pro canon

I posted on fb asking for comments on which brand of dslr is better and why because lets face it, if you're getting a dslr chances are it will either be a canon or a nikon depending on where your allegiances lie.

I am biased towards canon so it was quite refreshing to see most people recommending canon. My first camera was a canon powershot a75 and i loved it until it died a premature death in the hands of many physicians :p

Its no secret that i'm currently dissatisfied by my current camera and was contemplating upgrading to some serious gear but i have to change my mind after considering that its just not enough getting a camera, you will also need to get lenses and flash at some point and i dont see myself making such an investment especially since these things are not particularly cheap.

So for now that will be on hold but my enthusiasm for photography remains. This might just be a blessing in disquise as it might just be the right time to get an apple product.

-ONWARD

Camera decisions pt1

Here i am again facing another decision. Ok its like this. I've always wanted a replacement camera for my long dead canon powershot A75 which i really liked. And i was hoping last december to get a new one but it didn't happen.

Because i love photography i got my N73 which takes decent pictures when the lighting is good and lousy ones when its dark, and because i love photography i joined the photography club in Curtin. There are about 80 members in the club far which is a large number considering that most of us are casual photographers but i joined because i want to improve.

Well you can't take pictures if you don't a decent equipment right? I mean i have my phone but i feel its inappropriate especially since we're going to have a seminar soon and a trip this weekend, a trip i signed up for knowing there are going to be photo-taking sessions.

So bottom-line, i need a camera and the nice one's are not cheap but i've narrowed them down to a few. And well the purpose of this post is to seek advice on which would be the best choice. My friend told me not to worry about megapixels but look at a camera that has a decent size optical zoom to it and get one with AA size batteries where possible. So here's the list:

Sony Cybershot DSC H7

8mpx
15x optical zoom
2.5" screen
Image stabilizer
comes with a laughable 512mb memory stick duo
lithium ion battery
About RM1,699.

Sony Cybershots are solid but the thing i dont like about them is there lack of support for other non-proprietary storage medium. And the fact that they tend to be more expensive for no apparent reason. I

Sample picture*

Flickr/KHall65890

Panasonic Lumix DMC-fz18



8.3 mpx
18x Optical Zoom
image stabilizer
2.5" screen
storage options include sd, sdhc, mmc
Lithium Ion Battery pack.
About Rm1,599.

I've never used panasonic but i have a friend who has one and he takes great shots. I'm not sure i'll go for this, especially after reading the review where they complained about the pictures not being so crisp.

Sample image*

Flickr/Dave :-)

Fujifilm Finepix s8000fd



8 mpx
18x Optical Zoom
dual image stabilizer
2.5" screen
storage options include sD, xD, sdhc
4 AA size batteries
About Rm1,599

While there's not much difference between this camera and the previous one, the review complains that the zoom produces significant levels of chromatic aberration at the long end and clearly visible distortion. Thats not good.

Couldn't find a sample image on flickr. appears this camera is not so popular among flickr photographers.

Olympus sp550 ultra zoom



7.1 mpx
18x Optical Zoom
image stablizer
2.5" screen
4 AA size batteries
Storage medium: xD
About Rm 1,499.

So far this is my favourite but it has a little issue displaying colours right, especially red. And not have usb 2.0 support is a no no. Also couldn't find a sample picture from flickr for this camera.

So far i'm not impressed, but what do you think?

~shalom~

*Sample images from flickr.