Choosing Digital-- Nikon 5700; Dimage 7i; Sony? Fast Help Needed.

[zachary]

I posted this in the General Forum, now I realize I probably should

have posted it here:

Hi,

I am looking to buy a digital camera. I want good image quality(be

able to print 16X20 once in a while), ability to go Manual and Auto

exposure, not toooo heavy or bulky, and fairly easy to operate. Also,

I would like to spend under $1000 total but preferably $800. I was

looking at the Nikon Coolpix 5700 and the Minolta Dimage 7i. For

three hours I read reviews. However, I read a lot of negative

reviews about both of them, (Nikon 5700- real image resolution,

can't shoot at ISO 400-800 w/o a lot of 'noise' etc... or with the

Dimage 7i- the crappy build quality etc...) and I don't want to sink

1,000 bucks into a crappy camera. A lot of owners at dpreview said

not to get them. Also, I am going overseas to Israel in a couple days

and I don't want to be stuck with a hardly-working camera. I don't

have time to go to stores and try out these cameras because I'll be

at work until I leave town and won't have quality time to try the

cameras properly. Also, I read there is a Sony with 5MP, which one?

 

Has anyone tried these cameras?

Is there another camera you can recommend?

Can anyone help? I really need a digital camera.

 

Thanks,

--Zach

[craig_gillette]

Almost answered there. If you can't give it the time needed to decide here, you either need to gamble and pick (btw, the Sony DSC-707 is dropping a lot in price as the follow-on 717 is imminent, if not here now!), or, wait until you get there, fondle the gear in a local shop and buy there or from B&H by mail/internet. The digitals are different and you may want to find a personal fit. The dimage 7i may fit your price range as well as the 7hi is perhaps imminent as well (I'll follow closer when I actually get ready to buy). The Sony is somewhat bigger but that's only relevant compared to other digitals, not to typical 35s.

 

My experience has been that there are few outlets I've found that had all of the top cameras available to try out in comparable situations, either one or more was electrically dead due to battery issues or so tethered as to be hard to try in a real situation. Try Imaging Resources for more review and check the camera forums as well. http://www.imaging-resource.com/

[joshroot]

Every camera is going to have bad reviews because not everyone is going to like the same camera. Just buy one. At the $800-1000 price range they're all about the same. Especially for someone who thinks it's a good idea to buy a camera two days before a trip without even seeing one in person.

[hal_mothershed2]

I'm a reasonably happy Minolta D7 owner. I say <i>reasonably</i> happy, because in this price range (in any price range with digital, actually) it's all about compromises. It happens that I chose Minolta, but I could probably be just as happy (not more) with either of the other options. I chose Minolta for a few reasons that may or may not be important to you: the wider minimum focal length, manual zoom, most of the important settings are accessible via dedicated controls, rather than through menus, accepts CF and Microdrive, less in-camera noise reduction (I didn't care for the Sony 707 in this regard), and, not insignificantly, it carried a hefty rebate when I bought it (the 7i had just been introduced). I've had no problems or concerns about the build quality, but subjectively, knobs and dials do <i>seem</i> flimsier than buttons, and I think this might be where some of the concerns come from.

[carl smith]

You can see my experience with the Nikon 5700 <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003rLA&unified_p=1">here</a>. The Dimage 7i has better image quality IMO, but the build is terrible and clunky. The sony may be the nicest of them, but it's images aren't as pleasing as the Nikon or Minolta, and it's clumsy. The memory stick is a joke as well. You can't get larger cards for it like you can with compact flash.

 

This is a range of cameras that's still maturing. To be personally honest the best long zoom range cameras are probably the Olympus C720 or the new C730. They have fine image quality, good lenses, and they're also much cheaper than the camera's you're looking at. However, you sacrifice 2 megapixels in getting there.

[carl smith]

whoops, forgot to turn on html. Anyway, that link once again is <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=003rLA&unified_p=1">right here</a>.

[gib]

two days before the trip. buy a lot of postcards......