[NCLady]

Does anyone have a Canon Powershot S1 IS? It has been recommended to me as I'm looking for a better zoom than my present Olympus Camedia D-550Z. I'd really like to get some comments on it before making a decision. I've also looked into the Olympus C-750 but when I inquired about it at BestBuy and Circuit City I was told that Olympus has discontinued it. However, the C-740 is still available. I do like the idea of a stabelization feature on the Canon rather than having to use a tripod. Any ideas would be welcome. Thanks.

[tarves57]

Originally Posted by NCLady

Does anyone have a Canon Powershot S1 IS?

I believe that is a VERY new camera, just out. It certainly sounds great doesn't it! You may not find very many reviews yet though.
As for the C750, I just bought one myself, albeit off Ebay. Although I have a 10D, when we went on a bus tour this March, I decided I didn't want to haul my "big" gear with me, as I really felt the need to relax, so I bought us a "point and shoot" each, the C750 and the Fuji S5000 which both have really long zooms, with the intention of selling them back on Ebay again.

Well the C750 is a fantastic little camera, and even at full zoom in a windy day, I had no bother getting sharp photos. Same with the S5000. (I was hoping to get my partner interested in digital, not quite sure if I achieved that yet, although I haven't mentioned selling the camera back on Ebay!).

The person I bought the C750 from had about 12 cameras for sale at a very good price. They were brand new, in the box and the only "problem" if you like, was that the plug for the charger was a two pin European one. No problem at all really! You don't always get a bargain on Ebay though and I would never buy from someone outside the UK.

However, this new IS camera sounds perfect, and you may want to wait till one or two reviews come out, although reviews are not always a good way of judging a cameras performance. I had read so many bad reviews in magazines for the S5000 and one or two bad gradings for the C750, but I decided to try them myself and was very pleased with the results. The only reason I have a 10D is because I have this vain ambition that I might be able to sell some of my photos - the ones I never seem to get out to take! - and I need the high resolution for that.

I'm very interested however to see reviews on this new camera too. If it saves hauling the big stuff around, and has enough resolution, it will be the perfect camera for birders!

Susan

[NCLady]

Susan: You are right, apparently the S1 only came out this month (which I didn't realize at the time). No wonder I couldn't find any reviews. My dilemma seems to be do I want the S1 with the stabilization feature with only a 3.2 MP, or do I want the 4.0MP of the C-750 and have to use a tripod for the 10x zoom. Have you used the 10x zoom on the 750 a lot? If so, how stable is it without the tripod? I'll be using the zoom quite a bit and would not be too happy if I had to get the tripod set up every time I needed to use it. My next problem would be trying to find a 750. I wonder why Olympus decided not to continue it? Anyway, I appreciate your reply. Thanks.

[gripper]

i have played with the S1 and was impressed by the camera overall, although it feels heavy compared with say the fuji S5000, the image stabilization works well but takes a little getting used too !
i would not worry about it only having 3.2mp it will produce a good 10x8 with ease , the video function is also superb (30fps and vga full screen playback)

olympus have dicontinued the 750 but are releasing a smaller lighter version the C-765 available soon

i would say have a look at the canon and fuji together as they are both good enough to be on anyones shortlist

hope this helps

[tarves57]

I'm not sure how stable the Olympus would be with a tripod. It's a light camera, easy to handhold. I will try and post two photos here at full zoom. The black headed gull was on a very windy day from about 10 yards away. The Belgian sparrows were taken through a filthy bus window from about 5 yards.

I only used it for "holiday snaps" at high resolution (there was also super high and raw, but I wasn't that bothered, as long as I could get a picture that would look good on a computer, therefore any photos I took were at 72ppi). Therefore, I was not using the camera to its whole potential really.

I think it would be a good idea to read a few reviews on the Canon before making a decision. If only there was some way we could try cameras out before buying one!

Susan

[tarves57]

Here's a couple my partner took on the Fuji S5000. The first is of the house we were standing at the bottom of. (Down on the street at the bottom of the steps), and the second is a full zoom picture of the "demented parrot" as he called it at the top of the building, handheld. These too were not of the highest quality available to us in the camera.

We called it Norman Bates house, as it was fairly creepy as night began to fall!
All these photos were taken in Folkestone in England by the way.

Susan

[gripper]

tarves57 wrote
"If only there was some way we could try cameras out before buying one!"

there is, take your compact flash card into your local camera shop and ask if you can take a few shots on the canon powershot S1iS and if they are a good shop they should let you !

[NCLady]

Gripper: Thanks for all the info. I'll certainly take a look at the Fuji. Seems I no sooner get my sights on one camera and another pops up!! I'll also take a look at the Olympus C-765 when it comes out. I did find a review on the canon from www.steves-digicams.com He seemed quite impressed with it.

Susan: The photos you posted are quite impressive, especially for someone like me who is just a novice at photography, 'though I have become quite addicted to it. Now I have to take a look at the Fuji. I'm going to a couple of stores today that just deal in cameras, unlike the BestBuy and Circuit City stores. I certainly appreciate all your help.

[tarves57]

Originally Posted by NCLady

Seems I no sooner get my sights on one camera and another pops up!!

Er..... dare I mention another new camera with 4MP and 12X zoom + image stabiliser? Oh go on then, I hear you say.... The new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10. It's very new, but if it does what it purports, then this could be a winner for birders! Steve's Digicams already has a review for it, although bird photography is a bit different to the usual sample shots he shows on his site, so it's difficult to tell how good it really is.

Susan

[dy1119]

Please see a recent review pertaining to the S1, made by Digital Camera Resource:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/ca...ew/index.shtml

Seems like a decent choice.

Dror

[NCLady]

Thanks all. I settled on the Fuji S5000. It has a tacky little plastic body, but I love the way it feels in the hand. I'm a real amateur, but am enjoying learning all the new features. Once I get confident enough, I'll post some pictures. Thanks again to everyone for all the help.

[dy1119]

Good luck and enjoy it.

Dror

[Heather2]

[quote=tarves57]Er..... dare I mention another new camera with 4MP and 12X zoom + image stabiliser? Oh go on then, I hear you say.... The new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ10. It's very new, but if it does what it purports, then this could be a winner for birders! Steve's Digicams already has a review for it, although bird photography is a bit different to the usual sample shots he shows on his site, so it's difficult to tell how good it really is.

I believe this camera has recently been released in England. I've had mine for a few months. It is an amazing camera. The stablilizer lets you take pictures that would be impossible otherwise, no tripod. You can also add lens to it that will increase the range of the camera. You can see thousands of examples of photos this camera on PBase, http://www.pbase.com/cameras/panasonic/dmc_fz10. There is a less expensive version, a 2mg.camera with the same stabilized zoom, the FZ-1 and FZ-2 that takes excellent pictures as well. I visited my parents in Florida last month and the area they live in is protected from dogs and cats and the birds were abundant. I was able to literally walk right up to a Sandhill Crane and actually had to move away from the bird to get the animal full frame in my lens. Other birds were much more shy but I could still get quite close with the 420 mm range of the lens.

[Keith Petty]

Originally Posted by NCLady

Does anyone have a Canon Powershot S1 IS? It has been recommended to me as I'm looking for a better zoom than my present Olympus Camedia D-550Z. I'd really like to get some comments on it before making a decision. I've also looked into the Olympus C-750 but when I inquired about it at BestBuy and Circuit City I was told that Olympus has discontinued it. However, the C-740 is still available. I do like the idea of a stabelization feature on the Canon rather than having to use a tripod. Any ideas would be welcome. Thanks.

Check out http://www.dpreview.com/articles/canons1is/