[mauser06]

ok...still searching for the right "super zoom" digital camera...


whats everyone using?? whats the good ones?? they all get pretty much similar reviews..i dont know much about photography..and dont wanna get into a dslr yet....but want to start taking nice pics....

thoughts, options, opinions...help?

everyone is making super zooms...i just dont know whats what..

uses...everything. general use..from macro to actually using the super zoom...dont do any serious macro so i dont need anything fancy..just threw that out there..the camera would be used for anything and everything..scenery, portait type with fish or game kills..people, pets, coon dogs on the tree at night..landscapes etc etc...just everything most outdoors man and everyday people would use a camera for....

 

[jayd4wg]

avoid digital zoom, stick with optical. small lenses with alot of zoom come at a cost of optical clarity. Megapixels are overrated too. I havelittle faith or need for anything more than 6MP's in a pocket sized point and shoot.

Spend some time on http://www.dpreview.com and compare some of the current offerings out there to see what fits YOUR needs.

When someone says to me that they want a "super zoom" camera, i'm thinking a DSLR with a gunstock camera mount like this

 

[TPlank]

The lens pictured above really isn't that big. Might be 400mm.

The big guns you need a solid tripod for. Too much for hand held shooting.

 

[mauser06]

jay, im not ready for a dslr...

im looking at cameras like the Canon powershot sx20is

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_sx20is.asp

20x optical zoom...i just have no idea what the other things do or what they mean etc....

im not looking for a pocket camera..i got a Stylus for that...im looking for something nice that will take nice pics and better zoom and such...

 

[jayd4wg]

one click away from that screen is the Super Zoom Shootout from DPR...

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q110superzoomgroup/

i won't extrapolate the data for you...its a decision YOU need to make obviously...that said, the canon ain't a bad bet. I'd prefer the new Lumix though. at 18x zoom and 12.1 MP, you can crop to very respectable images with VERY little sacrifice in image quality where the Canon may suffer a bit doing the same thing. where the Canon comes back in the extreme zoom but I have to ask...how often will you REALLY be using the extreme full zoom? the Lumix takes better overall pics in almost all scenarios and is at the same price point. The Lumix also adds RAW format support, and being a photoshop digital darkroom junky myself, i much prefer RAW over JPG. YMMV

 

[jayd4wg]

The lens pictured above really isn't that big. Might be 400mm.

The big guns you need a solid tripod for. Too much for hand held shooting.

Agreed - but you can get some good shots with the stock mount. I'll never have the spare scratch for an Orion SVP 127...so a heavy solid tripod is also not in my future

 

[mauser06]

thanx Jay...i didnt get to dig through that site much...i was looking for something exactly like that!

your right, i will rarely use the high end zoom...but, its kinda nice to have..and i want more than a compact pocket sized point and shoot for sure...

between the cannon and lumix, looks like its a toss up besides what you mentioned...18x vs 20x isnt anything to fuss over as it'll rarely be used..the scope on my groundhog rifle is 18x..i know its capabilities lol...and i dont know anything about RAW mode....the selling point from my limited view would be i hear a ton about canon cameras being good stuff...Panasonic..you dont hear to much about...though that doesnt mean a ton..and i dont follow the camera world so that could be why i dont hear of panasonic...

 

[jayd4wg]

actually, panasonic LUMIX cameras have fallen into a cult following all their own. I would not turn down the chance to own one if i was looking for a new camera. they are quite nice. Canon is the honda civic of the camera world. Panasonic would be well...uh...okay, cars are a bad analogy LOL

The real benefit of RAW images would probably go unnoticed by the layperson. They excel at post processing in the digital darkroom. If all you want is the ability to take pics and post them on the interweb or sometimes print...jpg is fine. You'd probably never notice the difference.

One thing everyone should look into with digital images though is a product called Neat Image. http://www.neatimage.com i believe. it's an amazing bit of post processing that will take your digitally zoomed pics to a whole new level.

 

[mauser06]

Thanx jay! Appreciate it....still haven't decided when I'm purchasing...its been on my list for a while....but, lots of things are on the same list....we'll see...I like doing my research so when its time to buy, I'm happy and know I didn't buy junk....