Which camera is best?

Diane Clayton

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Manchester, UK
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
 
Hi ,

Can anyone answer this question.?

Thanks

Diane
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been
looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm
tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast
camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to
spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more
expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
 
Can anyone answer this question.?

Thanks

Diane
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been
looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm
tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast
camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to
spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more
expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
Why don't you check the camera reviews on this site.

They helped me buy 3 cameras with the knowledge of which had what I needed and wanted.

Do some research before you ask a question that can't given a good answer

Aaron
 
Hi

I have researched this, read the reviews until I'm dizzy, sort of know what I need , good optical zoom, fast speed for action shots, not sure about how many pixels, resolution , does the camera need a stabilizer,etc. Want to print out larger than 10"x8".I Suppose my brain got a bit addled with all the info out there. Thought I'd ask the experts,don't need to be treated like an idiot.

Diane
Can anyone answer this question.?

Thanks

Diane
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been
looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm
tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast
camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to
spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more
expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
Why don't you check the camera reviews on this site.
They helped me buy 3 cameras with the knowledge of which had what I
needed and wanted.

Do some research before you ask a question that can't given a good
answer

Aaron
 
I have a 602, so this may sound biased.....
but since you are looking to print big, the more pixels, the better
Between the 2 cameras, the 602 seems to fit your needs more

it creates a 6 megapixel file using a differently layed out 3 megapixel sensor....the actual images come out to the quality of a 4 megapixel camera or so, while the 90is doesnt have 3 megapixel resolution, let alone create a 6 megapixel file, or have the quality of a 4 megapixel

Also, i think the 90is would be hard to get your hands on at this point..I know I havent seen them around in stores much these days

Check out the fuji forum and read up on some of the 602 posts, and you'll find all sorts of info on the image quality, and how big people have printed, and how they liked it

--
http://www.pbase.com/xx573v3xx
Fuji Finepix S602 zoom
 
Hi

Thanks for your reply, I like the sound of the 602, but don't know its worth paying a little more for the Dimage 7i or the Sony F707.

Diane.
I have a 602, so this may sound biased.....
but since you are looking to print big, the more pixels, the better
Between the 2 cameras, the 602 seems to fit your needs more
it creates a 6 megapixel file using a differently layed out 3
megapixel sensor....the actual images come out to the quality of a
4 megapixel camera or so, while the 90is doesnt have 3 megapixel
resolution, let alone create a 6 megapixel file, or have the
quality of a 4 megapixel

Also, i think the 90is would be hard to get your hands on at this
point..I know I havent seen them around in stores much these days

Check out the fuji forum and read up on some of the 602 posts, and
you'll find all sorts of info on the image quality, and how big
people have printed, and how they liked it

--
http://www.pbase.com/xx573v3xx
Fuji Finepix S602 zoom
 
Thanks for your reply, I like the sound of the 602, but don't know
its worth paying a little more for the Dimage 7i or the Sony F707.

Diane.
I have a 602, so this may sound biased.....
but since you are looking to print big, the more pixels, the better
Between the 2 cameras, the 602 seems to fit your needs more
it creates a 6 megapixel file using a differently layed out 3
megapixel sensor....the actual images come out to the quality of a
4 megapixel camera or so, while the 90is doesnt have 3 megapixel
resolution, let alone create a 6 megapixel file, or have the
quality of a 4 megapixel

Also, i think the 90is would be hard to get your hands on at this
point..I know I havent seen them around in stores much these days

Check out the fuji forum and read up on some of the 602 posts, and
you'll find all sorts of info on the image quality, and how big
people have printed, and how they liked it

--
http://www.pbase.com/xx573v3xx
Fuji Finepix S602 zoom
--
Steve
 
Can anyone answer this question.?

Thanks

Diane
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been
looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm
tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast
camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to
spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more
expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
Seems a pretty harsh reply to me. Although you're right about the difficulty of getting "the" answer, I've seen people asking for "best camera" advice in several forums and if you ask 10 people you'll probably get 15 opinions. I currently own a Kodak 4800 and plan to upgrade in 6-12 mo's, but watch for all the latest developments, read Phils reviews, etc. It's not an easy choice now and it won't be any easier then.

Jim
Why don't you check the camera reviews on this site.
They helped me buy 3 cameras with the knowledge of which had what I
needed and wanted.

Do some research before you ask a question that can't given a good
answer

Aaron
 
Hi

Thanks for your reply, I like the sound of the 602, but don't know
its worth paying a little more for the Dimage 7i or the Sony F707.

Diane.
For the tele shooting you want to do the Fuji should be OK at 210mm.

You can buy teleconverters as well if you want to go further. It also has an excellent movie and burst mode and is smaller and more portable than the other two, takes CF cards (which are quite cheap and higher capacity) and rechargeable AA's which is a bonus.

The F707 is also available quite cheaply now. It has slightly less tele capability but you can also buy converters and it is a very fast lens, which may be useful for action shots as you can use faster shutter speeds. The only real downside is the limited capacity of memory sticks and their price (in the UK anyway) but it has good battery life and resolution.

The D7i is a very versatile camera with a huge amount of creative control, but is probably overkill for this type of shooting. I have one and I love it but if you describe yourself as a newbie you may find many of the features a bit pointless and if you don't want to mess around a bit with your shots in Photoshop, you'll probably get more immediately pleasing results from one of the others.

Another option for even less money than the Fuji is the Olympus Camedia C720UX with a 320mm zoom, but I think the lens is a bit slow for moving subjects at F7.1.
--
Steve
 
your mind is "boggled".. yes and it will be even more "boggled" after u have read all your replies..

what camera is best.. really is stupid unanswerable question and its time we starting saying so to the myriad of people that keep asking it...

trog100
  1. #
I have researched this, read the reviews until I'm dizzy, sort of
know what I need , good optical zoom, fast speed for action shots,
not sure about how many pixels, resolution , does the camera need a
stabilizer,etc. Want to print out larger than 10"x8".I Suppose my
brain got a bit addled with all the info out there. Thought I'd
ask the experts,don't need to be treated like an idiot.

Diane
Can anyone answer this question.?

Thanks

Diane
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been
looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm
tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast
camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to
spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more
expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
Why don't you check the camera reviews on this site.
They helped me buy 3 cameras with the knowledge of which had what I
needed and wanted.

Do some research before you ask a question that can't given a good
answer

Aaron
 
Ok, it's probably a question that gets asked a lot, from 'newbies' like myself, but if everyone was like you, no-one would get any help and support. I suppose you were a 'newbie' yourself once, but judging from the tone of your reply, you obviously always knew it all and never needed any advice!!!!

diane.
what camera is best.. really is stupid unanswerable question and
its time we starting saying so to the myriad of people that keep
asking it...

trog100
  1. #
I have researched this, read the reviews until I'm dizzy, sort of
know what I need , good optical zoom, fast speed for action shots,
not sure about how many pixels, resolution , does the camera need a
stabilizer,etc. Want to print out larger than 10"x8".I Suppose my
brain got a bit addled with all the info out there. Thought I'd
ask the experts,don't need to be treated like an idiot.

Diane
Can anyone answer this question.?

Thanks

Diane
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been
looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm
tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast
camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to
spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more
expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
Why don't you check the camera reviews on this site.
They helped me buy 3 cameras with the knowledge of which had what I
needed and wanted.

Do some research before you ask a question that can't given a good
answer

Aaron
 
Diane.. i dont mean to be harsh.. i give more help and suport than anybody.. when i can.. and yes i need advice sometimes.. but questions like "what is the best camera"... "what is the best shoe".. "what is the best house".. "what is the best God".. will really get u no where.. they are silly questions and they are a waste of everybodies time that attempts to answer them..

i have been know to say silly things like.. "u can have too much choice" and i do believe in such concepts as information overload.. which translates into the more u know the more confused u get..

sometimes things need saying and i have decided to say them.. fate put u on the end of my little rant... sorry..

trog100
  1. #
diane.
what camera is best.. really is stupid unanswerable question and
its time we starting saying so to the myriad of people that keep
asking it...

trog100
  1. #
I have researched this, read the reviews until I'm dizzy, sort of
know what I need , good optical zoom, fast speed for action shots,
not sure about how many pixels, resolution , does the camera need a
stabilizer,etc. Want to print out larger than 10"x8".I Suppose my
brain got a bit addled with all the info out there. Thought I'd
ask the experts,don't need to be treated like an idiot.

Diane
Can anyone answer this question.?

Thanks

Diane
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been
looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm
tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast
camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to
spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more
expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
Why don't you check the camera reviews on this site.
They helped me buy 3 cameras with the knowledge of which had what I
needed and wanted.

Do some research before you ask a question that can't given a good
answer

Aaron
 
I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.
I'd recommend you take a look at the Olympus 2100UZ, affectionately known as the UZI. It's only a 2 MP camera, but it has a x10 optically stabilized zoom and from what I hear pretty good automatic features. It's definitely an easy camera to get good shots with.

In the US it's for sale at around $500 now. With your budget you should be able to get the camera, some extra memory and spare batteries without much trouble.
I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".
What will those prints be used for? Where will you print them?

If you plan to hang posters somewhere, the output from a 2MP camera will definitely be good enough. If you want to frame that size photo and put it above the dining room table, I'd recommend going for a higher MP camera like the Fuji. The Canon won't do either in that case.

I don't recommend the Canon. An Olympus 2100 has stabilized zoom which is very good. The Fuji has much higher resolution which will give better prints.

The Sony 707 is a good camera, but not really suited for your needs. Same goes for the Minolta Dimage 7i. Both would need zoom extenders, and they'd end up a lot bulkier and more fragile than the Oly or Fuji for your purposes.

In summary, I'd recommend trying out the Oly UZI. Download a couple of images from the tests of it and try printing one you like in the size you will print yourself. If you find it satisfactory, you're done. Otherwise I suspect nothing less than the Fuji will make you happy.

--
Jesper
 
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been
looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm
tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast
camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to
spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more
expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
--

Old Bob Hi Diane,Im a bit in the same boat as you.I do have a canon G2 but want more lense,camera speed etc.To top it off Im not real good on a computer so that makes using photoshop or whatever more of a challenge,also I have a canon s900 printer,thanks to my grown son I have it under control,kind of....Like has been said here,get features that you use most,decent image and go for it.I will wait for canon and sony to make the next move,sept.probably, then make up my mind.I do mostly landscape,mountain,rivers etc.If I had to do all over I would have got the 707 for my needs.I could (detune) the saturated colors in ps.The G2 is very good but need more zoom. There is no BEST camera for everyone.
 
Like has been said here,get
features that you use most,decent image and go for it.
That's exactly it, yes. Image quality is nice, but it's better to have a camera that works for you - a decent picture you get is better than a superb picture you don't get because the camera gets in the way.
I do mostly landscape,mountain,rivers etc.If I had to do
all over I would have got the 707 for my needs.I could (detune) the
saturated colors in ps.
I find the "smearing" effect of the 707 noise reduction to be worst in just those kind of pictures. But then, that's nothing but my personal opinion. For what you're doing the G2 with a lens attachement or two seems like a perfect camera.
The G2 is very good but need more zoom.
I was considering the G2 when I finally decided against it and got the Minolta D7i. My reason was the wide angle, but also the limited zoom. I did see that there are some rather good teleconverters for the G2. Maybe that would work for you while you wait for a camera closer to your ideal?

The Tiffen extenders apparently got very good reviews, and in addition they are very cheap.
There is no BEST camera for everyone.
So true. Now, how do we tell the trolls that so they understand?

--
Jesper
 
Like has been said here,get
features that you use most,decent image and go for it.
That's exactly it, yes. Image quality is nice, but it's better to
have a camera that works for you - a decent picture you get is
better than a superb picture you don't get because the camera gets
in the way.
I do mostly landscape,mountain,rivers etc.If I had to do
all over I would have got the 707 for my needs.I could (detune) the
saturated colors in ps.
I find the "smearing" effect of the 707 noise reduction to be worst
in just those kind of pictures. But then, that's nothing but my
personal opinion. For what you're doing the G2 with a lens
attachement or two seems like a perfect camera.
The G2 is very good but need more zoom.
I was considering the G2 when I finally decided against it and got
the Minolta D7i. My reason was the wide angle, but also the limited
zoom. I did see that there are some rather good teleconverters for
the G2. Maybe that would work for you while you wait for a camera
closer to your ideal?

The Tiffen extenders apparently got very good reviews, and in
addition they are very cheap.
There is no BEST camera for everyone.
So true. Now, how do we tell the trolls that so they understand?

--
Jesper
--

Old Bob Great insight Jesper..SOOOOO now you got me lookin at the 7i again,I have shot about 40 images outside a store took the card home,looked at them and was a bit dissapointed.Iam better in ps now tho.The 7i felt great in my hands,the manual zoom is wonderful,its faster all the way around than my G2.I have seen some 7i postings here that are fantastic,What I did was shoot the 7i and tried to do the same thing with the G2 to compare..7i colors were great,not too much noise but letters on a sign 200 or so yds.away were much sharper with G2,also shadow areas of trees,more loss of detail with 7i,too much contrast?I have shot slrs a lot of years so I undestand basics,Please sell me a 7i,lol...Really,I have read a lot of your postings and you make a lot of sense,maybe I ll go back one more time,do some in camera tweaking and see what I can do with the 7i,Thanks,Bob
 
Diane, don't take it too personally. I think when you're coming from a point where you lack all frames of reference its hard to know what to ask.

Questions asking for a choice are frequent and do cause a lot of equally confusing debate. I read between the lines and gathered that you really wanted to know what was important in choosing a camera and what wasn't.

That may be a better question. You can use the data from that to shortlist your camera, and no-one needs get on their hobby horse and bash or glorify their own choices.

If you are a newbie you want a camera that works well in auto-mode to start with and produces nice images that dont need retouching. As you grow, some manual control is nice as you get the hang of it. A camera thats too simple gets frustrating after a while.

Get the most resolution you can afford, but don't get hung up. Unless you want to print really big pics anything over 3MP is OK. (Fuji's super CCD is about 4MP in practice).

You also want a good manual focus (focus ring is best) or an AF/AE hold facility, because the focus time lag can mess up a good shot. AF hold or manual focus lets you "set up" a shot by focusing on an object (eg a gate) then you can shoot when the horse jumps the gate with minimal lag.

Continuous focus on most digicams is too slow to be realy useful. Bit of a gimmick if you ask me. Ok for kids in the garden but nothing faster.

For moving subjects, continuous or "burst mode" shooting is useful - the more frames per second the better. Most sports photographers use this technique by panning and shooting continuously - probability dictates one or two shots will be perfect.

However this uses a LOT of storage so a camera that takes compact flash may also be useful. You want 256 Mb at least for a 4/5MP camera (thats about 80-100 frames or a few minutes of movie). A microdrive can store 1Gb which is enough for a day out! or you can get a digital wallet to store your photos as you go.

Movie mode for sport is also quite neat if you want to check out technique or look at faults, but again a big card is handy if you use this a lot.

Cameras that can handle higher ISO (200 or 400) without too much noise can also be good. This gives you much faster shutter times.

You also want a decent telephoto reach if you want to shoot horses at events. Around 200mm minimum, which means you have a pretty small field to choose from. If it takes a tele adapter for even longer reach, even better. You also want a lens thats quite fast at max tele - F3.5 or wider.

Try that in a search and the Fuji may well pop up again!!
diane.
your mind is "boggled".. yes and it will be even more "boggled"
after u have read all your replies..

what camera is best.. really is stupid unanswerable question and
its time we starting saying so to the myriad of people that keep
asking it...

trog100
 
Hi

Sorry for my little rant also. I've taken the plunge and gone for the Fuji S602. My first impressions are that i really like it, I've taken about 200 shots, most of which are pretty bad, but in the process I'm learning how to use it. I've used the auto mode and experimented with the others, setting the aperture and shutter speed etc. I think i'm going to enjoy learning all about it.

Diane.
i have been know to say silly things like.. "u can have too much
choice" and i do believe in such concepts as information overload..
which translates into the more u know the more confused u get..

sometimes things need saying and i have decided to say them.. fate
put u on the end of my little rant... sorry..

trog100
  1. #
diane.
what camera is best.. really is stupid unanswerable question and
its time we starting saying so to the myriad of people that keep
asking it...

trog100
  1. #
I have researched this, read the reviews until I'm dizzy, sort of
know what I need , good optical zoom, fast speed for action shots,
not sure about how many pixels, resolution , does the camera need a
stabilizer,etc. Want to print out larger than 10"x8".I Suppose my
brain got a bit addled with all the info out there. Thought I'd
ask the experts,don't need to be treated like an idiot.

Diane
Can anyone answer this question.?

Thanks

Diane
Hi,

I'm about as amateur a photographer as you can get! I've been
looking for a camera for a while now and there a several that I'm
tempted by. I want to be able to take pics of horses so a fast
camera with a good zoom lens is important. I have around £600 to
spend, not sure how much in $. Digi camera's seem a lot more
expensive in the UK than in the U.S.

I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.

I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".

Hope someone can help, my minds boggling with all the info out there.

Thanks

Diane.
Why don't you check the camera reviews on this site.
They helped me buy 3 cameras with the knowledge of which had what I
needed and wanted.

Do some research before you ask a question that can't given a good
answer

Aaron
 
Hi,

I really fancied the Uzi, but they're not that easy to get hold of in the uk.

I've just got the Fuji S602, and I like it. The lens is not as powerful as the uzi, but there is an add on zoom for it. Don't know if this would make it as powerful as a 10x optical zoom.

Diane.
I've been looking at the Fuji S602, and the Canon Powershot Pro 90is.
I'd recommend you take a look at the Olympus 2100UZ, affectionately
known as the UZI. It's only a 2 MP camera, but it has a x10
optically stabilized zoom and from what I hear pretty good
automatic features. It's definitely an easy camera to get good
shots with.

In the US it's for sale at around $500 now. With your budget you
should be able to get the camera, some extra memory and spare
batteries without much trouble.
I would like to be able to print up to 12" x 10".
What will those prints be used for? Where will you print them?

If you plan to hang posters somewhere, the output from a 2MP camera
will definitely be good enough. If you want to frame that size
photo and put it above the dining room table, I'd recommend going
for a higher MP camera like the Fuji. The Canon won't do either in
that case.

I don't recommend the Canon. An Olympus 2100 has stabilized zoom
which is very good. The Fuji has much higher resolution which will
give better prints.

The Sony 707 is a good camera, but not really suited for your
needs. Same goes for the Minolta Dimage 7i. Both would need zoom
extenders, and they'd end up a lot bulkier and more fragile than
the Oly or Fuji for your purposes.

In summary, I'd recommend trying out the Oly UZI. Download a couple
of images from the tests of it and try printing one you like in the
size you will print yourself. If you find it satisfactory, you're
done. Otherwise I suspect nothing less than the Fuji will make you
happy.

--
Jesper
 

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