Is Boris the new Hank Scorpio?
April 29, 2005 - 3:24pm — gfair
I couldn't help notice the similarities, except Boris has more hair and it's not as red:
http://members.fortunecity.com/biollante/frink/hank_scorpio.html
Anyway, onto a relevant topic, I'm looking at getting a digital camera, would like something 5MP or higher, but what I'm ultimately looking for is one with 5x-10x optical zoom and, as Boris once said, something from a company that produces its own lenses, and, in addition: something from a company that made its name producing film cameras before it moved into digital.
Any recommendations?
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S2 looks good, but I'm a content purist. ;)
I'll definitely check out the S2 now, the specs given were quite nice.
In terms of megapixels and quality, I definitely remember your lesson from some time ago - companies that made SLR cameras and lenses are what you want to go for. ;) I definitely know megapixels doesn't represent image quality, but in terms of archiving, I want as much data as I can get in a camera, and want quality with it, so high MP and a quality manufacturer are both equal priorities.
In terms of video, again I am going for high-res, and high quality. My main purpose is to start creating a video collection of family and friends, with a focus on the long term, so I want the quality to be as good as I can get for my money, so camera video, while good with Canon, still doesn't equal what a video recorder will give me, so I'll be using two devices for now.
And in this project, this is when I realized what the Mac Mini is all about. I wouldn't think of managing a media library on a PC, so the Mini is definitely in the future.
Canon S2 IS
You didn't mention a really relevant factor, which is how much you want to spend.
But, I really love my Canon S1 IS. It's "only" 3.2MP, but has a 10x zoom and takes really excellent pictures. It's got everything from full-auto to full-manual. It's a prosumer camera, meaning that it's in between point and shoot and bigger (and more expensive) digital SLRs.
Pretty much the only downside is that it's fairly big -- this is not a tuck-it-in-your-pocket camera.
The new Canon S2 is even better than the S1 -- 12x zoom and 5MP. Both cameras also take awesome videos -- 30fps at 640x480.
Hope that helps. If you want something compact, Canon makes good models there. Will has been happy with his Minolta Dimage as well.
Budget
Actually, I hadn't decided on a budget, really. If I liked the features and got a good rating on quality, I'd be willing to spend up to $1000 on a camera. I'd been looking at the Canon PowerShot G6, but the zoom on it is less than I would like.
For the most part, I'm looking for:
- High optical zoom (i.e. higher than 4x)
- High megapixels, and the reason why is for archival purposes and overall quality. What will digital cameras be doing 20 years from now?
I don't want movie capabilities, because, in looking at the movie specs of digital cameras these days, it's plain to see they don't compare to digital video recorders at all. Ultimately, the quality of video (resolution, color, image quality) is also something very important from the perspective of archiving to me, so that isn't a big consideration.
I still recommend the Canon S2
It's amusing, but the MP # does not have a 1-to-1 relationship with "overall quality". Optics do, which is why I've been happy with the S1 at "only" 3.2MP. The Canon S2 is 5MP, and looks like an excellent buy. After you buy a large SD memory card, rechargeable batteries plus charger, and a carrying case and add taxes, you'll be close to $1000 probably.
And...don't underestimate video mode: it's "good enough" to get some really great content, without the pain of huge data storage and editing associated with "real" video recorders. I specifically mentioned it because the video mode on these Canons is a lot better than the thumbnail video that you get from others.