| |
 |
| |
|
|
|
okingniels
Joined: 14 Apr 2007
Posts: 11
Location: USA
|
 Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 11:05 pm Post subject: Higher resolution versus zoom lens capability? |
 |
|
|
| I am considering purchasing one of these two cameras.http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=183&modelid=15658http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=144&modelid=15207Here's the question. Since the A650 IS has higher resolution @ 12.1 megpixels, would that higher resolution be more advantageous over the S5 IS's 12X optical zoom lens capability when photographing distant objects? Additionally, each camera has a 4.0X Digital zoom. What is meant by digital zoom and how is that different from optical zoom?The camera would be used for general purpose photography. Indoor, outdoor. Thanks. PatThere seems to be a few apples to oranges comparisons here. A 12X zoom seems rather useless in an indoor setting, such as a single room. However, since I live in a rural area, the additional optical capability makes perfect sense due to the increased distances from one point to another. That having been said, if long range photography were my only and overriding concern, there are other cameras that would be better suited for the task. But I think the good Dr. Sam does make three very good points. 1. Being that a very high resolution should overcome any deficiencies of a lower optical zoom capability. 2, that newer technologies are being developed on a regular basis. 3, I believe he's correct about different product lines from a manufacturer utilizing identical components. So far the answers have been excellent!Thanks! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
 |
ograchens
Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 15
Location: USA
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 12:41 am Post subject: Higher resolution versus zoom lens capability? |
|
|
|
| Optical zooms are always better than cropping.The S5 12x zoom is a work of wonder. Go for it.Digital Zoom = Satan; very bad. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
OFFLEASE-RU
Joined: 23 Jul 2007
Posts: 7
Location: Russia
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:17 am Post subject: Higher resolution versus zoom lens capability? |
|
|
|
| Forget digital zoom ... it is a marketing tool that should be scrapped. It just uses a small portion of your cameras sensor.If you want to shoot distant objects, then choose the camera with the largest optical zoom number (12x is better than a 4x for shooting distant objects.There is a second part to the pixel count ... it is the size of the sensor that completes the quality expectations of a sensor.Compare the two here. The S5 IS is a far superior camerahttp://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a570is%2Ccanon_s5is&show=all |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
okimreadynow
Joined: 22 Nov 2007
Posts: 11
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:53 am Post subject: Higher resolution versus zoom lens capability? |
|
|
|
| The S5 would be my choice. The megapixel count is not the only determing factor.The lens would be far more help for distant objects.Digital zoom is only cropping of the image in the camera and is no real advantage. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oldarata
Joined: 16 Jan 2008
Posts: 11
Location: DE
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 5:29 am Post subject: Higher resolution versus zoom lens capability? |
|
|
|
| Dude, there are tons and tons and tons of info on digital imaging/photography on the net. Definitely find out more before you fork out tons of money, since it sounds like you are relatively new to digital photography.For real photography DO NOT use digital zoom. It is like resizing your picture on photoshop. Optical zoom is the important one. For snapshot cameras megapixels don't necessarily mean squat. It just means you need to buy more memory cards. My Nikon D-SLR (6MPxl) take much better picture than my Fuji (12MPxl). That's like comparing apples and oranges but point is, be careful of megapixel traps.Optical IS is also another important thing, critical to have to take sharp pictures. Don't believe the software IS, anti-shake, etc. Doesn't really work all that well.Go have a quick read on some of the sites below before you buy. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
oldarata
Joined: 16 Jan 2008
Posts: 11
Location: DE
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:05 am Post subject: Higher resolution versus zoom lens capability? |
|
|
|
| if you want compact, get the A560if you do not mind some bulkiness but tons more features and control, get the s5 IS |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
olgavog
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
Posts: 11
Location: USA
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:41 am Post subject: Higher resolution versus zoom lens capability? |
|
|
|
| If you want to take pics of distant objects, the S5IS is the one for you. Also, the wide angle on the S5 is pretty good. The S5 is the better camera but it is a little on the bulky side. It however has a better grip and more steady weight distribution. If you want to do some long range photography S5, if you want something easy to carry around, A650. The S5 has higher shutter speeds which would be good for sport and action shots, it also has a hot shoe for external flash, it has better video, it has a better LCD so you can see better what the picture looks like, and the S5 has face detection, which might be nice for group photos, oh, and it's only $50 more. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
olivemai
Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 10
|
| Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 10:17 am Post subject: Higher resolution versus zoom lens capability? |
|
|
|
| This is just some enrichment material. I have always come out strongly against digital zoom, but I am going to have to rethink that. No, I don't think I'll advocate using the tiny processor in a digital camera in the place of a Pentium processor in a desktop computer, but it's not as bad as it used to be.Check this out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/tags/digitalzoom/The first two (identical) pictures are from the newest generation Canon - an SD950-IS - and the digital zoom is not too different than the image I cropped on the computer. Actually, I am very impressed.The third picture (the side-by-side) was taken with a one year old SD900 and it really sucks. Both cameras are said to use the Digic III processor, but it looks to me like there have been some enhancements in the very newest versions. As to your particular comparison, perhaps the size of the sensor would be more of a factor than anything. In general, you will find that the image quality in the A650-IS is better because the sensor is about twice as big as the one in the S5-IS. It is twice as big and only has 50% more pixels. This means that the pixels are bigger and will have less noise (interference) from the surrounding pixels.THIS IS PURE SPECULATION >>>I see that the A650-IS has an equivalent of 210 mm as the maximum focal length. The S5-IS has about double that at 432 mm. Knowing that the A650-IS and SD950-IS were released on the very same day as each other, I'd bet that the digital zoom in the A650-IS is the same as it is in my SD950-IS. Further, I'd bet that using the digital zoom at 2X on a 1/1.7" sensor with 12 MP would be just as good as the maximum 12X zoom (432 mm equiv) on a 1/2.5" sensor with 8 MP.This is heresy, I know, but it's also a new year and things get better every year.~~~If you check user ratings for image quality on fhotoace's link, you will see that the A650-IS users rate their image quality 4.03 out of 5.0 and the S5-IS users only rate it 3.72 out of 5.0. And, if you look at the A640 you can see some samples. One can assume (or hope) that the A650-IS would have better images than the A640, because of the image stabilization.http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a650is%2Ccanon_sd950is%2Ccanon_s5is%2Ccanon_a640&show=all |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
|
| |
FAQ
Search
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
