Do I need a new camera?

I own an Olympus 720UZ. Yes, a dinosaur, I know. My question is: what could I gain by buying a new similar quality camera? They used to say that 4 megapixels was 'enough' unless you were doing enlargements, which I'm not.

I have manual focus, shutter and aperture override. My shutter speed range is reasonable. I have a smallish camera and really don't want bigger.
Are newer cameras much faster, generally, to boot up, refresh?

Are they better in low light? Faster to focus? These are the kinds of improvements that would interest me. I have also never been fond of the built-in flash which seems either too weak or a washout.

I feel almost silly asking these questions but really don't know how else to find out.
Any suggestions or feedback are appreciated.
Thanks,
Emily

from a technology point of view, cameras are now more advanced than your model. they have better sensors with higher resolution, better and faster focus and better processing engines....... BUT ......... that does not automatically mean that for you, an upgrade is necessary.

if you are happy with the way your camera performaes and the pictures it produces, then advance with caution. there are plenty of people who get disappointed in a new camera.

If there are particular things about your camera that you do not like, then an upgrade will almost certainly deal with them. Flash is really useful and it seems like your model does not serve you well in that regard, so just for better indoor pictures, an upgrade looks the way to go.

If I was in your position, I would want an upgrade and would probably look at a panasonic in the 10 to 12 megapixel range. The stabilisation in these models would be worth the upgrade alone and the auto modes give good results.

Local shops are desparate for trade as they lose out against the internet, why not take an SD card along to you local camera shop and ask if you can take pictures, so you can take the card home and see them on your computer (or their computer) ...... in return you can agree to buy the camera from that store for their superb sales support .... if you read these boards, you will see people returning and changing cameras by the second because they are not happy with them, so a bit of homework in a store may pay you dividends.

Either way, you will probably get a good price buying after Christmas.

For me the most annoying thing about many older P&S digital cameras was the lag time from when you pushed the shutter button until the picture was taken. For any kind of capture the moment type of picture all bets were off as you would likely just get a picture after the moment was gone.

So the easy answer is Yes, newer cameras are generally faster to start, less shutter lag, better in probably every aspect. But you still will need to get your hands on one to see if its the right size and also has the options you want. Manual contols are not on all cameras. For point and shoot I think the canon G series are pretty good but might be bigger than you are looking for. Just remember just because it has more megapixels does not make it better. I got good pictures out of an old canon G2 and it was only 4 MP way better than some much higher MP count pocket cameras.

I agree with the previous posters - even though both gave different advice(!)

If you are happy enough with the camera you have there's no need to upgrade. What's good' is what's good enough There's always a 'better', faster, smarter, camera in the shop, so we have to buy what we can afford and have sufficient knowledge to use. I know my limits and stick within them - budget wise, and technically.

But!

You would see some real advantages in a newer camera. Better low light/High ISO performance. More choice in how you configure it. Faster performance all around. Almost certainly a better lens. Better colour reproduction, etc.

I would try some out as suggested by the previous poster. Then you'll know if you want to change cameras, or not.

Happy holidays!

According to the specs on DPreview, the C-720UZ is a 3MP camera, so it is plenty good for 4x6 prints or even a decent 5x7.

OTOH, The lens on that camera starts at 40mm which is way too limiting for interior shots and some landscapes. The sensor in side is even smaller than today's small cameras, so low light images may not be so great anyway.

A new camera gets you these key features:
Larger, sharper screen.
Optical image stabilization, a very nice feature to have with a wide zoom range.
better video shooting options.
lens starts at 28mm on most new models now.
Wide zoom range in a compact body.

The C-720-UZ had a street price of $600. You can get a pretty good camera for a lot less now.

If it does what you want, stick with it. I'm having fun with the Pan G2 and two lens kit, but my old cameras still work well and I have 8 x 12 photos on my family room wall from my old Fuji MX600.

My newly retired Kodak did what I wanted ... 60% of the time - when it's not writing something to the card, trying to lock focus, etc.

I tried to justify me sticking with the Kodak by telling myself that the 38mm lens kept me disciplined; the slow shot-to-shot times keep my number of junk shots lower, etc.

I got a new Panasonic ZS7 and haven't looked back .

Go ahead, take the leap, and get a new camera. Almost anything will be better than what you have currently .

New cameras are fun to play with, and there's nothing like coming from a near "normal" lens or an actual "normal" lens to a nice 28mm or even 25mm wide angle . And image stabilization. God bless the engineers for image stabilization . And LCDs. Thank the heavens for big, colorful, juicy LCDs.
--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/techoutsider

Yep! every so often! It's good for the soul. (but not TOO often, excess makes you "peculiar" and irritable)

Seriously, if you approach your photography with any level of 'seriousness' above that of a typical 'happy snapper', and you wouldn't post here if you weren't more than a casual shooter, you will find a new camera very useful.
--
I'm so bright, my father calls me son.

Now that you've judged the quality of my typing, take a look at my photos. . .
http://glenbarrington.smugmug.com/
http://www.jpgmag.com/people/glenbarrington/photos

A move to Olympus' SP-800 UZ would probably a comfortable and rewarding move.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1499&page=overview

Sounds like you're happy. Why bother with something else? The answer to your questions is pretty much "yes", but a new camera means a lot of money, and a learning curve as you discover the quirks of a new camera. Image quality isn't necessarily that much better, really.

In the past you'd buy a good camera and use it until it broke - I still have (and occasionally use) a Minolta Hi-Matic F and Nikon EM - 38 and 28 years old, respectively.

Enjoy the 720 UZ until it's broken, or until your interests have moved on to something really different. The jump from film to digital was a big improvement, and I've embraced it; the shift from a 3 MP to 12 MP digital camera.... not so much.

In 10 years I might sell my digital cameras for something 3D (if they can get rid of the dorky glasses) but for now, I'm using and enjoying what I have in hand, no regrets.

Colin.
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Si Hoc Adfixum In Obice Legere Potes, Et Liberaliter Educatus Et Nimis
Propinquus Ades

You sound like my wife, never has learned the difference between "need" and "want".
--

' You don't have to have the best of everything to get the best out of what you do have'.

emily ds said:

I own an Olympus 720UZ. Yes, a dinosaur, I know. My question is: what could I gain by buying a new similar quality camera?

Click to expand...

I had and used the Olympus C-750UZ for four years. During that time I saw work-a-likes (the early Panasoic 10x zooms in a similar form factor). For a 'similar' camera to the C-720UZ you would now look at the Canon SX-130IS. You gain a 12x zoom range, 12MP without noise penalty compared to what you have, and HD720p video. You may not miss video now, but once you have it, you can't figure how you did without it for so long.

emily ds said:

They used to say that 4 megapixels was 'enough' unless you were doing enlargements, which I'm not.

Click to expand...

4MP is still marginal for cropping in my experience.

emily ds said:

I have manual focus, shutter and aperture override. My shutter speed range is reasonable. I have a smallish camera and really don't want bigger.

Click to expand...

The Canon SX-130IS covers those criteria.

emily ds said:

Are newer cameras much faster, generally, to boot up, refresh?

Click to expand...

In my experience, yes, except for shot-to-shot times, which remain about the same, because you are now writing 12MP to memory instead of just 4MP.

emily ds said:

Are they better in low light? Faster to focus?

Click to expand...

Yes - but don't expect SLR quality. You could almost not do low light shots before. Now you can, but they have noise compared to low ISO shots.

emily ds said:

I have also never been fond of the built-in flash which seems either too weak or a washout.

Click to expand...

Current P&S cameras increase the ISO to 200, because of the weak flash. As for washing out - don't use the AUTO setting, use the FILL-IN setting (hopefully the SX-130IS has that)

emily ds said:

I feel almost silly asking these questions but really don't know how else to find out.

Click to expand...

There is nothing silly about your question. DPReview has not covered small cameras for years, at least not with any consistency. They walk around with a finger on their bums and a DSLR in the other hand.

Because I do occasionally experience the shortcoming of no shutter and aperture priority preset in my Olympus Stylus 9010, I will not push that one down your throat. Most of the time the SCENE modes give me a work-around, but not all the time. But the Olympus Stylus 9010 is smaller than the Canon SX-130IS, which makes it less conspicuous when mounted on my accordion doing videos during public performances, as I am playing the accordeon.

Henry

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Henry Falkner - SP-570UZ, Stylus 9010, Stylus 7020, D-490Z
http://www.pbase.com/hfalkner

Thank you all for your input. I am so appreciative. And my apologies - my camera is a 770UZ (how embarrassing) though the specs are quite similar.

I can see why one poster agreed with varying advice of other members. There is no one answer, I guess.

I remember the research and legwork involved in choosing this camera (and even then, I think I actually returned two before I settled, most happily, with it) and really don't relish that just yet. And I remember the excitement of the vastly improved images it produced over my first digital camera, a Fuji -- I think MX1400 -- that itself had been an epiphany! The Fuji had 3 times optical zoom and 1.2MP! Actually, I thought it took amazing photos. The move to the Oly was so exciting and I would hope for that kind of experience again.

I will probably bide my time for a bit and begin having a look around. And especially researching the cameras you have mentioned, which gives me a great starting point.

Oh -- and I do understand the difference between want and need: I 'want' better images (don't we all?) . Do I 'need' a new camera to get them?
Happy holidays all!