New point and shoot camera arnd 15k

[abhidev]

Hey guys I need to buy a new point and shoot camera for arnd 15k for home use. Earlier had a Sony DSC S60...a pretty good camera but unfortunately now not working.

Well the new camera should have:
-good optical zoom
-best picture quality
-good battery life
-hd video recording

I read many other threads opened by TDF members with the same query.

So according to what I read, Canon SX220HS and Sony DSC-HX7V are the best in this price range. Please correct me if I am wrong. Guys please suggest which one of these or any other options for me. Thanx in advance.

 

[sujoyp]

bro problem is that by good optical zoom means how much do u want...in the other thread that guy wanted 21x+ soo we suggested accordingly...if u r fine with 10-14x then there r much better choices like u said sx220HS or HX7V

BTW as always I would say get SX220HS it have 14x optical zoom, manual controls, full HD recording @24fps...it has got just nothing against it

*reviews.cnet.co.uk/compact-digital-cameras/canon-powershot-sx220-hs-review-50003242/

 

[nac]

Abhi,
As Sujoy asked, me too thought of "what would be your definition of good"?

In spite of HX7Vs wider angle lens, in-built GPS, faster continuous drive and longer exposure, Canon Powershot SX220 HS scores in lot of other key areas. My pick is SX220 HS

 

[aroraanant]

Just extend your budget and get a HX9V.
And apart from SX220 HS and HX7V you can also look out for Nikon S9100,you can get it for 13k from timtara with the help of coupon

 

[abhidev]

hey guys thanx for replying...

@all: I would want a camera which is the best in that price range(all rounder).

well as per all your suggestions here is the comparison

As per the comparisons I would like to know how the following factors make the difference in the picture quality

-focal length
-Auto focus modes
-Sensor size
-Macro focus range
-Live view
-Maximum aperture
-Minimum shutter speed
-Maximum shutter speed
-Aperture priority
-Shutter priority
-Manual exposure mode
-Subject / scene modes
-Flash range
-Flash modes
-Continuous drive
-Metering modes
-Exposure compensation
-WB Bracketing

As you can see I don't know what effect and how important are above all these parameters...so guys kindly give your feedback and share knowledge to better understand and choose the best camera. Thanx in advance.

 

[sujoyp]

U have asked just too much I will tell u in 1 line for each

-focal length -50mm is the standard focal length...less than that is wider than our eye can see and more then that is the magnification
-Auto focus modes - I know 2 types AF per shot and continuous AF ...continuous AF is useful for moving objects
-Sensor size - *images.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/digital_sensor-sizes.png
in this image 1/3" and 1/2" is the size of sensor of P&S and 1.5x is the size of normal DSLRs like D3100 and 1.6x is the size of canon DSLR like 550D ...bigger the sensor the better low light capability
-Macro focus range - micro focus range is there in P&S...its generally 1cm to 5cm...when u enable micro mode in the cam the cam focuses very very close only around that range
-Live view - its the screen we see when taking the pics its called live view
-Maximum aperture - in aperture smaller number denotes bigger aperture like f1.8, f2.8 and smaller apertures are f22, f32 ....bigger the aperture better will be the low light capabilities coz more light can come in
-Minimum shutter speed - its the time taken to flip the shutter in DSLR...but in P&S there is no shutter...its done digitally....u can not go below 1/15 handhold with stabilisation and below 1/60 without stabilisation
-Maximum shutter speed - to take pic of moving subject we keep shutter speed very fast like 1/2000 ...max can be in some cam 1/8000
-Aperture priority - in this mode u set the aperture the cam will select shutter speed automatically
-Shutter priority - in this mode u select shutter speed and cam select aperture automatically
-Manual exposure mode - never heard of this...but in manual mode u have to set aperture and shutter speed yourself...
-Subject / scene modes - these r auto modes given to use in a hurry..
-Flash range - the distance the flash can cover...maybe 2-3 meters max
-Flash modes - dont have exact idea
-Continuous drive - if u r talking about continuous shooting option...its used to capture moving subjects like bird flying or moving car...there r max limit of pictures taken ...u just keep pressing the button and it will take pics
-Metering modes - spot, center and matrix (in my D3100) it sense the lightning conditions and accordingly set the aperture, shutter as per the mode selected
-Exposure compensation - it can be set according to lightning conditions...u can darken or brighten the subject using it..maybe in P&S its from -2 to +2
-WB Bracketing - never heard of it

 

[abhidev]

@sujoy: thanx a lot buddy for the prompt reply....lot of things are clear now...so according to you, if you have the checked the comparison link I have posted...what would be the best choice among the 4 considering all the factors?

 

[punter]

Hey guys I need to buy a new point and shoot camera for arnd 15k for home use. Earlier had a Sony DSC S60...a pretty good camera but unfortunately now not working.

Well the new camera should have:
-good optical zoom
-best picture quality
-good battery life
-hd video recording

I read many other threads opened by TDF members with the same query.

So according to what I read, Canon SX220HS and Sony DSC-HX7V are the best in this price range. Please correct me if I am wrong. Guys please suggest which one of these or any other options for me. Thanx in advance.

Dude,

Anything from Nikon or Canon stable would be good. You had tried Sony once but the quality you would get from the two I have mentioned would be extremely different.

All the best.

 

[sujoyp]

let me make it simple ...HX7V is not in this league....remaining 3 r very similar

if u want manual controls to learn further photography get SX220HS its downside is poor screen
If u want max zoom get S9100

 

[abhidev]

SX220HS has preset modes too right...so that my family members can use it with ease ???

 

[sujoyp]

yes every cams have preset modes even DSLRs dont worry its simple to use P&S

 

[nac]

Abhi,
Nikon doesn't have manual controls. You are planning to learn photography before buying SLR with the gear you are buying now. So in my view Nikon is out of this league. Both the Sony don't have Aperture, Shutter priority mode. But there are plenty of features to attract beginners like HDR, Panorama etc... As far as quality is concern Canon has little edge over Sony.

Since your budget is around 15k and thinking of SLR there are few budget SLR from Sony and Olympus. I am reading some good reviews of them. MRP is around 20k or under 20k, with some online offer you could get it around or under 17k. Just think of it...

 

[abhidev]

so what significant effect does these aperture priority and shutter priority bring to the picture quality...pls correct me if I am asking this question in a wrong context.

@nac: i think the cheaper dslrs are not vfm...also this camera will be used by my family members too...so was thinking to have something which will help me learn different camera settings(to help use dslr properly in future) and also it would be easy for others to take pics in preset modes.

 

[sujoyp]

aperture priority makes u think -what aperture I should use so that I get sharp subject and blurred background

Shutter priority makes u think - how much shutter speed should I keep so that the image comes sharp and u can hold ur camera stable...

If u saw my rajasthani festival pics.. I took all of them at shutter priority at 1/15 speed in hand ....when using aperture priority that day the speed was going to 1/5 which I cant handhold

 

[nac]

Abhi,
OK but the reviews were good. Probably, you wouldn't think of buying SLR (higher version) in the near future. Don't worry, as Sujoy said all the cameras no matter whether it's SLR or compact they have Auto mode our family members can very well use it at ease. It's alright if compact SLR are not in the cards.

Shutter/Aperture priority doesn't ensure that you can take the best picture. But it sure assists to get best pictures. Without this priority mode, you can use manual mode to get desired settings, but it's time consuming and even professionals find it benefit using those priority modes. So it sure adds value...

 

[abhidev]

aperture priority makes u think -what aperture I should use so that I get sharp subject and blurred background

Shutter priority makes u think - how much shutter speed should I keep so that the image comes sharp and u can hold ur camera stable...

If u saw my rajasthani festival pics.. I took all of them at shutter priority at 1/15 speed in hand ....when using aperture priority that day the speed was going to 1/5 which I cant handhold

gotcha!!!

Abhi,
OK but the reviews were good. Probably, you wouldn't think of buying SLR (higher version) in the near future. Don't worry, as Sujoy said all the cameras no matter whether it's SLR or compact they have Auto mode our family members can very well use it with ease. It's alright if compact SLR are not in the cards.

Shutter/Aperture priority doesn't ensure that you can take the best picture. But it sure assists to get best pictures. Without this priority mode, you can use manual mode to get desired settings, but it's time consuming and even professionals find it benefit using those priority modes. So it sure adds value...

i do really wanna get a DSLR(550D) but i think once i get it I would hesitate to give it to anyone for use and thats why I wanted a good point and shoot, easy to use camera for my family. Will buy a DSLR later once I clear the concepts and use of different camera settings for good photography

 

[sujoyp]

u r absolutely right abhidev ....I really hesitate to give my DSLR to anybody not even my family members

P&S with manual controls is enough for learning as u said

 

[abhidev]

u r absolutely right abhidev ....I really hesitate to give my DSLR to anybody not even my family members

P&S with manual controls is enough for learning as u said

exactly..i mean i told my brother that m buying a dslr...then he asked whether he can take it anywhere and use it...i said no

 

[sujoyp]

actually cost factor is also there...a 15k P&S and a 40k DSLR+lens ......just bump your lens once and see the effect , chances r u will regret that in your life

 

[nac]

Abhi,
One suggestion... Since you are gonna buy DSLR, you can spend less now on a camera which has full manual controls like SX220 HS.

SX150 is the upgraded version of SX130 (I am using this model), smartshoppers.in offers this cam for 9695/- i.e., 30% off from MRP.

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS 14.1MP 12x Optical Zoom

I guess that this model too have few drawbacks like slow performance, using AA batteries like SX130.