ultrazoom camera : Canon, sony or Panasonic?

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bluediamond

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if budget is around 300$ and if i need an advanced cam, but for non professional use, which one would be the best of the season... nowadays i couldn't find much discussions on cameras like sony h5 or canon s3, s5 IS. which are the best models which have replaced them?

Canon sx100 or canon sx110

or any of the panasonic FZ/TZ series???
 
If you want 18x then get panny fz series one.

Otherwise SX100 does a pretty good job. Its not that bulky either.
 
@pappu: hehe, not that long n annoying re, look at the olymps n kodaks n u'll be happy. also the flash is mighty good on our sx100.

PS:I used the "bounce teh flash off paper" trick by d_payne for taking my baby's pics and it worked wonders.
 
sarang said:
@pappu: hehe, not that long n annoying re, look at the olymps n kodaks n u'll be happy. also the flash is mighty good on our sx100.

PS:I used the "bounce teh flash off paper" trick by d_payne for taking my baby's pics and it worked wonders.
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when you compare it to a cam with 4 cells or lithion ion battery, it is slow :)
 
i think the only thing better in sx110 is that its 9MP instead of 8MP for

sx100 but if sensor size is same (tiny, really) is that any good???

what about sony H10? (similar specs as sx100 but in canon u can zoom in video too don't think u can do that in sony)

just my 2 rupees ;-)
 
points to consider:

- max budget: 300$

- videos will not be used heavily. hence more importance to shooting.

- prefered bigger and flexible LCD

- already have canon powershot a400 and hence sets of AA rechargeable batteries and charger, and 128 MB SD stick.

- 10x to 18x options available in cameras... for non-professional use, does it matter too much??? i guess the more, its better, but within budget i could find only panasonic. how about the brand value and ease of usage?

- similarly 36 mm to 27 mm wide angle - as a learner or beginner, i havent used all these, but would like to in future... so how much worth can i invest now?

reviews:

Digital Cameras Side-by-Side, 7 cameras: Digital Photography Review

http://www.imaging-resource.com/CAMDB/compare_results.php?sections[]=1256&sections[]=1516&sections[]=1454&sections[]=1485&sections[]=1418&sections[]=1442&submit=Compare
 
bluediamond said:
points to consider:

- max budget: 300$

- videos will not be used heavily. hence more importance to shooting.

- prefered bigger and flexible LCD

- already have canon powershot a400 and hence sets of AA rechargeable batteries and charger, and 128 MB SD stick.

- 10x to 18x options available in cameras... for non-professional use, does it matter too much??? i guess the more, its better, but within budget i could find only panasonic. how about the brand value and ease of usage?

- similarly 36 mm to 27 mm wide angle - as a learner or beginner, i havent used all these, but would like to in future... so how much worth can i invest now?

reviews:

Digital Cameras Side-by-Side, 7 cameras: Digital Photography Review

http://www.imaging-resource.com/CAMDB/compare_results.php?sections[]=1256&sections[]=1516&sections[]=1454&sections[]=1485&sections[]=1418&sections[]=1442&submit=Compare
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Extreme zoom range will not be suitable for general use. Consider it only if you mean to use it for wildlife/sports/astronomy purposes. Further optical quality of ultra zoom lenses generally will be lower ( more distortions at the ends etc.). Finally, I think you will need to use a tripod for ranges like x15 or x18 even if the camera has IS.
 
_pappu_ said:
^^if i had to take one from those , it would be the fz28 for me and the tz5 for my family :)
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aren't you saying only cos of the enormous features??? what about the pic quality and ease of usage n all of these models compared to canon sony and nikon???
 
would have suggested fz18...

but since fz28 is available for around similar cost... fz28 is the way to go...
 
bluediamond said:
aren't you saying only cos of the enormous features??? what about the pic quality and ease of usage n all of these models compared to canon sony and nikon???
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the picture quality on panny is among the best, the features available in the fz28 would be only used by me

and as far as the menus/ease of usage is concerned, they are very intuitive and can be done by ANYONE

i like canon menus the best, followed by panasonic

nikon and olympus come last in these terms :)
 
Avoid going for ultrazooms unless you are specifically trying to do wildlife photography. For general use, you'd appreciate a wider angle much more. Try and take a photograph of your kid's bday party in the living room with an ultrazoom and you'd understand what I mean.

Think over it and go for a wider angle camera. This comes from an user who has been using the 12X S2 IS for 2 yrs now !
 
I have been keeping and eye on the FZ18/28. And reading a lot of their reviews, I would recommend them anyday. Get them from Amazon, they are available for around $300 each.

FZ28 has a bit wider lens at 27mm 10mp 1/2.33" sensor, FZ18 is 28mm 8mp 1/2.5", Also the FZ28 LCD is larger and much more detailed, It can zoom in Video mode, It has a higher version of Image processor, better battery life. *phew*
 
Sorry for piggybacking on to the original question, but the entry-level SLRs like D40 and D60 are also available at a similar price to the FZ28 (20-22K). The image quality in reference samples from the 6 MP D40 (for example) is far superior to the FZ28, even though the D40 has less 'features' - no IS, a less versatile lens and a smaller zoom range with the default 18-55 lens.

Which makes better sense if one were, say, buying their first digital camera and wanted to go a little beyond a point-and-shoot camera? I'm considering both and had my heart set on the FZ28, but when I saw the D40 sample images I had a change of heart.

Here's a link: PhotographyBLOG - Reviews
 
^Sangram, the D80 is available for about the 29K mark. If you are going to invest 22K in a DSLR, it is better to spend the extra money for a much better camera, overall.
 
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