Digital Camera Reviews (around Rs. 20,000/-)

abhi182 · 28th March 2006, 02:54

My 2 paisa worth:
i was looking for a camera in the 20K range around last month and zeroed on to the Canon S2IS and Sony DSC-H1....
Fortunately for me, i had access to bot the models through two of my friends ...and after a lot of comparison , i ended up choosing the Sony DSC-H1

- Better low light focusing capabilties
- Lower noise at higher ISOs
- 2.5" LCD

The Canon on the other hand had better color balance

Both the cameras are extremely capable and it was very difficult chosing between the two, but the final clincher was the fact that the Sony uses 2 AA batteries vs. 4 on the Canon....so lesser batteries to carry when travelling

I ended up paying $350 for the DSC-H1 and another $50 for a 512MB MS pro

28th March 2006, 02:56

but the S3 IS is a 6 mega pixel whereas this is 7 MP.doesn that make a huge difference ?

28th March 2006, 03:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhi182

My 2 paisa worth:
i was looking for a camera in the 20K range around last month and zeroed on to the Canon S2IS and Sony DSC-H1....
Fortunately for me, i had access to bot the models through two of my friends ...and after a lot of comparison , i ended up choosing the Sony DSC-H1

- Better low light focusing capabilties
- Lower noise at higher ISOs
- 2.5" LCD

The Canon on the other hand had better color balance

Both the cameras are extremely capable and it was very difficult chosing between the two, but the final clincher was the fact that the Sony uses 2 AA batteries vs. 4 on the Canon....so lesser batteries to carry when travelling

I ended up paying $350 for the DSC-H1 and another $50 for a 512MB MS pro

but between the one you got and the S3 IS i guess the S3 IS is much better.what do you say tsk ?

abhi182 · 28th March 2006, 03:10

I guess The S3 would perhaps be better but if was out of my budget at ~$500
the S2 IS and the H1 were both $350

Quote:

but the S3 IS is a 5 mega pixel whereas this is 7 MP.doesn that make a huge difference ?

Depends on what you need...If like me, you mostly watch pics on the PC screen, you don't even need more than 2 MP

5MP vs 7MP would definitely not be the determining factor for me

28th March 2006, 12:21

ok abhi,
thank you very much for the info.

navin · 28th March 2006, 13:58

I used to find the older Sony's red to be over saturated besides they use those expensive Sticks.

The Panny FX9 is a gret pocket camera and the IS does work a bit as well. My wife uses her FX7 (2 years old) as it fits snugly in her purse.

anything over 4MP will give you decent 6x8 and usable 8x12. I use a 4 yr old G2 (with a 420EX) for most functions.

Note that CCDs are very insensitive to light (esp coming from someone used to film) so a good external flash is essential for most indoor sitations.

Also i find wide angles are more often used than long tele. so a 28mm lens would be something one should consider.

Given the above..today i would look at the Canon S80. It has a hot shoe, a 28-100 lens, great software, color accuracy and metering with the caeveat that it has a rather small LCD screen for it's price class.

R.P.M · 28th March 2006, 14:07

I Suggest you go in for a NIKON P1.

8MP
3.5x OZ
WIFI
2.5 inch LCD
awesome battery life.

It looks a little big in the photographs online but it actually fits quite well in the pocket.

The picture quality is awesome and I think it is the best budget camera around.

It costs 15.5K in india. Should cost about 375 USD along with a 256 mb card.

28th March 2006, 22:14

which one is a better cam between the NIKON P1 and The Canon S3 IS ??

s0uljah · 28th March 2006, 23:07

Any of you have 360deg rotating Swivel LCDs on your cams ? In a 15k budget

tsk1979 · 29th March 2006, 00:53

S3 IS is a different class. More advanced. Dont be too much taken in my Megapixels. There is lot more to a camera than just MPs. IF you are still confused handle both the cams and take what you like. But Nikon has hardly any optical zoom(120mm I think). So no zooming for ya. For a side by side comparison, here
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/comp..._cpp1&show=all

29th March 2006, 15:22

Canon S3 IS it is sir. !!

tsk1979 · 29th March 2006, 16:41

No! Dont decide without the "hold test".
Go to a shop, click a few snaps. Hold the camera in your hands. That is the most important thing. S3 IS is a wonderful cam, but in the end its for the user to decide. For example many people with large hands find the 350D DSLR from canon uncomfortable to hold. OTOH, I love the feel and small size. So just try out the S3 IS, The sony 12X zooms(I think the new H2/H5). Then you can go to http://www.dpreview.com and do a side-by-side comparison in the buyers guide section and choose the one with the best features. If you like the feel of S3 IS in your hands, then go for it as its an amazing cam. In the Camera market the fight is between Canon and Sony mostly with nikon and oly starting to lag behind.
Have fun with your cam!

navin · 29th March 2006, 16:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

S3 IS is a different class. More advanced.

The P1 is a compact. the S3 is near SLR size and is a bit more expensive. The S3 is a great camera but should be comapred to the Kodak P850 or Panny FZ20.

I like the 850 as it is $100 less (buy a big memory card with that) the and S3 has a hot shoe and is lighter. Here is a comparision with the S2 (not S3).
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/kodakp850/page10.asp

abhi182 · 30th March 2006, 01:45

how much are you getting the S3 IS for?

Rudra Sen · 30th March 2006, 09:30

Do not cut corners. Do not go overboard.

1. Take a wild guess and decide how much (if ever) you’re going to blow up your photos. If it’s not going to be more than 5/7 inches..2-3 mega pixel should be more than sufficient. My 1 mega pixel Nokia phone camera gives very sharp 5/7 prints through Kodak.

2. Have a fix on your budget. Remember, for a small print or for internet, there’s no difference between 2 mega pixel and 22 mega pixel.

3. Do not expect a brilliant quality of video from your small camera. Still/movie in one camera is a compromise.

4. Do not fall for digital zoom. It’s the hoax of the century.

5. Do not buy a camera which offers RAW capture. Unless you’re going to use it, you may be paying more for that RAW feature alone. TIFF/JPEG images are naturally sharp due to in camera processing. RAW images need supporting software to build a picture. Also, you need to have a fair amount of knowledge on image manipulation.

6. Almost all known cameras offer good result. Canon rules the roost and also in future, they’re going to lead. This is however my view only.

7. For any entry level DSLR, supplied lens is more than enough to explore your world. Additional lenses can be bought only when you know what you’re (if you’re) missing.

8. Expensive lenses do produce better results. Buy them only if your work/application demands. Sample shown below is 75% cropped of a full frame, 16.7 mega pixel (24/36mm). 400mm 5.6L telephoto.

9. Take care of your camera. It’s delicate piece of equipment and you’ve paid for it.

10. Use your camera regularly. That’s the best diet your camera can have to be in healthy shape.

28th March 2006, 02:54	#46
abhi182 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 377 Thanked: 535 Times View My Garage	My 2 paisa worth: i was looking for a camera in the 20K range around last month and zeroed on to the Canon S2IS and Sony DSC-H1.... Fortunately for me, i had access to bot the models through two of my friends ...and after a lot of comparison , i ended up choosing the Sony DSC-H1 - Better low light focusing capabilties - Lower noise at higher ISOs - 2.5" LCD The Canon on the other hand had better color balance Both the cameras are extremely capable and it was very difficult chosing between the two, but the final clincher was the fact that the Sony uses 2 AA batteries vs. 4 on the Canon....so lesser batteries to carry when travelling I ended up paying $350 for the DSC-H1 and another $50 for a 512MB MS pro
	() Thanks

28th March 2006, 02:56	#47
lancer_mania Posts: n/a	but the S3 IS is a 6 mega pixel whereas this is 7 MP.doesn that make a huge difference ? Last edited by lancer_mania : 28th March 2006 at 03:07.
	() Thanks

28th March 2006, 12:21	#50
lancer_mania Posts: n/a	ok abhi, thank you very much for the info.
	() Thanks

28th March 2006, 13:58	#51
navin Team-BHP Support Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 25,418 Thanked: 9,994 Times	I used to find the older Sony's red to be over saturated besides they use those expensive Sticks. The Panny FX9 is a gret pocket camera and the IS does work a bit as well. My wife uses her FX7 (2 years old) as it fits snugly in her purse. anything over 4MP will give you decent 6x8 and usable 8x12. I use a 4 yr old G2 (with a 420EX) for most functions. Note that CCDs are very insensitive to light (esp coming from someone used to film) so a good external flash is essential for most indoor sitations. Also i find wide angles are more often used than long tele. so a 28mm lens would be something one should consider. Given the above..today i would look at the Canon S80. It has a hot shoe, a 28-100 lens, great software, color accuracy and metering with the caeveat that it has a rather small LCD screen for it's price class.
	() Thanks

28th March 2006, 14:07	#52
R.P.M BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 217 Thanked: 52 Times	I Suggest you go in for a NIKON P1. 8MP 3.5x OZ WIFI 2.5 inch LCD awesome battery life. It looks a little big in the photographs online but it actually fits quite well in the pocket. The picture quality is awesome and I think it is the best budget camera around. It costs 15.5K in india. Should cost about 375 USD along with a 256 mb card. Last edited by R.P.M : 28th March 2006 at 14:08.
	() Thanks

28th March 2006, 22:14	#53
lancer_mania Posts: n/a	which one is a better cam between the NIKON P1 and The Canon S3 IS ??
	() Thanks

28th March 2006, 23:07	#54
s0uljah Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: BLR Posts: 2,222 Thanked: 26 Times View My Garage	Any of you have 360deg rotating Swivel LCDs on your cams ? In a 15k budget
	() Thanks

29th March 2006, 00:53	#55
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,688 Thanked: 23,494 Times View My Garage	S3 IS is a different class. More advanced. Dont be too much taken in my Megapixels. There is lot more to a camera than just MPs. IF you are still confused handle both the cams and take what you like. But Nikon has hardly any optical zoom(120mm I think). So no zooming for ya. For a side by side comparison, here http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/comp..._cpp1&show=all Last edited by tsk1979 : 29th March 2006 at 00:54.
	() Thanks

29th March 2006, 15:22	#56
lancer_mania Posts: n/a	Canon S3 IS it is sir. !!
	() Thanks

29th March 2006, 16:41	#57
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,688 Thanked: 23,494 Times View My Garage	No! Dont decide without the "hold test". Go to a shop, click a few snaps. Hold the camera in your hands. That is the most important thing. S3 IS is a wonderful cam, but in the end its for the user to decide. For example many people with large hands find the 350D DSLR from canon uncomfortable to hold. OTOH, I love the feel and small size. So just try out the S3 IS, The sony 12X zooms(I think the new H2/H5). Then you can go to http://www.dpreview.com and do a side-by-side comparison in the buyers guide section and choose the one with the best features. If you like the feel of S3 IS in your hands, then go for it as its an amazing cam. In the Camera market the fight is between Canon and Sony mostly with nikon and oly starting to lag behind. Have fun with your cam!
	() Thanks

30th March 2006, 01:45	#59
abhi182 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 377 Thanked: 535 Times View My Garage	how much are you getting the S3 IS for?
	() Thanks

30th March 2006, 09:30	#60
Rudra Sen Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11,761 Thanked: 6,882 Times View My Garage	Do not cut corners. Do not go overboard. 1. Take a wild guess and decide how much (if ever) you’re going to blow up your photos. If it’s not going to be more than 5/7 inches..2-3 mega pixel should be more than sufficient. My 1 mega pixel Nokia phone camera gives very sharp 5/7 prints through Kodak. 2. Have a fix on your budget. Remember, for a small print or for internet, there’s no difference between 2 mega pixel and 22 mega pixel. 3. Do not expect a brilliant quality of video from your small camera. Still/movie in one camera is a compromise. 4. Do not fall for digital zoom. It’s the hoax of the century. 5. Do not buy a camera which offers RAW capture. Unless you’re going to use it, you may be paying more for that RAW feature alone. TIFF/JPEG images are naturally sharp due to in camera processing. RAW images need supporting software to build a picture. Also, you need to have a fair amount of knowledge on image manipulation. 6. Almost all known cameras offer good result. Canon rules the roost and also in future, they’re going to lead. This is however my view only. 7. For any entry level DSLR, supplied lens is more than enough to explore your world. Additional lenses can be bought only when you know what you’re (if you’re) missing. 8. Expensive lenses do produce better results. Buy them only if your work/application demands. Sample shown below is 75% cropped of a full frame, 16.7 mega pixel (24/36mm). 400mm 5.6L telephoto. 9. Take care of your camera. It’s delicate piece of equipment and you’ve paid for it. 10. Use your camera regularly. That’s the best diet your camera can have to be in healthy shape.
	() Thanks