Is the Fujifilm HS10 good enough?

[LuigiVN]

Hello people.

I want to buy a nice camera to start learning photography seriously and someday take the plunge and buy a DSLR, I've looked at some high-end compacts like the Canon S95 and the G12 which is pure awesomeness but is very expensive and I can't really afford one and some bridge cameras (Canon SX30IS, Panasonic FZ100, Fujifilm HS10 and Fujifilm S200 EXR) that are cheaper and still nice. So far the best one for me taking in consideration pros and cons is the Fuji HS10. It's IQ isn't as good as G12's but it has a manual twist zoom and focus lens, a CMOS sensor (SX30IS's is a CCD), 7 FPS and takes 1080p videos. Canon's SX30IS is a bit more expensive but the IQ is better than the HS10, it has x5 more zoom and well... It's a Canon but it can't take .RAW (technically, without CHDK) and only shoots 720p videos. The Panny FZ100 seems really nice on paper but it's lens chromaic aberration is huge and I've discarted it because of that. Finally the Fuji S200 which has the same awesome manual twist lens as the HS10 but only has 12.4x zoom and the sensor is a CCD (It's bigger than HS10's though).

I want to know what do you think about these cameras and which one is better for me or if you have a suggestion please tell me. My budget is around $370.

Thanks again people

 

[flea77]

OK, first off if you really meant it when you said "start learning photography seriously" you can throw out all the specifications, research, reviews about cromatic abberations and image quality, information about video, etc. That's right, throw it in the garbage can.....now.

What you need to seriously LEARN is a camera that has full manual controls and a real viewfinder. I would look at used DSLRs. You could pick up a nice Nikon D70 with a kit lens that would work fine. Maybe even a D50 (don't know what it does). To really LEARN you should not be concerned with the ultimate in image quality, you should be worried about how well the equipment can teach you.

Whole generations of pro photographers learned with the Pentax K1000 and a single 50mm lens, full manual, cheesy meter, no frills, and Kodak Tri-X film.

Allan

 

[LuigiVN]

You're right. I hadn't thought about it that way.. I've been looking for entry level used DSLRs besides the ones you mentioned and I really like the D70. I also found this one : Amazon.com: Olympus Evolt E420 10MP Digital SLR Camera with 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 Zuiko Lens: Camera & Photo Olympus Evolt E420 - $350 used like new. Could you recommend any other in this price range for me? I'd like it to use SD or SDHC cards for convenience and easy of access.

 

[flea77]

I would recommend you go find some Canon and Nikon models (since if you are really serious, you will probably wind up with one of the two) and play with them. Older ones and newer ones both share the same feel, much of the same menu layout, etc. See which one fits you the best, then start looking for models from that manufacturer in your price range.

Allan

 

[LuigiVN]

I'd like to go Canon because i'm pretty familiar with it's interface and I have some friends who use canon cameras and could lend me a couple of lenses of something like that. The most basic Canon DSLR i've seen is the 300D and I'ts a bit more difficult to find used in my price range with a kit lens. My other main option is the Nikon D70 for the moment. That olympus I mentioned above seems really nice as well. I'll keep searching in the morning. Thanks a lot for your advice, I really appreciate it and has helped me a lot =)