Digital Camera question for Keith

[DisneyFreak]

Keith, do you know anything about this new camera on the market from Canon?

Powershot 7.1 Megapixel Digital Camera with 3.6X Optical/4.1 Digital zoom. ($599.99)

Thanks!

[Keith]

Hi there!

Canon have recently announced a mass of new cameras... updating some that were only announced a few months ago :/ so that'll please their owners (not!)

The two new 7.1MP ones are the G6
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/canong6/

and, the one I think you're meaning, the S70,
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0408/04081906canon_s70.asp

I have played with a G6 I *haven't* yet got my hands on an S70 although I've used an s40,50,60 so I know pretty much what to expect since the S60 is the same just with a lower resolution.

The S range is REALLY nice. The lens on these models sits behind a really nice sliding lens cap which also turns the camera on. I know it doesn't sound much <G> but in practice it's a great design rather than having a lens cap dangle from a cord and potentially get lost.

The unit feels nice in the hand, small but not TOO small... and it doesn't feel like it'll break if you throw it in a bag or accidently drop it.

The lcd is sharp and bright and is easy to use to preview your shots although in very bright sunlight you sometimes have to shade it with your hand.

The lens is good but I've found with the S series and also the G range, there can be some purple fringing around the edges of a very dark -> very light transition. So if you were photographing a building on a strong sunny day you may see some purple edges to the building. Not always, but I've seen it enough to comment on it.

What else... well obviously it has a good resolution at 7.1MP although I'd strongly suggest you consider whether you NEED 7.1MP ;-) don't get lured into thinking that 7.1 is going to give you much more detail than the earlier 5Mp models.. in fact, if you can get a 5MP unit cheap because of the newer models, I'd grab it ;-). Remember also that 7MP is going to take up a lot of space on memory cards and on your pc.

Auto focus is slower than I'm used to but then I'm using pro level digitals which are amazing these days.. it's NOT so slow it's constantly annoying but every now and again I found I waited for it to lock onto a subject. (most consumer cams do this to some extent or another though).

The lens is slower than the G6 though, particular when zoomed out but in sunny weather, that's not so much of a concern ;-)

All in all, it's a great camera. I'm a big fan of canon as you probably know and the S range in particular is great. They're small enough to be pocketable, they feel nice to use and although in fully automatic mode they take wonderful shots, you CAN switch to manual and have all the adjustments you'd need to make.

The only other thing I could say is.... if you buy, don't look at the canon news for a long time! they seem to be upgrading the S models in particular every few months and it can be a bit sickening. Remember of course than just because a new model comes out, yours isn't any less capable ;-)

Hope that helps a bit! Any other questions feel free to post!

[PsychoAlice]

hey keith I wanted to say something to you..

Ya know that Digital rebel we bought a few months ago? its rocks but Sean wont stop buying extra stuff for it (3 new lens and 3 filters and......) you didnt warn me about that :wink:

[candyman]

keith can i ask a camera question too please

my new cannon A80
seems to be taking a long time from pressing the shoot button to the shutter going
(mostly indoors with flash)
i have tried new batteries but it is still the same
is there something i can change to make it faster
by the time it goes the kids have moved
thanks
steve

[Keith]

hey keith I wanted to say something to you..

Ya know that Digital rebel we bought a few months ago? its rocks but Sean wont stop buying extra stuff for it (3 new lens and 3 filters and......) you didnt warn me about that :wink:

:lol: sorry pa :)

Cool camera though isn't it?

[PsychoAlice]

I havent been able to touch it!!

I dunno! he got the 80-300 lens and the 50 lens...he had to get the lens filters cause we are in the desert and everything is so bright (hello ya live in the desert! lots of sunshine!!)

[Keith]

my new cannon A80
seems to be taking a long time from pressing the shoot button to the shutter going
(mostly indoors with flash)
i have tried new batteries but it is still the same
is there something i can change to make it faster
by the time it goes the kids have moved


Ah sure ok..... I wish they'd cover this stuff in the quickstart guide but they never ever do :rolleyes:

So many people end up disappointed for want of a single sentence in the manual.

Anyway, yeah consumer digital cameras tend to have a pause in trying to do all their focusing magic. There are a few things which will help....

1) try and focus on an area of contrast. So focus on the top of a jumper where it meets the neck for example. It's the difference in colour/contrast that will help it focus faster. (ideally in a portrait you want to focus on the eyes though, so try that first.)

2) and more importantly, aim at the group/children etc.. and HALF PRESS the shutter. You'll find there's 2 positions. Half down and full down. When you half press the button and keep it there for a second, it'll do all the processing it needs to do and then when you see the moment you want to capture, you can press the rest of the way down and it should take the photo immediately.

3) Half-press, recompose, shoot. You can press the button half way down when you have say the eyes or the jumper focussed (areas of contrasting colours to help it focus) then you can just move the camera again keeping the button half way down, so that the view in the viewfinder is what you actually want. That gets you the best of both worlds.

I know it's a bit weird coming from film where you point, click done. Professional kit (£3000+) is JUST letting us do that now! so in a year or so (perhaps less the way things are going), consumer cams will catch up. Try the things above though, you'll find they help a lot with a bit of practice.

[JacksDad]

Keith you have just composed Digital for Dummies ( no offense meant to anyone here).

So many people aren't aware of how to arm the camera. You're right!
Noone tells us how to!

[DisneyFreak]

Keith, we ended up going with the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W1 and a Minolta Maxxum 50 SLR. We loved our Minolta 400si which we've had for 10 years and has seen better days and we have a 210 lens and 1000 lens that we can now still use with the Maxxum 50.

We got both cameras and a 256 memory stick for for under $700. We will use the Sony for "everyday" photos and the Minolta for our "serious" photos and blow ups.

Thanks again Keith for all your camera wisdom and advice! :thumbs:

http://ai.pricegrabber.com/product_images/2651000-2651999/2651342_125.jpg

http://kmpi.konicaminolta.us/camimages/Maxxum_50_Date.jpg

[DisneyFreak]

BTW, I know it's been 18 months (give or take) since I posted photos of our home and I promised updated photos at that time. :whistle: Now that the inside of the house is done and now that we have a digital camera that I'm starting to feel comfortable with, I will have photos of the house up SOON!! :thumbs: I believe I still have the realtor before photos somewhere on my computer so you can see some of the differences. :)