Camera Decision

[Perfect Dark]

Hey all, just getting into photography a bit and have narrowed down my decision to two cameras.

Both have their advantages, but the biggest problem I am faced with is that only one has RAW file capability. I do plan on getting into post-picture editing so my question is:

Is RAW file editing that critical? Sorry for the newb question, thanks in advance!

[Hash_man]

What cameras are you looking at?

[Perfect Dark]

Canon S5 IS
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18

[Hash_man]

www.dpreview.com has good in-depth reviews of both cameras.

IMO raw can be a nice thing to have, but if the image quality was significantly better on a camera with no raw capability, RAW would not sway my decision.

I like the panasonic, but you can see it in the samples on dpreview, panasonics noise reduction is usually pretty strong on their cameras, I would rather go S5.

[Pihsiak]

I'm gonna go with Hashman on this one.
Between the 2, even tho the Canon uses AA batteries... The flipout screen, stereo mic and optical zoom in movie mode is worth it.

Unless you go for Panasonic's LZ10

[Gibson]

Keep in mind that neither of them have very good ISO performance.

[Perfect Dark]

Originally posted by Gibson
Keep in mind that neither of them have very good ISO performance.

For the price range I am looking at I can't really expect a top notch camera

Let's try it this way, I will list what characteristics I am looking for, and see what you folks throw at me.

- Decent optical zoom (10x+)
- Takes fairly fast pictures
- Good shooting modes
- Good quality pictures
- $500 price range (fairly flexible on the price)

Thanks

[AccentAE86]

$500? man, you can get a DSLR for that budget! Maybe not with 10X zoom, but a much better camera system overall. If you could swing $300 more, you can get
The Pentax K100D with in-body stabilizer, Sigma 18-200 (11X zoom) and 2GB sd card around the $850 range locally at The Camera Store.

Or you can just get the K100D regular kit lens and 2GB card for like $515.

I mean, the cameras you are looking at are pretty large point and shoots, so I'm guessing you don't mind a bit of bulk. If that's the case, I'd go DSLR all the way. At least the pentax has a very nice and usable ISO800.

[DENZILDON]

I made this mistake once before. And now I have the old camera dusting and can't even sell it for half the amount I paid for. Save for a month or 2 and get DSLR.

[Pihsiak]

EWWW sensor shift

[AccentAE86]

I'd take that over no stabilization at all.

[Perfect Dark]

So after a little more research I was thinking of checking out a Nikon D40...got pretty good reviews from dpreview.com and it seems to have what I am looking for (except the zoom but I can always get a new lens for that)

Opinions?

[AccentAE86]

I personally think the D40 is a handicapped piece of crap. Not saying you can't get great images from it, but it's just so crippled. 3 point AF, no internal focus motor. That would kill the deal for me instantly. For leisure, I'd buy a pentax before the d40 any day...

[ex1z7]

For leisure I'd look at a used D70 / D70s / D50 over a new D40..

Like Accent said, with the lack of focus motor, you can only use AF-S (Nikon) and HSM (Sigma) lenses for autofocusing.. Which rules out quite a few awesome primes (50 1.8.. 85 1.8..) and more awesome, lower priced zooms..

I'd also go for the Pentax over a D40, or a D50/70 over anything else in the price bracket.

[Pihsiak]

As soon as i found out the D40 had no internal focus motor i went up to a friend

Knock Know
Who's there
D40
D40 who?
No that's the end of the joke, "D40"
LOL

[Mitsu3000gt]

Maybe wait a couple weeks until PMA 2008. Nikon has already stopped production of the D40x so maybe they will be announcing a D60 or similar at PMA. That combined with the rumored 16-85vr would make a pretty killer entry level combo. Nothing's for sure, though.

[Ben]

Honestly, there are times I WISH I had an S5 or something smaller. Makes going to casual settings and house parties much more enjoyable than lugging around heavy glass, and a massive camera with a 580EXII hanging off it. Not to mention looking like a tool lugging around a DSLR to every single thing you attend. "1 sec, I need to change lens and throw on my external flash for this titty flash and group shot at the bar."

Plus it saves wear and tear, and you don't have to always be worried about protecting it.

S5 is a great camera

Quoted from a thread a while back where everyone tried to convince the OP to buy a DSLR or dont buy at all.

It doesn't sound like the OP is an aspiring professional, just looking for something better than what he has currently. Moving to a DSLR requires some compromise and a justifiable investment period. A good quality Point and Shoot like the two above mentioned will be a great well rounded camera with lots of versatility, very good night shooting (have used the S3 extensively, it's pretty damn good in low light) and movie modes to have fun with also. No need to worry about blowing 4 figures down the road to achieve a nice wide angle or long zoom, not to mention it's bulkiness and constant babysitting requirements..

Just pointing out both sides.