Prosumer Digicams: Coolpix 5700 vs Digital Rebel vs Pro Shot1 vs Coolpix 8700

[Hohn]

Well, it's time for me to go digital, and i don't want one of those point and shoot POS cameras either. i have a decent SLR, so I like having the flexibility.



CP5700: Nikon's prosumer model that's being phased out. Has $150 rebate right now. 8x optical, 5megapixel, lot of features that I can appreciate. Metal body.



CP8700: replaces the 5700 as nikon's prosumer model. 8mp, 8x zoom, and a couple more features.



Canon Pro shot1: Canon's answer to the new Nikon 8700. 8mp, 7x optical zoom. Quite a few accessories.



Digital Rebel: a REAL SLR that's digital and less than 20 million bucks. Downside is you have to buy more lenses, flashes, etc to get what some of the other cameras give you in one unit. 6Mp, lots of lenses from Canon's excellent EOS lens lineup.



Anyone out there have experience with prosumer level Digicams? I would like you to comment if you do.



Justin

 

[KBennett]

I bought the Fuji S5000 last year before Christmas. I don't know if it falls under "prosumer" or not but I really like the quality of the pictures it takes. Here is one of my truck at 1Mpixel: http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=659773b4-6404-4b54-58af-2bff4e8f51b2&size= It is a true 3Mpixel but it has a selection for 6Mpixel that I believe is interpolated. I have only tried it at 1Mpixel.



I am not real familiar with a true SLR camera. My dad has a Minolta and I thought about going that route in a digital but way too much $$$ for me. This camera has a 5. 7 - 57mm (10X) optical zoom and a 2. 2X digital that works really well.

Here is a pic of Coors from Lookout Mountain:

http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=b7181971-cb0f-4fcd-46d3-761a100467ee&size= That's about a mile away as the crow flies on full 22X zoom.

You cannot remove the lens but you can add lenses to it. You can adjust everything including shutter speed, aperture, film speed, etc. and you can set it for color, B&W, or Chrome.



Anyway you go shop around. When I found the camera I wanted I checked Best Buy and they had it for $399 but I found it on the web for $299.

 

[stick]

Justin:

Iv'e got the Digital Rebel, and love it. I wanted the ability of different lenses, and Canon has quite a selection. The picture quality is quite amazing. I'm very pleased!



Stick

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

You may want to look into the Fuji finepix s7000. I've seen them on Ebay brand new in the ~$500-$570 price range. It's a true 6. 3mp camera (up to 12. 3 recorded - like that matters?), 6x optical zoom, etc.

 

[ladyjaine]

I got an Olympus E-10 back when the E-20 just appeared. The price on the E-10 did the plummet. It doesn't have the 8megapixel capability, but I don't want it. I wanted a Digital camera that acted like an SLR, not like a point and shoot piece of trash.



If you want real flexibility, you have got to have a variety of accessories, not just built in stuff. You will never see a decent film SLR that has no optional lenses and no choices for flash units. Don't let the need for accessories scare you off. You can get exactly what you want and will use, not what some engineer determined the most common settings were.



I'm having a blast with my camera. The switch to media instead of film has been a release from processing problems. Yahoo!!! I enjoy playing with it and pushing it to the limits. If I burn up 100 shots testing settings, it doesn't cost me a hundred bucks to look at the results.



Jean

 

[athompson]

Digital Rebel

I got my Digital Rebel about month ago. It is an excellent camera. It fells like a real camera because it is.



If your just taking snapshots, you don't need an SLR. If you're serious about photography, you need an SLR.



If you need a snapshot camera, get a Nikon Coolpics. I you want an SLR and don't have $2000 to spend on one, get the Digital Rebel.