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Cannon IXUX65, IXUX800 or PowerShot 710 ?

 
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hello Ranchers,

Im currently looking to buy a digital camera and im hoping one of you
guys can help me make a choice.

Price Range: around � 210 / $ 400. (+/- 40 �)

Purpose: To make nice holiday photos, i.e. pictures of landscape, mountains,
buildings, nature and so on. I might be interested in being able to
print the photos (e.g. a nice sunset) and put it on the wall. The camera
will also be used in door.

What I've been looking at:

PowerShot 710 IS
7MP, 3072x2304pixels, 6x Optical zoom

Digital IXUS 65
6MP, 2816x2112pixels, 3xOptical zoom

Digital IXUS 800 IS
6MP, 2816x2112pixels, 4xOptical zoom

According to prices on the net, they are within the same price range
and their specs look more or less the same. The PowerShot seems to be
more "professional" whereas the IXUS' are smaller and easier to carry
around.

* Obviously, I'd prefer a small camera but what's the price?

* Will I miss many of the features (different photo types such
as landscape) that the photoshot might offer compared to the IXUS'?

* The photoshot has more zoom - but I only need this when I have
to get close to an object such as an animal right? would 3 or 4x zoom
be "any good" if I should develop a hobby in photographing and would like
to take pictures of animals up close?

Any help and guidance would be appriciated. If I should consider another
camera please feel free to point me in another direction.

/Svend Rost
 
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I have the 800IS and it suites my needs. I'm not a great photographer so I wouldn't get one for myself without the image stabilisation.
 
Svend Rost
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Originally posted by David O'Meara:
I'm not a great photographer so I wouldn't get one for myself without the image stabilisation [= IS,].


Thanks for replying! I didn't know what IS was, but found an explanation
here: http://www.canon.com/bctv/faq/optis.html

Can you make nice landscape pictures with your camera David? how about the
zoom, do you sometimes wish you had the opportunity to get "closer" ?
 
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I recently bought a IXUS 60, a Christmas gift for someone. It looks like a decent little camera. Little compact digital cameras has come a long way since my first camera - Fuji Finepix 1200, which had no optical zoom, 1.2 mp and it came with a 2MB 'smart media' card. I paid about �225 back then, nearly 400 or so US dollars?

IXUS 60 is smaller, better built, with 3x optical zoom and decent LCD display, 1 GB SD card etc, and reviews are very good. Compact digital cameras like the IXUS series etc are very popular for a reason - their size. They are perfect point and shoot devices that you can always carry with you, and never miss a shot. However, they are not a lot beyond mere point and shoot devices. If you are looking to do large-sized scenic shots as you see in glossy wall posters etc, you need more serious gear than the compacts. I tend to find most use for compact cameras for social occasions, indoors etc, where all I need is opposite of zoom - 'wide angle'. I would pick a compact for how wide it can shoot and how fast the lens is (to capture low-light or indoor scenes without flash) etc. If you want massive zoom, you can buy tele-converters for some of these compacts digital cameras.

I guess you should consider what type of photos you are most likely to take with the new camera, and look for features that best suits your specific demands. Apologies, I don�t have any comments on specific models that you are looking at.

Regards,

Ashok.

PS: I moved on from Finepix 1200 (1MP, no zoom) to a Sony P717 (5MP, 5x optical zoom, Carl Sieze lens � F2.0 to F2.4 � a very sharp and fast lens) and finally, last week to a Canon 400D / Xti.
 
Svend Rost
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Thanks for the comments Ashok and congrats on your new camera. I looked it
up on dpreview.com and I must say it looks like a decent camera - to say the least

Originally posted by Ashok Mash:

If you are looking to do large-sized scenic shots as you see in glossy wall posters etc, you need more serious gear than the compacts. ...
I guess you should consider what type of photos you are most likely to take with the new camera, and look for features that best suits your specific demands.

Good advice. I have no expirience in photographing, but I consider myself
to aspire abit higher than the average photographer who just want pictures
of family parties or the occasional holiday picture. Obviously, my camera is also
to be used for social events but the camera should be - to use an IT term -
scalable, i.e. I'd like to take nice photos of landscapes, a sunset and
if I goto, say, Africa one time I might also like to take photos of the animals
there and since it should be used for travel minimal size is also
a factor.


I dont plan to print "large-sized scenic shots", but I'd like to be able to
print the photos in A3 size.

With that in mind, would any of the 3 above mentioned cameras suit my needs?


Also, what would the difference be between your camera and the IXUS 800 for
instance (4x zoom) if we both were to shoot
a) Landscape picture (no zoom required, right?)
b) Picture of the Eiffel Tower, Paris (minimal zoom required, right?)
c) Deer 30 meters (98 feet) away (lots of zoom required, right?)
My guess:
a)non, we'd both get the full view b) non, we'd both get the details c) big difference as you would be able to get 100% up close
Am I correct?

/Svend Rost
[ November 23, 2006: Message edited by: Svend Rost ]
 
Svend Rost
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I asked myself, how much zoom do I need? and found this on malektips.com:


A) Are you primarily taking photos of friends and family?.. If so, a 2x or 3x zoom should be plenty.

B) Looking for photos of outdoor scenery/ architectural elements in a cityscape?.. A 5x+ zoom can help you take pictures from further away without sacrificing detail.

C) Interested in taking photos of wildlife where you need to stand back to avoid scaring animals away, at sporting events where you may be situated in third level seating..? That 7x+ zoom may be needed to get the photos you want.



As mentioned in my reply to Ashok, I'd like a scalable camera and because
of this I am enclined to say I will make photos of A and B.

Now, accoding to the specs this means the IXUS 65 is out right? and I
should go for the IXUS 800 or the PhotoShot 700. I think the IXUS 800 looks
nicer than the PhotoShot 700 and it's smaller (i.e. more handy), however
the PhotoShot 700 has more zoom... there will always be times where you'd
wish you had just a bit more zooming capacity, but the question is - how
big is the difference between 4x and 6x zoom.

Views, pointers, advice is always welcome

/Svend Rost
 
Ashok Mash
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Thanks Svend, I am all excited about the camera. I even thought about calling in a sickie for a day to play around with the camera!

Okay, the major advantage with an SLR camera is that you can use a lens that suits the requirement. There are hundreds of lenses out there for all sorts of light, speed requirements. For low-light conditions, you could go for a fast and usually expensive lens, to freeze really fast action like sports shots etc, you could use a fast telephoto with a lot of zoom (even more expensive), for portraits etc where you have time to plan your shot and setup the most suitable lighting etc, you could use cheaper prime lenses which usually produces sharpest images. You could get 18-100 mm walk around lenses for everyday use, or 500mm super telephoto lenses to shoot a bird on the other side of the lake etc. Body of the camera is a major part of your SLR kit, but without good and appropriate lens, its no better than a biscuit box with a hole!

When it comes to compacts, you consider your requirements, and from what you said, you are looking for all-rounder type of camera. One with a wide lens (indoors, big groups of people etc) and a telephoto (to check out lions mating in Africa ). From SLR point of view, Wide lenses are usually expensive. So are super telephoto. Combine these two and you are looking for the most expensive kind of lenses � Compact cameras on the other hand comes with lens that suits everyone�s general use. I am sorry I don�t know enough about the three cameras you have mentioned to compare if one is better than the other!

In your examples, let me start off with saying ultimately it all depends on the person behind the camera. You probably would produce better results with a compact than me with the XTi!

a)DSLR user has more choices � higher ISO range (1600, 3200), shutter speed controls, better light metering capabilities etc, it may or may not produce a better result!
b)Same as above. More options, but end of the day the tool is only as good as the person using it.
c)Same as above. With a good zoom lens, or with tele-converters, DSLR camera is, to use the same term � �scalable�.

I find DPReview�s rating page a good place to find out which is better than what.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/default.asp?view=rating
 
Svend Rost
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To those following the discussion: I chose the IXUS 800.

During the process of choosing a camera I began to consider a SLR camera because of it is so
versatile. I went with the compact camera though as it's more handy and
because I dont know how hooked I am on taking photos yet.

The IXUS 800 has IS, which makes it more attractive than the IXUS 65 and
it's smaller which makes it more attractive than the PowerShot. The strong
point of the PowerShot was it's extra zoom (6x over the IXUS 800's 4x) and
that it had more "scenes/photographing modes" to choose from however it's
size made it impossible to carry in a pocket and if I had to carry a "big"
camera around I choose that I might as well carrt a SLR camera around then.

Price is ofcause also a factor, but I managed to get a good deal with the
shop keeper which only made the 800 purchase (incl. bag, memory ect.)
slightly less expensive than had I choosen a PowerShot or IXUS 65.

/Svend Rost
[ November 27, 2006: Message edited by: Svend Rost ]
 
Ashok Mash
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Congratulations on the new camera, Svend! Post some pictures too!

Thanks for posting the analysis and the details, I am now looking for one myself, as a Christmas gift for someone. Her priorities are slightly different - it starts "small, compact, good indoor/low-light pictures, anti-shake if possible, black/silver". I have a feeling that I might end up getting an Canon IXUS or a Casio Exilim, I will post here if I did!
 
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Hi Svend,

I know that you already made your decision, but just in case you change your mind, I'll throw in my two cents:

I have the A700 - the 710's predecessor. It fits nicely in my pants pockets, although I guess I tend to wear baggy pants

I REALLY like the 6x zoom, and the A700 doesn't have image stabilization - it hasn't been a problem, I've taken really nice shots from some big distances with no blurring. It has good automatic modes, but I also REALLY, REALLY like the fact that I can take control of both aperature and/or shutter priority - this has helped a lot.

Kathy lugs her sweet DSLR around, and my thinking was very similar to yours - I didn't want to haul such a big thing around - I find that I bring my A700 lots of times when Kathy has decided that her camera is too much hassle.
 
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