high end point and shoot vs low end dslr

[advNZer?]

Originally Posted by mike

Pretty sure that is my next camera. i was considering a slr, but cant justify the money. Thanks for all the input from you camera folks.

good price..in NZ that camera(canon sx30is) is listed at $850!

[tastroman]

Originally Posted by advNZer?

do these High end P and S have much choice or control of shutter speeds?

If I'm not mistaken, all of the high end P&S have full manual exposure control and some form of manual focus.

[soph9]

Other than the lens making quite a bit of noise while zooming seems pretty go so far...even the digital zoom is not that bad....here are just a few non interesting pics from today...still reading about the features...the video feature is pretty cool...can zoom in while recording and the sound is pretty good as well. Not bad for not being a camcorder...

My partner playing a game on her iPhone... showing close up





This was using some digital power





35X's optical....not bad considering the mountains are really far away



Very low light day obviously and I had it set to auto ISO but maybe should have done some manual setting for the ISO





So, for an all in one I think this one will do for now until I venture out into the DSLR world and play with the different lenses out there. But considering I am really not a photographer and just want something to add some zoom and video especially for our trips...along with our Nikon Coolpix this seems good enough.

[munchmeister]

Originally Posted by Twohondas

Give us a report on the 8100 when you can.

Picked up the Nikon S8100 from Best Buy, and have only had limited time to play with it. It is a Sept. 2010 release from Nikon and has some nifty features that distinguish it somewhat, from others, notably several continuous shooting modes including the 240fps mode that plays back at 30fps for super slo motion. Also high and low speed burst and 'best shot selector.' Shoots HD in 1080 and 720p.

Photos seem very sharp, very good color rendition in decent light. It has a saturation and hue slider, called up with one button push on the exposure compensation dial and gives real time feedback so you can pump up the sat'n or the hue before you take the shot. HD video is nice, again with good color rendition. One button video start is great to have. The 921K LCD is superb, as good as you can get for bright sun, which is always the test for LCDs. Nice and pocketable, easy to fit anywhere on the bike. One thing I don't like is the placement of the tripod mount, on the far left side of the bottom, might have to rig up some kind of adapter. One shot of the twilight sky, with geese has very little digital noise for this type of picture, which usually reveals the color noise of small sensors. There is even a very faint hint of red around the geese, which is pretty revealing in an untouched .jpg. Perhaps it is this backlit CMOS sensor. Me likey.



I've started a gallery at my SmugMug for the pics. Only a few so far. A set of shots from continuous mode, low speed; panoramic assist, stitching done in PTGui; some very low light shots, after sunset ~ civil twilight.
http://f-rider.smugmug.com/Photograp...15387397_rFMta

As I've said in my posts, I got this to BE a point & shoot, simple to use, easy to use, with a useful feature set and not just goofy scene modes, as a compliment to my Nikon D90 DSLR.... something small and convenient to take everywhere and fun to use. So far, so good.

[Twohondas]

Thanks for the mini review. Keep it coming.

Seems like the best feature set for me right now. Tank bag worthy!!!!!!!!!

[nachtflug]

Originally Posted by lbever

If you don't mind the size and weight factor of a DSLR they are much more versatile then P&S cameras.

I currently own a Canon 40D with multiple fast L series lenses. A DSLR with good fast lens is only solution for high speed action photography. However I purchased a Canon S95 in October, and I couldn't be happier. I made the decision in large part by the recommendation of Ken Rockwell. His review is here.
The low light performance is exceptional.
While I like the DSLR is simply does not get used nearly as much as my S95. I have the S95 with me most of the time.
For me, I need both a DSLR and a fast compact point and shoot.

if you could only have one camera you can do more with a D40 and diffferent len's than a P&S.

[jonnyw]

I just went thru this same process. Good P&S or DSLR. I ended up with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 and couldnt be happier. Its basically in a new clas of what they call bridge cameras. Which fall between a true DSLR and the best P&S. Hence the name bridge. I pondered this for some time. And what really sold me were the reviews at Amazon.com 121 rewiews 95 were 5 star and 18 were 4 star I dont think i ever saw anything that biased to damn near perfect. Plus you can get telephoto lens,filters, macro,fish eye and vivtar lens adapters if you already got some lens laying around. But is great as is. It even does kick ass panoramic pics which I am dying to try out at the beach and mountains. Its super light compared to a true DSLR and compact. I bought this with the intent of caring it with me when I ride. Easily fits in a tank bag. It really is great camera. My Dad was a pro photog for many years. And has all the bad ass canon DSLR and the massive lens and he was impressed with it. I am definitely no expert when it comes to cameras. But I couldnt find anything negative in my research.Check it out http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...qid=1295207568

[smm]

Let me add a vote for the little Panasonic which I've had for a couple of months now.

The 24mm wide angle lens is fantastic and F2 allows one to shoot without a flash in most situations. Shutter lag and AF are hugely improved over previous generations, very close to DSLR territory.

Unless you're carrying a tripod (and 2 lenses) I think that situations where you'd actually notice a difference between the LX5 (or the Cannon) and a DSLR are wildly improbable and even then the differences are probably dwarfed by your own composition skills, waiting for the right light, things like that.

Ken Rockwell likes the S95 for similar reasons. The best camera is the one that you carry all the time.

-Scott

[munchmeister]

Got out this afternoon for some testing of the Nikon S8100 point and shoot. Late afternoon, beautiful Colorado winter day in the Park. Just grabbed the camera in one hand, dog leash in the other. Just grabbing shots as I walked the dog.



I annotated the shots, camera modes and my impression of the results here:
http://f-rider.smugmug.com/Photograp...15387397_rFMta

Shots in the gallery are straight out of the camera, then uploaded to SmugMug using Lightroom 3.3 jfriedl plug in. No PP. Most in Auto mode, a few in 'scene' modes, e.g. 'landscape' or 'dusk and dawn.' (This camera does not have A, S, M modes but I want a point and shoot. If I'm gonna fuss with aperture settings, I will use the D90).

The gallery includes a couple of videos using the S8100's HS movie mode which shoots at 240fps, plays back at 30fps, for some really cool slo mo video. I'm super impressed with the CMOS sensor in this pup. YMMV but I think I'm gonna keep it.

EDIT: I continue to add to my listed gallery, with comments on the 'test' photos I'm taking with the S8100.

[DougZ73]

Subscribed for all of the good information.

[Grainbelt]

tastroman - Which pentax lens do you have? Some great stuff out there. The K-r is a fantastic camera. Great high-ISO performance and video capability.

The size penalty between a k-r and a big bridge camera is minimal. I keep my K200D and the excellent 35mm F2.8 macro lens in my tank bag.

If you have the money, the things you can accomplish with the additional control, lower high ISO noise, and depth of field control can make for some fantastic images.

There is a learning curve, though. A lot of my early DSLR pics were terrible.

[tastroman]

Originally Posted by Grainbelt

tastroman - Which pentax lens do you have?

I have the 50mm f2.0 that came on the camera. I always thought it was a nice, sharp, fast lens. I have a doubler to fit it and while many don't like them I often found it useful. I also have a 28-200 Tamron with Macro attachment that is bulky but versatile but a little on the slow side.
I ended up purchasing a Samsung TL500 and so far I love it. It is light years ahead of my previous Konica-Minolta long zoom when it comes to image quality so I can only imagine what great things you can get out of a DSLR. I really feel my new Samsung is better than me so I'll just have to wait to see if I can get good enough to warrant replacing it.

[Ddouble]

I thought I might chip some thoughts in on this thread. I have more than one example of both DSLR & PS. For me it sort of "horses for courses". For use on the bike, it is hard to beat the PS. I have a cheap Kodak with a Schneider lens that can take some great pics. It has a huge amount of features and was cheap enough that if I break it it won't cause severe emotional distress.

For more serious use, I definitely prefer the DSLR. I can appreciate the reasons that many of you have already stated. Greater selection of lenses, flashes and accessories. Great image quality. Full freedom of settings, etc One huge thing for me is that the DSLR has an optical, TTL eye level viewfinder, usually with adjustable diopter. I have yet to find A PS with that feature. My close vision is pretty bad, and I use reading glasses. It is a pain to focus and compose a picture with a back mounted LCD, and the eye level ones are typically awful resolution. I am a lot happier when I can review the focus, composition and depth of field of my pictures before I push the shutter release.

[p3ga]

...is now being thrown out like yesterday's bathwater.

<$400 with kit zoom lens via Panasonic's Facebook (yeah, I know) page. You have to "like" Panasonic to get to their club pricing, then fish around for the deal via the lens page. (Price drops to $3xx.00 after adding it to the cart).

I had been considering a FZ35, then the LX-5, then the FZ40, etc...... to replace my 6 year-old Lumiz FZ-4.

The GH-1 adds HD video and a buncha stuff with body size comparable to the FZ35.

Someone talk me out of this thing fast, lest I pull the trigger.

[Twohondas]

OK Canon and Nikon just released new models. Two look really interesting in the zoom niche.

Nikon 9100 update to 8100 - http://dpreview.com/news/1102/110209...superzooms.asp




And the Canon replacement for the PowerShot SX210 is the Powershot SX230 - http://dpreview.com/news/1102/110207...sx220sx230.asp




The new unit has a better sensor as well as GPS (USA version). Although geotagging pictures is fairly easy with aftermarket tools to include Garmin's software.

The Canon is a tank bag sized unit with adequate zoom.



Most likely I will go for one of these sometime in March ....unfortunately after my next tour.