NEED NEW DIGICAM! broke my old one :(

BillyBatson

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May 13, 2001
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I took my camera camping this last weekend and accidentically dropped it ont he sand with the lens open. I did get sand in it to where the lens would not retract but after blowing on it it worked fine again all weekend as i continued to take pics. After 3 days of it being on my desk iw ent to use it and same problem and this time the camera couldn't focus so it would shut off almsot as if there was sand in the lens. I even took it apart and nothign helped so it is now dead.
It was a Panasonic fx01
before that i owned
Panasonic FX9
Sony P150
Sony p100
Casio Exlim (can't remmeber model)

I need a new digicam! point and shoot.
Features it needs
-SUPERB image quality
-Manual/advanced controls
-OPTICAL image stabilizer
-16:9 shooting mode (along side 4:3 of course)
-at LEAST 2.2" screem (2.5+ preferred)
-SD memory
-3x optical zoom (panny had 3.6 so the higher the better)
-at least 6mp

not sure if i should go out and buy a newer model of the panasonic like the fx09 or whatever, get a canon 900 series but they are HEAVY and cost a lot, or a casio which are very nice depending on model but ugly

any help is appreciated, i am thinking about purchasing today
 

BillyBatson

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May 13, 2001
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been reading lots of reviews online and I am still torn.
the Olympus waterproof/shockproof/crush proof is interesting esepcially since i go through digicams every 6-9 months!
also I am confused aboutt he real differences between the Canon SD850IS and SD900. The 850 seems to be more expensive online despite being lower MP, not having the titanium body, slower FPS and a few other details, why is this?
 

ElFenix

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Mar 20, 2000
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the 850 is brand new and has IS. the 900 is older and does not.


there seem to be very few cameras that match your specs. maybe the new panny LX3 (not even announced yet, not entirely sure if it'll come out)
could meet all of them. but then, you can't purchase that today and the last thing the LX2 needed was an additional 4 mp.

so that seems to leave you with the canon A710IS, G7, casio EX-V7, and the panny FZ8. the casio has crap image quality, though. the A710IS is the smallest of those remaining.
 

BillyBatson

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May 13, 2001
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Originally posted by: ElFenix
the 850 is brand new and has IS. the 900 is older and does not.


there seem to be very few cameras that match your specs. maybe the new panny LX3 (not even announced yet, not entirely sure if it'll come out)
could meet all of them. but then, you can't purchase that today and the last thing the LX2 needed was an additional 4 mp.

so that seems to leave you with the canon A710IS, G7, casio EX-V7, and the panny FZ8. the casio has crap image quality, though. the A710IS is the smallest of those remaining.

I understand the 850 is newer but is it better/worth the extra money over the sd900? Also what exactly is IS? a quick search on google and I can't find the answer.
I know not many meet my list of wants so I will obvsiouly have to compromise on a few features however image quality, native 16:9 and a good image stabalizer are musts.
All the cams you mentioned are too large. I am looking to take this around with me often and it must fit in my pocket.
I ask the impossible I know. I appreciate your time and patience :)
 

ElFenix

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Mar 20, 2000
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looks like sony, panasonic, and kodak offer 16:9 image modes. most of those are just cropped down from a 4:3 sensor. the panasonic LX2 (discontinued) has a native 16:9 sensor, but seems like that's the only one. so, you're really just losing resolution when using a 16:9 image mode on the vast majority of cameras.

if you were pleased with the output from your previous panasonic then you're really not that strict on image quality. panasonic is a bit over aggressive on the noise reduction, which results in smearing and loss of fine detail.

IS is image stabilization on canon. nikon calls it VR, panasonic is OIS, pentax calls it SR, sony calls it super steady shot (what is it with consumer-oriented japanese products that so many things are called super? fuji super ccd, sony super steady shot, super nintendo, honda super-handling awd)
 

BillyBatson

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May 13, 2001
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It is strange because I do realize they are cropped 4:3 images but on my 2 pannys when the camera was placed still and 2 seperate pics were taken the 16:9 mode got more of the image on the left and right sides of the image even though the pixel res. didn't change, but the top and bottom were cropped.

I did like the output of my pannys but mainly in scenic pictures and pictures that didn't require a lot of detail up close or too far away. It was far from perfect though as I did lose detail in cetain pics/lighting and macro wasn't the greatest.

How much of a difference does IS make for the Canon? From what I have been reading the SD900 has very good image quality and seems to be better than that of the 850IS.
I am currently leaning towards the Canon SD900 however sitll comparing against the SD850is, and the Olympus 770SW which is waterproof down to 33feet, shock and freeze resistance and seems to have recieved some decent reviews however the main reason NOT to purchase this is the fact that it uses xD cards AND this particular model REQUIRES an Olympus xD card if you wish to use the panorama mode!!!!!!!

Not sure about the super thing. Is it because super things are well.... super? it is sort of like hair gel products where in a single like of product they will have Super Hold, Mega Hold, Ultimate/Ultra Hold, Maximum Hold? it makes things sound better than they are or ever will be lol
 

ElFenix

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Mar 20, 2000
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IS makes a difference if your subject is sitting still, but your shutter speed cannot be made slow enough for hand holding. the IS on these little cameras is generally good for 2 stops, which means a shutter 4x longer (1/30th might be the hand hold limit for a 28 mm lens, IS would allow you to hand hold reliably at 1/8th of a second). it won't fix subject motion (which the fuji, with it's better high sensitivity output, can fix, because it allows you to use those faster shutter speeds). neither high sensitivity nor IS can work miracles, though. in fact, because IS only improves shots by allowing a slower shutter speed, it really makes subject motion worse.