[Capegirl]

I posted this under introduce yourself so I thought I probably should have posted here part of what I wrote as well...

So here goes. I hope to hear back soon. Thanks so much!

Hello Everyone, I am Emily. I am in searching for the perfect camera for vacation which we leave for on sunday. I have a 7 year old Kodak easy share that is 3.1megapixels and 3x optical zoom. Absolutely got my use out of it but I am tired of trying to take pictures of boats or other things out on the ocean and they are not focused or grainy. That and the delay from when you push the button to when it takes the picture has caused us to miss a few things with the kids. So I found 2 cannons in my price range of around 300$... one does not have a view finder which I use more than the screen and the other one has just a few more little bells that might be fun. I was wondering what you all thought of them and also if I buy this kind of camera will I have to buy another one 7 years down the road or are these made to last longer? I also want to be able to take pictures of flowers close and seashells and I cannot do that with the kodak it just doesn't work. It also shut off in the middle of taking pictures which is really convenient sometimes! Lol. So I have been looking at the Cannon SX100 IS and the Cannon S5IS I really like the later one but it might be a sell to hubby so I would love to know what you wonderful picture takers think.... thanks. Can't wait to hear back!!!


Emily

[Irma]

I am not so familiar with those cameras, I have never used them. As far as I read, both have very similar image quality and the differences are SX100 less noise over S5 and the S5 seems to do better with videos.

What happen with digital cameras is that in some point they become obsolete, but they are usable and work well.

As the time goes new cameras bring along new features... Your Kodak still work but you are changing because you have other needs, so a new camera can satisfy what your old camera can't. Whether you will need to buy a new camera in 7 years or not depends on the care you give to it and your needs.

Welcome to Shuttertalk Emily....

[Zig]

Welcome, Emily: I completely agree with Irma.
The good thing about the way cameras seem to become "obsolete", is that most folks are encouraged to have Upgraditis! Therefore, you can pick up something like a 350D or 20D very, very cheaply, and it'll keep you going for quite a while. A good time to shop around for cheap but very good Canons is when they are bringing out new models: I'd guess anytime now , certainly by September, you'll get even better deals too.

[NT73]

Emily wrote >> 'I am in searching for the perfect camera' <<.

Aren't we all.

What everyone has said so far if that is what you fancy.
I can also recommend th panasonic Lumix fz...range. Lightweight, a good zoom, eye lcd viewfinder or Lcd screen, Macro capability, Longish life battery. (about 300 shots including showing a good few to your friends) and lots lots more.
The FZ5 which I had (now my wifes) is most probably obsolete-ish now but either that or FZ7 wont be too expensive. Both have 10 times zoom or maybe it is 12x (forgotten now . Senior thing)

Here is a link to a review of FZ8 / FZ18/ and the Canon S5IS among others. http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html
Whatever you get, happy shooting.

[matthew]

Hi Emily, welcome to Shuttertalk.

I am in searching for the perfect camera for vacation which we leave for on sunday. I have a 7 year old Kodak easy share that is 3.1megapixels and 3x optical zoom. ... I also want to be able to take pictures of flowers close and seashells and I cannot do that with the kodak it just doesn't work. It also shut off in the middle of taking pictures which is really convenient sometimes! Lol. So I have been looking at the Cannon SX100 IS and the Cannon S5IS I really like the later one but it might be a sell to hubby ...

I don't own either camera, but I'm familiar with them both. (I work in a camera store.) So first there are some disclaimers: there's no 'perfect' camera just like there's no perfect pair of shoes. It all depends on what you want to use it for. There's also not much difference in image quality between the various compact cameras and brands until you step up to a DSLR with its larger sensor, so know that whatever camera you do pick should be based on the features that you need, not because some review or other says that the photos are a little better with one or the other.

That said, between the S5 IS and the SX100 IS, the S5 is the better camera for you. It has a better lens, better battery life (it takes 4 AA instead of 2 AA batteries) and it's also really good for movies with a dedicated 'record' button and stereo microphones. But the biggest advantage is that the S5 has a really good macro mode: it's one of the best on any compact camera. It also has the flippy LCD that can be turned to face any angle, which is a big help for macro photography, and makes for a much more versatile vacation camera. It's also the one with the electronic viewfinder, which automatically turns on when the LCD is flipped closed.

I do see people with six and seven year old compact cameras that they're quite happy with, but the market has changed a lot and performance that used to be unobtainable is now available for just a few hundred dollars. So your kodak has led a good life, and perhaps your new Canon will outlast it as well. My camera club has someone who's still winning ribbons with his old S1 IS. But cameras are consumer electronics, they do wear out and malfunction, or they simply have accidents and break. So I can't say for sure that it will be with you that long - like most cameras, it has a 1 year warranty - but there's no reason why it can't work for a very long time if you take care of it.

[Capegirl]

Thank you ALL so much!!! I went and bought the S5IS last night. I could not be with out a viewfinder. I don't think I will be disappointed. It seems like it has a lot to offer. I love that I can buy things to add onto it if I want to and it is almost sort of near and SLR. I take alot of pictures on vacation and sometimes sell them but I am glad to get better quality and I can do bigger prints now. I also can go out to the garden and take a picture of a rose and it won't look like a pile of cereal or something. So I have to sit down today and for the next few days and figure out how to work this magnificent thing because we leave for vacation sunday morning. I like how I read some review and people posted some photos and how they got them, like traveling in the car at 70mph and there was no blur or glare. And that was on a preset mode. It will probable take me a while to figure out how to use the manual bells and whistles it has to offer but I am excited. I think I got a good camera for a good price, It was on sale for 332$. Way back when we bought the kodak it was almost 300. So I think this one if I take care of it will last even longer.

So thank you sooooo much for your input, and now that I have this fancy camera I will be around more I hope. Probably with tons of questions and hoepfully with lots of pictures to share.

Thanks again!

[shuttertalk]

Hey Capegirl - good choice! While there is no "perfect" camera, I think the one you have chosen definitely has a lot of flexibility and will allow you room to grow. In particular, the IS will help with blurry shots, and the large zoom range will make sure you're always in the action.

Congrats, and welcome to ST!