canon s410 or a510?

[vexingv]

so i've been looking to replace my aging a40. can any of those who own either help me decide b/t the two?

both are about the same price ~$150 (the a510 might just be a little bit cheaper). here's what i could come up w/:

a510:
pros:
-fairly new model
-many more shooting modes and manual control settings (not a photography buff, but i guess it would be good once i learned more about it)
-uses standard AA batteries
-greater optical zoom (4x vs 3x)
cons:
-bulkier than the s410
-uses SD memory (i've been using CF since my a40 is CF)

s410:
pros:
-a bit smaller
-uses CF card
-4 megapixels (a510 is 3.2 mp)
cons:
-lack of advanced/manual shooting modes
-uses proprietary rechargeable battery

 

[Kipper]

S410

 

[NewSc2]

the s410 is about $150??

 

[vexingv]

Originally posted by: NewSc2
the s410 is about $150??

they're being clearanced at staples. its now ~230 or 180 depending on some staples. i also have a $70 rebate from the pixma printer rebate as well.

 

[aeroguy]

I always thought s series > a series but I'm not sure now.

 

[Viper GTS]

S410, add to your list of pros that it uses a larger sensor.

Viper GTS

 

[vexingv]

Originally posted by: aeroguy
I always thought s series > a series but I'm not sure now.

well if you look at it from a price point then it is. but i always thought that was due to miniturization of components.

as for the larger sensor, isnt that because explained by the difference in megapixels?

 

[Deadtrees]

Neither.
Shot to Shot time is way too slow along with off-to-on time.

 

[vexingv]

Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Neither.
Shot to Shot time is way too slow along with off-to-on time.

hmm...most of the reviews have been quite favorable for both. too bad none do any type of head-to-head reviews of these two. i guess i'm biased towards canon cameras and also now b.c i have this rebate offer thats burning a hole in my pocket

 

[zimu]

huge canon s400 fan, 410 is practically identical. i vote for it simply for the power it packs in such a small package. i'm no camera buff but appreciate the manual mode features, which is more than i'd ever need/use.

battery thing may be an annoyance to some. but you can get batteries from ebay for <$10 and from all my testing they last longer than the one's provided by canon- higher capacities. buy like 3-4 of them, keep them charged, unless you're goign underground for the period of 1,000+ photographs with flashes, i doubt you'd have an issue with battery power.

 

[Deadtrees]

My bad!
I read it wrong. I thought you were talking about A lines of Canon.
Now, I see you're talking about 'S'410 and 'A'510.

I vote for S410 without a single doubt.
As I said before A510's shot to shot/off to on delay time is too long. Those alone are good reasons to avoid A510 not to mention all the other issues with A510.

Trust me on this one, S410 is far better than A510.

 

[Deadtrees]

Oh and you just don't need those AV/TV functions when it comes to compact digital cameras. You will be more than fine with adjustable ISO settings/white balance and some other options S410 provides. Also, image quality of S400(S410) is quite amazing and it was used to be known as 'king of digital camera' when it came out. Other compact digital cameras have caught up as time passed but IMHO S410 is still better than most of other compact digital cameras.

 

[RossMAN]

A510 vs S410

 

[vexingv]

well i went w/ the s410, came out to $194 w/ tax @ staples but it turns out that it was probably a returned model (fingerprints and opened manuals etc). other than that one, there was only the display model left (which i bought first and came home to find out the box was missing the camera. i was able to go back and get the other box though i should have kept the battery from the first box before i exchanged it). i liked the s410 b/c of the size and what some have said (along w/ looking at sample pics) about the superior pictures/optical quality. what was originally holding me back was the lack of full manual (among other modes) and the proprietary battery. but i only used my a40 in the "P" mode which is equivalent to the s410's "manual" so i guess its not too bad. i'll probably pick up another battery soon for backup.

 

[Led Zeppelin]

A510 > everything else.

 

[Tommunist]

the battery issue on the s410 is a pro and not a con. it lasts for a pretty good amount of time and is rechargeable. i know AAs can be rechargable too but I doubt they would last as long as the lithium battery....

 

[purbeast0]

I would say go for an A510. I chose between the smaller SD series and the A series, and went w/the A510 for a few reasons.

1. Battery - It uses standard AA batteries and not some proprietary stuff.
2. Picture Quality - I did research on both of them, and the equivalent SD series model had pictures that just did not look as good.
3. Camera Quality - I had heard that the LCD on the screen of the SD series is pretty delicate and can be damaged rather easily.
4. Underwater Housing - The one for the SD could only go 10 feet, the one for the A510 could go 130 meters. I really wanted to get the UW housing for my camera for my trip to Aruba.

Check out my site in my sig. I have a lot of pics from Aruba and also from a wedding on there as well, all taken w/the A510. Those aren't the full res shots either.

The one flaw I would say the A510 has is that when there is low lighting, its hard to get a good pictures of something that is over 15 feet away. You can see some pics from the wedding and the dancers in Aruba did not come out well due to the lighting.

EDIT: lol, just realized this thread was started months ago.

 

[tami]

the S410 is old. go for the A510.

i'm an S500 user, btw (but my primary camera is a nikon d70). it's a good camera, but if you know how to use manual controls, you'd want to go with something better.

 

[alien42]

Originally posted by: Deadtrees
Neither.
Shot to Shot time is way too slow along with off-to-on time.

QFT

 

[Led Zeppelin]

I just got my A510 yesterday, so I wanted to bump the thread.


Btw, what is QFT. Quit F*@*ing Trolling?

 

[alien42]

Originally posted by: BostonRedSox
I just got my A510 yesterday, so I wanted to bump the thread.


Btw, what is QFT. Quit F*@*ing Trolling?

QFT = quoted for truth