[escher]

Since response to my post in Peripherals has been dismal, I thought there may be better feedback here.

I am currently looking to get an entry level digital camera to supplement my film-based SLR. I want to be able to do small high-quality paper prints, so 2MP resolution is a must. I also have aspirations of doing QTVR panoramas. Here are my thoughts so far.

My current favorite is the Canon Powershot A20. At $399 it fits my budget perfectly. The A20 comes with some good software and Photoshop plugins, including PhotoStitch, which lets you make QTVR panoramas. A 24.5mm wide angle lens adapter is available for the Canon Powershot A20 as well. This gives the entry-level A20 a feature that is not available on the more expensive S-10, S-20 or S-100 Digital Elph! I'm more and more impressed with the A20. On the downside, the A20 has no special Kaidan panorama head.

I am also tempted by the Nikon Coolpix 950. It is currently available for about $450 from buy.com (with various buy.com discounts and a $150 mail-in rebate from Nikon). In addition, the Coolpix 950 has a 24mm wide angle lens option ($150) and Kaidan currently has a special $100 deal on panorama tripod head designed specifically for the 950. On the downside, the Nikon comes without any QTVR software, which would cost me about $150 more. The Coolpix 950 also only has a serial connection.

Browsing around, I also found the Kodak DC 4800, which apparently works with the Image Capture app in OS X. At $499 after a $100 rebate from Kodak it's is quite affordable for a 3MP camera too. I have also found several good reviews of the Kodak DC 4800 around the web. Update: Apparently, buy.com has the DC4800 listed for $510, with a $100 Kodak rebate and $10 and $30 buy.com rebates putting it at a final cost of $370. Pretty good for a 3MP camera!

One last concern is OS X compatibility. It sounds like certain Kodak cameras are compatible with the native Image Capture app. (See Kodak's OS X compatibility page for details.) Besides connecting the camera directly, I can always get a USB or PCMCIA card reader, although most of them don't seem to be working with OS X yet. Finally, Lexar Media sells a FireWire CF card reader, which according to DP Resource works with OS X.

Update: Steve's Digicams has apparently received a Canon Powershot A20 and is planning on posting a review this week. I can't wait to hear the verdict. See http://www.steves-digicams.com/diginews.html .

What digicams are you guys using? How are they working? Have you done QTVR movies with you camera? What about OS X compatibility? Nothing but choices... I need your thoughts and recommendations.

Escher

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"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Let's have a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook with AirPort and 5 hour battery life now!

[SunSeeker]

I don't know about the others, but a lot of pros make qtvr panos with the nikon/kaidan combo you mentioned. Hence the fact that kaidan make a head for it.
I think the quality is pretty good too, in that price range

You can probably find some samples/users if you do a search.

Don't worry about the serial connection, you can probably get a card reader quite cheaply and it should work with future cameras.
I have had problems with the Sandisk card reader and every incarnation of OS9 though.

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Sunseeker Has Left The Building!

Dont forget to visit Graphics/Illustration.
Especially Hot Photoshop Tips

[escher]

Originally posted by SunSeeker:
I don't know about the others, but a lot of pros make qtvr panos with the nikon/kaidan combo you mentioned. Hence the fact that kaidan make a head for it.

SunSeeker: Thanks for your feedback. I attended a QTVR seminar at Apple's Reston, Virginia campus two weeks ago and the professional photographer who presented had the Coolpix 950/wide angle lens/Kaidan combination and spoke highly of it. Of course he also had a $7000 Nikon digital camera and a Canon D30 ($3000_ with 18mm lens ($1500) and QuickPan cubic panorama head ($800).

I really have to decide how serious I am about doing QTVRs. It seems like the other two cameras I am considering would be better for general use. As for getting a USB CF card reader, you are absolutely right. A card reader is more practical than a direct camera/Mac connection anyway.

After doing some more research, I still like the Canon Powershot A20. But after reading today's review at Steve's Digicams I fear that the minimal manual functions will not satisfy me.

The Nikon Coolpix 950 still looks good because I can get a special Kaidan stand for it.

Finally, the 3MP Kodak DC 4800 (see this review) is very tempting for $370 at buy.com. Also, the DC4800's lens is 28-84mm, which would presumably be better for QTVR out of the box (i.e. without a wide angle adapter) than the A20's and 950's 35-105mm lenses.

Why is picking a digital camera so darn difficult?

Escher

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"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Let's have a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook with AirPort and 5 hour battery life now!

[escher]

I finally settled on the Canon Powershot A20, which I was able to get for $353 shipped in a special mother's day promotion at PhotoAlley.com. We'll see how I like it when the FedEx man rings my door bell tomorrow.

New iBook and digital camera in the same month. I haven't been this bad in months.

Escher

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"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Let's have a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook with AirPort and 5 hour battery life now!

[escher]

Got my PowerShot A20 today. It's just as great as I expected. Good sharp images with no post processing, solid build, just enough functions not to confuse a digital photography beginner like me.

The Canon software is basic, but functional. I haven't used it for retouching pictures yet. But I have used PhotoStitcher to make my first QTVR panorama. QuickTime panoramas rule!

Looking back at the whole process of choosing a camera with the hopes of producing QTVR panoramas, I'm confident I made the right choice even though Kaidan does not make a panorama head specifically for the A20. There are two reasons which have reaffirmed my choice: First, Canon's PhotoStitcher is quite powerful for a beginner and can do tiles in addition to simple rows of pictures. Second, the A20 is a great camera for everyday picture taking. Even though I was tempted by the Nikon Coolpiz 950 with the Kaidan head, I am certain that I would have used it less than I will use my compact Canon.

Hopfully, I'll be able to get an "affordable" digital SLR to replace my 35mm film SLR in a year or two. I would love to have gone all the way to a Canon EOS D30, but at $3000 it's still about three times more than I'm willing to pay for an SLR. $3000 is OK for Apple products, but not for something from Canon.

Can't wait to get my larger 128MB CF card, NiMH batteries and charger on Friday.

Escher

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"The only laptop computer that's useful is the one you have with you."
Let's have a 3 lbs sub-PowerBook with AirPort and 5 hour battery life now!