DSLR-look-alike P&S cameras?

[CurseTheSky]

Hi guys,

A couple of years ago, I bought my mother a Fuji FinePix S1200 (I believe) for Christmas. She absolutely loves the camera, and the pictures that come out of it are fairly good.

I'm in the market for a camera myself. I want something better than a basic point and shoot, and I really liked the great optical zoom and other features on the FinePix. With that said, I was considering a FinePix S1800, since it can be had around $150 or so. I'd be willing to spend up to $300 on a camera, though.

I have my Droid X for basic point and shoot needs, so I don't really need anything portable. I'd value photo quality and features over small size. Is the FinePix S1800 a decent camera for the price, or would I be much better off with something else? Any recommendations?

Thanks.

 

[Gooberlx2]

The Canon sx20is is well regarded, and a sx30is was recently released as well. I believe there is a super zoom roundup review over at dpreview.com.

 

[yhelothar]

People are trying to get DSLR's looking like P&S camera and now P&S camera people want a DSLR like cam.

Most of these superzooms have much smaller sensors than a lot of non superzoom P&S so while you get the convenience of the ultra zoom, there is a price to pay for it. Lower dynamic range, higher grain, and less accurate colors to name a few.

 

[ed21x]

two prosumer cameras that i've had my eye on are the Canon s95 and the samsung tl350. The former has a fairly large (for a PnS) sensor at 1/1.63", and the latter has a backlit sony CMOS sensor that is supposedly really good at low light.

 

[CurseTheSky]

People are trying to get DSLR's looking like P&S camera and now P&S camera people want a DSLR like cam.

Most of these superzooms have much smaller sensors than a lot of non superzoom P&S so while you get the convenience of the ultra zoom, there is a price to pay for it. Lower dynamic range, higher grain, and less accurate colors to name a few.

Gotcha.

What would you recommend instead then?

Thanks.

 

[ElFenix]

People are trying to get DSLR's looking like P&S camera and now P&S camera people want a DSLR like cam.

Most of these superzooms have much smaller sensors than a lot of non superzoom P&S so while you get the convenience of the ultra zoom, there is a price to pay for it. Lower dynamic range, higher grain, and less accurate colors to name a few.

nah, nowadays just about all cams use the 1/2.3" sensors, superzooms and non superzooms alike. only a few smaller cams like the LX series, G series, and the S90/5 have larger sensors. i think the high end fuji superzoom has a larger sensor, but it's the size, weight, and cost of an SLR (though the lens is obviously more versatile from a focal length perspective).

 

[sixone]

The Canon sx20is is well regarded, and a sx30is was recently released as well. I believe there is a super zoom roundup review over at dpreview.com.

I just picked up the SX30, and it's a huge improvement over the SX20. But at $429, it's going to blow the OP's budget.

Well worth it, IMHO, if features and photo quality are important to you.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I just picked up the SX30, and it's a huge improvement over the SX20. But at $429, it's going to blow the OP's budget.

Well worth it, IMHO, if features and photo quality are important to you.

Aside from the absurd zoom (800+mm!), what's better about it?

 

[Herr Kutz]

The fz38 gets pretty decent reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-...7040886&sr=8-1

It was down around $300 for a while, but it's a popular camera and a new "upgraded" version has come out.

or the updated version for $10 more

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-...7040973&sr=1-1

 

[sixone]

Aside from the absurd zoom (800+mm!), what's better about it?

The SX30 handles low-light a LOT better. That was my major complaint about the SX10, and the reason I skipped the SX20.

 

[corkyg]

The SX10 has served me well for two years when travelling extensively by air. Huailing my 5D and lenszes is too cumbersome. The SX30 provides better low light, and has a bigger articulating LCD. It fits nicely in my laptop case. The biggest negative I see is abandoning the 4 AA cells for a proprietary Li-Ion battery. But, I can live with that. Will order the SX30 next week. (And a spare battery.)

 

[CurseTheSky]

The Panasonic Lumix FZ40 for $330ish is doable. The SX30 at $430 would be a bit tough to swing.

Any comments on those two cameras in comparison? Does the SX30 blow the FZ40 out of the water, or would I be just as well off with the Panasonic?

The only reason I ask is because I tend to get buyers' remorse / envy very easily. I'm sure either camera is more than plenty for my needs, but once I start reading up on the drawbacks of the one I bought vs. all of the great features of the one I could have had for a bit more cash, it'll end up sitting in the box for months. Again, if there isn't a huge compelling reason to get the SX30 over the FZ40 or something similar, I'd rather save the $100.

 

[sixone]

The SX10 has served me well for two years when travelling extensively by air. Huailing my 5D and lenszes is too cumbersome. The SX30 provides better low light, and has a bigger articulating LCD. It fits nicely in my laptop case. The biggest negative I see is abandoning the 4 AA cells for a proprietary Li-Ion battery. But, I can live with that. Will order the SX30 next week. (And a spare battery.)

I wasn't excited about the new battery, either. But it sure does charge faster than the AAs did, and the spare takes up less room in my bag than four AAs. Seems to last as long as the AAs, too.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I just cracked the edges of my Panasonic LX3's viewing screen (glass area) Debating on selling it and getting an LX5

 

[yhelothar]

I just picked up the SX30, and it's a huge improvement over the SX20. But at $429, it's going to blow the OP's budget.

Well worth it, IMHO, if features and photo quality are important to you.

Features yes, photo quality, NO.

For $429 you could pick up an entry level DSLR, and if you get a refurb one, you can get a pretty decent zoom lens that'd blow that tiny sensor crap out of the water.

Here are some sample images of the SX30(the best superzoom in its class)... *barf* Shitty colors, details, super grainy, contrast, dynamic range.
http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=4530&p=2

Unless you wanna join the papparazzi at a budget, this camera won't get you beautiful pics.

For $450 you can get this olympus E600 with 14-150mm(11x zoom) of range.
http://www.adorama.com/IOME600K1R.html

And here are some samples from an older model of the oly. ^_^
http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/weekend/2008/10/31/9532.html

If you're willing to get used, you can easily find a DSLR with similar range for $300 on ebay. DSLRs are built like tanks to last, unlike P&S cams.

 

[yhelothar]

nah, nowadays just about all cams use the 1/2.3" sensors, superzooms and non superzooms alike. only a few smaller cams like the LX series, G series, and the S90/5 have larger sensors. i think the high end fuji superzoom has a larger sensor, but it's the size, weight, and cost of an SLR (though the lens is obviously more versatile from a focal length perspective).

And anything at his budget($180-300) is most likely going to come with a much larger sensor than 1/2.3".

 

[sixone]

Features yes, photo quality, NO.

For $429 you could pick up an entry level DSLR, and if you get a refurb one, you can get a pretty decent zoom lens that'd blow that tiny sensor crap out of the water.

Here are some sample images of the SX30(the best superzoom in its class)... *barf* Shitty colors, details, super grainy, contrast, dynamic range.
http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/default.asp?newsID=4530&p=2

Unless you wanna join the papparazzi at a budget, this camera won't get you beautiful pics.

For $450 you can get this olympus E600 with 14-150mm(11x zoom) of range.
http://www.adorama.com/IOME600K1R.html

And here are some samples from an older model of the oly. ^_^
http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/weekend/2008/10/31/9532.html

If you're willing to get used, you can easily find a DSLR with similar range for $300 on ebay. DSLRs are built like tanks to last, unlike P&S cams.

This kind of attitude always makes me laugh. It's like telling someone to buy a gun instead of taking a self-defense class. There are very good reasons to do either, but there are also good reasons against.

Sure, you can spend $300 for a used DSLR, but then you have to consider how much you'll spend on glass to get the same zoom range available in the SX30. How willing you'll be to carry that glass around, and how many shots you'll miss while you're trying to do a fast lens change. And then how much time you'll spend processing them later.

No doubt you'll get better pictures with an SLR than with a P&S. But if you don't put that higher quality to measurable use, what good is it? If you're not regularly printing bigger than 8x10, is that bigger sensor really worthwhile? Probably not.

Does an SLR guarantee a better overall experience? Depends on what makes a better overall experience for YOU. You're going to make sacrifices, no matter which kind of camera you choose.

 

[corkyg]

"No doubt you'll get better pictures with an SLR than with a P&S. But if you don't put that higher quality to measurable use, what good is it? If you're not regularly printing bigger than 8x10, is that bigger sensor really worthwhile? Probably not."

Perhaps the most profound statement in the thread! Well stated!

 

[ElFenix]

And anything at his budget($180-300) is most likely going to come with a much larger sensor than 1/2.3".

no. and especially not in a superzoom. so much easier to make a lens for a smaller sensor.

there are literally a handful of compact cameras with zoom lenses on the market with sensors larger than 1/2": LX, G, S95, samsung ex1, nikon p7000, fuji s200exr

 

[yhelothar]

This kind of attitude always makes me laugh. It's like telling someone to buy a gun instead of taking a self-defense class. There are very good reasons to do either, but there are also good reasons against.

Sure, you can spend $300 for a used DSLR, but then you have to consider how much you'll spend on glass to get the same zoom range available in the SX30. How willing you'll be to carry that glass around, and how many shots you'll miss while you're trying to do a fast lens change. And then how much time you'll spend processing them later.

No doubt you'll get better pictures with an SLR than with a P&S. But if you don't put that higher quality to measurable use, what good is it? If you're not regularly printing bigger than 8x10, is that bigger sensor really worthwhile? Probably not.

Does an SLR guarantee a better overall experience? Depends on what makes a better overall experience for YOU. You're going to make sacrifices, no matter which kind of camera you choose.

LOL did you even look at the sample pictures? It doesn't even look close even if you downsized it to 640x480. It's not just resolution and captured detail that the DSLR trumps the SX30 in, so your 8x10 argument is senseless. Even at very downsized images for web viewing, the DSLR will have far superior colors, dynamic range, contrast, and will look far more lifelike, while the SX30 in comparison looks like it was taken with a camera phone. Sorry to bash your camera so much, but unless you work for the papparazzi and really need that 35x zoom, or you want to impress people at how you were able to blow something up that's a mile away, there's very little contest with the SX30 over a similarly priced DSLR with a still generous 10x zoom.

And very few people need more than 10x zoom, which is pretty much the only benefit of the SX30 over the DSLR.

This kind of attitude always makes me laugh. It's like telling someone to buy a gun instead of taking a self-defense class. There are very good reasons to do either, but there are also good reasons against.

I see what you're trying to say, and that does hold true in a lot of cases, such as someone wanting to buy a compact camera as opposed to a DSLR. But the DSLR has very similar handling to the superzoom, especially if you get a superzoom lens for it, and it does everything else better. So it's more akin to telling someone to buy the better gun out of two guns that cost the same.

 

[yhelothar]

"No doubt you'll get better pictures with an SLR than with a P&S. But if you don't put that higher quality to measurable use, what good is it? If you're not regularly printing bigger than 8x10, is that bigger sensor really worthwhile? Probably not."

Perhaps the most profound statement in the thread! Well stated!

No it's not.

 

[yhelothar]

no. and especially not in a superzoom. so much easier to make a lens for a smaller sensor.

there are literally a handful of compact cameras with zoom lenses on the market with sensors larger than 1/2": LX, G, S95, samsung ex1, nikon p7000, fuji s200exr

Look pal, I said superzooms don't have as large of a sensor as a lot of the non superzooms, and you disagreed with me then proceeded to list the majority of the non-superzoom cameras that cost over $180.

Oh and I just clicked on a few random non superzoom cameras on dpreview, every 3 cameras I clicked on has a sensor larger than 1/2" to every 1 camera that has a sensor smaller than 1/2".

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxa20/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikonp5100/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf50fd/


Well anyways, I posted the sample pics. If he decides he's fine with his pictures looking like that so he could have the OMFG 35x ZOOM, more power to him.
It's always good that the market has more options out there.
BTW, I used a superzoom before. It's fun to use, but in the end, you're buying the camera for the pictures it takes, not to impress people at how you were able to blow something up that's a mile away.

 

[CurseTheSky]

DSLRs are jumping into the territory of carrying around multiple lenses, right? Unless there's such thing as a DSLR (...within my budget) that literally does everything from macros to landscape shots without having to carrying around a bag of lenses and swap them around to snap a quick picture or two, I really don't want to go that route.

Basically I just want something that will take superior pictures than my Droid X without breaking the bank. I'm not a photographer, and very few of these pictures will ever be printed (which, if that was the goal, would involve an expensive professional IPS monitor, better printer, copy of Photoshop, etc. as well). I want a good self-contained camera that won't require me to carry around more than a couple of cables, spare batteries, and SD (perhaps CF) cards.

Let's put it this way: if an expensive DSLR with all the right supporting gear will get me photos "rated" at 9/10 or 10/10, and my current Droid X will get me something around 2/10 or 3/10, what's it going to take to get a 5/10 - 6/10 or so?

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

 

[sixone]

LOL did you even look at the sample pictures? It doesn't even look close even if you downsized it to 640x480. It's not just resolution and captured detail that the DSLR trumps the SX30 in, so your 8x10 argument is senseless. Even at very downsized images for web viewing, the DSLR will have far superior colors, dynamic range, contrast, and will look far more lifelike, while the SX30 in comparison looks like it was taken with a camera phone. Sorry to bash your camera so much, but unless you work for the papparazzi and really need that 35x zoom, or you want to impress people at how you were able to blow something up that's a mile away, there's very little contest with the SX30 over a similarly priced DSLR with a still generous 10x zoom.

And very few people need more than 10x zoom, which is pretty much the only benefit of the SX30 over the DSLR.

I looked at the sample pictures, and I've also looked at the thousand pics I've taken since I bought the camera. If I have any that looked like they were taken with a camera phone, it's because I didn't operate the hardware correctly, not because the hardware is lacking. Believe me, I could get camera-phone-quality pictures out of a DSLR, too.

There is no question that a DSLR trumps my SX30 in some ways. But the reverse is also true. Ease of use, convenience, versatility, weight, processing time, cost. Those factors trump any increase in image quality I could gain from a DSLR.

You can make a decision based on one factor, like image quality. Or you can make it based on the big picture, including what happens after you put the lens cap back on. Whatever your choice is, you'll be a lot happier with it if you look at the big picture before you buy, instead of after.

 

[MJinZ]

I'd recommend the Canon S95...