Best Digicam of the lot !?

[-D.Payne-]

I wanted to get some first hand feedback on the a300 in relation to its competition. Hows the low-light performance? And how do the sony and old minolta lenses stack up next to, say, canon and nikon? Over all, is there any camera on the market right now in that bracket that you would recommend i look at instead?

1. Low-light performance. Though it uses the same sensor as the D60 and the D40x by Nikon, the Sony's A300/A200 JPEG processing engine is not as good as the Expeed experience. So the ISO 800/1600 files are not close to the fine-grain look which the Nikons produce. Having said that, this is light year's ahead of any P&S I've used so far. The amount of detail that is present in an ISO 800 file is a joy to work around with.

2. In-body IS. This was reason #1 to buy the camera over a comparative Nikon/Canon system. I've paired it with a Tamron 17-50 f2.8 and this together makes for a great mid-range lowlight combination. A similar setup from Canikon would have cost me 1000$ for the lens alone... It works, even at 250mm, 1/30s it works properly.

3. Liveview. In everything except very lowlight, the LV is a joy to use! The tilting screen adds a whole new dimension to photography. There's a shot of a fallen leaf in the photography thread which was taken with the cam at floor-height and the screen tilted upwards. Took me all of 5-10 seconds to frame, compose and shoot that. Can't imagine how it would be through the viewfinder where I'd be guesstimating composition. This was reason #2.

BUT, if you're buying in India...give up on the Sony and go with a Canikon system instead. Only the A200's available at a decent price - Rs.24.5k - but that has no LV. The A350 is 47k and the A300's not here yet.

...and no offence but don't take up a DLSR if your intent is half-arsed. It's nowhere as user-friendly as a P&S - though the Sony's the simplest to use. It'll demand more from you than any P&S will.

@thetoxicmind: You need to take the call, man. No amount of opinions will help you out since there is NO clear-cut call on this.

Payne

 

[thetoxicmind]

all right..

let's see..

 

[Grease Monk]

...and no offence but don't take up a DLSR if your intent is half-arsed. It's nowhere as user-friendly as a P&S - though the Sony's the simplest to use. It'll demand more from you than any P&S will.

hehe, i appreciate you watching my back, but i think you misinterpreted my saying 'half-assed' I talked to some older prof. photographers about dslrs and mentioned the live view functionality in newer models. They laughed, saying that one of the main reasons to switch to an slr\dslr is so that you know what you see through the view-finder is exactly what the sensor\film sees, and the concept of an lcd like in a p&s makes the switch moot. That was what i meant by a half-assed desire to switch to dslr. Since i dont really care about viewfinder\live-view accuracy (parallax). I have used a friends e-510, and i could manage my way around it after a day with it and was doing things i could only dream of with my old faithful of a canon a95, partly because of the sheer speed of capture. viz the main motivation for my switch to dslrs.

Thanks for the info regarding the a300. Very helpful

 

[-D.Payne-]

Just to clarify. The LV is still through-the-lens, so your old photographers can take a chill pill. You're simply seeing what the lens is seeing in a video format but with only a 90% coverage.

The Olympus LV is a straight read-out from the sensor so you can actually magnify and check focus which you can't with the Sony implementation. But the Sony way is the fastest LV on any system. In good light, it's unbelievably fast...60fps types and a delight on the 2.7" screen.

Payne

 

[b_naresh]

That's the dilemma I'm in too...with a budget of 15K (or slightly above), my 2 contenders are TZ11(TZ4) and SX110. I don't care about the 1 MP resolution difference between the 2, 8MP is fine with me too. The compromise is between wide angle(TZ11) versus manual controls(SX110).

 

[sydras]

I read somewhere that a pop up flash will give pictures with reduced red eye than a regularly placed flash. I don't know about you but I hate it when I get pictures with red eye that I have to tweak using some software. If the SX110 has a pop up flash I think it may be better than the TZ5 in this department.

 

[b_naresh]

Bought the TZ11 today!

 

[thetoxicmind]

Bought the TZ11 today!

Darn ! i kept thinking the TZ15/TZ5 was retailing for around 15k :O
So how much does the TZ11 & TZ15 actually cost???

Do post your experience with the TZ11...

 

[b_naresh]

Darn ! i kept thinking the TZ15/TZ5 was retailing for around 15k :O
So how much does the TZ11 & TZ15 actually cost???

Do post your experience with the TZ11...

I got the TZ11 with bill, warranty along with 2GB card and case for 15K. Don't know the price of TZ15.

I upgraded the camera firmware to the latest version 1.2. Mine had version 1.1. Apparently, this update improves the auto focus performance at the long end of the zoom. Haven't tried it though.

Just familiarizing myself with some controls I might play around with and there are quite a few of them: Exposure compensation, auto exposure bracketing(don't think the Canon had this), metering modes, AF modes, etc.

 

[thetoxicmind]

I got the TZ11 with bill, warranty along with 2GB card and case for 15K. Don't know the price of TZ15.

I upgraded the camera firmware to the latest version 1.2. Mine had version 1.1. Apparently, this update improves the auto focus performance at the long end of the zoom. Haven't tried it though.

Just familiarizing myself with some controls I might play around with and there are quite a few of them: Exposure compensation, auto exposure bracketing(don't think the Canon had this), metering modes, AF modes, etc.

So what made you get the TZ4 over the SX110???

how does it cope up with night shots and std. video recording???

 

[b_naresh]

So what made you get the TZ4 over the SX110???
how does it cope up with night shots and std. video recording???

The wide angle was too much to resist! Also, it has enough manual controls for a newbie like me to tinker around with. I've hardly used the camera so I can't tell you my personal experience but I've seen decent night shots taken by it on flickr. It's got minimum shutter speed and maximum ISO settings to toy around for night shots if you don't want to use the pre-configured scene modes.

 

[thetoxicmind]

^^ Guys you are going way off topic. Please start a new thread to discuss this.

@toxicmind - I would suggest you drop the Sony H10 from the list. If you want to learn more about photography (use manual controls for certain shots) then go for the Canon S110 IS. If however all you want to do is point the camera in the direction you want to take a picture and let the camera do the rest, then go for the Panny.

The Panny is a better P&S since it has a nice wide angle, Li-on battery (quick flash recycle time) and a sleeker body. (relative to the S110)

May I ask why???

The Sony H10 has some really good user/expert reviews..

Bottom Line - Sporting a 10x zoom lens with optical image stabilization, 8-megapixel imaging sensor, new sports shooting mode and a very powerful built in flash, the Cyber-shot DSC-H10 is one very versatile camera. These features combined with the outstanding performance and very good image quality make this a great deal with at US$299 or less. If you like the features of this model but want more zooming power, an EVF, a "flip-up" LCD screen or more resolution then check out our Cyber-shot DSC-H50 review.

And now I'm suddenly beginning to consider SONY !

BTW,the Canon sx110 is is definitely OUT of the picture !:ashamed: :hap5:

Primary reason being the flash recycle time...

This is going to be an ALL PURPOSE camera,so everything ought to be considered..

Very good image quality,features,speed and performance in general...

WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE COULD CONFIRM THE CURRENT RETAIL & GREY MARKET PRICE FOR THE SONY H10,PANASONIC TZ4 & TZ5 (Pref.Chennai/B'lore)!?

Accdg to JJMehta:

TZ4 +2GB SD ~ 14.9K

TZ5 +2GB SD ~ 17.5K

Sony H10 +1gb PDUO ~ 15.8K

Thnx.

 

[Brendon]

^^ Well the H10 is not recommended since it has NO stand out features like the previous two competitors - Canon SX110 and Panny TZ5.

The Panny had a nice 28mm wide angle lens, while the Canon had the superior IQ and full manual controls.

The Sony on the other hand does not have a wide angle (it starts at 38mm !) and it has a restricted manual control (not at all like the Canon's full manual control). Also the H10 build quality is really below par vis a vis the competition. Its not a bad camera, but at this price point it is simply upstaged by the competition. :no:

I suggest you listen to D-Payne and get the Panny TZ5. You wont regret it !

 

[thetoxicmind]

^^ Well the H10 is not recommended since it has NO stand out features like the previous two competitors - Canon SX110 and Panny TZ5.

The Panny had a nice 28mm wide angle lens, while the Canon had the superior IQ and full manual controls.

The Sony on the other hand does not have a wide angle (it starts at 38mm !) and it has a restricted manual control (not at all like the Canon's full manual control). Also the H10 build quality is really below par vis a vis the competition. Its not a bad camera, but at this price point it is simply upstaged by the competition. :no:

I suggest you listen to D-Payne and get the Panny TZ5. You wont regret it !

Well,i have a few gripes about the Panny..

1.Least powerful flash compared to the sx110 & h10

2.Heavy noise reduction at all ISO settings ?

3.Smearing of fine detail even at base ISO ?

4.Focus slow down and occasional hunting in low light ?

5.Only 6 months warranty and doesn't have a wide array of service centers

6.The TZ5(TZ15) is the pricest at 16.8k* ,TZ4(TZ11) 14.9k* ! (Panasonic showroom)

* Prices AFTER DISCOUNT !:huh:

Can some please tell me the best place to buy a digital camera in Chennai for the best price possible !? Retail and grey market..

A few stores I've contacted have atrocious prices !

 

[Brendon]

^^ Off your gripes, only the flash is a noteworthy one (along with the price). The noise performance of the S110 IS and the Panny is almost on par and the H10 is no better (heck you WILL not find ANY P&S cam giving you nice high ISO performance. You will need a DSLR to get you great high ISO shots).

Any camera will have trouble focusing in low light (even DSLRs). You require high end lenses with USM to be able to focus quickly in low light.

But as dpayne rightly said, you can go with any of the 3 cameras and you cannot really go wrong with any of them. They will all give you nice snaps in decent lighting and okayish snaps in poor lighting.

 

[thetoxicmind]

^^ Off your gripes, only the flash is a noteworthy one (along with the price). The noise performance of the S110 IS and the Panny is almost on par and the H10 is no better (heck you WILL not find ANY P&S cam giving you nice high ISO performance. You will need a DSLR to get you great high ISO shots).

Any camera will have trouble focusing in low light (even DSLRs). You require high end lenses with USM to be able to focus quickly in low light.

But as dpayne rightly said, you can go with any of the 3 cameras and you cannot really go wrong with any of them. They will all give you nice snaps in decent lighting and okayish snaps in poor lighting.

Oh ok..so considering the price,will the TZ4 be good enough?

Thnx.

And can someone please tell me the best place to buy a digital camera in Chennai for the best price possible !? Retail and grey market..

 

[b_naresh]

Well,i have a few gripes about the Panny..
...
...
4.Focus slow down and occasional hunting in low light ?
5.Only 6 months warranty and doesn't have a wide array of service centers
...
...

Panasonic has released a firmware update to improve the auto-focus performance of TZ4 and TZ5.
Panasonic cameras come with a 3 year warranty and not a 6 month warranty.

 

[Brendon]

^^ Spot on ! Yes Panasonic warranty is for 3 years. Yes the TZ4 is also a very good camera - again mainly for the wide angle over anything else.

 

[thetoxicmind]

Panasonic has released a firmware update to improve the auto-focus performance of TZ4 and TZ5.
Panasonic cameras come with a 3 year warranty and not a 6 month warranty.

Oh ok ! I just read somewhere that it came with a 6 month warranty..

Anyways,how's the TZ4 been performing so far???
any performance issues you discovered? Have you taken any night shots yet??

If possible post a review or atleast sample images shot in most conditions...

I got the TZ11 with bill, warranty along with 2GB card and case for 15K.

So how much just for the camera???
The Panasonic brand shop is selling the camera for Rs.14,990 !
Wonder what the grey market price will be?

 

[b_naresh]

^^I'll try to take some shots and post them this weekend (I'm at home only during weekends). Which site do I upload pics to? I have a picasa account but I see a lot of guys on flickr. What are the differences between the 2? My internet connection is just 256kbps and the upload speeds would be even worse.
And finally, I'm a noob at photography so be gentle please.