Which new camera to get?

Camera equipment and technique for taking photos.
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Dancesatmoonrise
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Re: Which new camera to get?

Post by Dancesatmoonrise »

OK, it's down to two fairly practical choices (I'm going to leave the fancy stuff till it gets smoothed out a bit - things like the SLD's (mirrorless), the ones based on the micro 4/3 design, and that cute (expensive) little Pentax compact with the interchangable lenses.)

The two choices are, the Canon S95, and the Canon SX210.

I've heard plenty of good things about the S95, but one drawback is the sluggish performance.

IR reviews both and finds the SX210 capable of decent printed output to 20x30 - whereas they find good output on the S95 at 13x19.

OK, so who actually prints their photos! : ) (Seems I only do this for the odd sale - too rare - or photo comps. Which usually end up on my walls, and I'm running out of wall space... : (

Anyone have the SX210? (or the SX 230 - similar unit with GPS) ?

Any thoughts about the differences between these two, or final thoughts on a good, smaller, lower weight, non-SLR cam?

Thanks!
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Bean
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Re: Which new camera to get?

Post by Bean »

Of those two, I'd go S95 (if for no reason other than f/2), unless prints over 13x19 are really important to you.

My next P&S is likely to be of the bombproof variety, but that's not what you're looking for.

Fletch, everything has video built in because there is no real cost to doing so, and it doesn't detract from the capabilities at taking stills.
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Matt
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Re: Which new camera to get?

Post by Matt »

Anyone have the SX210? (or the SX 230 - similar unit with GPS) ?
I have the SX230--it replaced the SX210 in stores this spring.
They are essentially the same camera--Canon raised the price, added a GPS function for tagging photos (useless to me) and slightly revamped light sensor performance.
I considered the S95, but chose the SX230 because it has a 14x optical zoom (vs 3.8x), and a superior manual mode (vs a bunch of preset "scene" modes).
After lugging around a G9 for a few years. I liked the tiny size of the S95, but wanted the features of the slightly larger but still small SX230.
The G9 takes superior pics (compared to the 230), but is quite a bit larger, and the zoom is much less.
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Dancesatmoonrise
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Re: Which new camera to get?

Post by Dancesatmoonrise »

Matt wrote:
Anyone have the SX210? (or the SX 230 - similar unit with GPS) ?
I have the SX230--it replaced the SX210 in stores this spring.
They are essentially the same camera--Canon raised the price, added a GPS function for tagging photos (useless to me) and slightly revamped light sensor performance.
I considered the S95, but chose the SX230 because it has a 14x optical zoom (vs 3.8x), and a superior manual mode (vs a bunch of preset "scene" modes).
After lugging around a G9 for a few years. I liked the tiny size of the S95, but wanted the features of the slightly larger but still small SX230.
The G9 takes superior pics (compared to the 230), but is quite a bit larger, and the zoom is much less.
Thanks Matt.

What differences did you find between the manual mode of the SX230 vs. the S95?
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Eschuette
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Re: Which new camera to get?

Post by Eschuette »

I noticed you originally had the G12 on the original list and in my (non expert) opinion I would go with it. The s95 is very good but I like the G12 for a variety of reasons more than s95. I've had the G12 since January and I actually prefer the slightly larger size as it feels much more secure in my hand. In strong winds and in awkward spots I havn't felt it was about to slip out of my hand, which I liked and I wouldnt have it in my pocket anyway so that hasn't been a problem.

Some of the other features I really enjoy after several months of use are the articultaed screen, which for me is great because I can attempt to get pics from different angles without contorting my body (anymore than I have to) or guessing what it will look like. It's battery life is also much better. I have gone a 1000's shots with a battery and with a spare you'd be set for awhile even if you were shooting raw or jpeg-raw. To me that's a very underrated spec on a camera.

Tha manual contorls are many and very easy to use. Not only does it have much easier access to exp comp, shutter speed, and aperature but it has a front control dial (similar to an slr) to adjust the settings. It has alot of other settings/controls as well including very easy access to white balance, color settings, etc....The built in HDR feature can work really well in certain settings as well.

All of the cameras you are looking at are good, just my observations about what I liked about the G12. Good luck!
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Re: Which new camera to get?

Post by bergsteigen »

As you already know, I love my S90. I have tiny hands, so the size is never an issue. I was sold mainly on the wide angle and F2.0, as much of our days out include low light! All my TR's since Jan 2010 use this camera exclusively. Today I worked on using the manual focus for super flower close-ups. It was reasonably intuitive and I should have a TR soon with the images.
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Re: Which new camera to get?

Post by Two Headed Boy »

I second the S90. I have big hands and it is no problem. Awesome camera!!!
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Re: Which new camera to get?

Post by schrund »

Anyone have any experience with the Powershot SX40 HS? Looks pretty sweat: http://usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/prod ... ifications
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