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

naveendhyani · 11th March 2006, 14:56

hi friends!

i m looking for a digital camera with good Optical zoom in the range of 20k, pls give ur suggestions.

thanx a lot.

Rehaan · 11th March 2006, 15:14

Canon S3 IS.

or even the S2 IS if you wanna save some $$ and lose out on tiny feature advantages the S3 offers.

cya
R

ksethuram · 11th March 2006, 15:16

Canon 2 IS. Check the review at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons2is/. One of my friend has bought this... Damm good camera.

muni · 11th March 2006, 23:06

i have a panasonic fz5 with leica lens.which is quite decent. I paid arnd 650USD abt an year back in japan. It would reatil at arnd 300 USD in the US. Try to get it from the US .

The canon s2is is also gud and there is a similar 5 Mega Px, 12 x optical zoom from Sony which is quite popular. All the above are 5 MP cameras and are the medium budget ones..

artofzen · 12th March 2006, 01:31

Sony DSC H1.
5.1 Meg apixel
12x optical zoom.
I guess it should be around 20000 INR now.

ksethuram · 13th March 2006, 12:03

Guy's think twice before investing in SONY, Once you are into sony that is it, the card cost is too much when compared to others, each updrade will let a hole in your pocket. Better go for a camera with SD card. This will help you in long run. Moreover picture quality is not great in SONY when compared to it's rivals....

Rehaan · 13th March 2006, 12:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksethuram

Better go for a camera with SD card..

Very true! They are trying to establish SD as an industry standard arent they?

cya
R

Stratos · 13th March 2006, 13:16

I got a Canon Powershot A520. 4.0 MegaPixel, 4x optical, 10 x digital zoom for Rs.14000/-. Very good Camera. I am happy with it.

tsk1979 · 13th March 2006, 13:24

Sony gives excellent picture quality. Its more upto the user. For P&S sony H series rocks.
check out the reviews at dpreview.com
The problem is the memory stick pro. Its expensive. It would be good to get a cam with CF or SD cards.

tsk1979 · 13th March 2006, 13:29

Naveen, there are lots of cams in this range. Depends on what you want. There is the Kodak P880 for around 35000, the Panasonic FZ series, the canon IS series.
Each cam has strengths and weaknesses.
If you like night photography, you would go for a cam with low noise sensor, if you like to lots of evening pics of kids playing etc., you would like to have IS, etc, etc.,
I suggest you check out http://www.dpreview.com. Cams costing below 400$ should cost around 20K in india.
If you dont mind memory stick pro Sony DSC H5 is a good buy, but may not be available in India yet. You also get a 3 year warranty + interest free EMi scheme.
Otherwize FZ7 from panasonic stable is good and so are the canon S2 IS cams.

TributE · 13th March 2006, 14:09

i own a olympus c-770.don't know how much it'll cost now.4.0 MegaPixel, 4x optical, 10 x digital zoom.picture quality is amazing,but the flash is quite weak and needs an attachment for a good night-time pic.

extreme_torque · 13th March 2006, 14:30

With your eyes closed go for Panasonic Lumix FZ 20 5 Megapixel, 12X Optical zoom with almost no fringing which plagues both the canon S2 IS and Sony DSC H1 both of them 5 Megapixel and 12X Optical Zoom. The image stablization is the best in Panasonic, something which is very necessary in a camera with such zoom capability.
In order of preference:
1.Panasonic Lumix FZ 20
2. Canon S2 IS
3. Sony DSC H1

dhirajs · 13th March 2006, 14:35

http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/- this should be helpful.

I got the canon A620 for $360,its quite good,except for being sligtly heavy.I had the same budget as u do,but since u want one with good optical zoom,canon S2 IS would be the right choice,i agree with rehaan & sethu.

Guys,which 1gb sd card should i buy?kingston or someother?for howmuch?

I like the DSC-N1 also,its damn sleek ,& has a 3.0"LCD.

tsk1979 · 13th March 2006, 15:16

FZ7 and H5 are already released and they are newer cams

Gordon · 13th March 2006, 16:07

In order of preference.

Sony. The best of the lot. They have the biggest display screens [2.5inch] in the market and very good menus. Good quality pics. Uses Memory Stick. High Quality videos can be captured.

Canon. I'd rate them as good as Sony. Good quality pics. Displays are smaller than Sony. Uses SD Cards.

Panasonic. Personally, I HATE the menus of these cameras. However, for more information, wait for Comfortablywacky to post. Noticed that they yield very good pics too.

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More
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Nikon. Until Sony and Canon have developed, these were supposed to be the BEST digital cameras. I've never used one, far alone seen one. I guess someone complained about Nikon pics to be very grainy.

Kodak. If you're looking out for just point-and-shoot, go in for Kodak. They have a lot of preset settings for different situations. Will suit you well. The recent cameras are 10x optical zoom + anti-shake feature. Have never used it nor seen the quality of pics though.

11th March 2006, 14:56	#1
naveendhyani BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 542 Thanked: 9 Times	Digital Camera Reviews (around Rs. 20,000/-) hi friends! i m looking for a digital camera with good Optical zoom in the range of 20k, pls give ur suggestions. thanx a lot.
	() Thanks

11th March 2006, 15:14	#2
Rehaan Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 24,217 Thanked: 36,171 Times	Canon S3 IS. or even the S2 IS if you wanna save some $$ and lose out on tiny feature advantages the S3 offers. cya R
	() Thanks

11th March 2006, 15:16	#3
ksethuram BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chennai , London (now) Posts: 233 Thanked: Once	Canon 2 IS. Check the review at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons2is/. One of my friend has bought this... Damm good camera.
	() Thanks

11th March 2006, 23:06	#4
muni BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 607 Thanked: 216 Times View My Garage	i have a panasonic fz5 with leica lens.which is quite decent. I paid arnd 650USD abt an year back in japan. It would reatil at arnd 300 USD in the US. Try to get it from the US . The canon s2is is also gud and there is a similar 5 Mega Px, 12 x optical zoom from Sony which is quite popular. All the above are 5 MP cameras and are the medium budget ones..
	() Thanks

12th March 2006, 01:31	#5
artofzen BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: VOCI-LHR Posts: 735 Thanked: 69 Times View My Garage	Sony DSC H1. 5.1 Meg apixel 12x optical zoom. I guess it should be around 20000 INR now.
	() Thanks

13th March 2006, 12:03	#6
ksethuram BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chennai , London (now) Posts: 233 Thanked: Once	Guy's think twice before investing in SONY, Once you are into sony that is it, the card cost is too much when compared to others, each updrade will let a hole in your pocket. Better go for a camera with SD card. This will help you in long run. Moreover picture quality is not great in SONY when compared to it's rivals....
	() Thanks

13th March 2006, 13:16	#8
Stratos Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,611 Thanked: 1,602 Times View My Garage	I got a Canon Powershot A520. 4.0 MegaPixel, 4x optical, 10 x digital zoom for Rs.14000/-. Very good Camera. I am happy with it.
	() Thanks

13th March 2006, 13:24	#9
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,689 Thanked: 23,495 Times View My Garage	Sony gives excellent picture quality. Its more upto the user. For P&S sony H series rocks. check out the reviews at dpreview.com The problem is the memory stick pro. Its expensive. It would be good to get a cam with CF or SD cards.
	() Thanks

13th March 2006, 13:29	#10
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,689 Thanked: 23,495 Times View My Garage	Naveen, there are lots of cams in this range. Depends on what you want. There is the Kodak P880 for around 35000, the Panasonic FZ series, the canon IS series. Each cam has strengths and weaknesses. If you like night photography, you would go for a cam with low noise sensor, if you like to lots of evening pics of kids playing etc., you would like to have IS, etc, etc., I suggest you check out http://www.dpreview.com. Cams costing below 400$ should cost around 20K in india. If you dont mind memory stick pro Sony DSC H5 is a good buy, but may not be available in India yet. You also get a 3 year warranty + interest free EMi scheme. Otherwize FZ7 from panasonic stable is good and so are the canon S2 IS cams.
	() Thanks

13th March 2006, 14:09	#11
TributE BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 47 Thanked: Once	i own a olympus c-770.don't know how much it'll cost now.4.0 MegaPixel, 4x optical, 10 x digital zoom.picture quality is amazing,but the flash is quite weak and needs an attachment for a good night-time pic.
	() Thanks

13th March 2006, 14:30	#12
extreme_torque BANNED Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Melbourne Posts: 4,461 Thanked: 5,535 Times	With your eyes closed go for Panasonic Lumix FZ 20 5 Megapixel, 12X Optical zoom with almost no fringing which plagues both the canon S2 IS and Sony DSC H1 both of them 5 Megapixel and 12X Optical Zoom. The image stablization is the best in Panasonic, something which is very necessary in a camera with such zoom capability. In order of preference: 1.Panasonic Lumix FZ 20 2. Canon S2 IS 3. Sony DSC H1
	() Thanks

13th March 2006, 14:35	#13
dhirajs BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Delhi Posts: 144 Thanked: 12 Times	http://www.dcresource.com/buyersguide/- this should be helpful. I got the canon A620 for $360,its quite good,except for being sligtly heavy.I had the same budget as u do,but since u want one with good optical zoom,canon S2 IS would be the right choice,i agree with rehaan & sethu. Guys,which 1gb sd card should i buy?kingston or someother?for howmuch? I like the DSC-N1 also,its damn sleek ,& has a 3.0"LCD.
	() Thanks

13th March 2006, 15:16	#14
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,689 Thanked: 23,495 Times View My Garage	FZ7 and H5 are already released and they are newer cams
	() Thanks

13th March 2006, 16:07	#15
Gordon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,549 Thanked: 508 Times View My Garage	In order of preference. Sony. The best of the lot. They have the biggest display screens [2.5inch] in the market and very good menus. Good quality pics. Uses Memory Stick. High Quality videos can be captured. Canon. I'd rate them as good as Sony. Good quality pics. Displays are smaller than Sony. Uses SD Cards. Panasonic. Personally, I HATE the menus of these cameras. However, for more information, wait for Comfortablywacky to post. Noticed that they yield very good pics too. ------------------ More ------------------ Nikon. Until Sony and Canon have developed, these were supposed to be the BEST digital cameras. I've never used one, far alone seen one. I guess someone complained about Nikon pics to be very grainy. Kodak. If you're looking out for just point-and-shoot, go in for Kodak. They have a lot of preset settings for different situations. Will suit you well. The recent cameras are 10x optical zoom + anti-shake feature. Have never used it nor seen the quality of pics though. Last edited by Gordon : 13th March 2006 at 16:09.
	() Thanks