[oogabooga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by john_jcb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Going down a different road for a minute. I am looking for a camera that would meet the following requirements. 1. Light weight fits in an inside coat pocket. 2. Takes pretty good pictures 3. Inexpensive 4. Reasonable battery life Any comments on the Nikon S550 for this?

The Canon ELPH series is worth looking at, so long as you can find one within your third requirement. While I'm a pure Nikon shooter for SLR, I've found Canon's will do an excellent job of #1,2,4.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by john_jcb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Going down a different road for a minute. I am looking for a camera that would meet the following requirements. 1. Light weight fits in an inside coat pocket. 2. Takes pretty good pictures 3. Inexpensive 4. Reasonable battery life Any comments on the Nikon S550 for this?

While Nikon is great for SLRs, its point-and-shoot compact cameras have missed the mark more often than not. The S550, in particular, lacks some of the features which the better (sub)compact cameras have (it does not have any real VR feature, which is necessary in these small cameras due to their extremely light weight, at all), while it is also lacking in shooting performance (its shutter lag is longer than on most other cameras in its class) as well as image quality in low-light situations - and it is too expensive for such sparse features and performance/quality. Its successor model, the S560, has an optical VR feature but the same sluggish performance. Spend a little more, and you will generally get a quicker-responding camera.

 

[dj_mocok]

Agree with Oogabooga and EagleDriver here, as much as I like Nikon but I am not really a fan of their P&S range, considering what have been offered so far. I am not saying they are bad, some of them are pretty decent, but the thing is, with the asking price, I usually can find a better similar-priced alternative.

For cheap but still okay P&S, either Panasonic or Canon comes to mind. As mentioned, I'd probably be interested in Canon Elph series too (we call them Ixus here).

For Panasonic, from what I read, I like FX37 or maybe FX35 if you want to get it cheaper (they are also rebranded as Leica cameras if you want more 'luxury'). But gotta admit that the branded Leica ones look much nicer though, although they are practically the same but cost double of the equivalent Panasonic. The LX37 is also a wide angle lens too, and very pocketable.
I also like FX500, it has lots of neat features and looks very handsome... too many choices...

Regarding battery life, I always think that ANY P&S regardless of the model, they all require you to buy at least 1 additional battery because the battery is just not as good as DSLR. You can always get a third-party battery very cheap anyway, don't really need to spend so much on expensive proprietary batteries.

 

[dj_mocok]

Speaking about compact, my LX3 that I ordered arrived today. It has lots of features which I am not sure whether I need them or not, haha... But so far the picture taken with this cam is very nice. I am thinking to set this camera under dumb mode permanently but I think then it will be a waste. Anyway, I hope it can take cactus pictures. Review?

 

[milkpowder]

cactus pics would be nice

Enjoy your new toy!

 

[sawyer]

Is there any Fujifilm DSLR (S1, S2, S3 and S5 pro) around? I got a S5 pro for a few days and I'm very happy with it. It's a great upgrade from D80: better iso, neutral colors, tank-like built quality (based on D200 body), high dynamic range.

 

[dj_mocok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawyer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Is there any Fujifilm DSLR (S1, S2, S3 and S5 pro) around? I got a S5 pro for a few days and I'm very happy with it. It's a great upgrade from D80: better iso, neutral colors, tank-like built quality (based on D200 body), high dynamic range.

You are a smart man. If you read a few posts back you'll find that I actually bought an S5 and sold my D80. It is one heck of a camera. I can comfortably shoot at ISO1600 now without worrying so much. Serious.
Colour wise (this is what I like the most about the cam), I am not sure if it's neutral or not (at least from what I've set my camera at), but it's very film-like and I totally fell in love with the colour characteristics (don't really care about DR actually, since I don't rely on that much...)

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder /img/forum/go_quote.gif cactus pics would be nice Enjoy your new toy!

Milk, I can tell from your style of photography that you will love LX3. If you are thinking to get a compact, give this one a serious thought. So far from playing with it for a few minutes and taking some quick snaps, what I like most are the fast lens, nice LCD, and the 16:9 format. It's like a poor man's version of Hasselblad Xpan.

Oh, and the Dynamic B&W setting rocks!

I can use this little cam until up to ISO800 - combined with the camera's IS technology and fast lens, this will make a very, very good low light street camera.

 

[sawyer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_mocok /img/forum/go_quote.gif You are a smart man. If you read a few posts back you'll find that I actually bought an S5 and sold my D80. It is one heck of a camera. I can comfortably shoot at ISO1600 now without worrying so much. Serious. Colour wise (this is what I like the most about the cam), I am not sure if it's neutral or not (at least from what I've set my camera at), but it's very film-like and I totally fell in love with the colour characteristics (don't really care about DR actually, since I don't rely on that much...)

What is your shooting setup? Here are my settings:
- Film simulation: standard
- D-range: auto
- Color: high
- Tone: m-hard
- Sharpness: hard

I rarely use the film simulation mode. I tried F2 mode and the colors look over-saturated.

You will benefit from the high DR when we should in mix lightning, high contrast (wedding, church, ...)

iso 1600 on S5 pro looks even better than iso 400 on D80

 

[dj_mocok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sawyer /img/forum/go_quote.gif What is your shooting setup? Here are my settings: - Film simulation: standard - D-range: auto - Color: high - Tone: m-hard - Sharpness: hard I rarely use the film simulation mode. I tried F2 mode and the colors look over-saturated. You will benefit from the high DR when we should in mix lightning, high contrast (wedding, church, ...) iso 1600 on S5 pro looks even better than iso 400 on D80

F2 is Ken Rockwell Mode, bro.

I never use F2.
I use F1C, Contrast +1, Colour +1, Sharpness -2. That's my permanent setting. Unless I am faced with some very difficult lighting situation and either way of exposing is still not good enough, then I will use standard mode. But so far I've never needed to use it.
If you want something that is not so strong, I think F1B with the the settings toned down a bit is more towards more neutral, clinical type.
I did some own comparison awhile ago, and I figured F1C with those settings look the best for me. I can use something that looks more neutral, but I am sure after I post process, it will look closer to F1C anyway, so I might as well use F1C. Plus F1C looks like film, it has this special feel to it that I like so much.

About the ISO, it is not THAT good, but it's really good enough for me. Maybe unless you have a lot of super slow lenses even ISO1600 can't help you.

 

[Towert7]

Wow, sharpness -2...
That comes as a big surprise.

 

[dj_mocok]

Because I like to do sharpening myself, not that I don't apply sharpness at all. But even at -2 you can really still get away without any sharpening though.

 

[john_jcb]

Thanks for the input. I went with the DMC-FX35. I am sure it will meet my needs for a pocketable camera.

I still cannot part with my F4 and film just yet, maybe someday. While I would love to get started down the digital road I am not ready to reinvest in a new body and newer lenses. My favorite film Kodachrome is now down to one speed but I have not used it lately.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_mocok /img/forum/go_quote.gif Regarding battery life, I always think that ANY P&S regardless of the model, they all require you to buy at least 1 additional battery because the battery is just not as good as DSLR. You can always get a third-party battery very cheap anyway, don't really need to spend so much on expensive proprietary batteries.

Be careful with third-party batteries: Some of them, usually the cheapest ones, are of substandard quality. I have read horror stories about some of those cheap aftermarket batteries actually overheating badly or catching fire in the camera, completely destroying the memory card inside the camera and rendering the camera itself permanently unusable.

As for the camera manufacturers' own branded batteries, you can shop around for a lower price. In fact, I got a genuine Nikon EN-EL3e battery at a photo equipment-specific store (read: camera store) for $20 less than what Busted Buy charges for a third-party battery equivalent.

Quote:

Originally Posted by john_jcb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the input. I went with the DMC-FX35. I am sure it will meet my needs for a pocketable camera.

A pretty good choice. The only major failing (which is shared with many other small compact digital cameras) of the FX35 is the somewhat aggressive noise reduction (which tends to smear detail) at higher ISO settings. (But then again, you'd seldom use the pocket camera in anything dimmer than a cloudy day without using a flash.)

 

[dj_mocok]

Nah mine is okay, maybe the only thing is that it's not as high capacity as advertised. But I got 2 of them, so it's okay.

John: Congrats on the new camera, it is a neat camera. Don't forget to post some pictures here.

 

[bigshot]

I got a chance to run my Sigma 50mm 1.4 through its paces this holiday season. Posted a bunch of interesting bokeh samples on my blog, suitable for pixelpeeping...

Late Night Coffee Shops

Some lores samples...

...and the ever popular pet in cute clothing picture!

The pooch has the narrowest field of focus I've ever gotten. Her snoot is barely an inch long.