Technically true. But advances in software noise reduction has been what has allowed these companies to push the envelope. The new Canon G9/A650 twins seems to have comparable image quality to their predecessors despite a less optimal CCD/megapixel ratio ( they do have very slightly larger sensors than the last generation, but not enough to equal the increase in resolution ).
Which doesn’t mean you’re not right, of course, about the often overblown media hype around megapixels :). Just that straight optical physics isn’t the only factor anymore.
True indeed, the noise reduction plug-ins are getting quite good as well. I just don’t see what people are going to do with 15-20 MP images when all they want is to print 4x6’s and email snapshots to their family?
The new Panasonic with the Lumix lens. I have the older version. Tiny, great battery life, optical zoom, has image stabilization, etc. The new one is less expensive than the old one, but more megapixels (to the extent that one cares). I stuck a 2gig card in mine and have never run out of space.
IMHO, if it does not fin in a normal dress shirt pocket, it is not a constant carry camera and you will never have it when you need/want it. dSLR’s are not casual cameras. They are not compact.
I like the Fuji f-10. No stabilization though.
Kept breaking my Sony T-20 stabilization. So far the stabilization systems have proven to be too delicate for my use.
I have 4 types of media, SD, XD, and Memory stick and duo stick.
I take it to the store and shoot the same scene with as many cameras as i can and them take it back to my computer to compare.
I wish the ultra compacts like the Sony T-20 had more robust stabilization. I broke mine way too easy. I carry the camera loose in the pocket or on a lanyard for one handed shots off my old hard tail chopper. dSLR’s are not suitable for this work …
Launch time, shot to shot time, robust stabilization, 3 mega pixels max and 5 X optical zoom with a BIG piece of glass would be the bees knees if it all came together. Unfortunately, the public has been sold on ‘gee gaws’ and glitter…
As Crocodile Dundee said – sorta, (Zeiss RMK -25 6" aerial mapping camera) now this is a camera.
Really look hard at what you will really use the camera for and work from there. IMHO, a big or heavy camera will sit at home.
I don’t do paper prints any more and any picture I send or is sent to me that is over 900 X 675 and 150 K is too big and a waste of bandwidth. Also they are a slap in the face to my elderly relatives that are still on dial-up connections.
“Hard tail chopper” means a motorcycle without suspension, right? I’d think very few cameras would stand up to that.
My Canon SD800 has been in my satchel/man-purse all day every day for the past 9 months or so, and it still works perfectly. I believe my SO does the same with hers, and hers is in perfect condition as well. The only mechanical weakness I’ve noticed with Canon compact cameras is the flimsy lens cover - a soft case is necessary to prevent damage to it. (If it had a more durable cover I’d just throw it into the satchel without a case, and live with the scratches.)
The Cannon SD 800 looks pretty good. Is about the size of my F-10 which is bigger than the Sony T-20 but with that ‘skin’, it could well do the trick. Seems I can buy for about $270 now so … Need to think on it… Wish it was more the size of the T-20 but with the old style lens they just cant get to there. So far the new lenses on the T-20 style cameras are not as good IMO. Prolly because of size. You just can’t beat bigger glass.
Funny, the reviews said the 900 had some shake issues at 1/30 shutter … I like the titanium but don’t really care about the 10 M pixels… 800 is better I guess for what I need.
My operating conditions are so rough that “I.S.” might not be in my future just now…
I’m pretty hard on my cameras - backcountry skiing, winter mountaineering, hiking, and backpacking all summer. I’ve had good luck with the Canon SD-series so far.
If you really want bombproof and are willing to sacrifice a little image quality, consider the Olympus 790SW
On Tuesday I ordered the Sanyo Xacti HD1A for $386.45 from Wall Street Camera via Amazon.com. Having had no further notifications from them, I wrote them today and was informed:
Ooook… guess they didn’t mean to list it for that price, they’re now listed from them on Amazon for $531.45. If I really pushed them and Amazon I bet I could get it for the $386 price that was up Tuesday. But even though the camera is neat I expect I wouldn’t be happy with the image quality, I’ve studied sample images from various sites.
So anyway, back to the drawing board. After much research I found an almost perfect one: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3K This baby is small, true widescreen with a 10x zoom Leica lens, image stabilization, big bright LCD (although I’d still like a viewfinder), and will shoot 848x480 video at 30 frames per second, with sound.
The TZ3 is a nice camera, I bet you’ll be much happier with this than with the Sanyo.
Keep in mind that if you push the ISO high (which you will need to do in low light) the images get noisy, often very noisy. This isn’t a great low light camera; not that many excel in low light but the Panasonics really push their’s hard at high ISO.
