Which Camera is best in this list for my purposes? and a RANT about prices too... [Long!]

I am looking for a camera for use from a cruise ship's balcony to
[hopefully] catch whales, and to take photos as we come into and go
out of ports both for a cruise to Mexico's west coast and to Alaska.
As well I want to use the camera for other things, but a larger
optical zoom factor is a must. So the following seem to be the cameras
I am considering...

Which of the following is the best choice in your subjective views?

Some use SD cards while others require a unique and expensive memory
stick. Some use AA batteries, while others use custom and expensive Li
Ion Batteries. Each has different features. The lens quality is also
an issue.

Steve's Digicam has NOT reviewed the newest cameras in the list yet,
so I cannot tell if I should even consider those cameras, except that
the 18x Optical Zoom from FujiFilm is definitely a major factor.

I will likely have the camera shipped to Utah as the first cruise is
out of L.A. in about 6 weeks and I can then get it from my son, who
lives in Utah, at the ship, where we will be meeting. I refuse to pay
a higher price in Canada for a camera when the Canadian dollar is
actually worth more so the camera should be cheaper in Canada!

I also, to try to cut off arguements about the relative size of the
market, will point out that the prices are equally distorted for the
EU [which has a larger population than the U.S.], and that the retail
price shown in almost every press release from each of the
manufacturers reflects the price as set in Japan by corporate head
office. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is NOT really set by
the U.S. or Canadian subsidiary. In some cases the corporate set-up
has the Canadian corporation subsidiary to the U.S. corporation, which
adds a layer that has to produce a profit for the U.S. subsidiary, and
that is part of the distortion in price. In other cases both the U.S.
and Canadian operations are direct subsidiaries of the corporate owner
in Japan. I know that... Another difference is that SOME of them
recognise their warranty on both sides of the border, while others
play the game of saying you have to buy in Canada for service in
Canada and in the U.S. for service in the U.S. - since the camera
comes out of the same factory somewhere in asia, that should be horse
manure, and I've rarely seen it actually enforced.

I happen to be a U.S. citizen and a Canadian citizen, born in
Manhattan. So I am not trying to use a Canadian centric view... I find
this sort of price disparity unfair wherever I see it... and the
failure to adjust prices to reflect this sort of inequity most
annoying. You may disagree but there is the old maxim that the
"Customer is Always Right" and we speak with our money. The traffic
over the border to upper New York state this weekend, by shoppers out
of Toronto, has the crossing into the U.S. taking over an hour once
someone gets in line at the border bridges. That is talking with one's
money... and these manufacturers need to get their Canadian prices in
line with their U.S. prices quickly or their Canadian retailers will
be in deep trouble.

[Rumour has it that the prices will be dropping in Canada after a show
that takes place in Toronto next week. All of the major Camera
manufacturers will be at the show, so I plan to ask them directly
about the prices listed below. I have the time to wait a week or two
before ordering, and will definitely take this opportunity.]

For information on the show itself, and a list of 'vendors' go to
http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/henrys/show/toronto.jsp?page=toronto/general.html

So folks, which camera should I buy, and WHY should I choose that
particular model, or not choose a different model, from the following
list. [and Yes, I repeat that I recognise that this will all be
subjective.]

RsH
--------------------------------------------------
1. FujiFilm FinePix S8000fd 18x Optical Zoom 8.0 megapixel 4-AA
batteries, 410 grams

US$284 from Broadway Photo and C$425 from Infonec.com are the
lowest prices TODAY when the U.S. and Canadian dollar are basically
identical in value.

You can replace Broadway's price with US$350 from Sixth Avenue Photo,
since Broadway Photo seems to have a poor reputation. The argument
remains the same.

2. Canon PowerShot SX100-IS 10x Optical Zoom 8.3 megapixel 2-AA
batteries, 285 grams

US$241 from Broadway Photo and C$373 at Mostly Digital in Ontario

Again the prices are out of line since Canon in Japan has set the
wholesale price in Canada at a higher amount than the wholesale price
in the U.S. - This camera is hitting the marketplace NOW in October,
2007 when the U.S. dollar is worth LESS than the Canadian dollar.

You can replace Broadway's price with US$300 from every photo site
I've found, including Enterprise Photo, since Broadway Photo seems to
have a poor reputation. The argument remains the same.

3. Canon PowerShot S5-IS 12x Optical Zoom 8.3 megapixel 4-AA
batteries, 450 grams

US$299 from Broadway Photo and C$438 from Cendirect.com in Montreal.
Same basic issue on price.... but this camera has been in the market
place longer.

You can replace Broadway's price with US$330 from Enterprise Photo,
since Broadway Photo seems to have a poor reputation. The argument
remains the same.

4. Olympus SP-550UZ 18x Optical Zoom 7.4 megapixel 4-AA batteries, 365
grams

US$276 from Broadway Photo and C$470 from Vistek in Toronto and
Calgary.

You can replace Broadway's price with US$318 from Enterprise Photo,
since Broadway Photo seems to have a poor reputation. The argument
remains the same.

5. Sony CyberShot DSC-H9B 15x Optical Zoom 8.1 megapixel, NP-BG1,
PowerPack, Li-ion battery, 407 grams

US$334 from Broadway Photo and C$459 from Infonec.com in Markham,
Ontario, as suburb of Toronto.

You can replace Broadway's price with US$385 from Enterprise Photo,
since Broadway Photo seems to have a poor reputation. The argument
remains the same.

6. FujiFilm FinePix S700 10x Optical Zoom 7.1 megapixel 4-AA
batteries, 306 grams

US$169 from Broadway Photo and C$229 from Infonec in Toronto.

You can replace Broadway's price with US$188 from Amazon.com, since
Broadway Photo seems to have a poor reputation. The argument remains
the same.

7. Panasonic DMC-FZ18K 18x Optical 8.1 megapixel Li-ion Battery Pack
($80 to replace), 360 grams

US$278 from Broadway Photo and C$549 from all the Canadian sellers I
found.

You can replace Broadway's price with US$390 from Vannis, since
Broadway Photo seems to have a poor reputation. The argument remains
the same.

Weights are without the battery or memory installed, in all cases.

FWIW

RsH

 

RsH wrote:

<snip>
I'm not about to give you advice about which camera to buy, but I do
another piece of advice:

Don't wait until you are ready to sail to get the camera. No matter
which you select, you need some time to really get acquainted with it,
and all its menu items. I can guarantee that if you get a brand new
camera in your hands just before you start taking whale pictures, you
are going to be disappointed. Even if it costs you more, the experience
that you can gain in a couple of weeks, including looking at results on
something bigger than the camera's LCD screen, will be well worth it.
And--enjoy what sounds like a great experience.
Allen

 

You should DEFINITELY use the camera for a couple of weeks before you
go on a whalewatching cruise. and take along a couple of spare cards
too - I went whalewatching and almost ran out of cards myself (I took
5 spares)
As to which camera - apart from the price (discussed earlier) get the
one that feels best in your hands - don't just buy on price as ease of
use is really more imprtant. If you wear spectacles make sure you can
still see through the viewfinder (sometimes you can't) - if its a
model where you compose through the viewing screen then take along
lots of battereies - you'll need them.(Or buy a couple of sets of
rechargeable batteries and a high speed charger.) If you are going
somewhere cold to watch whales then remember that batteries HATE cold
and tend to flumph when you need them most (like when that tail comes
up out of the water).Keep your camera warmish but check it's not
fogged up when you are about to start shooting.
Keith (fotos4web)
There's more stuff on my website
http://www.squidoo.com/Camerachoice/

 

All good advice and mostly already known and considered. As for the
feel of the cameras, I have a basic problem with every one of them,
since they are virtually identical in design... I happen to be LEFT
HANDED!

They do NOT seem to make a left handed version of any of these cameras
and thus are deliberately ignoring our 'disability', which I think is
in violation of the Americans with Disability Act and the legislation
in Canada too, but I cannot convince those in Japan that they need to
produce a left handed version <a bit tongue in cheek>...

Lighter has advantages, since I am getting arthritic, but even the
heaviest of these cameras is only about 18-19 U.S. ounces or 510-530
grams in weight, so I've eliminated that as a consideration.

Ability to save images in RAW is a consideration, but since I am NOT
trying to produce art level images, and the superfine JPG mode is
'almost' as good, for my purposes it matters but little.

Panorama mode is one I use, but there I can use the M setting for
those cameras that are lacking a stitch assist or panorama mode, to
accomplish the same thing, with a tripod, etc. I've done that many
times with other cameras that lack this mode, including a FujiFilm
A101 for 12 image panoramas!

So the real issues become speed of the camera when taking several
images in a limited amount of time, and the degree of zoom available,
optical being foremost, and extended optical as long as quality is not
lost, even if the image is reduced to 4 megabit from 8 megabit, and so
on.

The real problem is that I cannot find reviews on most of these
cameras, so which is best for my purposes becomes a bit of a guessing
game...

RsH

 

Me too, and I found that by far the easiest way of coping was just to
use my right hand as the dominant hand for controlling the camera. After
using it (a Panasonic FZ5, predecessor of the FZ18 you mentioned) for a
while, my reflexes and muscles were well-trained enough that using the
off hand to control the camera wasn't that big a deal.

As far as the lack of reviews go, you might try looking for reviews for
the previous generation of cameras. The superzoom model is by this point
a fairly mature class of camera, with evolutionary changes between
generations, rather than drastic shifts. So, look for reviews for the
FZ8, the S3IS, the H7, and the SP-550. It won't be perfect, but it
should give you a sense for the relative strengths and weaknesses of the
different models. There's not going to be a huge amount of difference in
the core functionality/quality between the different brands, but they do
differ in details like user interface and so forth.

-dms

 

I suggest you choose a camera that uses AA NiMH batteries at
least, and Li batteries are a good alternative. And it
should take SD cards, not expensive special cards. Most
point-and-shoot cameras do not have optical viewfinders
these days, and framing a shot on an LCD screen in bright
sun can be hard.

Be careful which camera shop you order from. Search Google
Groups with a store's name to see what experience people
report. Sites with user ratings are easily distorted.
BHphotovideo.com is very reliable, and has good prices.
Right now, the Canon you are considering is priced there at
$219.

 

<heavily edited, for brevity>

Hello, Marvin:

Here's another excellent source of relevant info:

ResellerRatings.com - Discount shopping, store ratings, and bargains
<http://www.resellerratings.com>


Cordially,
John Turco <>