The new C-3020Z, or something else in the $500 range?

Tal S. · Dec 26, 2001

Hi everybody,
I've browsed a whole lot through all of the messages in these forums,
and I've grown to really appreciate your opinions!

Being a newbie to digital photography, I'm looking for a great camera for the "photo enthusiast" without me having to put a second mortgage on the house...

So what do you think, guys?

Should I go for the new c-3020z? or the Nikon 950? or anything else, or any other 3 megapixel camera that doesnt cost more than $500?

i'd really appreciate all of your opinions, so please help me out!--Tal S.

Juli Valley · Dec 26, 2001

Tal S. said:
Hi everybody,
I've browsed a whole lot through all of the messages in these forums,
and I've grown to really appreciate your opinions!
Being a newbie to digital photography, I'm looking for a great
camera for the "photo enthusiast" without me having to put a second
mortgage on the house...
So what do you think, guys?
Should I go for the new c-3020z? or the Nikon 950? or anything
else, or any other 3 megapixel camera that doesnt cost more than
$500?

i'd really appreciate all of your opinions, so please help me out!
--
Tal S.

Get the Olympus 2100UZ if you want to have fun. 10x zoom says it all. --21oo, B-3oo3o4oJuli

Rosty Caryk · Dec 26, 2001

I am in the same boat, but have been looking at 3020z or 3030 due to the my tendency to pick parts of photo to crop and enlarge. Thus I have been leaning to higher mp camera, versus UZI. But this forum has me rethinking. I usually end up with 4x8 or at most 8x10. I do lots of action (soccer,etc.)

Any thoughts or comments?

Juli Valley said:
Juli Valley said:

Being a newbie to digital photography, I'm looking for a great
camera for the "photo enthusiast" without me having to put a second
mortgage on the house...
So what do you think, guys?
Should I go for the new c-3020z? or the Nikon 950? or anything
else, or any other 3 megapixel camera that doesnt cost more than
$500?
Tal S.

Click to expand...

Get the Olympus 2100UZ if you want to have fun. 10x zoom says it
all.
--
21oo, B-3oo
3o4o
Juli

k4lyp · Dec 26, 2001

It doesn't matter if you have $5000 to spend. This biased group will tell you to get a Uzi everytime. Heck they even have me thinking about buying one just so I won't be one of the outsiders. It's 90% Uzi and 10% other Oly cams.

Dan

Tal S. said:
Hi everybody,
I've browsed a whole lot through all of the messages in these forums,
and I've grown to really appreciate your opinions!
Being a newbie to digital photography, I'm looking for a great
camera for the "photo enthusiast" without me having to put a second
mortgage on the house...
So what do you think, guys?
Should I go for the new c-3020z? or the Nikon 950? or anything
else, or any other 3 megapixel camera that doesnt cost more than
$500?

i'd really appreciate all of your opinions, so please help me out!
--
Tal S.

--Dan B. (k4lyp) http://www.webdeals.net/photos.htm

Juli Valley · Dec 26, 2001

k4lyp said:
It doesn't matter if you have $5000 to spend. This biased group
will tell you to get a Uzi everytime. Heck they even have me
thinking about buying one just so I won't be one of the outsiders.
It's 90% Uzi and 10% other Oly cams.

Guilty. But I have a 3040, too, which I almost never use. The UZi is just so great. --21oo, B-3oo3o4oJuli

Rosty Caryk · Dec 26, 2001

I'm almost sold. Especially as our CompUSA store is selling for $479. However, one final question: EBay has some apparently great deals for a E700. How does this stack up?

Juli Valley said:
k4lyp said:

It doesn't matter if you have $5000 to spend. This biased group
will tell you to get a Uzi everytime. Heck they even have me
thinking about buying one just so I won't be one of the outsiders.
It's 90% Uzi and 10% other Oly cams.

Click to expand...

Guilty. But I have a 3040, too, which I almost never use. The UZi
is just so great.
--
21oo, B-3oo
3o4o
Juli

Rosty Caryk · Dec 26, 2001

Error in last - as everyone probably knows: is is an C700 !!

Rosty said:
Juli Valley said:

k4lyp said:

It doesn't matter if you have $5000 to spend. This biased group
will tell you to get a Uzi everytime. Heck they even have me
thinking about buying one just so I won't be one of the outsiders.
It's 90% Uzi and 10% other Oly cams.

Click to expand...

Guilty. But I have a 3040, too, which I almost never use. The UZi
is just so great.
--
21oo, B-3oo
3o4o
Juli

Click to expand...

David63529 · Dec 26, 2001

I came in here to find out the opinions on the C700 too, but I'm curious, what camera is it that everyone refers to as UZi?

Rosty said:
Rosty said:

Juli Valley said:

k4lyp said:

It doesn't matter if you have $5000 to spend. This biased group
will tell you to get a Uzi everytime. Heck they even have me
thinking about buying one just so I won't be one of the outsiders.
It's 90% Uzi and 10% other Oly cams.

Click to expand...

Guilty. But I have a 3040, too, which I almost never use. The UZi
is just so great.
--
21oo, B-3oo
3o4o
Juli

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Dwight1973 · Dec 26, 2001

David said:
I came in here to find out the opinions on the C700 too, but I'm
curious, what camera is it that everyone refers to as UZi?

The Uzi is the 2100UZ. I bought the 2100 instead of the 700 because it has the image stabilization. That comes in really handy.

Also, in reference to the post about this forum being 90% 2100 people, keep in mind that many of us with the 2100 also have the 30x0 series camera also. It just happens that mare than a few of us from what I have read here use the 2100 more than our 30x0. That has to say something about the 2100 I would think.

jarhead · Dec 26, 2001

Tal S. said:
Hi everybody,
I've browsed a whole lot through all of the messages in these forums,
and I've grown to really appreciate your opinions!
Being a newbie to digital photography, I'm looking for a great
camera for the "photo enthusiast" without me having to put a second
mortgage on the house...
So what do you think, guys?
Should I go for the new c-3020z? or the Nikon 950? or anything
else, or any other 3 megapixel camera that doesnt cost more than
$500?

i'd really appreciate all of your opinions, so please help me out!
--
Tal S.

I just got the oly 3000 for Christmas and it is perfect for me.The 3000 is small enough for me to carry in my coat pocket when I take the dog to the woods and has all the options I need. Most of the pictures I take are inside and the 3X zoom is plenty. I knew I was getting the camera so I sent away for a CLA-1 Lens tube, a 43 to 46 step up ring and a 46mm uv filter to keep on the camera. I used it Christmas day for the first time and it was great. I printed some 8x10s for my girls and I couldn't be more satisified. Hope this helps. jer

myp · Dec 27, 2001

Rosty said:
I am in the same boat, but have been looking at 3020z or 3030 due
to the my tendency to pick parts of photo to crop and enlarge.
Thus I have been leaning to higher mp camera, versus UZI. But this
forum has me rethinking. I usually end up with 4x8 or at most
8x10. I do lots of action (soccer,etc.)

Think of the 10x lens as the tool for in-camera cropping

myp

myp · Dec 27, 2001

k4lyp said:
It doesn't matter if you have $5000 to spend. This biased group
will tell you to get a Uzi everytime. Heck they even have me
thinking about buying one just so I won't be one of the outsiders.
It's 90% Uzi and 10% other Oly cams.

Dan

That's probably true but image stabilization is something that once you had used it, you wonder how you could ever live without it. Well, with $5000, I would get the Canon D30 with IS lens

I almost bought a 3020 myself (I still would when it prize come down a little more) because of its 32mm wide angle (for party and landscape shots) and smaller size. As I mentioned in an earlier reply, the important thing is to make sure that you have a solid shooting position.
good luck!
myp

myp · Dec 27, 2001

Oops! wrong post. Please ignore the last part on having a solid shooting position. The rest still apply. Tal, I think you would not be disappointed with the 3020. It also comes with PhotoShop Elements!
myp

Jim Broskow · Dec 27, 2001

I just received a C3040 for Xmas. You can find them on the web for about $500 (yes, US models.)

A lot of great features, though probably similar to the UZi(minus the 10x optical zoom). But the C3040 has a bright lens (helps in low light) and a good memory buffer for taking a sequence of shots.

Optical zoom is the only way to go, between cameras of the same resolution--but I wonder how the C3040 compares with the UZi when you add the digital zoom, as it has a higher resolution (3.1 vs. 2.1)? Might be about the same net resolution at the same net zoom? Maybe, maybe not.

You can also get add-on telephoto adapters for the C-30x0 series, for what it's worth.

-JB

papas said:
Tal S. said:

Hi everybody,
I've browsed a whole lot through all of the messages in these forums,
and I've grown to really appreciate your opinions!
Being a newbie to digital photography, I'm looking for a great
camera for the "photo enthusiast" without me having to put a second
mortgage on the house...
So what do you think, guys?
Should I go for the new c-3020z? or the Nikon 950? or anything
else, or any other 3 megapixel camera that doesnt cost more than
$500?

i'd really appreciate all of your opinions, so please help me out!
--
Tal S.

Click to expand...

I just got the oly 3000 for Christmas and it is perfect for me.The
3000 is small enough for me to carry in my coat pocket when I take
the dog to the woods and has all the options I need. Most of the
pictures I take are inside and the 3X zoom is plenty. I knew I was
getting the camera so I sent away for a CLA-1 Lens tube, a 43 to 46
step up ring and a 46mm uv filter to keep on the camera. I used it
Christmas day for the first time and it was great. I printed some
8x10s for my girls and I couldn't be more satisified. Hope this
helps. jer

--JAB

Arved · Dec 27, 2001

Rosty said:
I am in the same boat, but have been looking at 3020z or 3030 due
to the my tendency to pick parts of photo to crop and enlarge.
Thus I have been leaning to higher mp camera, versus UZI. But this
forum has me rethinking. I usually end up with 4x8 or at most
8x10. I do lots of action (soccer,etc.)

Any thoughts or comments?

Yeah, with a 10x Image Stabilized zoom, you're not going to be doing much cropping

.

2MPixels is considered adequate for 8x10s. You'll see some E-100RS owners boasting about great 8x10s from thier 1.3 MPixel cameras!

Fantastic optics, big zoom range, easier to mount filters, and TTL viewing through the electronic veiw finder quickly sold me on the C2100UZ over the C-3020z I was considering.--- ArvedKF4UCQOly UZi Newbie

Arved · Dec 27, 2001

k4lyp said:
It doesn't matter if you have $5000 to spend. This biased group
will tell you to get a Uzi everytime. Heck they even have me
thinking about buying one just so I won't be one of the outsiders.
It's 90% Uzi and 10% other Oly cams.

Well, not me

. If you HAVE to have a few more pixels, then go for the Canon Pro 90 IS. Same lens, ~~.5MPixels more. It'll blow your $500 cap, though.~~

I do have an UZi, but I'll probably relegate it to back-up status (or give it to the wife, who loves it) when I go for the E-20. But you know, I sure wish the E-20 had a 10x Image Stabilized lens like the UZi does

. Maybe Oly'll get it right on the E-30...--- ArvedKF4UCQOly UZi Newbie

Arved · Dec 27, 2001

Jim Broskow said:
I just received a C3040 for Xmas. You can find them on the web for
about $500 (yes, US models.)

Congratulations!

Jim Broskow said:
A lot of great features, though probably similar to the UZi(minus
the 10x optical zoom). But the C3040 has a bright lens (helps in
low light) and a good memory buffer for taking a sequence of shots.

I believe the C30x0 lacks the AF assist lamp the C-2100UZ (UZi) has. The result is that the UZi can focus in (otherwise) total darkness. I've used this feature, too. The AF assist light is also wonderfull for ensuring you're pointing in the right direction when you can't see anything

.

Jim Broskow said:
Optical zoom is the only way to go, between cameras of the same
resolution--but I wonder how the C3040 compares with the UZi when
you add the digital zoom, as it has a higher resolution (3.1 vs.
2.1)? Might be about the same net resolution at the same net zoom?
Maybe, maybe not.

Nope, not even close. I brought this up previously, comparing the UZi with the Minolta Dimage 7. Despite a 6x zoom and 5MPixels, if you crop it to 1600x1200, you still fall short of the UZi. And neither the C30x0 nor the Dimage 7 have image stabilization. It's a tremendous feature.

Jim Broskow said:
You can also get add-on telephoto adapters for the C-30x0 series,
for what it's worth.

True. However, I don't think the camera remains "pocketable" with the adapter attached (which is also required to add even the simplist filters).--- ArvedKF4UCQOly UZi Newbie

Juli Valley · Dec 27, 2001

Arved said:
k4lyp said:

It doesn't matter if you have $5000 to spend. This biased group
will tell you to get a Uzi everytime. Heck they even have me
thinking about buying one just so I won't be one of the outsiders.
It's 90% Uzi and 10% other Oly cams.

Click to expand...

Well, not me . If you HAVE to have a few more pixels, then go
for the Canon Pro 90 IS. Same lens, .5MPixels more. It'll blow
your $500 cap, though.

I do have an UZi, but I'll probably relegate it to back-up status
(or give it to the wife, who loves it) when I go for the E-20. But
you know, I sure wish the E-20 had a 10x Image Stabilized lens like
the UZi does . Maybe Oly'll get it right on the E-30...
--

Arved

KF4UCQ
Oly UZi Newbie

I'm anxious to see if you really can give up the great zoom. I bet you'll miss it. --21oo, B-3oo3o4oJuli

Jim Broskow · Dec 27, 2001

Thanks to Arved. The zoom is cool. All good advice and it answered some questions I had myself.

It is a tough call, depends on what you want--but if you do end up going with C30x0 series, try to step up to the 3040. It is the only way to get the full set of camera features in that series (video out, manual exposure modes, included remote) plus you get the brighter lens and the 32MB buffer. I spent a lot of time looking at Olympus' comparison charts, and I think it is worth the dollar delta.

the UZi does sound like fun.

JB

Arved said:
Jim Broskow said:

I just received a C3040 for Xmas. You can find them on the web for
about $500 (yes, US models.)

Click to expand...

Congratulations!

Arved said:

A lot of great features, though probably similar to the UZi(minus
the 10x optical zoom). But the C3040 has a bright lens (helps in
low light) and a good memory buffer for taking a sequence of shots.

Click to expand...

I believe the C30x0 lacks the AF assist lamp the C-2100UZ (UZi)
has. The result is that the UZi can focus in (otherwise) total
darkness. I've used this feature, too. The AF assist light is
also wonderfull for ensuring you're pointing in the right direction
when you can't see anything .

Arved said:

Optical zoom is the only way to go, between cameras of the same
resolution--but I wonder how the C3040 compares with the UZi when
you add the digital zoom, as it has a higher resolution (3.1 vs.
2.1)? Might be about the same net resolution at the same net zoom?
Maybe, maybe not.

Click to expand...

Nope, not even close. I brought this up previously, comparing the
UZi with the Minolta Dimage 7. Despite a 6x zoom and 5MPixels, if
you crop it to 1600x1200, you still fall short of the UZi. And
neither the C30x0 nor the Dimage 7 have image stabilization. It's
a tremendous feature.

Arved said:

You can also get add-on telephoto adapters for the C-30x0 series,
for what it's worth.

Click to expand...

True. However, I don't think the camera remains "pocketable" with
the adapter attached (which is also required to add even the
simplist filters).
--

Arved

KF4UCQ
Oly UZi Newbie

--JAB

The new C-3020Z, or something else in the $500 range?

Active member

Forum Pro

New member

Senior Member

Forum Pro

New member

New member

Member

Veteran Member

Leading Member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

New member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Forum Pro

New member

Keyboard shortcuts