Digital Camera dillemma - Canon A95 or S500?

NsXMas

NsXMas

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Ok I'm bored since it's Friday afternoon and I'm counting down the hours til I go home.

To kill some time, I'm posting this question here:

I am buying a 5 Megapixel camera, and I've narrowed it down to the Canon A95 or the Canon S500.

I like the Canon A95 because it's got ability to use lens attachments, take AA batteries (I've got Nimh rechargeables), and it's got a comfortable grip. Oh and one more thing, it's got a cool LCD screen that can swivel in and out of the camera.

I like the S500 because it's got nearly the same specs as the A95, is a lot slimmer, and just looks cool.

The S500 is $50 more than the A95 even though the A95 has more shooting modes and features.

I'm really torn as which camera to get and to use to take photos at NSX events.


camera-front-angled.jpg
OR

camera-front.jpg
?? :confused:
 
I have the 4 megapixel version of the S500. I love it. The compact size is a huge plus and makes it possible to take the camera places in my pocket that the larger A-series does not. Yes, the A has more features, but the S had more than enough for my amateur use, and it takes awesome photos:

108_0834.jpg


108_0847.jpg


106_0680.jpg


(And those are all low-resolution online versions at roughly 1/4 the file size of a 4MP image).
 
I agree. I have the S410, which is the 4 MP version, and it takes excellent pictures, is very practical, and has far more features than I would probably ever use (I am purely an amateur photographer though).

I don't have any experience with the A95, but I compared my camera to the A80 before buying. The A80 was too bulky for our purposes, which is to have a camera that is easy to use, and can be put in my pocket, or on my belt, or thrown in my wife's purse.
I am assuming the A95 is related to the A80.

One drawback to the S400 (which I had before the S410) metal case: It doesn't fare well when being gnawed by a Great Dane. Of course, I don't think any camera would survive that :smile:

OK, one actual drawback to the S-series: Due to the flash being so close to the lens, the incidence of red-eye is kind of high. Maybe I'm missing something, but it can be annoying, even though you can fix it with software later.
This may affect the A95 as well, I don't know.
 
PoohBEAR said:
i just picked up a sony dsc-t1. it is small and cuteeeee and also 5Megapizel
Click to expand...

I just bought the dsc-t1 last week before going out of town. How do you like it so far? I really like the size of it and it takes good pictures but i had to get use to it and get the settings right. My first set of pictures all came out too dark and blurry.
 
i love it. play with the setting. and before snapping the shot, give it a itty bitty time for the camera to adjust/focus and click....purrfect picture. i love the size...was so happy with it the first day and dropped it about 3ft down. but no damage occured....just a little scratch. :D last nite i tried hooking it up to my tv, and came out purfect too.. so i love this little thing.


sjones said:
I just bought the dsc-t1 last week before going out of town. How do you like it so far? I really like the size of it and it takes good pictures but i had to get use to it and get the settings right. My first set of pictures all came out too dark and blurry.
Click to expand...
 
NsXMas said:
I like the Sony cameras. I don't like the Memory Stick, which is more expensive and proprietary. If they sold Sony cameras that take CF, I'd consider buying Sony. :)
Click to expand...


true, but keep in mind the "memory stick" is a much more stable storage device than the "compact flash cards".....hate to take a load of pictures then find out they are not there later...
 
PoohBEAR said:
i just picked up a sony dsc-t1. it is small and cuteeeee and also 5Megapizel
Click to expand...


I use the T1 as well...great camera. It is actually my wife's. probably my favorit to use.

the size is unbeatable...huge lcd screen....fast shot to shot operation flash and no flash (slow startup though). and smaaaaaaaaaaaalllllll...(my cell phone is bigger).

cons are the price, both camera and memory stick are expensive, no viewfinder in case you need to go in battery save mode. pictures are sometimes grainy especially when zooming in to trim an image.

all in all, I think the Sony is an awesome camera, probably my favorite. But Canon has better images....

It's a toss up, but I'd take the T1 over and over again.
 
I have been to both Beach camera and B&H Photo. Both have great service but I have found Beach to have better prices. Im sure if you bring your best legit price to B&H they will match it if you are partial to B&H Photo.

Beach camera is also BuyDig.com,IbuyDigital.com

I got my camcorder there as well as my Canon 10D
 
As with any camera store, you have to be careful to make sure you are getting the USA equipment unless you intend to save more money by getting gray market. Beach has great prices but has been known to make it up by excessively higher priced accessories so that when you put together a total kit or package the final price may be higher than other vendors. Many people have taken advantage of the lower prices at Beach but I still feel that B&H has the better reputation as well as customer service.
 
To clarify my dealings with Beach Camera - Nikon Lenses, Flash and printer were purchased in person at their Greenbrook, NJ location. (They were all USA equipment, not grey market)
I've never purchased a 'kit' from them so I have no experience with excessive pricing there. Many mail order houses try to sell you 'extras' for inflated prices when you are looking for just one item (then they call it a kit) - I 've encountered these tactics from many places when I was shopping for my D70.
I think it's possible to find great prices, but you always need to know what you want and don't get suckered into the so-called deals that some discount places try to offer.

Many of the BeachCamera postings from that link are up to 10 years old. I have no complaint about BandH but a similar search in Google groups finds complaints about them too:smile:

I think if anyone looks hard enough you can find a complaint against any store :smile:
 
Thanks for all the feedback!!

I decided to go with the Canon A95 at the end. The main reasons are: I love the flip-out LCD screen, and that it's more comfortable to hold one-handed.

I tried taking some pictures with the S500. While it's great, my hand felt awkward holding it with just one hand. I can imagine wanting to take photos at NSXPO, holding something in one hand, and trying to take lots of photos in the other hand - hard to do without the comfortable grip.

The price ($50 difference) was a non-factor in the decision.
 
As with any purchase a educated comsumer is the best buyer. If you prefer to buy at B&H they are more then happy to match any legit offer you find. B&H also offers non usa products but they state that and it reflects in the price.
 
As a long time New Yorker I vote for B&H. Honest guys that do a LOT of business. Bought a S400 for my sister about a year ago and she took it to Egypt for vacations. Perfect pictureas and te camera was working 100% even at 130 F in the desert. Another model from Canon worth looking at is the new SD300. Small and sweet pictures to boot.
 
I have had no problems whatsoever with Beach Camera, on 3 separate transactions (2 digital cameras and a video camera), all within the last 1-1/2 years. This is ordering both online and by phone.

I have no experience with kits, since I did not need any, but I was not pressured in any way to purchase overpriced upgrades. The service was friendly, the shipment was quick, and the equipment was not gray market. I have also not had any experience with returns (all cameras worked fine), so I can't comment on that.

I have no experience with B&H, so I have no opinion, except that their prices were consistently higher than Beach. I didn't bother with trying to get a price match, since Beach came with a good reputation.
 

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