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Blue skies with P700

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Tulsaman

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Went to my local camera store (Camera Gallery here in Tulsa) last week to get a pocket camera. Had the Pentax Optio 60, Canon A620 or Nikon 7900 in mind. I had not given the Casio cameras a thought...until my good friend Tom at Camera Gallery suggested the P700. I played with it a bit--took it outside along with the Optio 60 and snapped a few shots. When I brought them back in and compared them side-by-side, there was one overwhelming difference: the sky in the Casio shots was deep blue, compared with washed-out white on the Pentax.

You know how many times the sky looks washed out on cloudless days? Not on the P700. Bright blue everytime! I bought the P700 and took it to the Tulsa State Fair on Saturday. (Funny, I never knew Tulsa was a state. But I digress...) Great pictures! I set it at ISO 160 and shots were noiseless. Colors were very bright, but not blotchy-bright like some cameras.

I am very, very happy with this camera. I don't see many posts on this forum about the P700. I guess those who own this gem are too busy taking pictures...

--
Jeff
'A brief glimpse of God's creation is all that we can handle in this
life.'
 
there are quite a few p700 owners but such is the pace of new models coming out that the forum seems to constantly change to the next new thing (which of course was the p700 a year ago) .

I think from the posts of the 750 owners many of them would have been better off with the much sturdier built (and not that much bigger) p700 which has everything the 750 has + a lot more and can take filters and screw on lens converters and a raw hack .

as you say the p700 owners are probably out taking pictures .
 
Great camera and very versatile with a ton of features. The various bracketing modes are superb. Actually I have two P700's (long story). Will sell one and keep one
 
I am really impressed with the P700. Canon lens with the quality build you came to expect from Contax. Lots of control, along with fun but rather useless bells and whistles. The picture quality I have gotten after about 150 pictures is outstanding. I highly recommend this camera as your main camera or as a carry-it-everywhere unit.
--
Jeff
'A brief glimpse of God's creation is all that we can handle in this
life.'
 
Only problem I have found is that the LCD is difficult to view in very bright conditions. It could benefit from an anti-glare coating.
 
I thought the P700 was an awesome camera when it got reviewed, but I needed the mpeg4 video, ultra-fast speed of operation ( 1s boot), and the pocket size. In retrospect, I ended up always using a belt-pouch to carry my camera anyway, so the pocket size might not have been as important to me. However, the mpeg4 is absolutely required.

I think the reason the P700 is so good is Casio is competing simultaneously with the Canon G7 and the S70. I think if they improved the post-processing a bit (maybe they did with the firmware upgrades?) they'd have a killer prosumer camera. I'm very eager to see if the P700 successor has mpeg4 video (a facelift couldn't hurt either.)

Bart
 
I have the camera set to +1 Saturation, +1 Sharpness and 0 (or normal) Contrast. I like my pictures to have a bit of punch to them. So far this is working out well for me. With this camera, changing the settings is very easy.
--
Jeff
'A brief glimpse of God's creation is all that we can handle in this
life.'
 
I am a real happy P700 owner and have been waiting for some action again in the forum. The P700 holds up real well even against my c7070 which I like also!!
--
C-7070
Casio P700 (great camera!!)

Bud B
 
Thanks, Jeff. I've also been finding that, for most shots, the +1 sharpness and +1 saturation seems to work just fine.

Another very welcome feature is the remote. Used it the other day and it worked well.
 
I certainly have been pleased in the few short days I have had the P700. It's something I can carry most anywhere I go and not miss a shot. I, for one, actually like the funky design--kind of like GM's "Art and Science" designed Cadillacs. You either like 'em or hate 'em. The P700 at least does not look like 99% of the rest of the p/s cameras out there now.

And did I mention you get really, really nice blue skies with this gem?

Oh well--I am not trying to sell the things, just having fun with mine.

By the way, I did try a 750, but it was just too small and awkward to use the viewfinder, and I did not always get the proper focus. The P700's viewfinder is nice and big and bright (for a p/s camera).
--
Jeff
'A brief glimpse of God's creation is all that we can handle in this
life.'
 
Yes, I agree! I especially like the viewfinder. It certainly is better than most I have tried even without diopter correction. It's too bad the camera hasn't grabbed the attention of many, but that may be a good thing too. For me it's everything and more one could really want.

I also own a Nikon DSLR, but I find myself reaching for the P700 more often than not.
 
I've been very interested in the P700 but was concerned about the review that said that there was intrusive noise reduction. Then I started looking at the Canon 620 and the Olympus 7070 (which I think is too big for my needs). Now I'm back to looking at the P700. I read the review again and it really does sound pretty good.

Do you get any red-eye from it? I take a lot of indoor flash photos of family.

By the way, I too have wondered why there isn't more talk on the P700.
 
Well, as for noise, you just have to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of each camera. The P700 has pretty low noise at 80 and 160 ISO. I have not printed anything with higher ISOs, but on the screen shots taken at 400 look pretty good. It really shouldn't be that big a deal. Until the mid-90s 35mm film above 200 ISO was really grainy, yet it was still usable. Don't get too worked up by those who use their camera as a scientific measuring device rather than an artistic tool.

As for red eye, I have not taken any portraits with this yet. But I am sure you will get some red eye just based on the fact that the flash is only a few inches from the lens. That's just the way compact cameras are.

I have found the P700 to be a very good and fun tool. I want pictures I can print up to 16 x20 (or larger) and I have full confidence I can use the P700 to that end. Get one if you can!
--
Jeff
'A brief glimpse of God's creation is all that we can handle in this
life.'
 
Thanks for this forum! I am ready to buy a compact and been drawn to Canon's S80 or Sony's W7 or maybe something by Nikon. Didn't think of Casio at all... but saw one in a shop and looked good and sought out more about it, which lead me here. Sounds like a winner. Can anyone compare it's strengths and weakness ag the S80, Canon SD500 and/or W7? Or are they all pretty much tied? Any help sorting the one that has the edge, greatly appreciated: photo quality, noise levels, flash, ease to use on automatic or in general. THANKS!!!
 
I might be able to help since I own and use both the Casio P700 and the Canon S550. Please realize these impressions are based on my use and are very subjective in nature.
  • Both are well made. S550 is more stylish and smaller.
  • For me, the P700 is easier to hold. S550 is more portable.
  • Nod to Canon for placement of buttons, controls, and menu system
  • P700 has a better viewfinder, but S550 has a much better glare-free LCD
  • P700 gives user control over aperture, shutter speed (Aperture and Shutter Priority Modes). Canon doesn't have these modes
  • Both have auto settings, scene settings. Both work well in these modes
  • Canon has "My Colors" mode (nice feature). Casio has extensive bracketing modes and filters
  • Both are quite fast, but Canon seems to have an edge especially in focusing speed and accuracy. My Casio occasionally misses focus. Lowlight focus ability goes to Canon.
  • Metering is good on both, but I feel the Canon is usually right on more times than the Casio.
  • Canon has better Macro mode
  • Flash is good on both cameras. Somewhat less red eye with Casio, but a a little better overall flash exposure with Canon.
  • Have not noticed any vignetting, soft corners, purple fringing with either camera
  • Casio seemingly is more conservative with its sharpening and saturation levels. Have to boost the sharpness and saturation to +1 on the Casio. Canon appears to be sharper and colors more saturated out of the box than the Casio.
  • Casio supplies a nice remote control with the P700
  • Supplied software is much nicer with the Canon
I probably could go on and on about both cameras. Both have their strong points. Out of the box, I like the Canon for its speed, focusing, and overall results. On the other hand, I like the Casio for its versatility and ability to tweak aperture and or shutter speeds. Casio has a bit more of a learning curve. Both provide very good pictures; however, I feel the Casio has a bit more built-in noise reduction and processing going on. In all fairness, noise for me hasn't been a problem with either camera.

Bottom line is if you want a camera that provides very good pics out of the box, is more automatic in most respects with little fuss, and more pocketable, than the Canon is an excellent choice. If you want a camera that has a multitude of features (some a bit over the top), more user controls and yet provides very good pics with just a little effort, the Casio may be your choice.
 
Sorry, but all my comments above refer to the SD550. Have a hard time keeping track of all the Canon "S" and "SD" models.
 
Thanks! That helps me too.

Can you post any portraits with flash so I can see some of your results?
 
Let me clarify, can you post some portraits with flash from both cameras?

Thanks in advance.
 
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