Need help deciding

[Brainwashed by Newfs]

I'm in the process of buying a new camera and would really appreciate if you could give me comment on the 3 I'm considering at the moment.
These are: Canon S3 IS, Canon Powershot Pro1 and Fuji finepix S9500
I do own a Canon G3 which I have been pleased with but I want to update in order to be able to take better pictures of my horses
I have been considering Canon 350D but the prices of good lenses have turned me away from that one (but I'm allowed to change my mind as often as I want to

)
Greetings from Iceland

 

[Largo]

Hello, welcome to NN. I visited your country some years back. A beautiful place. You cannot go wrong with either of your choices. I have seen absolutely beautiful pictures taken with the Fuji finepix S9500.

I hope you join in and share some of your photos with us.

 

[GAD]

Here is my take:

First, knowing a bit more would help. You said you really want a rebel. Do you want it for the control of a manual camera? For the creative abilities an SLR can get you? If so you may be ultimately dissapointed with any P&S (point and shoot).

The Canon S3 is a nice camera - 12X zoom makes it very versatile. It has auto ISO which is a very cool feature. It is a very new camera, so will have more features and what-not. The lens is reasonably fast, but not great. It's strength is 12x zoom and IS. This is the only camera of the three that cannot take an external flash. This camera can take AA batteries.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_s3is.asp

The Canon Pro-1 is raved about by those who own it. It is sold as haveing an "L" lens, but many complain that it's not really an "L". This camera is old - released in 2/04 and does not have the speed of the newer cameras. The big deal for me with this camera is that a) it has a much better lens and b) it can shoot RAW. c) It uses compact flash. For me these are big deals. For you they may not be. This camera takes proprietary batteries.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonpro1/

The Fuji is a nice little camera. Keys for me are it shoots ISO 1600 (Auto too), Shoots RAW, takes compact flash (And XD), and can take AA batteries. It can shoot in 3:2 mode which I like and is 9mp. It has the strongest flash of the three listed.

This camera has a smaller screen if that matters to you.


http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilms9000/

Compare all three:
http://tinyurl.com/ptsw2

Between the three, I'd probably pick the Fuji. Honestly though I personally would probably not buy any of them because of the EVF viewfinders. That annoys me to no end. If you don't know, EVF is an "Electronic View Finder" and means it's like a camcorder - the view in the viewfinder is a tiny LCD screen, not the real scene. Most will argue that you'll be using the LCD on the back of the camera to compose, but for me having a "pro-sumer" level of camera means I want a real viewfinder.

If you want quality photos and want to learn more about photography (or if you already know), then a rebel would be a better choice. As for lenses being expensive, there are quite a few less-expensive lenses which can produce fabulous results. The $200 35mm f/2 is a perfect example - it is capable of creating images you could never make with any of these cameras. The $340 Canon 85mm f/1.8 is another example.

Also don't forget that Sigma makes some wonderful lenses and a fraction the cost of the Canon counterparts.

Sorry if I muddied the waters...

All of that being said, of your listed choices I'd go for the Fuji.

GAD

 

[Brainwashed by Newfs]

GAD you are definetely the best person to explain and give advice.
I forgot completely to give you more detailed information on what I'm hoping for in a Camera. In the hope of you being able to help me in deciding I'll try to give you more information.
What I'm really pleased with in the Canon G3 is the battery, and the overall feel of the camera, but would like to have higher zoom, and more pixels. The movie feature is something that would be nice to have but not neccessary. I'm not fond of changing lenses so in regards to the Rebel a nice zoom-lens would be the thing for me (The recent price reduction of the Rebel has made me think about it again).
If you were to advice me on a "point and shoot" camera which one would be your choise (including the 3 I mentioned earlier) and if the Rebel would be my choice which zoom lens would you recomend (If I go for the Rebel I expect to spend just about 1.000 USD)
Thanks again for your reply and thanks for everything regarding Newf.net, as it allows me to get my Newf fix every day and since I have been without one since sept. 2002, this site keeps me sane

.

[ 03-31-2006, 04:31 AM: Message edited by: Brainwashed-by-Newfs ]

 

[GAD]

I'll assume by "more zoom" you mean that you like the idea of a 10x over a 4x.

Like all things in photography, there is a compromise at work here. Extreme zoom-ranges involve some extreme engineering, and are usually only found on lesser quality lenses. The longest range SLR zoom lens that Canon makes that is considered to be good (by the masses) is the 100-400, which if you do the math, is only a 4x zoom. They make a 35-350 (10x), but it's expensive and not well regarded. Sigma makes a 50-500 (10x), nicknamed the "Bigma" which many people like, but it's not as good as the 100-400, and the bigma is HUGE.

The point is that long range zooms sacrifice quality, so you have to choose which is more important to you.

The G3 is a nice camera. Have you looked at the G6? It's got a very fast lens for an advanced P&S (f/2-f/3) and is 7mp. It's not one of the latest crop so it doesn't have the speed like the other canons do, but it's a nice little camera.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong6/

If you're ok with a larger camera, and it seems you are given your previous list, then the Fuji is an excellent choice (except for that damn EVF).

The olympus 8080 is highly regarded. I used to shoot an E10 and loved it. It's got a great lens. A little old, but worth checking out:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc8080wz/

Interesting. Looking through the manufacturors, it would seem that the onle ones with up to date pro-sumer SLR-Like cameras are Sony (not a fan of Sony cameras), and Fuji.

Now back to the Rebel. The Rebel XT is now 699 at B&H. With a $1000 limit that only leaves $300, which isn't much for a zoom. The best zoom in the range is the 28-135 IS but it's $400.

BTW at B&H type in PSMAR06 into the search field to get a lot of great prices!

Fuji s9000 $529

GAD