Please help me decide.

[cometcattle]

I know next to nothing about cameras, and I was wondering which of these 2 would take better fish pics, or overall a better camera.

http/www.wolfcamera.com/webapp/wcs/store...855#description

http/www.wolfcamera.com/webapp/wcs/store...855#description

If anyone can suggest a camera that runs $350 - $400 US, that would be great.

Also, the camera must be from Best Buy, I just used a different site for the specs.

http/www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id...1&type=category

Thanks!

 

[kenneth_kpe]

hi there basically you are comparing two cameras that are targeted for 2 diff kinds of people. the s500 (ixus series before i thnk) in my opinion is aimed for the fahsionista type person who likes to point and shoot, the a95 however is almost the same except that it is bigger and does a few more things and i think is cheaper. If you want to take pictures of fishes i think the a95 would be better because compared to the s500 it has multiple points of focus that you can select, perfect for shooting through glass (im not really sure about that one however, the glass thing that is) but if you look at the features closely they are almost the same, the other one is just smaller and in my opinion much more fun to use (s500) i use a similar camera (s200 the old one).

if you could maybe ask cian mcliam i see his pictures and the cameras he is using and they are pro quality , maybe he can shine more light into your dillema if not you can try looking at these pages
http/www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/s500.html
http/www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/a95.html

somebody correct me if im wrong

 

[Arashi]

I'd say the A95. I like the "A" series.

 

[StarOrbs]

Trust me when I say this is this one is the best for the price.. http/www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id...62&type=product I have it and its great, it has IS which is image stablization which is a great feature because it makes the pictures look so much clearer. read up on it if you want. Also I know that the MP is pretty low its 3.2 but you'd be suprised how much better it looks then cameras with 5 or 6 MP. The IS makes a big difference.

 

[paradise]

Here is my opinion on the two cameras discussed here:

Between the first two you HAVE to choose the A95 if you want to take fish pics.

Multi focus is IRRELEVANT for fish photography. I use single point focus on fish ONLY, as you dont want to distract the auto focus considering you are already shooting though glass and water.

The feature that makes A95 as the only choice between the two is the ability to work in manual mode (shutter priority, aperature priority or full manual). The other camera does not have that. You NEED manual mode to get good pics.

EXPLANATION: in Auto, you are letting the camera decide the right aperature (how much light gets through) and shutter speed (how long the window is open). the problem is that it's not metering properly because of glass and water. Impossible, even the top of the line SLRs can't do it right.

You need manual mode to be able to TELL the camera which settings to use. Usually for single fish shots, you set the aperature to the highest (the lowest number, like 2.0 is actually the highest aperature), and then adjust shutter speed up or down while taking test shots to get the right exposure.

StarOrbs is right, S1 IS is actually better than both of the ones above.

MISCONCEPTION: Megapixels matter. Totally not true, They only matter for large print printing. For web pics, it's irrelevant. (not exactly but for simplicity of the argument it's a valid enough statement). The 3.2 mpx is a small negative that is outweighed by many positives in the camera, including the Image stabilization system, which is great for handheld photos of quick moving subject (FISH).

Any questions??

 

[fufanu360]

wow paradise, u made too mch sense right there, my dads camera that i use has multipoint focus on it,.... thats why its so hard to focus it on the fish... wonder if i could shut it off

 

[cometcattle]

Thanks for all the info.

I have seen the one StarOrbs suggested, but I might be doing some large print printing, so I kinda want the extra mega pixels.

I am definatley going with the A95. Good thing I asked, I probably would have went with the smaller one (S500).

The only drawback with the A95 is it takes 4 regular AA batteries, whereas the S500 comes with the re-chargable camera battery. I'm not sure if it really matters, but I thought the re-chargeable would be better.

Thanks again for all the info. I'll post pics when I get it (won't be till Christmas).


EDIT: Pics of my fish and dog, not the camera!

 

[kenneth_kpe]

ic now paradise everything is clearer now and im gonna fiddle around with my cam to see if i can get a good shot by meddling with the exposure time... im looking at it right now and im wondering.. whats better ? a faster exposure time or a longer one ? im still confused ?

 

[paradise]

Ok, to answer that last question:

Speed of the exposure = shutter speed control. Quicker shutter gives you less blur. Think of it as a "moment in time" the smaller the moment the clearer it is.

Amount of light going in = aperature. Higher aperature (lower number) gives you more light, a bigger opening, resulting in better processing.

Sensitivity to light at any given exposure = ISO. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor gets, the more it picks up, including noise. Think of it in terms of Film cameras as the type of film, 100, 200, 400.

Now if you combine these three, here is what you want:

At the lowest ISO (50 or 100 typically) with the most opened lens (higher Aperature, lower f-stop number, around 2.0 - 2.8 for most cameras), you want to achieve the highest Shutter speed (usually done as a fraction, 1/100 or in sony cameras as a number, 100, which means 1/100) while getting it exposed correctly, not over- or under-exposed. So you set your ISO at 100 and your Aperature at the highest (let's say 2.0) and put your shutter speed at, let's say 1/100. Take a shot. If it's overexposed (too light, and areas going to white) up the shutter to 1/125, and reverse if it's too dark (underexposed), and keep doing it until you are happy. That is the easiest way to do this.

KEEP IN MIND, this only works with pics WITHOUT flash, with good lighting. When you use flash, certain things change, so it's a whole new ballgame.

 

[rvm]

Just to add my bit, I looked at the A95 and find that it is a good camera, but need 4 AA batts and it really heavy when it has them in, plus it uses them really quickly. that is why I bought the FujiFilm E550. It is very similar in size to the A95, but only uses 2 AA's and they last a lot longer. Plus it is a 6Mp camera that interpolates to 12Mp(!) I wasn't bothered about the huge Mp, but it has a complete manual mode even to the point of being able to adjust the intensity of the flash!
My only criticiam of the E550 is that in manual focus mode it doesn't enlarge the area you are focusing on, but other than that I am really happy with it.

Oh yeah, and it has a 4x optical zoom compared to the canons 3x and it can take tele and wide angle lens adaptors!!

 

[Discomafia]

Wow, how do I set all this paradise? Shutter speed and ISO I mean. I use a Canon Powershot S30, bit outdated I know but it's not mine so I can't complain? Are you familiar with this model? Any additional info/advice?