help| buying first camera

[Sepia]

i hope this is the place for it..
and if not please move it to the right place.

ok.. i want to buy a semi-pro camera..
and in my country it costs 4 times more than in the US..
so i chose few cameras.. tell me what you think and if you have
another suggestion ill be more than happy..

canon sx10 is
panasonic lumix dmc-fz28
fujifilm finepix s100fs
sony dschx1
olympus sp570 uz
olympus sp590 uz

i compared them all in dpreview but couldnt decide by myself..

thanks,
baR

 

[Iron Flatline]

I don't have much experience with any of those, and I assume most others here will not have that experience either. My suggestion, if possible, is to go to a store and hold them, see how they work and what makes sense to you.

In general, Sony makes very good cameras in that class.

 

[PhotoXopher]

First of all, non of those are semi-pro cameras and from what I could tell don't even have changeable lenses.

I'm sure they are nice but if anything they are high end point and shoot rigs. If you really want a semi-pro setup I'd suggest looking at Nikon or Canon bodies.

 

[Sepia]

first of all thank you for trying to help.

maybe there is another definition in english..
i just translated it..
those cameras are SLR-Like and you cant change lenses..
i wanted to buy nikon d60/80 but i cant afford it here..
unless someone feels generous today

if anyone has any opinion to share with me i'll be glad.

 

[PhotoXopher]

Gotcha.

I just didn't want you to be disappointed when you went to get new lenses

Good luck, can't wait to see the results you get.

 

[Sepia]

thank you..
about the results.. so am i but i need to pick one first

 

[PhotoXopher]

I've narrowed my choices down to:

Fujifilm
Canon
Panasonic

Just based off of personal experiences with each brand.

Do you have somewhere that you can go and physically hold each one of these? I would think that would be the best solution. No matter which one you get, if you don't like the feel or setup, you won't use it.

 

[Sepia]

its a bit far from where i live
but maybe i can work it out..
the problem is that olympus and fuji got zoom ring which i feel more
involved i dont know to explain
without the zoom ring i feel its just clicking on a button
but i dont want to choose the ring over better quality..
the canon and the panasonic have very good spec.

well thank you very much
i guess ill have to go and feel it..
thanks again =]

 

[blondie621]

After 6 months of research, I decided on the SX10 IS. You get alot of camera for the money! Plus it has that great wide angle zoom! It is amazons top selling camera! :thumbup:
I would highly suggest it! Cannot wait to get mine.

 

[farmerj]

I would lower your expectations.

DON'T get a P&S SLR-like camera.

two years ago, I spent the money on a Sony H9. Looking back on it now, if I had spent another $50-100, I would have been into a Nikon D40 or a Canon Xti. Both of which are SLR cameras.

Find the entry level consumer SLR camera and start working with that process. Some of them can be had for the same price as these SLR-like Point and shoots.

Then as you improve and progress, invest your money into good quality lenses.

 

[Sepia]

thank you all..
farmerj the problem is that in my country everything is so expensive..
the D40 with a good tamron lens cost 1000$
which is alot in here..
so to move from slr-like to the simplest DSLR like the d40 is difficult..
the list i put there is like 400-500$

 

[Sepia]

ok guys i think i will go for the fuji s100fs..
it has the biggest sensor have 14x zoom [its the shortest but i think it will be enough] and it has a zoom ring which i think without it i just won't enjoy the camera..
it actually was between the olympus 570 and the fuji.. i think the fuji is better
but its still not too late to tell me if you think otherwise.