BootsnAll Travel Community

First of all, thanks so much to everyone for all the help during my camera selection process!!! Everyone's been so great and helpful!

I now have it narrowed down to three cameras:

-Digital Rebel XT
-Canon Powershot S2 IS
-Panasonic FZ5

The Digital Rebel will cost twice as much as either of the other two- I'm just trying to decide if I want to spend that much money on a camera right now, especially becasue I would have to spend some $$$ on lenses to get wildlife shots. The Powershot and Panasonic FZ5 both have 12x optical zoom, so I wouldn't have to buy anything extra.

I'll be in Alaska for four months and would like to take some wildlife photos, scenery, everything.

The problem in deciding (I know it's a big one) is I'm not sure what I'd like to do with the photos. Of course, personal use, friends and family, all that. But I think I might be interested in dabbling in the publication world. My question is, would it be possible to take professional quality sell-able (is that a word?) photos with the Powershot or FZ5???

Thanks so much for the advice!
K

The answer is, of course, yes and no :-). The problem is that quality relies on more than just optics and number of pixels. The larger the sensing site on the sensor, the more sensitivity there is. Prosumer camera have smaller sensors, compared to the Rebel XT, and to get as many pixels on the sensor, the sites are smaller. That translates to more noise.

If you want to sell your pictures after your trip, or if you think you might, I would blow the bucks on the XT. You can always do smaller prints from good quality, but if the quality is lacking, there is no way to get it back.

If you have no intention of doing something "professional" with the prints, save your money and get the PowerShot. You will be happy with the prints and have less weight to carry. Just remember that you are limiting yourself. There is a reason the the pros shoot with DSLRs.

Mitch

Also consider what format those cameras save the image files as. I am not familiar with the Powershot or the FZ5, but I know the XT allows you to shoot in RAW format. This is absolutely essential if you plan on doing any publications. JPEG of any quality (even "super-duper-high") won't cut it.
That's not to say you cant get great prints to show your friends and family out of a high quality JPEG file, but the descerning eye (ie. someone who would publish your photos,) will be able to tell. Especially if you make enlargments at 8x10 or above.
If you aren't sure you really need publication quality photos though, then save your cash and don't get the DSLR. As you said, once you start buying lenses, your talking some serious cash.

Ah, I see. I was hoping you guys would say "get the cheap one- it's just as good", but of course there's a reason (or a bunch of reasons) that it is "the cheap one"

Thanks for the words of wisdom!

I really just need to decide how far I want to go in the photography thing.

One final question: If I were to get the Rebel XT with the kit lens (I doubt I can afford any other lens right now), would I be able to "zoom" in by cropping on the computer and maintaining the image quality? Or is that something you'd really need the long lens for? Basically, I'm trying to compare the Rebel XT with kit lens versus either the Powershot or FZ5 with 12x optical zoom for wildlife. If I lose the image quality by cropping on the computer and "zooming" in, I might as well go with the cheaper camera, right? But would the image quality from the Rebel still be better?

Thanks for all the help! I've learned so much about cameras from everyone!

I assume you are talking about th 18-55mm lens? 55mm does not give you much zoom at all. To make it equivalent with a 12x zoom, you'd have to crop so much that your final image would be incredibly low rez. Thus defeating the purpose. The Powershot or FZ5 would give you a far superior image.
It sounds like you really should go with the Powershot or the FZ5. DSLRs are only worth it if you can invest in a nice set of glass.

Just curious if you ended up making a decision?

I ended up going with the Canon Powershot S2 IS. I wanted the Digital Rebel, but I just couldn't stretch the budget that far right now, so decided to be sensible. It was between the Panasonic FZ5 and the Powershot and I decided the two most important features for me were zoom and how rapidly in succession you can take the pictures. The zoom was comparable with both cameras but the Powershot is much faster. And I prefer the physical feel of the Powershot in my hand. I just got it today, actually, and haven't had a chance to really try it out yet. Can't wait! Thanks for all the help along the way

Glad to hear you figured it out. I did not realize that the Powershot could do more frames per second thant the FZ5. You made a very good choice. FPS are extremely important, and more is always better.

Being a Canon person myself, I always have to stand by Canon products in terms of performance and quality.
While in Guatemala, I dropped my old Powershot out of a moving truck. It hit the paved road and bounced. I thought for sure it was toast. But when I retrieved it, it worked perfectly, the only damage done to it was a tiny dent in the metal case!

I've had a Canon S2 about 5 months now and really like it. The only thing I would recommend is to get a high speed memory card. I went with a Sandisk Ultra II. It can keep up with rapidily taken pictures as well as the video features. The prices on them are reasonable too ~$50 for a 1-gig card.