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if you go with a compact, i really love my Canon Powershot A95. great auto mode, but pretty feature rich for when you want more control.

wrote optimus on March 30, 2005 7:41 PM

I’m looking at the Digital Rebel, but it’s a painful compromise. I’d like to do more artistic photography, and it’s all that I can afford. The Russian firmware hack that enables the manual features is the only reason I’m considering it.

It might be better to get a great compact than a compromise SLR. Powershots are a great choice.

Steve’s Digicams has very thorough reviews. You can cut down on the bewilderment by starting with “The BEST cameras”.

wrote Neil K. on March 30, 2005 10:28 PM

ooh, thanks guys. I’ve also checked out some great reviews at www.dpreview.com - Digital Photography Review — they have loads of test shots and multiple-angle views of the cameras, interfaces, etc.

wrote aj on March 31, 2005 12:12 AM

I bought a Canon S400 PowerShot, one of the compact cameras, just when they were going out of style (it was replaced by the S410 which is exactly the same thing — really — and the S500 which is 5 MPx instead of 4.

I’ve had it for a year, and in that time, my iPhoto library has grown from 0 to 1665. And that doesn’t include all the photos I’ve taken and thrown away.

Ultimately, it’s your decision, but the best thing about the compact cameras is that they are so small and light you can take them anywhere in your pocket. They take good quality pictures, as long as you’re happy giving up manual control.

Personally, as someone who was raised on an old, totally-manual SLR, I *do* miss all of that control. In fact, having the S400 has made me really want a digital SLR, but only *in addition* to it, not instead. I know that there’s no way I would’ve taken nearly 2000 photos in a year if I had to lug around a big SLR all the time. Consider that carefully if you are going to buy only one or the other. Are you the kind of person who has “Photo Days” when you decide to Take Photos and are happy to brandish a big camera? Or are you the kind of person who wants to be able to take shots everywhere at any time?

As I said, the S400 takes good-quality pictures. Better, I think, than some of the competing brands. The main things that it is impossible to do with the S400 and cameras like it are: control the shutter speed to get an action shot, and manual focus. There isn’t any manual focus, and at times — like when it’s a bit dark — it drives me bananas. However, it does let you lock the focus on something before taking the photo. You can also lock the exposure beforehand, and even over or underexpose by several stops.

If I do buy a digital SLR, it will be so that I can buy a good lens or two to go with it.

As an alternative, you might consider going with one of the “inbetween” models like the Canon A95, which has manual features but is smallish. Personally though, I found it noticeably heavier and less pocket-sized, and at that point, I think, why not just go whole hog.

I wrote a long review of my camera on my web site, if you’re interested. As I say, Canon doesn’t make my camera anymore, but it’s successors are virtually identical in appearance and function.

wrote Luke on March 31, 2005 5:31 AM

Have you seen the soon-to-be-released new
Coolpix cameras? They look so cute! I’ve used 3 versions in the Coolpix series and have been really happy.. though, I’d like to move on to a digital SLR now.

wrote Lana on April 1, 2005 1:10 PM

i do *love* my sony dsc p100…and it’s a saucy red colour…optical zoom, carl zeiss lens, 5 mpx, excellent closeup capacity, good under low light without a flash…

wrote maggie on April 1, 2005 7:42 PM

The Canon A series really is outstanding if you’re considering a compact. They’re easy to use, have very good quality optics, and are reasonably priced.

Before talking brands and models, however, you really need to decide between compact and SLR. SLR will give you somewhat more of a “traditional” experience in terms of how the camera is handled, but you will be dealing with a piece of equipment that is four to five times bigger and heavier.

Today’ compacts (such as the Canons I mentioned) produce excellent results. Most of the “first generation” digital problems have been dealt with. They are still a bit slower than an SLR, but not like the older models.

Aside from size, what it really comes down to is this: are you more of a “point-and-shoot” guy, or a “dial fiddler?”

Those lines are blurred, as there are plenty of dials to fiddle with on the compacts (although they tend to be less intuitive than on an SLR, so you end up spending a huge amount of time flipping around on menus) and SLRs perform very well in point-and-shoot mode.

But still, it’s a useful guideline. Will you be snapping pictures at social gatherings, snapping travel photos, etc., or will you be walking around in a very decisive “photographer” mode, wanting full control over every aspect of the photos you are taking?

Really. Figure that out, and that will tell you if you want compact or SLR. Then narrow the search.

wrote blork on April 4, 2005 10:54 AM

I’m tempted to go both ways, actually.

On the compact digital end, I’m leaning towards the Canon PowerShot S70 — a compact 7 megapixel miracle with a reasonable 3x optical zoom and true wide-angle lens, that suffers a bit from chromatic aberrations due to the lens, but is great for what I love to do - architectural shots. Really nice even at higher ISO settings.

The just-announced Nikon S1 that Lana links to above is pretty slick, I have to admit, and very tempting as a replacement for the old HP. I’ll wait to see a test and some sample images.

On the SLR / SLR-like end, the PowerShot G6 looks pretty good for the budget range I’m looking at.

I’m also seriously considering getting a an inexpensive film SLR — the entry-level EOS Rebel is quite inexpensive and there are plenty of filters and lenses available. I wouldn’t mind something with user-selectable AF points, though.

And after seeing Genevieve’s LOMO camera at the cabane a sucre this weekend, I’m really tempted to get one of those, too, especially with the ColorSplash hot-shoe flash! (Did you know you can get LOMOs and Holgas through Amazon.com?)

wrote aj on April 4, 2005 7:05 PM

Come and see me at the next yulblog meeting and I’ll let you play with my FujiFilm FinePix S5000. They are probably up to 5100 or 5300 by now but it’s a good choice if you want an SLR-like camera with a real 10X zoom.

wrote andre on April 5, 2005 4:39 PM

Thanks, Andre. i’ll be there, likely a bit later than usual…

wrote aj on April 5, 2005 4:45 PM

Another endorsement for the Canon Powershot S400…a truly lovely piece of gadgetry. Its best features is compactness: I can slip it in my jeans pocket along with several other items without any discomfort whatsoever. And, it takes great shots.

wrote Nick on April 6, 2005 6:44 PM