SLR-like for landscape photography?

[nuno_campos1]

Hi,

 

I am looking for an inexpensive (less than 400 USD) camera to shoot mainly

landscapes and i would really appreciate your suggestions. I figure that with

that budget I will not be able to buy a DSLR so I was thinking on na SLR-like.

 

Something with:

- a good and clear LCD;

- total exposure control;

- white balancing;

- possibility to select the ISSO manually;

- exposure compensation;

- more than 6/7 MP;

- a lens with a good range, from a real wide to a good tele (something like a

24/28-300 (ou +)mm 35mm equivalent);

- possibility to use filters.

- RAW.

 

After some readings and search I have restricted the options to this cameras:

- Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd;

- Olympus SP-550 UZ;

- Olympus SP-560 UZ;

- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18;

- Sony DSC-H7;

- Sony DSC-H9.

(I am slightly bend to the Panasonic...).

 

What would you choose? Should I look to another model?

 

Thanks for all the answers in advance and sorry the English.

 

Best regards,

 

Nuno Campos.

[phule]

Most, if not all, of those cameras have been reviewed on dpreview.com. From the looks of it, the Panasonic is the clear winner from that list.

 

However, you may consider an Olympus DLSR instead, which are right around your budget and would offer some very compelling advantages for your needs.

[dg1]

It would be worth your while to perhaps wait until you can afford $600.00. B&H is selling Olympus e-410 with the 2 lens kit, for about $570.00, that will give you a total focal length range from 28-300mm equivalent, and allow you to upgrade lenses in the future. The kit lenses are themselves of very good optical quality. I have this camera and it has everything you need, and for landscapes the live-view LCD is nice, and I assume you'll be using a tripod so the lack of image stabilization (available in the E-510) isn't a big deal. The larger 10.3 meg 4/3rds sensor is valuable for landscape detail. The extra cost is well worth it.

[mike_earussi1]

The image quality of the tiny chip in a point-and-shoot camera compared to the much larger one in a DSLR is significant enough for you to either wait until you can afford a new DSLR or buy one used. Check EBay for prices, but you can find the original 6mp Canon 300D's for around $300.

[vuyisich]

You can get a Pentax K100D with the kit lens for $450, or K110D for $400.

[obakesan]

Nuno

 

I recommend getting any camera which has RAW, and using stitching software. I have an older coolpix 5000 which has about the widest angle lens you can get on a compact. However, I prefer to orient the camera in portrait, and take 3 images and stitch them together with PT Gui. I get images which are equal or better than when I use a DSLR and try to capture the image in one go with a 10mm wide angle.

 

For landscape you'll find that dynamic range of the capture is critical, and so using RAW you'll get to keep the shadow detail even when you've adjusted exposure to avoid clipping. I find that even when the viewfinder displays slight 'blinkies' for over exposure that this is not apparent in the RAW image only the JPG which the camera compiles from the RAW. This is in itself evidence on why you should be using RAW. The example below showed blinkies in the highlights on the screen as I'd pushed the exposure up by 1 from normal, yet you can still see that it has a little head room and has fully captured the shadows in this scene<div></div>