Canon SD600?

Holadem · 11-24-2006, 10:57 AM

Any reason I should not pull the trigger on this thing for $200? (that's it for budget!)

I have a trip coming up, and need a camera pronto. I've used my friends SD110 and love that little thing. I am partial to Canon.

I have been meaning to get into photography for a long time, but now isn't the time for it - just need a reliable device I can carry everywhere. And budget won't allow anything fancy anyway.

Will I get better pictures from the A series (A610/20/30) in the same price range?

EDIT: Grrr neverind, the damn thing is just too small, I want more features grrr...

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Holadem · 11-25-2006, 12:00 AM

Well it's been a weird day. Went to the store, handled the thing for a couple of minutes and decided it wasn't for me. Some of the A series can still fit comfortably in my pockets -- the A540 was exactly the same size as my wallet witch is always full of junk (never enough $$$ though) -- so I decided to go with one of those. And I decided I might a well get something that will serve as a stepping stone to the good stuff (DSLR), or at the very least allow me to evaluate my level of interest in this -- do I just want the kewl toys, or am I genuinely interested in photography as a hobby?

The A530/40 was the budget recommendation ($125-$150) from a few websites, but I couldn't get past the lag times between shots, especially with flash (6secs?!).

The A610/20/30/40 were fine feature-wise, but just too bulky.

So I ended up settling on a A710 ($300). Right combo of size and features.

But while browsing around, I found out about the new Nikon D40, MSRP for the kit is $599. Imagine the street price in 6 months

.

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Man-Fai Wong · 11-25-2006, 05:15 AM

Congrats on the new camera. At <=$300, I would've probably gone for a Fuji F30 though, if I were you.

But the Canon should be a fine choice also although it won't do nearly as well as the F30 in low light (typical indoors) situations.

If you're considering the Nikon D40, you should take note that its autofocus only works w/ AFS type lenses. If you wish to use older style non-AFS lenses, you'll have to focus manually or go w/ a different model like the D50. AFS lenses are the kind that focus nearly instantaneously and silently w/ their own built-in motors. A small number of 3rd party lenses also offer this (eg. Sigma's HSM), but not many so far. And Nikon doesn't have too many fixed focal length AFS prime lenses yet -- and all of them are AFS telephotos that cost >$800 so far.

Happy shooting!

_Man_

Holadem · 11-25-2006, 08:48 AM

I checked out the F30, here are the concluding paragraphs of DPreview:

Quote:

So, whilst it would be unfair to label the F30 a 'one trick pony' (no matter how good that trick is), it is fair to say that it really shines in low light, whereas in daylight - especially bright daylight - it is merely competent. If I'm being brutally honest this sensor deserves a better camera - or at least one with some control over things like contrast, sharpness and saturation. The good news is that the recent announcement of the S6500fd certainly suggests that Fuji isn't going to abandon this sensor for a while yet.

To sum up, the F30 is far and away the best low light compact camera on the market today, bar none. It's the perfect 'social' camera for the DSLR owner who doesn't want to lug all his or her gear to parties, and it is - in expert hands - capable of superb results in any light. I would even go as far as to suggest - funds permitting - getting one for low light work even if you already own a camera you use for daylight shooting... So then, Highly Recommended unless you rarely shoot indoors or at night.

Definitely interesting, but I would probably have opted for the Canon anyway, as it just so happens that the vast majority of the shots in this trip will be in (very) bright daylight.

Arrgh, thanks for the info on the D40, silly question - how important is autofocus anyway?

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HienN · 11-25-2006, 09:59 AM

Great choice of a camera, and at $300, great price too. One of the things I like best in this model is image stabilization (hence the "IS" in the model number), which reduces blur, especially but not only in low light situations. Here are a couple of reviews, here and here. I almost always shoot in autofocus mode. AF has come a long way since the days of film cameras, and now it's quick and precise, and you can choose between different AF modes to tweak things to your preference.

I have a 2-year old Canon A series camera, and it works great, but I am thinking about going small and getting a sub-compact model, but with image stabilization, so I've been seriously weighing the SD700 and SD800. Decision decision decision...

Scott Merryfield · 11-26-2006, 08:39 AM

Quote:

I've been seriously weighing the SD700 and SD800. Decision decision decision...

I've been looking at the SD800, too, for my wife and as a complement to my Canon 350D DSLR. I like the wider angle lens on the SD800 over the SD700 -- something pretty rare in a digital point & shoot.

Man-Fai makes some excellent points on the Nikon D40. The features on that new model seem too constrained for a DLSR. If you like the Nikon system, the D50 or D70 would be better choices, IMO. If you are looking for a good price point, the Canon 350D is being marked down, too, now that the 400D has been introduced (if you like the Canon system).

HienN · 11-26-2006, 09:50 AM

But the SD700 has better telephoto and is about $50 cheaper. If they were priced the same, that would be easy

Scott Merryfield · 11-26-2006, 08:11 PM

Personally, I'd rather have the extra width and give up a little on the telephoto end. Most point & shoots only go to about 35mm on the wide side, which is not wide enough for me for some interior shots, where we'd be most likely to use a point & shoot. The SD800 is the equivalent of 28mm on the wide end, which is about the same as the 17-55mm f/2.8 lens I use on my DSLR (27-88mm 35mm equivalent).

HienN · 11-28-2006, 12:19 AM

I agree. For what I do, 28mm gives greater advantages than 135mm. It's just that I don't have a digital SLR, so I have to think hard about giving up too much on the telephoto end. But I guess, since it's digital, I can always crop afterwards

I have almost made up my mind to get the 800, just waiting to find the best deal.

There is an excellent comparison between the SD700 and SD800 here. Check the link on image stabilization and the focal length comparison.

Back to the original topic, how are you liking your A710, Holadem?

Man-Fai Wong · 11-28-2006, 12:35 AM

Yeah, for a good entry level DSLR, I would suggest going w/ either the Nikon D50 or the Canon 350D/XT or maybe one of the comparably priced Pentax, if you're a little more adventurous (and love their ergonomics, feature set and lineup of fixed focal length primes). There really isn't much reason to go for the D40 -- its street price probably won't even be noticeably lower than the D50 for a while, if you shop online. I suppose the D40 might be a decent way to start out after a steep discount -- and to keep as a vacation cam (due to its small size) if/when you eventually upgrade.

Hien,

If you get the SD800, you probably can still add a teleconverter to get a longer zoom when you need it, no? That might be one way to go. And in terms of lugging (and spending $ on) a lens converter, if there's an option, usually a teleconverter is smaller (and cheaper) than a wide converter in case you're thinking to go the other way w/ the SD700.

_Man_

HienN · 11-28-2006, 01:05 AM

Thanks, Man, for the suggestion. I'll have to look into that. I didn't know they make teleconverters for a sub-compact point-and-shoot. I didn't see a screw thread so I assumed that there were no lens accessories.

Holadem · 11-28-2006, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HienN

Back to the original topic, how are you liking your A710, Holadem?

Just got it a few minutes ago, looks pretty nifty

.

Um... is the manual supposed to be just a bunch sheets (4x5) held together with two staples? The camera itself looks brand new (complete with the plastic film on the LCD) so maybe I am being paranoid. The outfit is www.thecamerabox.com, they appear to be in NYC (I know I know...), they have excellent ratings on resellerratings.com., the price was right and shipping was fast (I ordered it on Friday, got here on Tuesday). Nothing appears to be missing from the box as far as I can see.

Can't tell you guys much about the camera, sorry, it's my first so I have little to compare it to. I have used my friends SD110 pretty often for 2 years, and another's Casio EXLIM as well, but both are so basic that they don't really count as far as experience goes.

Now my question: Are the 2 weeks left before my trip enough for a crash course in photography, or should I simply trust my camera's auto mode for the 3.5 weeks I will be away? Note that I most likely won't be able to download the pix to a PC and get some feedback out there... and I understand that LCDs no matter how large, aren't a whole lotta help in this matter.

I know the basics of exposure and the relationships between aperture, shutter, ISO, and perhaps DOF. I realize that you wouldn't know how fast I can learn in 2 weeks, but please do take a stab at the question.

Leave the damn thing on auto?

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