Canon S5-IS or Panasonic DMZ-FZ8

[aggiemom0409]

I have it narrowed down to these 2 cameras (I think :rolleyes: ) and would love to have the opinion of all the awesome photographers on this board! Canon is about $500 and Panasonic is about $350, so there is quite a difference in price! Please vote and discuss! Thanks!

[pierces]

Very similar in specs. The Canon hasn't had a complete review yet, but if is is ANY better than the S3, it would get my vote due to the fact that it has a hot-shoe that which accepts a full-featured accessory flash.

 

Otherwise...2 good cameras with a slight nod to the Canon for their history of excellent image quality.

 

 

Dave

[agru]

What convinced us to buy a previous model of the Panasonic Lumix is the fact that their lens is made by Leica -- a company that always had the best reputation for photographic quality.

 

We have the DMC-TZ1 and took it with us to Panama. The 12x digital zoom came in handy, though it was more difficult to get clarity at that distance.

 

If you're interested in seeing photos taken with our camera, they're at: picasaweb.google.com/agrunspan. Click on the Panama album.

[jff50]

I'd look for independent reviews of both cameras. You can do a google search on them, and get independent reviews of each. You can also get buyer reviews/comments on the cameras if you look at them on Amazon. Both cameras get good reviews from buyers on Amazon. The costs on Amazon are $284 for the Panasonic and $456 for the Canon--plus Amazon doesn't charge sales tax. I have the S3, but that gets used more by my wife and daughters than by me. I also have a Canon digital SLR, and prefer to use that.

 

If you want to go based on the reputation of Canon vs Panasonic/Leica, I think that Canon is the choice of more professional photographers than anyone else. I just bought my first L series lens, and it is great (it should be for the price).

[ddonalds]

I have Canon equipment (not that particular model), and the thing that sent me to Canon in the first place was their lenses. I have several IS (image stabilization) lenses - and they are FABULOUS! To me, they are well worth a fairly big price difference. I have both an SLR (EOS 3) and two digitals - the big one that takes all my 35MM lenses, and a smaller one - but everything uses the IS lenses, and it is fabulous. You can also check photo.net for reviews on lots of the equipment - they're fairly outspoken on opinions....:D

[aggiemom0409]

Thanks so much for everyone's help! I have read the reviews at www.dpreview.com , but they are pretty mixed. I will check the other sites suggested. Right now, I think I'm leaning toward the Canon, because of their reputation and I have a film camera by Canon (EOS Rebel 2000) that has a zoom lens also. I think I might consider a dslr if funds were unlimited, but the movie mode on these cameras is appealing, since our video camera is also aging. Technology is great, but it is also EXPENSIVE!

[zackiedawg]

Both fine cameras. If it were to be a feature-for-feature contest:

 

Lens - the Panasonic is slightly better. Though Canon's lens reputation is deservedly excellent, so is Leica. The difference is that these lenses are not always built to the same specifications as the professional series - and Canon's lens for their S-series cameras have always suffered some left-side softness at wide, some purple-fringing issues, and strong red chromic abberations near bright contrast lines - the Panasonic super-zooms seem to have the better lens (though both are very good).

 

Flexibility - Canon wins here, by merit of the flexible LCD display and the better movie mode. If movie modes matter to you, Canon's still cameras have the best in the industry. If movie modes are not important to you, then this isn't so big an advantage.

 

Other factors? Well, the FZ8 has a better burst mode (3 frames-per-second vs 1.5fps), while the Canon has better battery strength. The FZ8 has a bigger, better resolution LCD, but the Canon LCD can move around. The FZ8 has a price advantage over the S5. And the Panasonic has poor higher ISO performance compared to the Canon (Panasonic's achilles heel from the beginning has been the heavy noise at higher ISOs or the bad smearing that results from their efforts to clean up the noise or hide it).

 

You can't really go wrong with a super-zoom nowadays for most types of photography - unless you are a professional a super-zoom should serve you very well in most situations and proves very flexible and versatile. I've had my Sony H5 for over a year, and have taken thousands of shots with it - it never lets me down in almost any situation or environment from portrait, nature photography, landscapes, sports, macro, etc.

 

Whatever you end up with - it'll be a fine camera. I think the choice comes down to what features are more important to you when weighing the advantages of each camera. Good luck!

[melissasneu]

Both fine cameras. If it were to be a feature-for-feature contest:

 

Lens - the Panasonic is slightly better. Though Canon's lens reputation is deservedly excellent, so is Leica. The difference is that these lenses are not always built to the same specifications as the professional series - and Canon's lens for their S-series cameras have always suffered some left-side softness at wide, some purple-fringing issues, and strong red chromic abberations near bright contrast lines - the Panasonic super-zooms seem to have the better lens (though both are very good).

 

Flexibility - Canon wins here, by merit of the flexible LCD display and the better movie mode. If movie modes matter to you, Canon's still cameras have the best in the industry. If movie modes are not important to you, then this isn't so big an advantage.

 

Other factors? Well, the FZ8 has a better burst mode (3 frames-per-second vs 1.5fps), while the Canon has better battery strength. The FZ8 has a bigger, better resolution LCD, but the Canon LCD can move around. The FZ8 has a price advantage over the S5. And the Panasonic has poor higher ISO performance compared to the Canon (Panasonic's achilles heel from the beginning has been the heavy noise at higher ISOs or the bad smearing that results from their efforts to clean up the noise or hide it).

 

You can't really go wrong with a super-zoom nowadays for most types of photography - unless you are a professional a super-zoom should serve you very well in most situations and proves very flexible and versatile. I've had my Sony H5 for over a year, and have taken thousands of shots with it - it never lets me down in almost any situation or environment from portrait, nature photography, landscapes, sports, macro, etc.

 

Whatever you end up with - it'll be a fine camera. I think the choice comes down to what features are more important to you when weighing the advantages of each camera. Good luck!

I am looking at the Canon s5 and the Sony h9 and was curious what made you decide on your sony?

 

Melissa

[zackiedawg]

Hey Melissa. At the time I was purchasing last year, of course, the H9 and S5 didn't exist - for me, the decision was down to the Panasonic FZ7, Sony H2 or H5, and Canon S3 IS. (I had ruled out Fuji and Kodak for lack of Image Stabilization).

 

I compared all three cameras - and came to the conclusion that all were quite good, and each had their advantages. I weighted the features that mattered the most to me first - movie mode was unimportant to me, I wanted a good viewfinder and good LCD, good image quality, and good overall build quality.

 

For me, the Canon advantages were the flip-out LCD, movie mode, and battery strength.

The Panasonic advantages were the lens and the burst speed.

The Sony advantages were the LCD size and resolution, the viewfinder resolution and brightness, and live histogram.

 

The Sony was 2nd in battery for me, and 2nd in lens for me as well (looking at the images, I felt the Panasonic lens was just a bit better, with the Sony second in sharpness and detail. I didn't like the corner softness and red abberation on the Canon lens as much). The Canon's advantage in movie mode and Panasonic's burst mode weren't an advantage for my needs. And the Sony seemed to handle higher ISO detail better than the other two - with no noticeable noise to ISO400.

 

So when it came down to it, all three had near-equal first place finishes, with the Sony coming in second more often. When including price into the mix, it was alot less expensive than the Canon (note that Canon doesn't include batteries, extension tubes, chargers, and other accessories with their camera, while Sony and Panasonic included all of that in the price).

 

The H5 has been a fantastic camera, and I'm very glad I got it. I worry a bit about the S5, FZ8, and H9 though - I feel like all three are pushing the threshhold of megapixels on such a tiny sensor - and more often, problems like blooming, chromic abberation or fringing, and especially noise and smearing, are becoming a real issue. The 7MP of the H5 was already at the upper limit for me - I can see where the 6MP H2 can even beat it out with higher ISO performance (slight differences...but it is apparent the H5 has to perform more noise reduction to counter the noise on the more-densely-packed sensor).

 

I still get the feeling the FZ7, H5, and S3 may each be a bit better in overall image quality than any of their successors. I was not impressed by samples from the S5 or shots from the H9 - both which exhibit more smearing, more noise reduction, and more red or red-green abberation than their forebears. And the Panasonics really need to do something to tackle their noise and noise reduction issues at higher ISOs for me to choose one.

 

Not that they aren't still great cameras - as I said, all the superzooms are wonderfully versatile, flexible cameras and will satisfy the needs of 95% of consumers. For those making prints 8x10 or smaller, or just viewing pics on a computer with friends, any of these cameras will serve beautifully.

[melissasneu]

Zackiedawg,

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question so thoroughly. I share in your concerns with the new models pushing their sensor limit> Most of pix I take will be family pix and vacations of course. The flip-out LCD is a feature I really want so that has ruled out so many of the other megazooms for me. Battery life and type is a concern with the Sony, I like to be prepared so already carry more stuff than I ever really need, I hate to add battery and charger to the mix and AA's are easier to come by in a pinch. I didn't know that Canon doesn't include basic accessories so I am glad you mentioned that. I love Sony's LCD display like you said it is so clean and crisp and bright compared to the Canon. I really don't think I can go to wrong with either but I think Sony is going to win me over with the flipout LCD in the end.

 

Have you purchased any accessories for yours that you recommend and do you use a LCD protector? How did you like the software?

 

Melissa

[zackiedawg]

I don't really use the Sony software at all. I've always found that some of the basic functions of the computer and aftermarket processing software work best for me.

 

For loading photos to my computer, I just plug in the USB cable to the camera and load right from the card. I use Microsoft Windows' automatic picture uploading software that self-starts as soon as the camera is turned on - name each set of pics based on the subject (Radiance of the Seas 001, 002, etc) and load them into a standard Windows folder also named for the subject. Rather than get into all those photo organizing programs, for me it's just easier opening Explorer, going to 'My Pictures', and having a series of folders all named for the occasion. And since the dates of the photos, size, resolution, and other information is automatically stored, I can still search out photos by type, size, camera, date, or name.

 

As for post processing - I have both Photoshop Elements and Paint Shop Pro. Both are excellent, and have tons more features than any software that comes with the cameras or any freeware you can download. I prefer Paint Shop Pro to Elements, as it has a few more tools and features and is an easier layout for me to use. Photoshop CS is the big daddy - but Paint Shop Pro is nearly as fully featured for 1/8 the price. If I were to use any other organizing software, I'd probably just use Google's Picasa, which is free and very simple to use.

 

Accesory-wise, I do have a few. I like to keep my extension tube on the camera at all times, and a UV filter on. I use it mostly for protection of the lens mechanism - the moving parts of the zoom lens are sealed in the plastic extension tube and glass filter, so they are safe from dust, water, or physical impact. I have a few other 58mm filters from an older camera that happen to fit my H5 as well (note that the H9 has an odd 74mm thread on its extension tube, so you have to either stick with Sony accesories designed for the camera, or check out a company called 'pemeraal' online that makes step-up and step-down rings for more common filter sizes). I also purchased the HD-1774 telephoto extension lens, and the HD-0774 wide angle lens. Both are quite useful - the wide angle gives me 25mm at full wide, and the telephoto extension gives an amazing 720mm (versus the camera's 432mm max zoom). I use the telephoto extension much more, as I like to photograph wildlife. Feel free to browse my galleries at the link below to get an idea - almost all shots were taken with the Sony H5.

 

I don't have an LCD protector - it can sometimes get some fingerprints, but has been pretty durable against scratches and the like. In over a year, I don't have a mark on the LCD, but the body of the camera has suffered some scratches. I clean it regularly with a good microfiber cloth.

 

The Sony rechargeable battery has its ups and downs...those types of batteries tend to last pretty long versus AA - so you get more life out of a charge - and also they hold their charge significantly longer than rechargeable AA batteries. But as you mentioned, you lose the ability to swap out regular AAs in a pinch. I wouldn't worry about bringing the charger for the H9 - it's just a tiny thing that plugs directly into the wall. The best advice would be to purchase a second battery for around $40. If you've got two, one can always be on the charger while you're using the other - and when you're out and about, just bring the charged second battery along. I'd expect you'll be able to shoot between 450 and 800 shots on a charge not including flash - so you should have no problem at all shooting a whole day on one charge.

 

Do check out the camera comparison sites and enthusiast sites like Dpreview...they can help get opinions from users of the cameras, and reviews as well. And shop around before you buy - these cameras are often on sale quite a bit less than MSRP. I've seen H9s running in the $420 range and the S5 in the $450 range.

 

Hope that helps!

[WayuU]

You've got some in depth help from others. I just want to point out that the S5 IS does have batteries with it in the bundle.

__________________

The Canon PowerShot S5 IS has a pretty standard bundle:

• 32 MB Secure Digital card
  
• 4 AA alkaline batteries
  
• Neck strap
  
• Lens cap with strap
  
• USB cable
  
• Stereo cable
  
• CD-ROM
  
• User's manual

___________________

 

I've been checking out the Sony H9, Panasonic FZ8, Canon S5 IS, and Olympus SP-550.

Olympus wins on optical zoom and underwater housing (I dive) and was a major contender for me.

I'm most probably going for the Canon S5 as my major needs are good movie mode and a screen I can move around for the odd angles (above crowds, tight macro, etc). I also want a very good macro mode and an optical zoom no less than 12x.

This is a secondary camera for me as I use a dSLR with a variety of lenses like a Bigma and a superb macro lens. Also have some older plain film SLR's.

I want this camera as an extra easy to carry, always handy, small versatile camera, especially to my trip to Africa in a couple of month.

 

As long as you do post processing on other than RAW images, the mentioned softwares are just fine. For RAW you can't be without PS-CS3 and LR.

 

For a good review (hard to find any real reviews/test on this camera) of the Canon S5 IS:

http://dpinterface.com/reviews/canon-powershot-s5is/index.html

 

Found this newly added review too, from quite reputable source:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s5-review/index.shtml

[zackiedawg]

You've got some in depth help from others. I just want to point out that the S5 IS does have batteries with it in the bundle.

__________________

The Canon PowerShot S5 IS has a pretty standard bundle:

• 32 MB Secure Digital card
  
• 4 AA alkaline batteries
  
• Neck strap
  
• Lens cap with strap
  
• USB cable
  
• Stereo cable
  
• CD-ROM
  
• User's manual

___________________

 

You're right...I should have clarified as I didn't want to cause confusion! The Sony H2/5 cameras that use AA batteries actually come with a good pair of 2500MaH rechargeable batteries and a charger. The Canon & Olympus ship only with alkaline AAs and no charger. Obviously, the Sony H9 and Panasonic FZ8 both use lithium ion proprietary batteries, and ship with one battery and a charger.

 

The extra costs for the Canon would be to purchase rechargeable AA batteries (which last significantly longer in camera than Alkalines and can be reused) and a charger for them; and an extension tube for accessory filters and lenses (which comes in the box with the Sony and Panasonic cameras).

 

So when considering the prices of the cameras - you should consider the extra cost of the adapter tube ($30) that the other cameras come with already, and if considering rechargeable batteries and a charger ($20-40) that the other cameras come with. If price matters, this can be an important factor for some. Of course, if you intend to only use Alkaline AA batteries and don't want to purchase any filters or accessory lenses, you won't have to worry about those additional expenses!

[WayuU]

The extra costs for the Canon would be to purchase rechargeable AA batteries (which last significantly longer in camera than Alkalines and can be reused) and a charger for them

 

I agree.

A must to buy the extra charger and rechargeable batteries. Not only do they last longer, you get more photos taken per charge with the rechargeable ones, AND not least, much more environmentally sane.

[WayuU]

Forgot to say that one big minus with ANY Sony product is their demands on storage cards, always only accepting their own format.

 

Canon on the other hand supports SD, SDHC, and MMC media. SD being the absolute best cards you can use.

[pierces]

Forgot to say that one big minus with ANY Sony product is their demands on storage cards, always only accepting their own format.

 

Canon on the other hand supports SD, SDHC, and MMC media. SD being the absolute best cards you can use.

 

Not quite "any" Sony product. Their Alpha A100 DSLR accepts Compact Flash just like my K-M 7D. Besides, the Memory Stick thing was a big deal when they were 3x the price of an SD card...now you can get a 2GB Sandisk MS for $39, which puts it in the range of a good SD card.

 

I personally use a Canon PowerShot SD800 for my all-the-time camera, but wouldn't put Sony's feature set on the back burner just because of the memory requirements. Unless you have a pile of SD cards that you refuse to part with. Memory Stick is a viable option...especially if it's a person's first camera.

 

Now for the nit-picking! ;) "SD being the absolute best cards you can use." ?? I have a DSLR...how is SD the "absolute best" for me? An SD card just rattles around in the memory slot on it! :D Also, my Sandisk Extreme IV CF card is nearly 2x as fast as their best Extreme III SD card. I agree that SD is a very versatile format and I have many of them, but be cautious with ablolutes...the best of anything is very dependent on your situation.

 

Dave

[WayuU]

I'm glad your Alpha takes CF cards, first Sony product I've heard of not needing their own format.

99% of tech ppl will agree with me on that Sony is a bitch when it comes to demanding the use of their own solutions and not conforming to standards.

Sad thing is that they make very good products.

 

I don't think it's wrong to give an absolute when it comes to a specific issue, in this case digital cameras, and in digital cameras there is one card that is the absolute best, best in both speed and most widely used. Ok, it might not be the best in physical size, but hey, that's pushing it. I think most understand what I mean with best.

It is not dependent of any "situation". In digital cameras it's a fact that CF cards are optimal.

Now, for me saying that the SD cards are the best (yes they are versatile and small, etc), that was a mistake. I had too much to do when I wrote my post and was thinking about the CF format.

The best cards for digital cameras are CF cards.

[aggiemom0409]

Hi, folks! Thank you ALL again for all the help with this decision! I just bought the Canon S5-IS. It is not even out of the box yet. I had a credit at Best Buy, so although I got the camera at a camera store, I went to Best Buy for the memory card. I didn't know there would be choices there, too :confused: ! I asked the Best Buy guy if there was a difference in cards and he said "no". Was he wrong? He handed me a PNY Technologies 2 GB card. It was $24.99. Should I take it back and get a better brand? Help, Dave and others! Thanks so much!

[zackiedawg]

I'm glad your Alpha takes CF cards, first Sony product I've heard of not needing their own format.

 

Well totally off-topic now, but just to clarify on this point: Sony has had three other models dating back to 2002 that could take Memory Stick or CF cards - the DSC-F828, DSC-V3, and DSC-R1. The R1 is a current model, non-DSLR, that uses MS or CF cards.

 

BTW - I've owned Canon & Sony digitals, and Pentax, Minolta, & Canon SLRs - just so you don't think I'm a just Sony defender!

[zackiedawg]

! I asked the Best Buy guy if there was a difference in cards and he said "no". Was he wrong? He handed me a PNY Technologies 2 GB card. It was $24.99. Should I take it back and get a better brand? Help, Dave and others! Thanks so much!

 

Aggiemom,

 

The Best Buy guy is basically right - most memory cards are reliable - I haven't heard of many failures among various brands. I'm not as familiar with PNY with regards to memory cards, but I've had a PNY flash key (1GB) for over a year that has been used thousands of times to transport and copy files, documents, and pictures, and it's been fine.

 

I would usually encourage someone to stick to the best-known of the brands, even though there aren't any big differences in reliability, just because you are more likely to get support if something goes wrong (a smaller memory card company may not even be around in 2 years!). But more importantly, the better-known brands like Kingston, Lexar, and Sandisk often offer higher speed card options that are better for those who want to take advantage of the high resolution movie modes, burst shots, etc.

 

For standard photo-taking, I wouldn't worry too much about your current PNY card being unreliable - memory cards in general are quite reliable no matter which brand - considering the millions of them in circulation throughout the world and the relatively low complaints. PNY is a 20+ year old company that makes various computer-related products (graphics boards, accelerator cards, flash modules, and memory products)...they're not a fly-by-night company, so you should be fine!

 

(Oh, and congrats on the S5 - you should have alot of fun with the superzoom category of cameras! Check out dpreview.com if you need any advice on how to set the camera or use it - the Canon boards have hundreds of folks who know anything you need to know!).

[pierces]

I'm glad your Alpha takes CF cards, first Sony product I've heard of not needing their own format.

99% of tech ppl will agree with me on that Sony is a bitch when it comes to demanding the use of their own solutions and not conforming to standards.

Sad thing is that they make very good products.

 

I don't think it's wrong to give an absolute when it comes to a specific issue, in this case digital cameras, and in digital cameras there is one card that is the absolute best, best in both speed and most widely used. Ok, it might not be the best in physical size, but hey, that's pushing it. I think most understand what I mean with best.

It is not dependent of any "situation". In digital cameras it's a fact that CF cards are optimal.

Now, for me saying that the SD cards are the best (yes they are versatile and small, etc), that was a mistake. I had too much to do when I wrote my post and was thinking about the CF format.

The best cards for digital cameras are CF cards.

 

Sorry if my post sounded petulant in any way.

 

I happen to agree that Sony has a long history of "my way or the highway". I don't own an Alpha. I have been a Minolta user for nearly ever and currently shoot with a Konica-Minolta 7D. My world was tipped on it's side when Minolta threw in the towel last year and transferred their camera technology to Sony. That left me with no source for repair parts for my ageing DSLR and Sony as my only future source of a camera to fit my somewhat extensive lens assortment. Fortunately, their first model was really quite a good camera but the Alpha 100 just wasn't enough of an upgrade to justify buying one at the time. They are on the verge of announcing a replacement for my 7D, so maybe I will be an Alpha owner at some point. As you said, they tend to make really good stuff!

 

My stated aversion to absolutes was for the benefit of potential first-time camera buyers that browse these threads. To an occasional photographer that is looking for a new camera or to take the leap into digital. I don't think that there are any real bad choices out there. Even Fuji and Olympus' xD Picture Card is a viable option if you are starting from scratch or don't have a big investment in another format (I'm considering buying a Oly 770SW for snorkeling instead of a housing for my SD800...XD card and all). My only caveat for a someone looking for a compact digital camera or a superzoom would be not to fall into the megapixel trap. zackiedawg's warnings above carry some good advice. It would be a shame for a camera shopper to pass up a great all-around travel camera because they heard that SD or something else was "better". The truth is that none of the major manufacturers makes bad cameras.

 

The best camera is, after all, the one you use!

 

Happy Shooting!

 

Dave

[photodoodle]

I've looked at your photo gallery and I really (really) like your shots. Aside from all the technical stuff (exposure, color, etc) being spot on, you have an exceptional sense of composition. There is a lot I can learn by studying your photos. Thanks for posting your link.

 

I just discovered this photo gallery section of CC last night. Jees, there are a lot of boards here!

[pierces]

I've looked at your photo gallery and I really (really) like your shots. Aside from all the technical stuff (exposure, color, etc) being spot on, you have an exceptional sense of composition. There is a lot I can learn by studying your photos. Thanks for posting your link.

 

I just discovered this photo gallery section of CC last night. Jees, there are a lot of boards here!

 

Thank you!

 

You comment about learning by looking is also spot on. When I first started photography, I spent hours in the boolstores while mom was shopping just looking at coffee table books (couldn't afford to buy!) To this day, I still like to browse books and online galleries to see how people shoot and to see what I like.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. I had a lot of fun taking them!

 

Dave

[kylescoolmom]

Wow my head is spinning with all this information. I was looking to buy the new Cannon also. I already have 1 gb card and was thinking of getting 2gb cards. (I don't have a laptop to download while on my cruise) Taking the best pictures I can, how many will I be able to take?

 

A fellow co-worker just got one and the zoom is a plus to me.

[pierces]

Wow my head is spinning with all this information. I was looking to buy the new Cannon also. I already have 1 gb card and was thinking of getting 2gb cards. (I don't have a laptop to download while on my cruise) Taking the best pictures I can, how many will I be able to take?

 

A fellow co-worker just got one and the zoom is a plus to me.

 

 

Which Canon?

 

Take a look here: http://www.pptphoto.com/ArticlePages/VivaLaResolution.htm

 

It's an article I wrote on how to calculate how much memory to take on a trip. Hope it answers a few questions.

 

Dave