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Which One to BUY??? Canon or Nikon????

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Mike Regina

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Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix, but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!!!!!!!
 
I bought the S20 (I own a Canon Pro 70) and returned it. Its small size was great and it has a lot of nice features. However, I found that in some

pictures there was a magenta tint to the sky. Also, the pictures were not as sharp "out of the camera" as my Pro 70 (for my taste I had to sharpen

them in an image processor) ; were undersaturated andgenerally overexposed. The detail in the pictures was excellent (better than my Pro 70 and I

think based on just a few days 990 use, better than the 990). For my purposes, it was just too much bother to be working on every picture I took with

an image proceesor. I have had the 990 for only two cloudy days. My intial reaction is that it has better color, sharpness and saturation before

adjustment in an image processor. I think the Canon has more detail in the pictures. The 990 is bigger and heavier, but not bad. I love the extra

zoom range and macro features of the 990, as well as all the available manual features. Of course, the Nikon also has an excellent automatic mode
where you can forget about manual adjustments. I think I will keep the 990.

Frank B
Mike R said:
Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they
prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry
sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I
tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix,
but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway
it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the
photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez
to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!
Click to expand...
 
A couple more comments. The Nikon at its wide angle setting has more barrel

distortion than the S20. You can carry the S20 in your pocket ...the 990 a little big for
that.
Frank B said:
Frank B
Mike R said:
Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they
prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry
sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I
tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix,
but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway
it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the
photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez
to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Frank,

Is the camera more bulky than like the SONY?? I don't like always carrying that one around. I am really looking for great images and some manual controls. The 990 sounds like it might be what I have been looking for.
Frank B said:
Frank B said:
Frank B
Mike R said:
Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they
prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry
sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I
tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix,
but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway
it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the
photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez
to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
one morething?? How's the time on the batteries?? 1hr 2 hrs???? of pictur taking I mean
Frank B said:
Frank B said:
Frank B
Mike R said:
Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they
prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry
sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I
tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix,
but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway
it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the
photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez
to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Mike,

I suggest you also ask for comments in the Canon forum if you have not already
done so. You may well get a different perspective there.

I can't compare the weight/size of the 990 to the Sony as I have never used the

Sony. The Nikon is lighter and considerably easier to carry than my Canon Pro 70.

I happened to have a case that fits the Nikon (it does not come with a case) and it
is very comfortable on my belt.

I have not measured battery life. With the S20 I purchased the special S20 battery
and charger and got a satisfactory number of pictures before recharging. The

charger/battery is a must. With the Nikon I have a regular NickHyd battery charger
and again am very happy with the number of pictures I get before recharging.
Again, with the Nikon a charger/nick hydr battteries are a must.

Good luck with whichever camera you buy.

Frank
Mike R said:
Frank B said:
Frank B said:
Frank B
Mike R said:
Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they
prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry
sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I
tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix,
but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway
it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the
photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez
to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Mike,

I just thought of a couple more things. the S20 has a focus assist beam, so it will

focus in lower light than the 990. Also, I have not taken many flash pictures, but the

in camera flash on the S20 is reportedly bettter than the 990 at avoiding red eye. Of
course the Nikon can use an external Nikon flash, while the S20 has only the in
camera flash.

frank
Mike R said:
Frank B said:
Frank B said:
Frank B
Mike R said:
Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they
prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry
sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I
tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix,
but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway
it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the
photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez
to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
The Canon is small and much easier to put into action. It is also much more limited than the Nikon when it comes to zoom range, creative options and flash power. The Canon has a VERY weak flash. Pictures beyond 6 feet are too dark. And it is hit or miss on the face colors. Some are very sickly looking. The Canon also has only one flash sync-speed. I exchanged it for the Nikon due to the flash limitations/problems, short zoom range and proprietary battery design.

I have found the Nikon to be much more versatile. It has also operated flawlessly. I use AA NiMh batteries. The flash has a workable range and the face colors are good. IMHO I actually believe the colors and detail are slightly better than the Canon. But it does produce red-eye a lot. But I find it easier to fix the Nikon's red-eye than the Canon's purple/blue face colors. Don't undervalue the ability to use AA batteries. They may not last long, but you can find them anywhere at anytime. Try finding the Canon battery in a small town after normal hours.
 
I've owned both as well. The Canons' big plus is size, and speed of use - take out of pocket, turn on, snap.

I decided that it was a lot of money for a 'point & shoot'. I was not happy with color rendition or saturation. Flash was unusable over 5 or 6 feet (although it did focus well in the dark). I returned it after 10 days.

The Nikon - bigger, but much more than a point & shoot. I've bought the 2x Nikon tele-lens, awsome results. I find myself using manual modes more than I though I would. Color saturation is more accurate.

I'd like to own both, but if one or the other - 990.

-John F.
Ken said:
The Canon is small and much easier to put into action. It is also much
more limited than the Nikon when it comes to zoom range, creative options
and flash power. The Canon has a VERY weak flash. Pictures beyond 6
feet are too dark. And it is hit or miss on the face colors. Some are
very sickly looking. The Canon also has only one flash sync-speed. I
exchanged it for the Nikon due to the flash limitations/problems, short
zoom range and proprietary battery design.

I have found the Nikon to be much more versatile. It has also operated
flawlessly. I use AA NiMh batteries. The flash has a workable range and
the face colors are good. IMHO I actually believe the colors and detail
are slightly better than the Canon. But it does produce red-eye a lot.
But I find it easier to fix the Nikon's red-eye than the Canon's
purple/blue face colors. Don't undervalue the ability to use AA
batteries. They may not last long, but you can find them anywhere at
anytime. Try finding the Canon battery in a small town after normal
hours.
Click to expand...
 
Mike R said:
one morething?? How's the time on the batteries?? 1hr 2 hrs???? of
pictur taking I mean
Click to expand...
On the nikon 990 I easily got, maybe, 48 pictures (maybe more) out of a set of AA alkaline batteries. (Sorry, didnt count.) I've switched to MAHA 1550mah NiMH and haven't actually run down a set in shooting and review. I have two sets of MAHA batteries, and just swap in fresh ones after 48 or so shots. I swap them when I'm downloading images to the PC (not via camera USB; I take the card out of the camera to download).

Btw, I had an S10.. The size sure was nice. Though the 990 is not much larger.

It turned out I had to put the S10 in a bag for protection, and then the bag wouldnt fit in my shirt pocket. If I have to carry a bag I might as well get a slightly larger camera. The S10 went back cuz it had a minor imaging problem which was (afaik) specific to that unit.

However, when using the S10, I really dreaded spending $25+ on spare batteries. So when I took it back I decided to make the leap to the 990.

The software with the S10 (which afaik is the same with the S20) was quite nice compared to what you get with the Nikon 990. Canon Zoombrowser is very easy to use, and a decent cataloging app. Plus it comes with Photostitch for making panoramas. Now, with the nikon you can use anything, eg thumbsplus, and get basically the same features. I'm still looking for a photostitcher though.

Fwiw, I dont see why anyone would use nikonview -- it just makes more sense to take the card out of the camera and plug it into a card reader (I use a pcmcia adapter). Also, for USB both cameras require win98 "pre-installed" version.
Mike Regina said:
Frank B said:
Frank B said:
Frank B
Mike R said:
Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they
prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry
sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I
tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix,
but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway
it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the
photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez
to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I agree with much that has been said here however the focus issue is a wash. The Nikon has manual focus which is very easy to set and allows you to take pictures in situations that may be impossible for other cameras to do. I think the real difference between these cams is that in three days I knew everything I could do or set on my Canon while in three weeks I'm still finding new ways to use the contol flexibility of the Nikon to take pictures in tough situations.

Lou
Frank B said:
I just thought of a couple more things. the S20 has a focus assist beam,
so it will
focus in lower light than the 990. Also, I have not taken many flash
pictures, but the
in camera flash on the S20 is reportedly bettter than the 990 at avoiding
red eye. Of
course the Nikon can use an external Nikon flash, while the S20 has only
the in
camera flash.

frank
Mike R said:
Frank B said:
Frank B said:
Frank B
Mike R said:
Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they
prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry
sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I
tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix,
but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway
it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the
photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez
to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I have gone through 8 digicams... been at it awhile.

I chose the S20 over the Nikon (and I am a Nikon Pro Member and have used Nikon cameras since the FIRST "F")...

Anyway, I chose it for its size and ergonomics. My friend tried to get me to buy a 950 but I did not like its size and the swivel (he loves the swivel).

Ergonomics, ease of use, how fast is it ready to use... are important to me.

What are you shooting? Outdoor tourism stuff? Inside kids and cats? Macro?

I like the S20 for it 'wide' angle of view. I got it as a second fun camera for vacation snaps. I had a Kodak DCS 315 at the time, with a 2.5x factor, so I didn't have any wideangle capability (even with a 17mm lens, which equalled about a 40mm).

I since sold the 315 and got a Nikon D1. I plan to use both, depending on the shot.

I would suggest you look at the NEW CANON 100 ELPH...

This is another part to the confusion, but it really is pocket-sized.

What else I like about the S20 is the IBM Microdrive and the batteries. I got two so I always have one charged.. altho I have yet to need to switch while shooting.

Happy hunting...
 
For panorama software go to PixAround.com
Great software for free!!

Andrzej
Jeffc said:
Mike R said:
one morething?? How's the time on the batteries?? 1hr 2 hrs???? of
pictur taking I mean
Click to expand...
On the nikon 990 I easily got, maybe, 48 pictures (maybe more) out of a
set of AA alkaline batteries. (Sorry, didnt count.) I've switched to
MAHA 1550mah NiMH and haven't actually run down a set in shooting and
review. I have two sets of MAHA batteries, and just swap in fresh ones
after 48 or so shots. I swap them when I'm downloading images to the PC
(not via camera USB; I take the card out of the camera to download).

Btw, I had an S10.. The size sure was nice. Though the 990 is not much
larger.
It turned out I had to put the S10 in a bag for protection, and then the
bag wouldnt fit in my shirt pocket. If I have to carry a bag I might as
well get a slightly larger camera. The S10 went back cuz it had a minor
imaging problem which was (afaik) specific to that unit.

However, when using the S10, I really dreaded spending $25+ on spare
batteries. So when I took it back I decided to make the leap to the 990.

The software with the S10 (which afaik is the same with the S20) was
quite nice compared to what you get with the Nikon 990. Canon
Zoombrowser is very easy to use, and a decent cataloging app. Plus it
comes with Photostitch for making panoramas. Now, with the nikon you can
use anything, eg thumbsplus, and get basically the same features. I'm
still looking for a photostitcher though.

Fwiw, I dont see why anyone would use nikonview -- it just makes more
sense to take the card out of the camera and plug it into a card reader
(I use a pcmcia adapter). Also, for USB both cameras require win98
"pre-installed" version.
JeffC. said:
Frank B said:
Frank B said:
Frank B
Mike R said:
Can someone please give some advice on which of these cameras they
prefer??? I have the Sony Cybershot 505 now and find it a pain to carry
sometimes. I am looking at buying the NIkon 990 or the Canon S20. I
tried the S10 and loved it. I never had much interest in the Coolpix,
but I have recently looked at the 990 and find it interesting and anyway
it is a NIKON...how much better can you get. I used to be in the
photostat business , so I now a bit about cameras, I am looking fo an ez
to use, but somewhat manual options too.....Can someone HELP!!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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