Upgrade to Coolpix 8800?

[bruce_garrett]

I am thinking about upgrading my Coolpix 8700 to the new Coolpix 8800.

 

The obvious advantages of the 8800 are VR and extended zoom range plus various

improvements making the camera more efficient.

 

But just how effective is VR technology and would it make this upgrade worthwhile?

 

I shoot anything from street photography to portraits.

 

Any input much appreciated.

[wilfred_wong]

How often does you pictures ruin by handshake?

 

honestly, i'd rather it has a wider angle range (like 28-200) lens than extending the already long lens on 8700.

 

btw, 8700 isn't cheap, 8800 would be quite expensive. would u consider a DSLR?

 

For me... I love VR (on DSLR), it's convinent esp when travelling.

OK.. I still bring a tripod when travelling or camping.

[jim_gifford]

Figure VR will give you two f/stops worth of assistance in keeping camera shake at bay. It's not the same for everyone, in every circumstance, but that would be the ballpark estimate.

 

It's up to you to decide whether the upgrade is then worthwhile.

 

The folks at Nikon get warm fuzzies when they see questions like this. You've got one nice camera that you've barely had time to put fingerprints on, and you're considering their latest camera instead.

 

Be well,

[m_.]

agree with jim: you should really use your 8700 before thinking about getting another one. 8700 probably is more than what you need already.

[frank_skomial]

Also consider Panasonic FZ20 Lumix. It has image stabilizer, and much better Leica 12X lens. The aperture is 2.8 throughout entire zoom range from 35 - 420 mm. It is only a 5MP camera, but that should give sufficiently large print size. You chose from a noisy 8 MP small sensor on Coolpix , or a 5 MP sensor on Lumix that has less noise.