Belated review of Fuji FinePix F-30 compact
A while back I mentioned that I’d selected the FinePix F-30 as the replacement for my Casio Exilim EX-Z750. I’ve had plenty of time to use it in a variety of situations, particularly my trip to Rome in October, so now it’s time to write up a quick review.
Overall
The F30 is a decent camera, but only a decent camera. There is but one reason I chose it over the better-featured and better-designed alternatives: a very low-noise, high-ISO CCD. I take so many low-light pictures ranging from after-dark mood-lit get-togethers to after-dark outdoor shots that the motion blur of low ISO and the grainy noise of high ISO were really getting to me. The F30 offers an alternative: a middling camera that can do virtually noise-less ISO 400 shots, fairly low-noise ISO 1600, and noisy-but-better-than-nothing ISO 3200 shots. For me this was too intriguing to pass up.
Low-light performance
Since I got the F30 for low-light photography, it seems fair to focus on its performance in that area. While the low-light experience suffers the same limitations that plague the camera in well-lit scenarios (below), the CCD sensor works as avertised. The Auto (400) mode auto-sets everything but ISO mode, which it fixes at 400. On any other compact, ISO 400 is a mode of last resort, when the severe degradation due to CCD noise is preferable to a severely blurred or underexposed shot, or no shot at all. On the F30, ISO 400 is quite usable, and only a close-up examination of the resulting pics will reveal the slightest trace of noise, making ISO 400 effectively indistinguishable from 100 or 200.
Of course, you’ll still need a tripod or a very still subject if you’re doing much work in really low light, but the point at motion blur becomes a problem is closer to absolute dark in ISO 400 or ISO 1600 than it is with the ISO 50 or ISO 100 you’d be using on another camera. It also reduces reliance on the always-shitty compact camera flash, which the F30 most certainly suffers from.
So, all in all, for low-light photography the F30 is a major upgrade from the Z750, and even my all-time favorite camera, the Canon S-60.
Bright light performance
The F30′s super-sensitive CCD doesn’t help it in bright light. I found it’s well-lit picture quality to be considerably worse than the S-60, and slightly worse than the Z750. Consider the two photos below:
This one I took of the Piazza del Popolo in Rome back in ’05, using a Canon S-60:
And this one I took with the F30 this past October:
Now, there are some differences due to environmental factors, for example the haze obscuring St. Peter’s in the background in the F30 version, and the additional cloud cover in the S-60 version. However, even compensating for these, having been there both times I can affirm that the S-60 does a better job of preserving the color and tone of the shot, while the F30 (and the Z750, for that matter) tends to wash out a bit. This may be par for the course for all compacts, or it may be a problem that non-Canon cameras have.
Annoyances
I can’t emphasize enough that apart from its low-noise high-sensitivity CCD the F30 is at best a middling camera. It doesn’t have much in the way of manual features, its pre-programmed shot modes are mostly useless (the ‘Natural Light’ one basically turns on ISO 1600; brilliant), its flash is the same shit I’ve come to expect from all compacts, it doesn’t support multi-shot AF lock, and most annoying of all, it’s autofocus is slow and meandering.
These last two really burn me, and are almost enough for me to send it back. It’s especially problematic in low-light situations. Normally, auto-focus takes maybe 1 second on a compact camera, and you can pre-focus by half-pressing the shutter release button, then holding it there until you press it the rest of the way to take the shot. The F30 supports that, but if you release the shutter button half way after taking the shot, it doesn’t hold the AF lock. The Z750 doesn’t either, but my S-60 did, making it really easy to pre-focus a tricky shot, then shot it multiple times.
If that weren’t bad enough, the F30′s auto focus takes its sweet time. Last night I was taking some low-light pictures of my cat, Poke, on my bed. Both Poke and my bed are black, which wreaks havoc on AF systems that rely on edge detection to help them focus. The F30, though, takes the ponderous auto focus cake; each shot (and, being a cat owner, I took approximately 100,000) required over a second to focus, as the AF went through its entire range of motion each time to find the right focus. This would be sufferable if the camera held the AF lock between shutter half-presses, but it doesn’t.
Under normal circumstances, you could work around both these problems with the camera’s continuous shooting mode. Fortunately the F30 has a ‘continuous shooting’ mode, but unfortunately it was implemented by a guy who doesn’t know what ‘continuous shooting’ is. In this mode, the F30 takes pics repeatedly as long as the button is down, however it doesn’t preserve its AF lock between shots, so the continuous mode is no different than repeatedly hitting the shutter button. Whichever dropout Fuji intern is responsible for that feature should be terminated with prejudice.
On the plus side
Farbeit from me to end this review with a gripe. The F30 does have the nice features I’ve come to expect but which cannot be assumed, like epic battery life, lightning-quick startup time, decent shot-to-shot speeds (the AF bullshit above notwithstanding), decent zooming speeds, and fairly good quality photos. It’s high-sensitivity ISO modes make it possible to take low-light shots that you’d miss or flash-nuke on other cameras. If you shoot outdoors in the sun all day, this is definitely not the camera for you, but if low-light performance trumps all else, you have (sadly) no other option.
For more info, see the very-thorough Steve’s Digicams reviews of the F-30, and the runner-up in my compact camera selection competition, the Canon SD700 IS.
For some real-world comparisons, check out my Rome ’05 gallery taken with the S-60, my Iraq gallery taken with the Z750, and my Rome ’06 gallery taken with the F30.
Settled on the FinePix F30
After much consternation, I ordered the Fuji FinePix F30 from Amazon for ~$340. I could’ve gotten it a few bucks cheaper elsewhere, but shipping is free (or, more precisely, paid for already) w/ my Amazon Prime account, and Amazon has a more favorable return policy than most other places.
Though I continue to have reservations about the overall quality of the F30, the high-sensitivity, low-noise Super CCD sensor is compelling enough to suck up my doubts and move on. There’s something of an inheritance battle among Rebecca and Bob for my Z750, but that’s not really my problem.
Once I get it I’ll take some test shots and report back.
Or maybe the FinePix F30…
Having just declared my devotion to the Canon SD700 IS, I’m already having cold feet. I’ve just learned that Fujifilm has a mediocre ultra-compact they call the FinePix F30, which is pretty middling but for one striking feature: a Super CCD sensor that delivers less noise at ISO 1600 than my Z750 does at ISO 400, and not-entirely-useless photos at an amazing ISO 3200. So, while the SD 700 IS has active image stabilization to reduce low-light blur due to camera shake, the F30 actually has significantly higher sensitivity such that higher shutter speeds are available in low light, not only reducing camera shake but also subject motion blur.
So now I’m presented with a dreadful choice: Get the FinePix F30 which will work great in low-light but is an all-around mediocre camera, or get the SD700 IS which will kick ass at everything it does but still leave me with tons of would-be-a-great-picture-but-for-the-blur shots. Dammit, I can’t decide!
Tired of the Casio Exilim EX-Z750
I’ve previously opined on my Casio Exilim EX-Z750 ultra-compact digital camera, which I thought well enough of to bring to Iraq for use recording my experiences there. However, in part due to my experiences with it there, and subsequent to my return, I’m growing increasingly weary of its limitations.
First, it simply cannot produce the clarity and rich color saturation of my previous camera, the Canon PowerShot SD-60. I expected this going in, of course; the SD 60 is easily twice the size of the Z750, and is a Canon to boot. However, I’m surprised how much this grates on me as time and time again I download my shots only to discover poor sharpness and washed-out colors. Post-processing in Photoshop certainly improves things, but I never had to post-process my SD60 shots for sharpness.
Second, low-light performance is shit. I’ve downloaded a couple of tweaked Best Shot profiles to create ‘virtual’ ISO 800 and ISO 1600, both of which introduce about as much noise as you’d expect. Noise Ninja does an OK job cleaning this up, but there is inevitably some loss of detail.
Third, the flash is worthless. It’s underpowered, and yet still manages to reliably reproduce the nuclear effect. I knew this from reviews I read, but I smugly thought to myself ‘no one buys an ultra-compact expecting a good flash; I’ll use the high ISO modes and post-processing for low-light shots’. Ha.
Fourth, in order to reduce the horrid noise of the high-ISO modes, I have to turn down the sharpness in the hopes of disengaging Casio’s primitive in-camera sharpener, which really should be called ‘Noise Amplifier’. This is part of what causes the shit clarity, and again I can get most of the sharpness back with post-processing, but this just brings out more noise, which I have to clean up with Noise Ninja, and I don’t want to spend so much time tweaking sliders in Photoshop to get my raw, shitty pictures to a point where I’m not embarassed to share them.
Finally, the EXIF metadata inserted by the Z750 left alot to be desired. My SD-60 recorded ISO level and camera orientation, which was a huge help in auto-rotating images and selecting denoise candidates. The Z750 recorded F-stop and time and little else. Not cool.
All of this is very unfortunate, because the Z750 could have been a great camera. It spent four months in my pants pocket in and around Baghdad, being whipped out at random to take a flury of shots. I measured its battery life in epochs, its LCD screen was an object of lust and envy for all who beheld it, and even Ra’id the finicky Jordanian photographer/tour guide at Karak thought it was a great little camera. Too bad the photos it produced left so much to be desired.
So, never being one to curse the darkness without making at least a token attempt to light a candle, I’ve focused my considerable lusting powers on a new object: the Canon SD700 IS.
First, being a Canon, it is legally obligated to not suck. In addition, it has active anti-shake technology (not the ‘anti shake’ Casio deceptively markets in the Exilim Z850 which is just a high, noisy ISO mode), an ISO 800 mode for those emergency, noisy-is-better-than-nothing shots, and actual after-market accessories. Its battery life can’t touch the Z750, but apart from that it’s a better camera all around.
All that remains is for me to come to terms with the ~$450 price tag.
Life-changing insights into Z750 picture-taking
After I reached my Casio Exilim EX-Z750 conclusions, I began to rummage around the digital photography forums looking for insights from other Z750 users on improving its performance. I felt that the middling camera I was using was not the stellar camera favorably reviewed time and again.
Though my search for enlightenment is ongoing, I ran across some great posts to the Casio Talk forum at http://www.dpreview.com. In particular, Bart Hickman posted a great piece showcasing some nighttime photos he took with a Z750, which do not resemble anything I’ve been able to produce.
Subsequent research of Hickman’s posts revealed a link to Bart Hickman’s Best Shot Collection, which is a set of ‘Best Shots’ (basically camera setting presets which you can load into the Z750 in addition to its library of built-in Best Shots) which provide ‘virtual’ ISO 800 and ISO 1600 settings. This, coupled with post-processing using the exposure compensation curves he provides and a little noise reduction, enables high shutter-speed low-light photography with dramatic effects.
Hickman uses Paint Shop Pro 9, not Photoshop, so I’ve taken the liberty of converting his adjustment curves to Photoshop. They don’t yield quite the same results as Photoshop’s Exposure adjustment, but given that he’s calibrated them to the Z750′s frequency response curve at various EV settings, I’m inclined to give his the benefit of the doubt.
They are:
You can use them in Photoshop by creating a Curves adjustment layer and loading the appropriate curve values file using the ‘Load…’ button.
Hickman’s technique is to use his Virtual 800 or Virtual 1600 best shot profile (which one you use depends upon lighting), then dialing down the EV compensation until the shutter speed is acceptable, even if the adjustment leads to an underexposed shot. I didn’t realize (perhaps because I’m a digital photography n00b) that adjusting the EV compensation caused the camera to adjust the shutter speed; I thought EV compensation was just a post-processing adjustment to the data from the sensor.
Normally, underexposing the shot would suck, but Hickman’s exposure compensation curves allow you to re-adjust exposure in the other direction in roughly the same way the Z750 would adjust it by holding the shutter open longer. The adjustment curves, particularly the +2 curve, lose detail in the highlights, so it’s not a completely free adjustment, however I find the difference between some loss of detail and a nuked flash exposure or missed shot is worth the compromise.
The final stage of the Hickman technique is to apply noise reduction (NR) to the brightened image. Noise reduction usually costs some detail, but if you’re using a powerful noise reduction tool like Noise Ninja, the dramatic reduction in noise is usually worth the nominal loss of detail.
I’ve been playing around with this technique alot, and I’m pretty pleased. I get fast shutter speeds without a flash, and the adjustment in saturation coupled with the NR post-processing keeps noise in check. Thanks Bart!
I’ve also resolved to keep an eye on the dpreview forums for further nuggets of wisdom.
Casio Exilim EX-Z750 Conclusion
I’ve been talking about my initial impressions on the Casio Exilim EX-Z750, and have since had an opportunity to undertake a few shooting experiments.
The conclusion: I want my PowerShot S60, but in the Exilim’s package, with 7.2 MP of resolution. Of course, this doesn’t exist; the PowerShot SD550 is in no way the S60 (it lacks manual controls, has a 37mm wide angle, etc). So, I won’t be getting what I want.
Pros
- The Z750 has a great case; it’s small and feels solid.
- The boot and shutter lag times are amazing. Makes my S60 feel even slower than it used to
- Resolution is very high; 7.2MP gives you lots of room to work with, though some of my shots feel fuzzy nonetheless
- Controls are definitely different from my S60′s, but I was able to get used to them very quickly
Cons
- Zoom range is limited to 37mm-111mm. My S60 went all the way back to 28mm, which was great for wide angle shots
- Flash is for shit. It’s range is limited, as other reviews have noted, but it’s also somewhat cataclysmic at the default settings. All of my early flash shots were nuclear.
- Doesn’t have an accellerometer to detect camera orientation, so when I take portrait shots I have to manually rotate the resulting images. Sounds like a small complaint, but it adds up.
- You have to use the stupid dock to charge the camera or download pictures. I have an SD drive, and bought an aftermarket charger to avoid these hassles, but out of the box it sucks
- Noise at ISO 200 and ISO 400 make these modes nearly useless, therefore I have to be more careful with shutter speed and flash settings than I was with my S60. As a result, alot of my pictures are underexposed.
- Auto white balance is easily fooled by incandescent light. I have to remember to switch to Tungsten to avoid a yellow cast.
If the Z750 took great low-light shots automatically, like my S60 did, I’d be in love with it. However, it does not, and I’m not yet very good at tweaking the shutter priority mode manually to make up the difference. I’m going to keep it (the alternative is the SD550, which doesn’t even have manual controls), but only because I have no choice.
My shots from Christmas Eve are up on my gallery. They give some sense as to what I’m capable of doing with a Z750 (hint: not much right now). Note the underexposure and yellow casting due to the lame auto white balance.
Analysis of Noise in Casio Exilim EX-Z750
I’ve conducted a more thorough analysis of noise phenomena in my Casio Exilim EX-Z750 ultracompact digital camera.
I’ve observed that noise at fast shutter speeds (1/8+) at ISO 50 or ISO 100 is minimal. Unfortunately, this leads to potentially underexposed images when shooting in low light indoor conditions.
As is typical with digital cameras, ISO 200 and 400 are rather noisy. I had previously thought that the ISO 400 mode on the Z750 was particularly bad, but empirical test shots don’t prove that out; it’s noisy, but no more so than my PowerShot S60.
The interesting observations came at slower speeds. I shot a few exposures with a 0.3 second shutter, running the ISO gamut from 50 to 400. I found that, even at ISO 50, I was seeing some noise artifacts! This makes sense to some extent, as the longer the shutter is open, the longer noise effects have to accumulate, however it is somewhat unfortunate for me, as I use slow shutters to expose portraits in low light.
I also played with the exposure compensation control. At 1/6s shutter, ISO 50, setting the exposure compensation to its max value of +2.0, I got an image that was actually somewhat overexposed compared to the 1/8s ISO 100 shot, and yet had less noise than the 0.3″ ISO 50 shot. Now, obviously, exposure compensation doesn’t help with blur the way a fast shutter does, but 1/8 is hardly fast enough to eliminate blur anyway.
More thoughts on Casio Exilim EX-Z750
I recently got the Casio Exilim EX-Z750. Over Christmas I shot about a thousand pictures with it, so I feel I have a pretty good sense of its capabilities.
My first impression is that the CCD is noisy at ISO levels above 50. Even 100 is visibly noisy, while 400 is appalling. This wouldn’t be a problem except that indoor low-light photos are my bread-and-butter, so to speak.
I hate the flash, but not for the same reason everyone else seems to. I hate it because it’s slow to charge, and even at low intensity washes out subjects alot of the time. I read elsewhere that the flash was underpowered; that may be, but it feels nuclear to me.
The video mode is pretty good. I didn’t do much video with my old PowerShot SD60, but I find myself dropping to video mode alot with the Z750.
The shutter priority mode is pretty useful. I can boost the exposure compensation (or back it off when I use the thermonuclear flash), and I find the controls pretty easy to aclimate to.
Battery life is definitely epic. I shot roughly 800 pictures on one full charge and one partial. This includes a good many flash shots and some video.
My one real complaint is that I can’t seem to get decent shots indoors in dim artificial light. I can crank ISO up and suffer noise, or I can dial the shutter speed down and suffer blur. The flash is seldom a help, as it is rather harsh. I also have alot of trouble with the white balance; ‘auto’ is for shit indoors under incandescent light. I have to switch to tungsten explicitly.
I feel like I need to work w/ it a bit more before I master the low-light picture-taking, but considering the microscopic size and epic battery life, I can put up with a few warts.
Got Casio Exilim EX-Z750 Digital Camera
My new Z750 arrived today from NewEgg, complete with 1GB 66x SD card.
First impressions:
- It’s tiny!
- It’s fast!
- Auto white balance sucks in incandescent light. Exposures had yellowed look about them. Switching to the Tungsten white balance setting fixed it
- Noise at ISO 400 is appalling.
- Shutter priority mode seems rather weak. Camera selects between one of two possible aperture values, and always chooses ISO 50. Forcing ISO 200 is an improvement, but still underexposed.
- When you power off, the previous manual settings are forgotten, which I hate. I often have to re-set shutter speed, exposure correction, and ISO mode with each power cycle.
- Movie mode is pretty good; video quality is decent, and audio is..well..audible.
That said, I was able to take some pretty decent flash pictures in a dimly lit room at night. I haven’t used it enough yet to determine if I’m happy with it or not. It’s certainly not worse than my SD60, and the runner up, the Canon PowerShot SD550, has no manual mode at all, so there really isn’t much alternative.
Selecting an Ultra-Compact Digital Camera
I currently use a Canon S60 digital camera, which is a 5.0 MP, relatively decent, sorta-compact digicam. I took it with me to Rome and London, and had good results in both places (the unusually wide 28mm focal length rocks), but I have a few rather significant objections:
- 5 MP. With the weak 3x optical zoom, this means I’m limited in the detail I can capture.
- Flash. The flash is really close to the lens, and almost always washes out the subject.
- Noise. I take alot of pictures inside, and the flash sucks (see above), so I’m left cranking up the ISO to the max (400) to avoid motion blur. The CCD is pretty noisy at that level of sensitivity, though that’s a common problem with digicams.
- Boot time. It takes forever to go from shutter door closed to ready to shoot.
- Size. The S60 is by no means large, but it’s a stretch (literally) to carry it in a pocket.
Plus, I’m going to Iraq in January, and I’ll need something ultra-portable if I’m to take it with me wherever I go.
So, I launched a search for a new digital camera in the ‘ultracompact’ category. The ideal candidate will possess:
- 7+ MP sensor
- Low/reasonable noise at high sensitivity levels
- Flash that doesn’t suck
- Manual controls for priorities, flash, etc
- ISO modes from 50-400 at least, though higher ISO levels are better (subject to noise constraint above)
- Rapid boot time
- Near zero shutter lag
- Rapid recycle time
- CF or SD media
- Roomy, fast buffer
- Small
- Durable
- Solid reputation for quality
- Cheap
Already I’ve described a camera that doesn’t exist. My task then is to find the ideal compromise.
To start with, I considered the Steve’s Digigam’s list of The “Best” Digital Cameras”, as well as CNET’s list of Editors’ Top Ultracompact Cameras. In general I do not trust CNET as a source of buying guidance, but I need something to serve as a sanity check against Steve. I also kept an eye on Amazon’s list of Camera and Photo Top Sellers.
Steve’s list is thus (there does not appear to be any ranking among this list):
- Canon Powershot SD30
- Sony Cybershot T5
- Casio Exilim EX-S500
- Nikon Coolpix S3
- Konica Minolta DiMAGE X1
- Canon Powershot SD400
- Sony Cybershot P200
- Pentax Optio S5i
- Olympus Stylus Verve
CNET’s list (in descending order of favor) is:
- Casio Exilim EX-Z750
- Canon PowerShot SD450
- Canon PowerShot SD300
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7
- Fujifilm FinePix F10
- Canon PowerShot SD550
- Casio Exilim EX-Z57
- Casio Exilim EX-S500 (gray)
- Fujifilm FinePix Z1 (black)
- Pentax Optio WP
Note that the only overlap between the two lists is the Casio Exilim EX-S500. This leads me to question at least one of the sources. I’ll need to explore a few more reviews.
Here’s PC Mag’s list of ultracompact digital cameras:
- Kodak EasyShare V530
- Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital Elph
- Canon PowerShot SD300 Digital Elph
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T1
Well, the PowerShot SD300 is on PC Mag’s and CNET’s list, but still no concensus.
How about digitalcamera-hq.com’s list? They have gift guides which are (somewhat awkwardly) targeted to recipient types instead of camera class. Though I’ve never been acused of being a ‘party animal’, it is the Digital Cameras To Go Out On The Town With category that seems to best approximate the ‘ultracompact’ class. That list has this to say:
- Nikon Coolpix S1
- Sony CyberShot DSC-T7
- Konica Minolta DiMAGE X1
- Olympus Stylus 600
- Pentax Optio S6
Well, the DiMAGE X1 is common to this list and Steve’s list. How can there be such a diverse list of ‘best’ ultracompacts? Clearly the American people demand federal camera review guidelines to help them make informed purchasing decisions.
At any rate, I’ll evaluate each one below, in an attempt to narrow the field a bit:
| Whose Favorite | MP | Amazon Price | Reaction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve | 5.0 | ||
| Steve | 5.0 | Would have to be pretty damn good to get past the low res and Sony evilness | |
| Steve, CNET |
5.0 | Seems like a great camera; really wish it came in 7MP! | |
| Steve | 6.0 | Love the 35mm wide angle (most of these are 38mm). D-Lighting function for brightening dark indoor images has definite appeal. Battery life is on the low end, at 190 shots per charge (lame). PC interface is only USB 1.1 (lame). No one seems enamored of this camera, but on features alone it looks pretty good. |
|
| Steve, digitalcamera-hq |
8.0 | Nice high resolution. Bigger than some of the others, ISO mode limited to 50-200 (no 400). | |
| Steve | 5.1 | Seems solid enough. Don’t like the low res, but I’m sure it’s a decent camera. | |
| Steve | 7.2 |
Want more manual controls! Hate Sony for a variety of reasons; don’t want a Memory$tick camera. If it were made by Canon, used SD, and had more manual controls, I’d be sold. |
|
| Steve | 5.0 | ||
| Steve | 4.0 | Low resolution | |
| CNET | 7.2 | $339.95 (+~$20.00 S/H) | Really like this one. Some complain about image quality, which gives me pause, but otherwise it seems ideal. Sucks that you have to use the dock to charge the battery [the not-yet-released Casio BC-30L travel charger fixes this]. Past Movie feature is neat; record from the buffer, even in the past. Snappy boot and shutter lag times, but recycle time seems too long (2.3/3.9 for no flash/flash). Best in class battery life, worst in class continuous shooting speed, best in class shutter lag, Apparently, has underpowered flash. Not sure how much of a problem this would be for me… Short list. |
| CNET | 5.0 | ||
| CNET, PC Mag |
4.0 | Low resolution | |
| CNET | 5.0 | ||
| CNET | 6.3 | I love the 800 and 1600 ISO settings, though the minimalist manual controls and so-so picture quality turn me off. Rather big; bulky by comparison to the Z750. On the up side, it’s pretty cheap. |
|
| CNET | 7.1 | $409.94 | Seems very nice. Short on manual controls, shutter lag is eternal compared to Z750, but recycle time is much better. Battery life is a generous 1300 shots. According to the CNET review, they initially hated the lack of manual controls, The reason I’m such a snob about manual control is probably the same reason CNET is: Resolution in terms of horiz and vert lines was also reported upon favorably, leading I also like that it has a viable optical viewfinder, for those situations (such as noontime in a desert) I have a strong brand loyalty to Canon, and I want to pick this camera, but I’m wary Short list. |
| CNET | 5.0 | ||
| CNET | 5.1 | ||
| CNET | 5.0 | ||
| PC Mag | 5.0 | ||
| PC Mag | 7.0 | ||
| PC Mag | 5.1 | ||
| digitalcamera-hq | 5.1 | ||
| digitalcamera-hq | 5.1 | ||
| digitalcamera-hq | 6.0 | ||
| digitalcamera-hq | 6.0 |
Based on painstaking research and more than a little gut feeling, I’ve narrowed the field to two competitors:
- Canon Powershot SD550
- Casio Exilim EX-Z750
The rest I’ve eliminated for various reasons, ranging from low resolution, brands I don’t trust, lack of features, or,
in the case of the Sony CyberShot P200, a deep and abiding hatred for Sony.
The SD550 is for all intents the perfect camera–except it’s pricey (MSRP $480), and it’s got minimal manual controls.
The EX-750 is also for all intents the perfect camera–except it’s got an underpowered flash, unremarkable recycle time, and that infernal dock charger thing.
It also has the distinct disadvantage of not being a Canon–a digital camera brand I trust by default.
So, I’ve finally decided on the EX-750. There’s a travel charger forthcoming from Casio to solve the dock charger
problem, and a cheap $10 USB card reader would allow me to skip the dock completely. That leaves only the flash
issue, which I suspect won’t be a show-stopper for me, as I find myself hating every digicam flash I’ve ever used,
including the one on my S60.
So the kit will of necessity include:
- EX-Z750 itself
- 1GB really-fast SD card
- Extra NP-40 battery
- Casio travel charger (if it’s ever released)
Lowepro D-Res 8S caseEven better, the RoadWired Pod Pouch-Small (DO NOT get the cases from Casio)