Digital Camera: Zoom or Resolution - which is better?

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: Dug
Only reasons I don't like the Canon-

It's slow, 1.5" screen. Othere than that it's a great camera.

Yeah, it's fast. I think it's about the fastest camera you can get.

But is a 1.8" screen that much better than a 1.5" screen? Doesn't really seem like a big selling point to me. If you're one of those people who always holds the camera out and doesn't use the viewfinder (or if your eyes aren't good enough to navigate the menus on a 1.5" screen) I would question the need for a $300 camera.

 

[Dug]

Originally posted by: Tostada

Originally posted by: Dug
Your leaving out the best optical zoom consumer camera out there-

People are leaving it out because it's $115 over his budget. The only FZ in his price range is a refurbished FZ3 without stabilization.

Even if it was within his budget, it would be hard to justify the price vs. the S1. That review says the FZ5 has over-sharp pictures, problems in macro mode, no converter lenses, no manual focus, noise reduction problems and a useles movie mode. None of those are problems with the S1.

Really, the only person who would want the FZ5 would be someone who absolutely needed a faster camera than the S1. If he's shooting a lot of fast action that could certainly be the case, but he never mentioned it so I doubt it.

It doesn't have problems in macro mode, look at the forums.
There are converter lenses.
Noise reduction is the same for any point and shoot.
Movie mode on any camera is useless as far as I'm concerened.
He mentioned he wanted to take sports shots so that is essential.

S1 doesn't have those problems?
"# Some focus errors - especially at the telephoto end of the zoom
# Slow AF at longer focal lengths, can struggle in low light
# No AF illuminator
# Noisy above ISO200
# No rechargeable batteries
# Small screen, viewfinder difficult to see in very bright or very dark conditions
# Images lack 'bite' - resolution is average at best
# No RAW or TIFF mode
# Limit to highest shutter speed usable at wide apertures"

No camera is perfect, but looking at actual photos that people are shooting, I like what comes from the Panasonic's. Canon is soft and dull (not just the S1). Which may be worth an extra $100. If you divide that up among how many pictures you take or how long you'll keep the camera, then it doesn't seem like much.

Of course going down and actually holding the camera is the best advice as you may not like something mentioned by others.