just another maroon blur in the crowd.

I faced the same size versus features decision when I bought the 2100, Olympus makes a newer and smaller model, the C-700UZ. The C-700UZ is the size of most digicams, and pretty feature rich too, but it doesnt have a stabilised lens. My reasoning went that if I have to carry a tripod around to get the same picture as with 2100, what was the point in getting a smaller camera?


<SO Mr. Chicken, what were you saying about the fuji messing up the image? (back up in ur first post - the long one)>

Ok the Image Stabilization feature, the easist thing I can compare this to is a rifle scope. When you aim a rifle you can see that the end of the barrel is moving no matter how hard you try to steady it. Now put a 10x scope on that rifle and that little wobble has been magnified 10x. On a camera at high zoom , you get the same thing, the object you want a picture of appears to be rotating in the viewfinder. Of course it's the camera moving and not the object. Since a camera, even digitals take pictures by exposing the medium (film, or ccd in digicams) to light for a period time, the medium also sees the object as moving. The image then has a blur as the medium records the object as it moved. So the Image Stabilization feature in the lens counters the movement of the camera and the picture will be clear when it is taken. This doesnt eliminate the blur in all cases, but it provides a big advantage over non-stabilised lenses. To get the same results out of a non-stabilised lens, you'd have be very exceptionally gifted in holding a camera steady, or use a tripod. Think about windy days and trying to take a picture after some physical exertions. like running to a spot to get the perfect picture and you start to realize how often IS comes in handy.
 
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