new pentax optio 330/430 rs

@GordonBGood:

hi gordon,
are you alive???

uwe_s said:

hi gordon,
are you alive???

Click to expand...

Yes, I am! And back in Canada for my annual visit from Thailand. So will be back in touch on a regular basis shortly. However, will be somewhat out of it for the next two weeks as I spend some time with my parents "on the farm".

Like many of you, I am looking forward to evaluating the new RS models to see how Pentax have reacted to my 10 points of suggestions as per the following link:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1001&message=1525340

I am also curious to see how the Casio QV-R3 turns out. At least it has a good lens (for the size). This is one thing that even Phil hasn't emphasized, as it doesn't have the best resolution due to a Bayer interpolation algorithm which doesn't come up to the best standards such as for Sony. This is shown by the fact that even 430 images don't lose much sharpness out in the corners, even though the sharpness is not quite what it could be with better interpolation. I believe that this lens is the best out there in the ultra compacts, including the Canon S300/S330 S30/S40 lens and the small Nikon cameras. So let's hope that the new cameras have done something about the interpretation without producing more artifacts, as in the not so great sharpening. It would also be nice to think that they may have adjusted the colour tone profile to not be so high contrast as well.

I am also following the high zoom cameras, and think that for my money, you probably get what you pay for with the rankings from best down being the Nikon 5700, the Minolta Dimage 7i, the Fuji 602Z, and the Olympus C720UZ. Each of these are excellent cameras for their price point, but if one were to pick the one that you could likely use for the next four or five years, I would have to go to the top. However, although it is a close call, none of these are perfect. I really like the 7i for lens quality and features, but it falls down in noise and a poorly implemented RAW data mode which freezes the camera and produces fairly large file sizes. The 5700 also is not ideal in RAW data mode and lacks a couple of nice features such as a histogram on record mode, a focus ring and some awkward switch positions (It's in stock here in Calgary). Look for a new Canon ultra zoom in the next few months which may be the very best for the price as long as they give us a lens up to the standards of the 7i and the 5700 and a reasonably quick autofocus. They have the best RAW mode in the industry and have responded well to reviews on preceeding models. And the Canon Pro90 IS is getting quite dated, although was a very good camera for its time.

All of the above is a little bit theoretical, as I don't have the budget this year for a new camera, and am still quite happy with my Optio 330 which I take everywhere. Thai school teachers don't get paid all that well! And accepting the teaching job has cut into my more lucrative software consulting work. Oh well, I'm just a man who can't say no.

Nice to hear from you, and be "back in the loop", if only for a short time.

Regards, GordonBGood

@gordon

did you know this german site/forum:

http://www.lamker.de
(use altavista babelfish to translate)

if you´re interested:
there´re a lot of users discussing about their new optio rs models!

and there´re a lot of pros (regarding to your improvement list-yes pentax has considered your suggestions )

bus also some new cons, like no noise filtering in low light situations :-((

GordonBGood said:

uwe_s said:

hi gordon,
are you alive???

Click to expand...

Yes, I am! And back in Canada for my annual visit from Thailand.
So will be back in touch on a regular basis shortly. However, will
be somewhat out of it for the next two weeks as I spend some time
with my parents "on the farm".

Like many of you, I am looking forward to evaluating the new RS
models to see how Pentax have reacted to my 10 points of
suggestions as per the following link:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1001&message=1525340

I am also curious to see how the Casio QV-R3 turns out. At least
it has a good lens (for the size). This is one thing that even
Phil hasn't emphasized, as it doesn't have the best resolution due
to a Bayer interpolation algorithm which doesn't come up to the
best standards such as for Sony. This is shown by the fact that
even 430 images don't lose much sharpness out in the corners, even
though the sharpness is not quite what it could be with better
interpolation. I believe that this lens is the best out there in
the ultra compacts, including the Canon S300/S330 S30/S40 lens and
the small Nikon cameras. So let's hope that the new cameras have
done something about the interpretation without producing more
artifacts, as in the not so great sharpening. It would also be
nice to think that they may have adjusted the colour tone profile
to not be so high contrast as well.

I am also following the high zoom cameras, and think that for my
money, you probably get what you pay for with the rankings from
best down being the Nikon 5700, the Minolta Dimage 7i, the Fuji
602Z, and the Olympus C720UZ. Each of these are excellent cameras
for their price point, but if one were to pick the one that you
could likely use for the next four or five years, I would have to
go to the top. However, although it is a close call, none of these
are perfect. I really like the 7i for lens quality and features,
but it falls down in noise and a poorly implemented RAW data mode
which freezes the camera and produces fairly large file sizes. The
5700 also is not ideal in RAW data mode and lacks a couple of nice
features such as a histogram on record mode, a focus ring and some
awkward switch positions (It's in stock here in Calgary). Look for
a new Canon ultra zoom in the next few months which may be the very
best for the price as long as they give us a lens up to the
standards of the 7i and the 5700 and a reasonably quick autofocus.
They have the best RAW mode in the industry and have responded well
to reviews on preceeding models. And the Canon Pro90 IS is getting
quite dated, although was a very good camera for its time.

All of the above is a little bit theoretical, as I don't have the
budget this year for a new camera, and am still quite happy with my
Optio 330 which I take everywhere. Thai school teachers don't get
paid all that well! And accepting the teaching job has cut into my
more lucrative software consulting work.

Click to expand...

Oh well, I'm just a man

GordonBGood said:

who can't say no.

Click to expand...

Hi Gordon,

A man who can't say no and Bangkok, could be dangerous. (^ ^)

Have fun on the farm and enjoy a beautiful Alberta summer.

Cheers,

JRS

GordonBGood said:

Nice to hear from you, and be "back in the loop", if only for a
short time.

Regards, GordonBGood

Click to expand...