Choosing Digital zoom cam: Canon PowerShot S5 IS can fight with Sony DSC-H9 or H7; Canon, you really can?

Two days ago my friend asked me what camera to buy for home and nature shooting. He has a dog, a wife and owns a beautiful house with a nice garden. On the hand he has $300-500 for a photo camera and does not have any idea what cam he wants. On the other hand I am a friend of his, an electronic devices fan. And I got an excellent chance to check my talent as the comparison shopper. For more look through: Canon SX100 IS as a Powershot S5 IS killer.
First of all I sent him to the superstore with one mission: to hold for some time all digital cameras which he can examine from salesmen. And before shop guys will see that my friend does not want to buy any cam he can test ‘hand grip’ of the most compacts, SLR-like cams and my favorite DSLRs.
More SLR-like camera's Comparison.
So here is his summary:
- A camera which is good for him must look like a photo-cam but not like a box of cigarettes. So we say “no” to ultra compacts.
- It is crazy as ‘The comparison shopper’ when you feel yourself like a pro and run through a forest with a huge SLR and a lot of telephoto lenses. Otherwise you only want to shoot your doggy. Here I advise he say good-bye to a SLR.
- Digital cam must suit your hand and can’t weigh more than a bottle of beer. And the thought of one kilogram Sony DSC-R1 dies.
- It’s not bad for a camera to have great lens from Schneider, Leica, Carl Zeiss or Canon;
- It’s not bad for lens to have 10x or more optical zoom;
- A handy camera needs a bid size and high resolution LCD monitor;
- Sensor must capture frames, as well as make high-quality prints up to 30x40 inches (76x102 cm). So let’s put the thought of sensors under 6 MP out of our heads.
- It must be worthy so much that if my dog (or wife) breaks it, it will not trouble me.
What can I say: he wants a digital camera such as the new Canon PowerShot S5 IS but for the price of Olympus SP-510 UZ. And I had to dive into the digital market. In one of my previous posts I already made ‘The summary table of the best SLR-like cameras specification’. But this situation demands extra information about a larger number of Digital zoom cameras.
First of all: who are the gamers in the field now? There is Kodak, Olympus, Canon, Fujifilm, Sony, Samsung and Panasonic which play in the ‘prime league’. Unfortunately, Nikon left it after 2004, finishing with producing two excellent models: Nikon Coolpix 8700 and 8800. And what do those ‘big photo-guys’ have in their baggage?
At the beginning of our choosing review I want to congratulate Canon fans waiting for the next generation Canon ultra zoom. Today they have announced the launch of Canon PowerShot S5 IS with eight megapixel 1/2.5" (5.8 x 4.3 mm) CCD sensor and a twelve times Image Stabilized zoom lens, unfortunately it still offers a long reach with its maximum 432 mm equivalent.
Canon PowerShot S5 IS specifications are:
- 8.0 effective megapixel CCD; max resolution 3264 x 2448
- F2.7-3.5, 12X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 36 - 432 mm
- Optical image stabilizer
- Flip-out, rotating 2.5" LCD display up from 2-inch on the S3 (down from 3-inch DSC- H9)
- Full manual controls; shutter speeds as fast as 1/3200 sec
- Face Detection / 9-point Auto focus
- Uses DIGIC III image processor, allowing for better photo quality, faster processing times, longer movies, Face Detection autofocus, and in-camera redeye reduction
- Hot shoe for external flash (new!)
- Records movies at 640 x 480 (30 fps) with stereo sound until 4GB file size limit is reached (takes about 32 min); optical zoom can be used during recording; camera can take a full resolution still photo while recording
- Supports optional conversion lenses
- SD/SDHC memory card slot
- Uses four AA batteries; 450 shots per charge using 2500 mAh NiMH rechargeable
- Weight without batteries 450 g
- Shipping in early July abt. $499
A complete range of optional accessories is available for the PowerShot S5 IS:
- Tele-converter 1.5x lens (TC-DC58B)
- Wide-converter 0.75x lens (WC-DC58A)
- Lens Adapter/Hood Set (LAH-DC20)
- Close-Up Lens 500D (58mm)
- Canon Speedlite flash units (220EX, 430EX, 580EX)
- High Power Flash HF-DC1
- Soft Case (DCC-90)
- Compact AC Power Adapter (CA-PS700)
- Battery and Charger Kit (CBK4-300)
I think it’s a good fighter among SLR-like ultra zoom cameras and we keep silent about Canon PowerShot S3 IS. Rotation display and optical image stabilization are really useful features and it’s Canon! Still it’s a good feature especially for travelers to use AA-batteries. Sometimes I had some problems with recharging my Nikon 8700’s EN-EL1 Lithium-Ion But into the jungle. And in the next journey to Koh Chang Archipelago I already took Canon PowerShot A95 with any kilo of AA-batteries (this photos I’m posting to my The Thai Tramp blog) because my son said ‘bye-bye’ to lovely Nikon.There is just one snag; all of it cost abt. five hundred dollars. When I say: ‘all of it’ I talk not only about Canon PowerShot S5 IS. In my opinion there are all of those photo-models, super-bikes and other marketing expensive features in camera price. Do you remember Mark Knopfler’s song: ‘Money for nothing’?
What does Sony have in order? There are two new models which announced two months ago: DSC-H7 and DSC-H9, which replace the oldest H2 and H5. The new models both sport 8.1 megapixel sensors with max resolution 3264 x 2448, HDTV output, 15x stabilized zooms and - in the case of the H9 – NightShot technology for, apparently, shooting in total darkness. They have Sony’s famous Super Steady Shot Image stabilization for Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 31-465mm (35mm equiv) lens and also have automatic face detection technology. DSC-H9 takes fast-action shooting a step further. It sports a 3-inch, flip-up LCD screen so that you can shoot comfortably from nearly any position. You can hold the camera low to the ground for eye-level shots of kids, without having had to contort yourself or crawl on the ground, or hold it high for shots in the crowd. The H7 camera has a non-articulating but large 2.5-inch LCD screen for easy sharing and viewing. Weight (inc. batteries): 440 g (15.5 oz) for H9 and 405 g (14.3 oz) for H7. It costs $390 and $479. A small chance for Canon S5 to be a winner, I think.
Moreover the DSC-H5 is not a bad ultra zoom with: 1/2.5 «7.2 MP sensor (max res. 3072 x 2304), 36 - 432 mm (12 xs) lens and Image stabilization system for $380. Although Canon PowerShot S3 IS with 6MP sensor (2816 x 2112) and 36 - 432 mm (12x) zoom lens you can buy for $300.
And what we have ‘in purchase’? First of all Sony DSC-H9 and DSC-H7 are being sold right now. Whereas, ‘Canon PowerShot S5 IS’ must appear only in July. On the other hand it can appear for less money than 5 hundred dollars.
But who knows! What can smart Sony-guys make in July? In any case Canon S5 can fight only with Sony H7. But it’s only my opinion.
For more information look at my latest posts:
- Choosing SLR-like’s compare Panasonic DMC-FZ8, Olympus SP-550 and Fujifilm IS-1/S9600. Good, expensive and very expensive.
- 7 best SLR-like’s specification table; Sony DSC-H5 as a cheap & clever choice.
- Canon PowerShot S5 IS’s pros and cons.
Apropos I'm not an enemy of Compact and SLR-like cameras. I have great pictures of Japan, Thailand sights and views and images of Turkish hamam, Finnish sauna, Russian banya and Japanese 'sento'. They all are taken by Nikon 8700, Canon Digital IXUS 750 , Canon PowerShoot A95 etc. Find more in my Banya vs. Sauna or Spa blog.
Moreover there is some important news about Canon's etc. SLR-like cameras tendency in my next posts:
So far all my claims about SLR-like cameras such as well-known Canon PowerShot S5 IS were based on the small size of a sensor and, as a result, on a big image noise and low sensitivity. But recently I have learned from Reuters that Canon inc. is ready to invest $451 million for building a new CMOS production factory in Japan. The news about the future generation of low-cost Canon digital cameras makes me happy. It’s a progressive method to attack the modern digital market. For more look through Canon PowerShot with CMOS sensor: SLR-like vs. SLR or instead?
I was gratified by Canon’s success SLR-like and HD cams only for a day because now I know that Sony corp. will invest in CMOS sensors 5 billion Yen more than Canon. Beyond dispute, Canon’s SLR and compacts cameras and HD camcorders are well-known, but Sony’s sensors are used in many digital cameras, such as Nikon D200, D80, D40, Pentax SLRs etc. Therefore, appearance of new CMOS sensors by Sony can contribute more to the modern digital market. And maybe we can get new Sony’s SLR-like cameras such as DSC-H7, H9 etc. with large CMOS sensors as well as new great Nikon’s (or other mfrs.’) Coolpix. For more look at Canon vs. Sony: 5 billion more for better ultra-zoom with CMOS sensor.
As for a new SLR-like camera's tendency, we already have three new 18x zoom gadgets: FujiFilm S8000, Olympus SP550 and Panasonic FZ18 with the same as Canon S5' small sensor size. For more details look through Panasonic FZ18 vs. Fujifilm S8000 or Olympus SP-550; Compare 18x SLR-likes and Compare Fujifilm S8000 - nothing to S9100. In my opinion some mfrs. in chase of buyers can make a 30x zoom with 1/2.5 inch sensor. Do we really need it?
I collect info about all digital cameras. Tell me what you need and we will find the one together. Feel at ease at Comments directory.