Help me deciding, please!, Canon vs Panasonic

mjimeno · Aug 6, 2006

Hi, I'm kind of new in this. (my closest contact to photography is my canon Sd110 I have had for a year now). Now, I''m interested in buying some better thing. So, within my budget, I have to decide between this two: Panasonic DMC-FZ7S
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EBOCEU/ref=pd_ts_p_5/002-0949990-5976812?redirect=true&n=493804&s=photo&v=glance"]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EBOCEU/ref=pd_ts_p_5/002-0949990-5976812?redirect=true&n=493804&s=photo&v=glance[/ame]
or Canon Powershot S2 IS
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009GZSSO/ref=pd_ts_p_6/002-0949990-5976812?n=281052&s=photo&v=glance"]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009GZSSO/ref=pd_ts_p_6/002-0949990-5976812?n=281052&s=photo&v=glance[/ame]
I consider both very good cameras in their category, so decision has been difficult. So, what dou you think? or, according to what you see I have in mind, do you have another recommendation?
Thanx

vim · Aug 6, 2006

hi what is ur budget ?
im assuming its about $350-$400 going by the used prices with delivery ?
i would look through ebay for a 2nd hand dslr like nikon or canon u would be surprised what u can find but u must check the seller out before u commit to buying anything.
u will spend a while going through all the ads if u dont find anything look at the most recently added auctions as i have bought some really cheap things by checking out only the newest ads
i bought a yamaha quad ages ago for £600 buy it now it was worth more than triple that but the guy didnt know it was worth that so i bought it 2 mins after he listed it

i got my nikon d1 off ebay and its still like new works perfect and i payed about £300 for it and i got cf card sb28dx flash spare batts and charger books etc,so there are bargains out there
peace
vim

mjimeno · Aug 6, 2006

well, my budget is $300-$350 US. I haven't consider ebay because I would prefer to buy it new, I feel sometimes afraid when I buy used things, more when it is of this range of price. But I would check anyway. But, from this two, which would you prefer, do you know them?
Thanx.

vim · Aug 6, 2006

if u look at the panasonic it says 10% of customers bought this camera
it also says on the canon page 44% bought that one so i would (if i was buying it) go for the canon but thats just me
im a nikon fan myself so its down to personal preference
u could go to a retail outlet like jessops and try them both out that will give u a definetive answer
remember u have to live with it !!!
peace
vim

mjht76 · Aug 6, 2006

I am also looking at the panasonic FZ7 and they have them new on ebay. Just make sure that you look at their feedback before bidding.

ksmattfish · Aug 6, 2006

Go with the Canon. The samples I looked at from the Panasonic FZ7 looked really noisy, even at lower ISOs.

mjimeno · Aug 6, 2006

yeah, I've read that also about the panasonic. Another point, makes any differentce the LCD display, 2.5 in Panasonic and 1.8 inches in Canon? I haven't seen them personally, but I guess it's a good idea to see one of them at least. Another point, Panasonic is Lithium battery and Canon AA, besides the influence on weight, should I pay attention to that? A question in between, are this cameras SLR or not? I guess not, isn't it? Thanx.

ksmattfish · Aug 7, 2006

A bigger LCD is nicer, but I'd still say image quality is more important.

I prefer cameras that use common, easy to find, cheap to buy batteries, but it's not that big of a deal.

All a camera needs to technically be an SLR is a mirror that allows you to see through the lens using the viewfinder, and moves out of the way when you are taking a photo. So these probably are SLRs (the viewfinders see through the lens). In the description of the Panasonic they call it an "SLR hybrid"; this may be because it doesn't have all of the features, such as interchangable lenses, that you might typically find with a more expensive DSLR.

It is a very good idea to hold the cameras in your hands, and make sure you like the ergonomics. It doesn't matter how good the image quality is if you don't like using the camera.

JDS · Aug 7, 2006

In both these cameras. the viewfinders do view 'through the lense' but it's digitized. (You see what the sensor sees, not necessarily what the lense sees) They are usually classified as 'SLR like' or 'SLR hybrid' as was already said. They have many of the same features, but the main one (IMO) is the interchangeable lenses - these cameras can't do that.

I have a Panasonic DMC-FZ30, and I love it. It is a bit noisy, but not enough to make that big a difference to me. I've made 8x10 prints of its photos with no manipulation, and there is no grain/noise that I can see.

The only other really big difference between a DSLR and a 'hybrid' is the sensor. DSLRs usually use bigger sensors. The bigger sensor reduses the noise quite a bit, thus yielding a clearer picture in the end.

mjimeno · Aug 7, 2006

FZ30 is out of budget, but thanks for your recommendation, JDS. I have another doubt. I read in a review about a problem with NiMH batteries, claiming an issue. He said that NiMH batteries work at 1.2V against 1.5V of alkalines, so that the camera was consumming too much power or something like that. Is that possible? and why do cameras work with 1.2V if say with 1.5? thanx

John_05 · Aug 22, 2006

mjimeno said:
FZ30 is out of budget, but thanks for your recommendation, JDS. I have another doubt. I read in a review about a problem with NiMH batteries, claiming an issue. He said that NiMH batteries work at 1.2V against 1.5V of alkalines, so that the camera was consumming too much power or something like that. Is that possible? and why do cameras work with 1.2V if say with 1.5? thanx

im not sure of the proper terminology, so bear with me. a regular alkaline AA battery (Duracell etc) has 1.5 volts, where as a NiMh has 1.2. the alkaline type has less "power" then the NiMh batteries do. if im not mistaken, an alkaline type battery has less then 1000 mAh where a decent NiMh will have twice that, or more. ive used 1.2 volt Nimh's with 1850 mAh in the fuji E510 i have and taken around 300-400 shots on 2 batteries, where i got only 30-50 with brand new Duracell Ultras.

ive never had any problems with my rechargeables. i bought 4 GE-Sanyo batteries with a 2 hour charger from the local Ritz camera store here for $30, and ive recharged them hundreds of times with no problems. if you compare the prices, $30 for 4 batteries that i have recharged maybe 300 times versus buying 1200 Duracells by itself is a great deal. if you factor in i get about 10+ times as many shots with the rechargeables, its an even better deal.

hopefully this helps. also, hopefully someone who knows the proper terminology and the exact differences between alkaline and NiMh will reply here to help you understand things better.