DCam Suggestions - Budget 20 to 25K

Thanks a lot tracer , reps to you.

But not its very very hard for me to decided between Canon & Sony :huh: :S

More reason that i liked canon was for its ability to capture movies at
640x480 30/15 FPS
320x240 30/15 FPS [Sony doest support this and i wanted to record at this resol. mostly]
160x120 30/15 FPS
Zoom while taking videos [does sony support this]
take pics also while capturing videos [does sony support this]
Up to 1 GB or 60 mins with stereo audio
SD card support

Certain sites have biased reviews on canon while certain sites have biased reviews on sony.

Certain things which i am worrying abt before getting a Canon are
- purple fringing [does this happen at all the time or only at max zoom only]
- low light photos not taken properly.

Hey Ren can you take some pics in low light at ISO 200 & 400 & some pics at max zoom and post here please
 
Finally found some night shots

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s2-review/nightshot.jpg

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_h1-review/nightshot.jpg

Sony looks better than Canon here.

Also Sony is performing better at night shots at higher ISO settings.

Reviews with Images @ DCResource

Canon

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s2-review/

Sony

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_h1-review/index.shtml

Also Found 2 PS Plugins to remove Noise.

Noise Ninja - http://www.picturecode.com/index.htm

Noise Ninja is the most effective and productive solution for removing noise and grain from digital photographs and scanned film images. It is a must-have tool for anyone shooting in low-light or fast-action situations -- including news, sports, wedding, and event coverage -- where high ISO photography is required and the resulting noise compromises the image.

Noise Ninja often yields a two-stop improvement in effective image quality, while preserving important image detail. In addition, it can produce cleaner, smoother enlargements from low-ISO images.

Neat Image - http://www.neatimage.com/

Neat Image is a filter designed to reduce visible noise and grain in photographic images produced by digital cameras and scanners. Neat Image is indispensable in low-light (indoors, night, astro) and high-speed (sport, action) photography. It is a tool for both professional photographers and digital image processing enthusiasts.

It has profiles for Canon S2 IS but no Profiles for Sony DSC H1 , lol looks like sony doest require this :hehe:

Neat Video - http://www.neatvideo.com/index.html?sni

Neat Video is a filter plug-in designed to reduce visible noise and grain in digital video sequences produced by digital video cameras, camcorders, TV-tuners, digitizers of film or analog video.
 
Nice information Quad, yeah Noise Ninja is a good plugin for photoshop. But no amount of external processing can be better than what the camera's own image processor does when RAW data is received from the sensor. When you use Noise Ninja you'll be using it after compression has been applied which implies further deterioration in quality.

If you can wait for the month then check out the DSC-H5. It'll retail at $500 but looks mighty impressive. Go here Unlike the H1, this one has a Carl-Zeiss lens! So you get first-class optics.
 
tracerbullet said:
Nice information Quad, yeah Noise Ninja is a good plugin for photoshop. But no amount of external processing can be better than what the camera's own image processor does when RAW data is received from the sensor. When you use Noise Ninja you'll be using it after compression has been applied which implies further deterioration in quality.

If you can wait for the month then check out the DSC-H5. It'll retail at $500 but looks mighty impressive. Go here Unlike the H1, this one has a Carl-Zeiss lens! So you get first-class optics.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on the DSC H5 , lets see if i can wait until it arrives.
DSC H5 Specs :- http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=859
Detailed Info:- http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022509sonydsch5.asp

What about the Canon S3 IS.
S3 IS Specs:- http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=845
Detailed Info:- http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022111canons3is.asp
 
The H5 sports a better lens (Carl Zeiss), a higher resolution (7MP as opposed to Canon's 6MP) and a larger display i.e. 3 inches @230k pixels. The S3IS has a 2-inch display with only 115k pixels. But the macro mode is better on the Canon - 0cms!

Well, I can tell you this: I've been impressed with all the Sony cameras I've looked at, each and every one. I'd vouch for that company.
 
Thanks for ur views tracer.

I somehow feel that the Sony DSC H1 is better for image quality [low light pics are better than Canon].

But there are a few other features that Canon S2 IS scores above the Sony.

Tracer we can change the lens later on na on both these cams.

We have a lens which was used on our old Analog Nikon which got stolen :(

This is like selecting a IRiver or Ipod :)
 
No! These cameras aren't SLRs so the lens isn't detachable. There are addon lenses you can pick up though, but these get too costly so don't consider them at all. Buy the camera as it is. If you want a camera with lens options and choices then go for an SLR.

Regarding your Nikon lens, it is not compatible with these cameras. You'll need to get a Nikon SLR for that. This is because Nikon, Canon and other companies such different lens interfaces for their SLRs. But convertors are always available.
 
IF the lens are not detachable then whats this black thing in the front.



It says conversion lens adapter , what does that do acutally.

I thought it was a lens that was attached.
 
See, in an SLR you can remove the entire lens of the camera and therefore customise/change some important aspects such as zoom, focal length, speed (in the sense how fast a lens focuses and the largest aperture all full zoom) and aperture. In an SLR all these features depend on the lens being used.

In the S2IS the default lens remains the same, so it can't be detached. Because of that you're stuck with the aperture and speed of the lens. But you can screw on an addon lens and change the zoom and focal length. so you can place an wide adapter, a macro or a telephoto. But these would have to be special lenses designed for the S2IS in mind. You can't just add on any lens in the market. These have different interfaces, like nikon's F-mount etc. which would be incompatible with the S2IS.

So, don't buy a prosumer camera if you're looking at lens options, it'll work out too expensive. For instance a wide lens addon costs ~150$, the telephoto costs another ~100$. Definitely not worth it, in my opinion.
 
Ok its ok even if i am not able to change the lens.

Thanks for the info again tracer.

Can someone confirm on this.

Are all the pics taken at higher iso bad with a Canon.

Also why are higher ISO settings actually used for.

What difference does it make when we take pics with ISO 50/100/200/400

What i have observed that night pics taken at lower iso on a canon were a bit better.

[I am a total noob with cams plz dont mind me asking such silly qtns].

Also the Canon S3 IS & Sony's H5 and H2 are looking awesome.

Will the Sony arrive in May in India , if its arriving in May the will wait.

If these newer model are arriving after 1 or 2 months will wait for it.
 
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