Camera Labs

Hi there,

First of all, thanks SO MUCH for all these great information! You guys rock!

I have been looking into buying a new digital camera. I had a Nikon Coolpix 775. Got it when digital cameras just came out! It has served me well and I still like it but it is sooooo slow.

My husband bought a Kodak EasyShare P880. It is a nice camera but it is so BIG!! I want a small camera. (same thing for cell phone, I got a tiny cell phone) I want something so small that I can carry it everywhere I go.

I have been checking out Sony DSC-N2 and Sony DSC-W55. I know they are not totally in the same level but I like them both a lot. But I am having a hard time to decide which one to buy.

- DSC-N2
I like the touch screen, of course.
I like its slide show function.
I like its look.
I actually found a deal of USD $279 for it.

- DSC-W55
I like its baby blue one. SO CUTE!
I like it is simple.
I like it is cheaper.

What do you think? Should I go for DSC-N2?

I am also curious about Canon PowerShot SD600. This camera is ranked #1 in a lot of review sites. Why???!!! What's so glorious about this camera? I do like Cannon camera because they use SD cards. I have a lot of SD cards. If I bought a Sony, I will have to buy a Memory Stick Pro Duo, this is another drawback...

Thank you and have a great day.
Sylvia from Austin, Texas.

US$279 for the N2 is a very good deal - pricewise. Hope that comes from a dealer that is ok!
You didn't mention one difference between both cameras that would make me think: The W55 has an optical viewfinder. I know people ( including my wife) that love the optical finder and hate LCD-screens for shooting!
And watch out for the brilliance of the LCD in bright sunlight. My Sony T1 was excellent, my Sony P200 is mediocre in this respect. I think there is a chance that Sony uses mediocre LCDs on its cameras that have a viewfinder. Try to see the LCD quality for yourself - and step out of the show-room into bright sunlight!

And why not have a look at the brand spanking new Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30. It is as light and small as the Sonys, its lens goes wider (28mm equivalent) plus it has an optical image stabilizer, something that is not to be underestimated as some people (again including my wife) tend to shake these small cameras when pressing the release button resulting in so many lost pics
PLUS you can get it in silver, blue, black (sexy!), and bronce and uses SD and the new high capacity SD HC cards

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Hi Tom,

Thanks for your response!! Good advice!

For the viewfinder, I think I am okay without it. I always look at the LCD screen when taking a picture.

I noticed Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX30 too, yeah it is a beautiful camera. But considering it is only 7.2 MP, it is a bit pricy, isn't it? (or do you mean DMC-FX07A? Because FX30 came out in 2001, I think...) The Sony DSC-W55 is only $199. Do you think the image stabilizer is worth that much more?

Thanks,
Sylvia

Hi Sylvia,

the FZ30 is a little older, the FX30 is so new that you will have to wait a little to get one! The sensor-size and the pixel-count is the same as with the W55. The quality would be up to Gordon to test it.

With regard to the stab.: Do you have lost pics due to shake in the past? My wife (and I) did. You don't see a little shake on the built in screen unless you magnify the pic or view it on your computer. Then it's to late to try another shot and the opportunity is lost forever, because no software program in the world can correct for shake!

The other thing is the lens: first it's a Leica-lens and 2. it goes wider to 28 vs. 38mm. That's a 26% difference and you'll be amazed how often you (may) need the wider angle: Parties with lots of people, inhouse shots, architecture, landscape. But you have to judge for yourself...

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Hi Tom,

I think I can hold the camera still...I hope, LOL. I usually take a couple of more shots for a certain scene to get the best one. I think I am a bit more concern of the filmed object that is moving. I have 8 cats and I spend the majority of my picture-shooting on them. As you know, kitty cats move a lot and hard to get a still shot. Would the image stabilizer help with this? Or what kind of manually setting can acommodate this?

Thanks!
Sylvia

The image stab does nothing for moving objects
You have to shoot at a faster shutter speed to "freeze" your kitties. Doing this requires either opening the aperture as wide as possible (normally done by choosing a "sport"-programm) and/or by increasing the ISO sensitiviy. The latter unfortunately leads to a grainier picture with most compact cameras when you rise the ISO above 400. So the amount of tweaking is limited here...
The only other way to get out of this problem is to use more light or a flash.

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Hi Sylvia, I just wanted to start by saying thanks for your kind words and welcome to the Cameralabs forums, but I see Thomas has already made you feel right at home!

I'd agree with Thomas that any kind of optical or sensor-shift anti-shake can be a great boon, but as he says, they're designed to counteract your own wobbles and not any motion in the subject. So if your cats are running around, no amount of anti-shake will freeze them.

In terms of the Panasonic compacts, I too am a big fan of their wider angle lenses as they're great for landscapes or big group shots. I'm also really pleased they've managed to get a wide angle in the successor to the Lumix TZ1 which has a massive 10x optical zoom. This is a great compact if you want to sometimes get really close to your subjects. Check out our gallery to see what I mean:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panas ... age5.shtml

So personally speaking I'm very interested to see how the new TZ2 and TZ3 will turn out, as they are based on the TZ1, but with a wider angle option. More info here: http://www.cameralabs.com/cameras/Panasonic/

I would however plant this seed if I may! Have you ever been frustrated by the response time of a compact - ie you see the action, press the button, but the camera takes the picture a split second later and misses it? This is a problem which faces all compacts, and I thought of you because you mentioned photographing your fast-moving cats. If you want something which will respond much quicker, you may want to try out a budget DSLR. Sure, they're much bigger, but they could let you take more of the kind of photos you're after. Just a thought!

In the meantime, the compacts which have impressed us most in our reviews are all in our Compact Buyers Guide, here:

http://www.cameralabs.com/buyers_guide/compacts/

Cheers!

Gordon Laing, Editor

Howdy Gordon,

Nice to meet you, and Thomas! Thanks for the warm welcome.

About the DSLR, althought the Kodak my husband has is not really a DSLR, but it is pretty nice to take more serious shooting.

Okay I will admit it, I am a girl. So I want something really small and cute. That's why the Sony N2 and W55 attract me the most. The Panasonic TZ3's price is set to around $349.00. I think for a 7.2 MP camera, it is a bit too high for me.

I do agree slow camera bugs me. That's why I am getting a new one. My old Nikon Coolpix775 is so slow. I can literally press the shutter and take a nap to wait for it to turn on...LOL...

I am planning a trip to Greek Islands in the Spring so I want a small and good camera with me to take pictures of amazing Santorini.

I am lazy. Though I am pretty geeky when it comes to computers, I don't like machines that are too complicated.

I think I kind of set my heart to Sony DSC-N2......what do you think of this one? Should I get the W55 instead?

Thank you for your time!
Sylvia

Hi Silvia,

methinks you cannot reallly go wrong with the N2. Just make sure you are not disapointed by the brightness of the LCD screen in bright sunlight, as the screen is your only way to judge what you are shooting.
Perhaps Gordon has something to say about this

Good luck!

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

$239.99 for Sony DSC-N2?
http://www.wisetronics.com/product-p/sndscn2.htm

W55 costs more than N2? No way!
http://www.wisetronics.com/product-p/sndscw55.htm

is this possible?

I tried to see if it says "refurbised" anywhere but I can't find any.

Looks like legit site. Anybody has bought from them or heard of them before?

Thanks,
Sylvia

Hi Sylvia, I think $239 sounds a bit too good to be true. In fact all their prices look a bit too good. If everyone else is selling at around one price, then one firm comes in way below, alarm bells start ringing.

The going rate for an N2 is around $350 USD.

Gordon

WATCH OUT, Sylvia!
Look here: http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Wisetronics
No need to say more...

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

WOW! I am so glad I asked!!!
Thank you guys! The other place with low price is similar to this one too.
yelllowbeephoto http://www.resellerratings.com/store/YellowBeePhoto

Hm. I better stick with Amazon.

Thank you!

You're welcome Sylvia!
This is the second time that I saved someone by redirecting him to www.resellerratings.com! Fortunately all disgruntled customers have their forum and can voice their dissatisfaction in the days of the internet.

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Hi Sylvia, if you do end up buying through Amazon, please consider clicking through to their site via this link as the price is exactly the same but they pay us a small commission. It's this commission and price-checking clicks at the bottom of our reviews that fund the site, so forgive me if I take the opportunity to promote them!

Anyway, regardless of where you end up buying it, I think you'll be very happy with the N2 - it's a pretty cool camera and capable of some good results. I presume you've seen the main features demonstrated in our Sony N2 video tour?

Let us know how you get on anyway,

Cheers!

Gordon