Any photography buffs in the club???

[Derick]

Well, My digital camera kinda konked out on me and I hated the POS anyways. So I'm looking at getting a new digi-cam, an Olympus C-8080. Any shutter bugs on the forums know a thing or two about cameras? Just wanted to know how the Olympus stacks up against its competitors

[Simon]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

I don't know much about camera's, so sorry I can't help you. But 8.0 megapixels is bling blang my friend.

[Billip]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

I did quite a bit of research before I bought my new Digital Rebel. If you're looking for a new 8MP camera, check out the Canon Pro1. It's a bit expensive though. There are a few 8MP cameras out there now.

More important than the amount of pixels the camera captures though is the size of the sensor. Bigger is always better, and it's definitely very noticable. Bigger sensors have less noise and can capture pictures in lower light.

Check out http://www.dpreview.com (which is very good for digital camera reviews) and http://www.photo.net (which is good for general photography info, and I believe has an article on how to buy a digital camera).

If you have any questions feel free to ask me... I'll help if I can.

[Derick]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

Thanks Bill. It's crazy how many options, features, and opinions are floating around out there
I've been doing research as well, but it seems like everyone I talk to has a different "loyalty" when it comes to cameras. I had a thread in the VW Vortex photography forum where like 8 different cameras were recommended!
The Pro-1 seems like a great camera, but it's a little out of my price range. I'm already stretching to get the C-8080

Originally, I was looking at the Sony DSC-F717, but I was sort of swayed away from it after doing some research and finding that there weren't too many 717 fans (although I never really found anything too negative about the 717). I also find it a little cumbersome and akward to use. But features like the manual focus ring, 30 sec shutter speed, resonable price, and night focus capabilities are really alluring. Also, after looking at DpReview's photography contest, there are alot of great pictures taken with the 717!! I just don't know. I guess it comes down to choosing between the Olympus C-8080 and the Sony F-717. Which one would you pick????

Here's the Sony....

[Stonewall]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

All comes down to how much you want to spend and how many features you want. My personal fav around the $750 mark is the sond DSC-V1, I know 2 people with them and both have nothing bad to say about them at all. Even though I have never been a fan of sony products (at all!) this camera has the most features in the price range. The movie quality at a higher resolution then most and the night pictures turn out really well. All now that sony's memmory stick is not propritary they are alot cheaper. Just my $0.02, it has been a while since I worked in cameras at London Drugs.

[Billip]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

I'm not sure about the Sony vs. the Olympus because those are 2 brands I didn't consider. I just mainly know about the general things to lookout for. You should check out the chromatic abberation of those two cameras... it's also called "purple fringing". CA is very prevalent in digital cameras, especially point-and-shoot kinds because of the smaller sensor size and generally inferior optics. You'll notice CA in highlight areas on photos... it'll look like it's glowing purple. I find it *really* annoying so it was something that I really looked out for. I actually returned the first digital camera that I bought because of it (it was a Canon G5).

If the chromatic abberation is bad the reviewer will usually comment on it. Depending on how serious you are or are not you may not even notice some of these things. Most people think i'm a little too critical of camera stuff.

[liquid]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

I used to have a Canon G2..... and now have an Olympus C5000 (5MP). The Olympus is nice, but the menu's are a little tedious to work through. The camera's your talking about though are above and beyond the bling that I could afford.

[Derick]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

....you may not even notice some of these things. Most people think i'm a little too critical of camera stuff.

That's exactly it. Most people (probably myself included) wouldn't notice, or more accurately, fret over these things. BUT, once you start getting into this league of cameras, these "little" things are what separates the different makes. So it's only right that you're critical about your purchase Bill

This might sound dumb, but one of the things I like about Olympus is the all-magnesium body, rugeddness, and the way it just "feels" when using it. The Sony feels kinda flimsy, which is no good for me since my cameras get kinda abused. I once dropped a camera while on a roller coaster at Six Flags and it slid and banged around the floor of the coaster being held in by just the ride's G-forces

Like I said, the Canons are great cameras, but the Olympus is just within my budget so that's the direction I'm heading. Thanks for the tip on "fringing". I'm gonna go surf around looking for night shots of cars to see if I can find any like this

[Billip]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

A solid body is definitely a good thing... in my mind I would think Olympus would be better than Sony only because Sony really has no experience making cameras. I think it's important to stick to a manufacturer that actually has experience in making film cameras. So many electronics manufacturers got into making digital cameras because they were seen as "electronics devices" rather than "photography devices" (if that makes any sense). There is something to be said for experience in photography.

Good luck with your purchase!

[18TWolf]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

I am quite a photography buff... I currently shoot 35mm and digital SLR bodies from Canon so I am a little partial to Canon products. My friend asked me to check out the new Canon Powershot Pro1, while I was at the shop I checked out the Olympus and the Sony as well. By far I was the most impressed with the Olympus mostly because it felt more like an SLR with a nice chunky lense. 8MP is overkill for most things and it isn't the number of pixels that matter it is the bit level of the pixels and the size of the sensor that matter most (the bigger the sensor, the larger the pixels and the more sensitive they are). You would be much better off getting a camera that is 5-6 MP with a 12-bit sensor than an 8MP with an 8 or 10-bit sensor. I don't know what the bit level of that sensor is but most of the pro-sumer digital cameras have quite small sensors and for that kind of money I would consider the Canon Digital Rebel which would allow you to grow into the camera and last longer. If size is the issue then there are lots of really small digital cameras out there.

Good Luck,

Chris Gauld
www.gauldphoto.com

[Canadian Turbo]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

Not to hijack this thread but Chris, I was checking out your work and I know the first couple in your wedding gallery, do you know them or just do the wedding?

[18TWolf]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

Blair,

I know the couple but we were also asked to do their wedding. They also hired a photographer but weren't happy with his photos. I just shot digital at that wedding since it was for a favor but typically I shoot both film and digital (there are still benefits to both formats).

Chris

[Derick]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

I am quite a photography buff... I currently shoot 35mm and digital SLR bodies from Canon so I am a little partial to Canon products. My friend asked me to check out the new Canon Powershot Pro1, while I was at the shop I checked out the Olympus and the Sony as well. By far I was the most impressed with the Olympus mostly because it felt more like an SLR with a nice chunky lense. 8MP is overkill for most things and it isn't the number of pixels that matter it is the bit level of the pixels and the size of the sensor that matter most (the bigger the sensor, the larger the pixels and the more sensitive they are). You would be much better off getting a camera that is 5-6 MP with a 12-bit sensor than an 8MP with an 8 or 10-bit sensor. I don't know what the bit level of that sensor is but most of the pro-sumer digital cameras have quite small sensors and for that kind of money I would consider the Canon Digital Rebel which would allow you to grow into the camera and last longer. If size is the issue then there are lots of really small digital cameras out there.

Good Luck,

Chris Gauld
www.gauldphoto.com

Thanks for the tip! As for the sensor size, I searched DPreview and they have it listed as 2/3" (8.80 x 6.60 mm) for the Olympus Is that good?

[Billip]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

Thanks for the tip! As for the sensor size, I searched DPreview and they have it listed as 2/3" (8.80 x 6.60 mm) for the Olympus Is that good?

Well... for comparison... the Digital Rebel has a sensor size of 22.7 mm x 15.1 mm... so you can see that it is MUCH bigger than the Olympus. However, the Olympus has the same sensor size as the Canon PowerShot Pro1. The Canon S1IS is 5.27 x 3.96 mm (but it's only 3 MP).

[Kor]

Re: Any photography buffs in the club???

Well... for comparison... the Digital Rebel has a sensor size of 22.7 mm x 15.1 mm... so you can see that it is MUCH bigger than the Olympus. However, the Olympus has the same sensor size as the Canon PowerShot Pro1. The Canon S1IS is 5.27 x 3.96 mm (but it's only 3 MP).

I am learning so much.