Canon PowerShot SD940IS or Panasonic lumix zs3?
74026
Even though the Canon SD940 IS and the Panasonic ZS3 are both point & shoots, they are really very different cameras and therefore difficult to compare to one another. Both are quality cameras that will produce technically good photos. That being said, if an extremely small camera that can fit into just about any pocket is your top priority, go with the Canon. If a MUCH greater zoom range is your top priority, go with the Panasonic.
470693
Thanks for the links, R.G.! Esp. the comparison. I've been holding off for THE p+s camera (to replace my Canon S410) and I think TZ5 is it.
2284472
I'm running the same research and here's the comparison, WX1: in addition to the HD video, its 24mm wide angle is precious in daily shootings (indoors, group pics, ...). It also has 5x zoom. And the CMOS sensor is supposed to be a notch better than CCD. The build quality is good and it's smaller than S90 except the thickness. It's also $100+ cheaper than S90. Battery life is rated at 350 shots v. S90's 220. S90: Manual everything; RAW; F2@28mm; SDHC card; external flash. The DSLR advantages have been the interchangeability for lens and flash. S90 takes another bite on those claims while providing the convenience and accessibility. If you're going up from Point&Shoot, WX1 is the winner; If you're going down from DSLR after the form factor, you'll miss less features with S90. Either is a great camera that will take wonderful pictures in the right hands.
982195
Don't have any S-series cameras, but as a general comparison to the other Canon PowerShot cameras we have used in the $250-300 range I would say Canon has a better charger, better focusing for outdoors (P340 seems to try to focus on leaves when trying to take a photo of a building), similar battery life, and worse flash re-charge time. The Canon might be better on shutter release lag and simplicity of controls.
209419
I really like the Panasonic ZS30. I do not have the Fuji f900, although I've heard nice things about it. Google www.dpreview.com. I think they have professional reviews of both cameras. Might also try www.whatdigitalcamera.com. Another good place for professional reviews is www.cameralabs.com. If you go to www.whatdigitalcamera.com, it is a British magazine, and the ZS30 is known as the TZ40 in Europe - same camera. Both the Fuji and the Panasonic are highly rated. Another option to consider - Panasonic has announced that the ZS40 - next upgrade - will be coming out in March. It will have a 30X zoom, RAW shooting, and EVF, and several other new features. Might want to check that one out if you can wait a bit.
2204728
Ok so this is what I'm going off of. The Cannon SX10IS is the same price as the P90 but the P90 has 24x zoom and 12.1 MP... The price differential came from somewhere. I'm putting my bets on the image processor. I personally own the SX10IS and I could not be happier. My friend who owns the Cannon Rebel XSi tries to say how his buy is much more justified. So far the only things I have found better is his white balance, optional remote trigger, and the capability to shoot in RAW. Otherwise our cameras are very similar.
2053309
The ZS20 is generally considered very inferior in image quality when compared to *anything else*. ZS15 would be better if you want a pocketable camera.
2194809
Hard to say for sure since neither is out and picture quality has not been compared, but there are differences in their features that may help you decide. The ZS3's biggest advantage is that it allows optical zooming during video recording. The SX200 only allows digital zooming during video recording. In addition, the ZS3's 25mm equivalent wide angle lens will let you get more in your picture without having to back up. Three other things that ZS3 has over the Sx200 is stereo sound recording, a more powerful flash, and a higher resolution LCD screen. To Canon's advantage, the SX200 has more manual controls, allowing one to choose aperture priority, shutter priority, or full manual in addition to the automatic and scene modes. The Canon also has blink detection, and is priced $50 less. Both cameras have had very good preliminary reviews.
1866176
I'm in the same dilemma as Costco offers both. D40 for $649 and Rebel XS for $699 with extra telephoto lense. In the past, I had bad experience with Canon camcorder as it stopped working just after 2 yrs, and I know few people whose Canon products stopped functioning too.I guess, Nikon D40 is the ideal choice.
193099
Another good way to answer your questions is to Google "Panasonic sz3 manual". Then you can use the index to see all camera functions and options.
1956054
I just returned a Panasonic ZS5. The zoom was nice and outside pictures ok but indoors were just bad. I took repeated photos within seconds of each other with same settings same lighting etc. and one would be ok and the next had a strong red tone to it. I tried differet settings and it was the same, the photos were not consistant and half or more were bad. Also the camea has a red flash first then the regular flash went off and then about a 1/2 second or more after that the flash went off again and the camera would then take the picture. as a result the photos were blurred as everyone thought the picture was taken at the first flash. The shutter speed wth the flash is slow adding to blurred photos. On top of that the led display started getting vertical lines in it after only 10 - 15 minutes of use. Granted the camera is likely defective but some of the issues I have seen in other reviews. I used my ten year old Kodak Easyshare for christmas photos and as usual no problems. Good Luck
119786
I think you should get the Panasonic TZ5 (or TZ4 if you don't care about HD video). The TZ's will jump to an Optical 16.7x@ 3MEGAPIXELS, and will be in the $200- 230 area vs. the much more expensive 12x...I have both the TZ5 and SX110. They are both GREAT cameras. The TZ5 is lighter and smaller, and you can take video with optical vs digital zoom (clearer video). I bought the SX 110 , because there is a CHDK modification available for it (Google CHDK). You can do timelapse, RAW format, extend the shutter speed to 64 seconds....but if you are using the camera for the day, I would go with the TZ4 or 5, but you better hurry- all of these cameras are discontinued! I think you should get the Panasonic TZ5 (or TZ4 if you don't care about HD video). The TZ's will jump to an Optical 16.7x@ 3MEGAPIXELS, and will be in the $200- 230 area vs. the much more expensive 12x...I have both the TZ5 and SX110. They are both GREAT cameras. The TZ5 is lighter and smaller, and you can take video with optical vs digital zoom (clearer video). I bought the SX 110 , because there is a CHDK modification available for it (Google CHDK). You can do timelapse, RAW format, extend the shutter speed to 64 seconds....but if you are using the camera for the day, I would go with the... » Read More I think you should get the Panasonic TZ5 (or TZ4 if you don't care about HD video). The TZ's will jump to an Optical 16.7x@ 3MEGAPIXELS, and will be in the $200- 230 area vs. the much more expensive 12x...I have both the TZ5 and SX110. They are both GREAT cameras. The TZ5 is lighter and smaller, and you can take video with optical vs digital zoom (clearer video). I bought the SX 110 , because there is a CHDK modification available for it (Google CHDK). You can do timelapse, RAW format, extend the shutter speed to 64 seconds....but if you are using the camera for the day, I would go with the TZ4 or 5, but you better hurry- all of these cameras are discontinued! « Show Less
345065
I have not used a canon point and shoot recently, put I purchased a Panasonic fz8 about 9 months ago specifically for concerts and I haven't been disappointed. Be sure to stick with the fz8, not the upgraded fz18.
572466
How about a Canon Powershot SD940is, it recently had a price drop to $200, I believe it was like $230 or $240 before. The model is a year old but I personally prefer the design of the older Canon models. At $200 it's a no-brainer. Also, a Sandisk SDHC card:
1726683
sx150is, which is also an older camera and is available to buy on amazon at greatly reduced price points as used or refurbished. good luck.
391686
I think I will buy the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 hybrid camera when more positive reviews are available, probably in April. It has stereo sound recording, usable zoom while taking video and 3" 460K resolution LCD. The only minor drawback with it is it does not support manual mode. There is no RAW mode too at this time, but that's software and they can easily add that later in new firmware. It also costs about $50 more than the SX200.Of course the SX1 IS is better, but that is a different class of camera and too bulky for light traveling.
571789
I would go with the sd940 it seems to have the most bang for the buck. For only $20 you get a wider angle and faster lens (lower f-stop better for low light conditions). Considering that these are generally the 2 most expensive upgrades with point and shoot cameras (usually about $100 per f-stop) I think its a great deal right now. From what I've seen the image quality isn't as good with the sd960 as the sd940 (its an earlier model, maybe because of different lens of sensor?) Hope that helps