ADVICE: SONY W1 or CANON A80

[waffler]

I have an Olympus OM-1 but would like digital camera (my first) to

accompany mostly for travel and misc. Need advice - here's what I'm

looking for:

 

>> medium (or smaller) sized camera under $500

>> 4 - 5 mp

>> many manual features

>> AA batteries (that should help you narrow it down considerably)

>> excellent image quality!!!

>> USB 2.0 would be nice

>> speed, shutter lag are of moderate concern (perhaps will become

big concern with more experience??)

 

I think I've narrowed it down to the W1 and A80.

 

W1: Reading remarkably mixed reviews on the W1 in terms of image

quality - some say it's excellent, others consider it mediocre at

best. I've played with it in the store, and it's definitely VERY

speedy...fun. Really like the huge LCD. I'm not excited about the

memory stick - I have no other gadgets that use it.

 

A80. I know everyone in this forum seems to love the A80. I have not

had much digital experience, but I tried the A80 recently and most

images came out great - crisp, good color, etc. Even with flash -

skin tones look REALLY good. BUT, i noticed a fair amount of blow-out

on certain pictures (very sunny day), though i only used auto

settings. I like the swivel LCD, but my big issue with the camera is

the size of the LCD - so friggin' small - almost worthless to check

quality of the image taken. Of course, compared to the enormo LCD on

the W1 it's a big disapptmt.

 

Would like to hear feedback on image quality of W1, and other

thoughts. And, dare I ask - any other cameras that meet the above

mentioned criteria that I should be considering? (I briefly

considered Minolta F300 and Nikon 4300)

[devin_serink]

I'd go for the A80, given the lower price tag, but either camera is quite nice.

 

If you like the big LCD display, and are willing to look away from AA batteries, you might also want to look into the Kodak dx7440 and 7630. Both offer a good slew of modes and options, have a fairly large and high-res LCD, but use li-ion batteries.

[phule]

<< almost worthless to check quality of the image taken >>

 

No LCD screen on a digital camera is a true measure of image quality or exposure. Even zooming in during review (which you may not have discovered in your short test of the A80) provides limited information. The histogram provides more, and coupled with the review, I find it to be perfectly acceptable.

 

Also, a smaller LCD should mean your battery life will be longer than with other cameras. I get 500 shots w/ the LCD on full time and some flash usage on a single charge of my set of NiMHs.

 

There's a reason so many people recommend this camera: it's worth looking at.

[the_macman]

Sony makes toys, Canon makes cameras.

[gary_g1]

I don't know much about the Sony, but I recently bought my wife the A80. Last night, I finally got all the proper software loaded on the computer, downloaded about 10 pics.....and was blown away. I was surprised at how much detail 4MP held. Made me reconsider purchasing a Canon10D......6.3MP may be enough to hold me over for awhile.

 

Then I printed a few out on our new Canon I9900, and was even more blown away. What an awesome printer!

[bill deegan]

I'll have to jump on the A80 bandwagon. I picked one up after reading a lot (Rob B. & Trevor H. thanks), looking at lots of A80 pictures (Isabel Cutler comes to mind)and finally handling the camera.

 

Battery life is outstanding. The histogram is very useable and helps a lot. To many good things to list. Pick one up, you won't be disappointed. One more thing, the camera could be extinct shortly.

 

Good luck.

 

Bill

[fred_mueggelhopper]

When it comes time for service or warranty issues, Canon has it all over the Sony.

Sony is strictly by the book(their interpretation) on warranty issues. Canon recently

repaired my powershot 3 years out of warranty at no charge without me asking them

for a freebie. They will keep my digital business for a long time to come. Based upon

recent warranty issues with Sony, I will be buying no further Sony products of any

kind. Buy the A80!

[ben_roubin]

I second Fred's experience. Sony gets a big ZERO when it comes to warranty repairs. I have the A80 and love it. The swiveling lcd is invaluable. I got a pair of high magnification reading glasses from Dollar Tree. It helps to see the screen.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

I, too, had a bad experience with Sony servicing an electronics product. I avoid them whenever possible.

 

As fro the blown highlights on very sunny days - that's just the way digital sensors behave. They don't have the same dynamic range as negative film (neither does slide film). You'll just need to expose for the highlights and accept less detail in the shadows.

 

Don't think about this too long. It's not a major investment like a house.

 

Enjoy.

Bob

[waffler]

Thanks for all the feedback. I actually got a chance to play with both cameras for an afternoon, taking the same shots with each. I actually found that the A80 took slightly sharper images, and the W1 had more problems with blown highlights than the A80. I also found the resolution on the W1 enormo lcd to be a bit disappointing. And, lastly, the A80 is much more comfortable to handle. So, given that and your feedback (especially on Sony's poor customer service), I am now a proud and enthusiastic owner of an A80. THANKS!!

[sarkar]

Zeiss lenses are 'generally' considered better than Canon/Nikon. Philip Greenspun <a href="http://www.photo.net/equipment/point-and-shoot/intro#sensible">raves about</a> the Zeiss lens in the Yashica T4 (film) point & shoot camera. I realize that there is more to it than just the lens in a digital camera, but does the Zeiss lens in the Sony make a difference in this case?