EOS to point and shoot (for conveneince)

[Stock-Photos]

I use a Canon 10D and various Canon lenses, including a couple of L's.

 

I'm considering a new Canon P&S after seeing this gallery.

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/presentation?presentation_id=317651

 

The model that intersts me is the PowerShot A640. The extreme macro focus and

swivel LCD make this model very attractive to me. (I wish it had a hotshoe.)

 

I know this might me the wrong forum, but I'm looking to hear user opinions,

specifically from EOS users, who have bought this model camera (or a similar

Canon model) to use as a lightweight, 8.6 oz "take everywhere" camera.

[Stock-Photos]

BTW, I own a Nikon Coolpix 990 which was good in it's day but lacks image quality by today's standards. The 990 has great macro capability and I'm hoping the A640 is as good at macro as the 990. Any user opinions on the macro capabilities of the A640 is appreciated too.

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=143902.

[PuppyDigs]

I have a Canon SD700 IS. No RAW or true manual controls but, with -2/3 EC permanently

dialed in, it nails exposure 95% of the time. Flash is also good and the IS feature is worth

its weight in gold. Heck the LCD is better than the ones on my 5D, 20D and 10D.

 

Image quality is another animal. Although these are 6.1MP files, they pretty much suck

compared to the 6.3MP files of my old 10D: noisy shadows, ISO above 200 looks really

gritty and details in sweeping landscapes look smeared at any ISO. However, you'd never

know it for low rez web galleries or small prints. Pixel peepers would have a heart attack

and forget about 12 x 18 prints! The 10D can manage it but a 6MP point shoot file looks

really grainy and full of artifacts.

 

With all that said, I like the little bugger and oft carry it in my bag with my 5D or 20D.

Why? It allows me to take pictures in situations where my larger cameras draw unwelcome

attention, e.g., casinos or bars. Plus it's small enough to fit in my pocket if I need to travel

really light. Nevertheless, it probably only accounts for less than 5% of my shooting.

[jim_larson1]

The A640 and the A710IS are both on my short list -> for the obvious reasons. I am balancing the flip screen vs the IS. 7 vs 10mp is meaningless to me in this type of camera.

 

The 700's don't have manual controls? Grrr.

[andrew duncan]

I use a Canon 20D most of the time. I recently replaced our broken Canon PowerShot A70 with the PowerShot A630. It is the same as the A640 but has 8 megapixels rather than 10. When I bought the A70, it appeared a much better buy than it's brother the A60 (3.2 vs 2.0 MP), but I didn't see a big advantage between the A630 and the A640. To be honest, the A70 was a good enough camera for me, in terms of number of pixels.

 

One of the things that I love about the A630 is that it has flash exposure control. This really helps me when using the flash as a fill.

 

Andrew

[mars c]

A <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonA640/" >hyperlink</a> to the a 640 review.

<p>

It lacks IS and wide angle lens IMO.

[mars c]

BTW, Buying the A640 wont automatically make one a better photographer,

 

In Wilson's case, He is simply a great photographer, He could use any Camera with good result, But he certainly benifitted from the free angle LCD of his camera and the portability of his set up, by using a table tripod.

[jim_larson1]

Yeah. . .the only reason I am thinking A640 vs A630 is because I read a review (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_a630_a640-review/) that stated that the A640 (despite the higher pixel density) had better noise performance. I care about "noise performance" over "higher megapixels".

 

Also, nobody in my area has a A710IS for sale. I want to SEE the camera. . . .although do I *really* need to see it? I know that it is smaller. . .and has a physically smaller sensor.

[kiloromeo]

I was thinking the same thing, after not having my camera alot of the time due to it's bulkiness. I mean just running around doing day to day tasks. The stupid fone cam doesn't really get it.

 

I have been looking and now feel like the SD800 IS would be the one for me. The wide angle and small size are the primary selling points. The lack of manual controls is no biggy. That, is also a factor, not being a biggy I mean. There are some bulky point and shooters too.

 

 

I was looking at used G6's on ebay(they are going for the hi 300's low 400's BTW) Really nice camera, uses CF memory and BP511 batteries just like my 20D, big aperture too, f2 to f3. Awesome movable LCD on it too, but it is also too freakin big.

 

The SD800 IS uses a different battery and SD cards, but it is small. The reviews on it are quite positive. And, it is pocketable!

[WM]

I use a Fuji F30 for my P&S when my 5d or 350d are both too big or cumbersome. Image quality is OK and I use it up to iso1600 (the 3200 is terrible). Works well in most situations, but the image quality of the 5D beats the pants off the F30 of course. In any case, it is better than having no camera when the situation demands it.

[ken munn]

Not been disappointed with My Canon S70 (now superceded) but can be found on ebay. Just

about small enough to be pocketable, and a 28 mm (eq) wide end.

[mars c]

I have the sd 800 IS , The f30 was also my option, The sd800 IS earned my money because of the wide angle lens and the small size.

[jim_larson1]

Thanks Mars for posting the link to dpReview. . .last week neither the A640 nor A710IS had been reviewed.

 

Here is what I found interesting:

* The A640 seems to be fairly equal in noise to the A630.

* The A640 appears to have better image quality (less clipping?) than the A710IS

*The A640 -senso wise- is identical to the G7, except that the G7 with its digic 3 chip has stronger Noise reduction. The G7 has a better, image stabilized, lens.

 

I have had both the A640 and G7 in my hand. The G7 can't be used single handed (no grip. . .grrr). The A640 can. Hmmmm

 

I was also surprised by the high image quality of the Fuji F30 in the comparisons.

 

What REALLY irks me as a Canon EOS shooter is the lack of RAW mode. This is REALLY detering me from replacing my broken S40 immediately. That annoys me.

 

But perhaps equally important. . .you can't adjust saturation, contrast, or sharpening in ANY of these cameras either. Good grief.

 

Admittedly, I never adjust Saturation, Contrast, or Sharpening on my EOS either. . .but for my good photos, I just shoot RAW and don't worry about it until I am at my desk anyway.

 

Hmmmm

[lovcom_photo]

Often people will look at a really good gallery of images made with a point & shoot. The images are fantastic.

 

However the error in this is that people confuse fantastic compositions with image quality. If those P&S images are fantastic, it speaks to the great skills of the photographer, not the P&S camera.

 

In otherwords if you want great compositions and great image quality, don't use a P&S camera. Images from the P&S fall apart fast when one tries to enlarge them, or use those cameras in challanging light.

 

Better to use your DSLR for best image quality...no, it won't guarentee a great composition, but it will guarentee that a great composition will have high image quality in regard to enlargability, low noise performance, and generally cleaner images.

 

If you want a small "convenient" camera, don't waste your time with a P&S...better to get the small XTi with a small wide prime, or even the kit zoom is fairly small.

 

If a picture is worth taking, it's worth taking right.

[w_t1]

As others have said, it's more on the skill of the photographer, although I agree with the stuff Dan said about image quality of the P&S crowd. I also shoot with a 10D, and film bodies, and a G2 and G6. Neither of the G2 and G6 I consider compact cameras, they usually end up being carried on the strap over a shoulder. About a month ago I bought my wife a 630 which is more compact than the G series, but not pack-of-cards size like the smaller series. I use it a lot around the house for pics of kids, and I do like the swivel screen which I'm used to with the G-cameras. I do like the fact that the 630 has an optical viewfinder which I'm sure is not accurate, but handy for grab shots, and it uses AA batteries. I also like the fact that it has a "built-in" lens cover, as opposed to the G-series lens cover which is always slowing me down for a grab shot. Put it this way, there are plenty of days that I am walking around town during work, that I wished I had a pocket camera, even the 630 with the protruding hand grip, but did not.

[jim_larson1]

True. My P&S cameras have not lasted as long as my dSLR. Partly due to build. Mostly due to abuse.

 

I view a P&S camera as a special low profile weather sealed lens for my dSLR kit. Not the best image quality. . .but can be used when a dSLR cannot. The XTi, even with a small prime installed, will ALWAYS draw more attention than the cameras discussed here.

 

Like PuppyFace, only about 5% of my shots are with a P&S. I have lost images over the last few months (since my S40 died) because I could not effectively bring my dSLR into play.