[Railroader]

I am in the market for a new digital camera. I really have had great luck with Canon as has everyone I know who has bought one. I currently have one of the original digital Elphs. It is a 2MP model. I like it, but it's a bit slow and I've had it for about 3-4 years.

I am considering 3 different models. The S70, SD500, and the G6. There's about a $100 difference between the S70 and the G6, with the SD500 in the middle.

I already have a few CF cards which would work with the S70 and G6. The SD500 would require a new investment in SD cards. I'm not sure how big of a deal compactness is to me, I love my Elph, but I want to enter a slightly higher level of quality.

Please share your thoughts on which of these cameras you think I should buy. I'll entertain suggestions on other brands. But I am pretty set on Canon.

My price ceiling is about US$550

[OreoCookie]

If you are pretty set on Canon, I'd vote for the G6. I don't have hands-on experience with a S70, the S50 was the most recent model. Although the S70 is definitely a step towards pro-sumer, it's still a point-n-click camera. The G6 has a more slr-feeling to it.

I prefer slrs, so I'd go for the G6. BTW, you could probably also afford a `real' dslr, e. g. Nikon's D50 or probably also Canon's Digital Rebel (XT).

[Troll]

I have the SD500, although it's known as an Ixus 700 here in Europe. I just sold my Sony P10 (5 megapixel) for the Canon and am very happy with the quality of the pics from the Canon. The lens is better than the Sony's.

Some of the issues they list on dpreview with the SD500, I don't have. For example, they claim to not be able to see the ISO setting on pics. I can. I think they may have had an older version of the firmware. They have just updated the SD500 (to SD550 I think) and given it a bigger screen. The only criticism I'd have of my camera is that the resolution of the screen isn't great. The video quality is also remarkably good and it can take 2 pics a second for as long as you have card space! The Mac software that comes with it (particularly for panoramas is really good). Oh, and the speed of the camera is great. The Sony took a long time to switch on and between shots, this Canon is very snappy.

For me, size and weight are important. I have a heavier, higher quality camera but I'm not going to lug that to parties etc. The Canon pretty much lives with me. I think you'll find that you use the camera more if it's smaller.

I bought a 1GB high speed SD card for about 60 Euros. That gives me about 300 pics at the full 7 megapixel resolution.

[Railroader]

I like the manual controls of the G6. That is why it is on the list.

But I agree with Troll about the inconspicuousness of the SD500. Many times I have taken pictures with my Elph and when later showing pictures to the subjects they often claim they don't remember me taking the picture. But I have my camera out a lot and maybe people just tune me out after a while.

Right now the ranking is:
1. G6 - Sheer power
2. SD500 - compactness
3. S70 - happy medium, cheapest.

My dislikes:
G6 - size
SD500 - lack of control
S70 - sliding cover (never was a fan), and quality is slightly lower than the G6 (but will I notice?)

A "real" DSLR sounds good at first, but then I'd be far too tempted to buy more lenses and flashes... As it is I am already looking at the additional accessories I can purchase for the cameras I have listed. How do I justify a underwater case?

[tomrock]

If quality is really important to you, go with the G6. There are accessories you can get (extra lenses, external flash, etc) plus you'll be able to shoot raw files which you can process with Photoshop Elements.

My wife has an SD500 (I think) and she loves its simplicity and size. She always has it in her purse. I'd buy one myself but it won't shoot raw files.

I'm a photographer so raw is important to me.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by tomrock

If quality is really important to you, go with the G6. There are accessories you can get (extra lenses, external flash, etc) plus you'll be able to shoot raw files which you can process with Photoshop Elements.

My wife has an SD500 (I think) and she loves its simplicity and size. She always has it in her purse. I'd buy one myself but it won't shoot raw files.

I'm a photographer so raw is important to me.

I didn't realize the SD500 didn't do RAW files. That puts in nearly out of the running.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Railroader

A "real" DSLR sounds good at first, but then I'd be far too tempted to buy more lenses and flashes... As it is I am already looking at the additional accessories I can purchase for the cameras I have listed. How do I justify a underwater case?

Why is that a bad thing(tm)?

[Troll]

The G6's continuous drive isn't great. It can only shoot 1.2 frames a second with a maximum of 14 frames. The SD500 can shoot 2 frames a second and the number of shots is unlimited.

The G6 is the heaviest 7 megapixel compact camera money can buy. It's more than double the weight of the SD500 (467grams vs 200g for the SD500) and it's way bigger in size. I don't think it's the kind of thing you're going to take with you clubbing or snowboarding. The SD500 fits in my shirt or jeans pocket. I think the quality of the shots is remarkable even when compared to bigger cameras.

The manual focus control on the G6 is the same as on my old Sony. You have to go via the menus and it's stepped. I find this to be no good at all. The SD500 has some manual controls. There's no live view histogram on the G6. There is on my SD500 although I believe the older ones don't have it. The SD500 also has an improved auto focus system over the G6. The SD500 does video at 30 fps which the G6 can't.

Ultimately it depends on what you want to do with the camera. My last camera was a bit bigger and I found that we were always using my girlfriend's Pentax Optio S simply because we could easily take it everywhere we went. So when I bought this one, I decided that size should be the determinant factor. And I don't think you can do better for an ultra compact than the SD500. Having a look through the sample pics on dpreview, I can't see that the G6 gives better quality shots.

[OreoCookie]

I just want to add some thoughts without necessarily contradicting Troll.

The G6 got very good reviews, but it's not meant to be a point-n-click camera which Troll seems to prefer. Thus, less emphasis is put on features like movies and don't mind more weight and a larger size.

The SD500 is very portable, but lacks manual modes.

So it really boils down to what kind of guy you are: someone like Troll or a friend of mine (proud owner of a Sony T1) or more like me (my weapon of last resort is an Olympus E-20). Both will serve you well.

Just in case, here's a review of the Nikon D50, a (relatively) compact dslr.

[Railroader]

Well, the point is moot. I bought a S2 1S.

I was swayed by a girl at best buy who was the most informative salesperson I have ever met. Yes, I said Best Buy. Best Buy. Believe me, I was floored as well. And the girl was only about 21 years old.

I went to about 12 stores this morning. The usual suspects (Circuit City, ABC Warehouse, Sears, Best Buy, Sam's Club, Target, Meijer), a Ritz Camera, and a few mom-n-pop camera joints. The worst service by far was at the mom-n-pop joints. One insisted on trying to push me into buying a "Mustek" camera even before hearing what I wanted.

I'm hoping the 5 MP is enough. I figure the 12x optical zoom will make up for not being 7 MP. The big selling point was the 12 x zoom. I also like that it takes AA batteries. I am sick of proprietary batteries.

I got a very good price on it. Bought a 512 MB SD card to go with it.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

Why is that a bad thing(tm)?

The Chairperson of the Railroader Finance Committee(tm), Mrs. Railroader would frown upon such extravagant indulgences.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Railroader

The Chairperson of the Railroader Finance Committee(tm), Mrs. Railroader would frown upon such extravagant indulgences.

Aaaah, souka.

But congrats to your purchase. A friend of mine bought the S90 Pro and did very good pictures with it. Megapixels are overrated nowadays, I have 5 myself and I don't need more. I could print 30x40 cm images with it. Standard 9x13 cm prints need roughly 2-3 MP, depending on the printer (203 dpi or 300 dpi).

[Troll]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

So it really boils down to what kind of guy you are: someone like Troll or a friend of mine (proud owner of a Sony T1) or more like me (my weapon of last resort is an Olympus E-20). Both will serve you well.

Actually, I did and do want manual controls. Until I bought my first digital camera, I'd always used completely manual cameras. If they made a compact camera with manual controls, I'd buy it. Real manual controls though. Manual focus by turning the lens not clicking a 5 step button 3 layers deep in the menus. Real aperture adjustment not compensation. The reflex I have doesn't even have the option of auto focus and that's the way I like it. Problem is, you can't get a compact with manual controls. So you have to choose between a camera that fits in your pocket or a camera with manual controls. Once you get used to a compact, you can actually force it to do quite a lot of things almost as if it were manual.

I already have a bulky SLR so I went for a pocket camera and to be honest, the SLR hardly comes out of the cupboard anymore. If I want manual controls and can carry around a camera bag, I take my reflex and know I'll get great quality shots. If I'm going skiing or biking or out on the town, I take the compact and know I'll get decent quality shots. If you can't afford two cameras, then something like the G6 is probably not a bad idea, although I do feel it's kind of a jack of all trades and a master of none.

That said, Railroader, I think you made a great choice there. I've just upgraded from 5 megapixel to 7 and haven't noticed much of a difference. The lens is the most important consideration. I have A3 blowups of pics I took with a 5 megapixel compact and you'd never tell they were digital. I've used the S2 and it's a great camera. Looking forward to seeing some pics.

[LilWolfChokingOnCigs68]

I have a friend with an SD500. It's a pretty great camera. Not a whole lot bigger than my SD10, 5MP, and fully adjustable. I'd grab that one ina heartbeat. I used to like SLRs, but honestly, today's cameras take such nice pictures I'd rather have the camera SMALLER and portable, so I actually use it on a quasi-daily basis.

[Railroader]

Here are some sample pics I took today.

This is a wide-angle shot of the depot in my sig. The weather is very overcast today. The only thing I did to these photos is resize them.


And @ 12x zoom


My living room. I made the cocktail table and CD shelf.
Wide-angle


12x zoom on shelf


I am VERY happy with this camera. The amount of manual control is very surprising.

[Troll]

Hey, you got some friends in low places!

[pixel_pete]

Bought the Rebel XT and have nothing but praise for it.

[JasonBourne]

I only use canon digital camera. I have the canon S1 IS, canon S2 IS, canon G6, SD500 and canon digital rebel 300D. Well which one do I used all the time? I have 2 kids and they are only 4 and 2 years old and handing a bigger camera requires both hands so I settle for SD500 all the time. I went on a vacation I used SD500 and going everywhere I always have My SD500 with me. I only used my digital rebel mostly at home or I travel by my self but I still carry my SD500 as a back-up.
Wedding=SD500
Vacation=SD500 and S2 IS
Six flags=SD500
Zoo= S2 IS
Macro=S2 IS
Birthday=Rebel 300D
Unexpected Moments=SD500 video mode is very good if there is plenty of light and zoom is functional during video mode.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by JasonBourne

I only use canon digital camera. I have the canon S1 IS, canon S2 IS, canon G6, SD500 and canon digital rebel 300D. Well which one do I used all the time? I have 2 kids and they are only 4 and 2 years old and handing a bigger camera requires both hands so I settle for SD500 all the time. I went on a vacation I used SD500 and going everywhere I always have My SD500 with me. I only used my digital rebel mostly at home or I travel by my self but I still carry my SD500 as a back-up.
Wedding=SD500
Vacation=SD500 and S2 IS
Six flags=SD500
Zoo= S2 IS
Macro=S2 IS
Birthday=Rebel 300D
Unexpected Moments=SD500 video mode is very good if there is plenty of light and zoom is functional during video mode.

HOLY SNAPSHOTS BATMAN!!!

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Troll

Hey, you got some friends in low places!

Where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away.

I have a (now no longer) hidden appreciation of GB.

[JustAnOl'Broad]

Originally Posted by Railroader

The Chairperson of the Railroader Finance Committee(tm), Mrs. Railroader would frown upon such extravagant indulgences.

Tell her you could get really cool pics of the kids first swimming lessons!

[Railroader]

I'll be back in the camera market by the time that happens. For now, the Canon S2 is impressing me more every time I use it.

A DSLR is the next step though.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Railroader

I'll be back in the camera market by the time that happens. For now, the Canon S2 is impressing me more every time I use it.

A DSLR is the next step though.

You talked to the finance department already

(Yeah, dslrs are addictive!)

[action]

if it's going to be a snapshot camera i would get the sd500. i use it for snapshots all the time. if you need quality then get the dslr. however, you have to ask yourself how you are going to be using the dslr. you could just be shooting a higher resolution snapshot. if you know how to control depth of field, shutter speed, will you need flash etc... are all considerations. if you use and or know how to use and need to shoot with that type of control then get a dslr but party snappshot pics i would go canon sd500 without hesitation.

chung lee


www.chunglee.com