maanmo

recently i have been checking out the sony w80

its advertized for sale for $200 at visions and one other place
it was $250 $230  a few months ago

  it has optical image stabilizer and  enhanced iso sensitiviy iso 3200
  you could compare this with the Canon camera you mentioned above
this camera is pocket size , ideal for night life indoors

this review has some specific infor on the sony w80's low light performance
...
My low light shots in the Gallery include a stick shift and auto interior taken at several ISO settings
.....
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/W80/W80A.HTM

       this is not the best low light camera i know, in fact i dont know any,
its just a review for you to compare others camera with
you might think of the w80 as having  the typical  low light capability of recent
camera models

maanmo

i guess then, from your last post,
you are not a social photography, looking for a sleek cam hiding in your pocket

you want a bulky hobbyist camera,


  then consider the olympus sp 550,
  by boxing day, it should crash through the $300 barrier

  or you can consider the  two other 18x zoom camera's from panasonic and fujifilm
i think the fujifilm is about $400, the panasonic is more expasive

  read up on the reviews of these cameras

  you mentioned about lowlight sensitivity
the fujifilm  FinePix S8000fd
has " ISO settings of up to ISO6400 (at 4MP resolution) " compared with canon s5 is 's iso1600
but after reading the reviews carefully, i would not say they are much better than the canon s5is

since you mainly shoot indoors the 18 x zoom models may not appeal to you
  the only thing not quite satisfactory i feel about the canon s5is is its lens is not as wide angle as
  the three 18 x zoom cameras
s5is lens...
6.0-72.0mm f/2.7-3.5 (35mm film equivalent: 36-432mm)

maanmo

NO point and shoot camera can beat a DSLR in low light

i doubt the above statement
2007 models of digital cameras such as the W80
  has low light sensitivity matching older models of DSLRs such as the canon xt

about the need for wide angle lens, the  wide angle lens found in 2007 digital
cameras are adequate, if you want wider angle , you can buy a  lens for DSLR
, but the lens alone , cost twice as much  as one of those 18x optical zoom digital cameras

  in 2007, low light and wide angle photography are doable for a total of $400 or  less

maanmo

back to Canon s5is

the only bad side i can think of for this s5is, is just the zoom range

but compared to the 18x zoom cameras available now, this canon s5is is fast

  how much faster ?
check out the shooting time bar graph in the review below here
comparing  the canon to the big shots from sony, panasonic , fujifilm , olympus
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/fujifilm-finepix-s8000fd/4505-6501_7-32514554.html

look like the s5is is the best to buy for now
for any camera, one must be careful not to spend too much money,
because there are many upgrades coming soon,

here s the coming olympus sp 560


here s the one we might grab only if its price drops further


[ 本帖最後由 maanmo 於 2007-12-20 16:36 編輯 ]

maanmo

a lot of people get DSLR , and then is seen no more
we need a missing DSLR task force to seen what happened to them

maanmo

the canon S5 IS is $400 at London drugs  right now ,
  to high

may be we are expecting a $50 drop after christmas

a conon flyer specifically tells, low light performance is one of the outstanding features of its 2007
cameras

""""
Improved low light shooting at high ISO settings (up to ISO 1600) is assured through the combination of optical Image Stabilizer and DIGIC III’s advanced Noise Reduction Technology. A new Auto ISO Shift function prevents blur by giving users the option to boost the ISO setting – and consequently shutter speed – with a single button press whenever the camera predicts camera shake.

""""
from dpreview
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0705/07050703canons5is.asp

many pocket cameras are expected to have super low light ability
if you buy a DSLR, you cannot leave it at home. and buy a new  compact, with the new improved iso technology
so you have to take DSLR out to shoot night life, even when a pocket camera is more appropriate


people are playing at night, and you show up with a DSLR, look, i am a pro at work,
who is the celebrity ??

maanmo

looks like the s5 is will not come down to $350 in the next few weeks
future shop may give you the sony H7 for $300  
on the steve digicam forum  there is a discussion on
" What Camera Should I Buy? > Sony DSC H7 or Canon S5 IS? "
http://forums.steves-digicams.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=581760&forum_id=87

steve 's review
Bottom Line - Once again, Sony has a very capable entry into the mega-zoom digicam market with the DSC-H7. Offering an 8 megapixel imaging sensor, a 15x image stabilized optical zoom and a slew of manual and automatic features, the H7 is a very versatile package that delivers excellent image quality. This is a great choice for someone trying to decide between a smaller digicam or a dSLR. With the ability of this camera to use the 15x optical zoom with image stabilization, and optional smart zoom (not available on a dSLR), this camera is thousands of dollars cheaper than the equivalent options on a dSLR and image stabilized lenses
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2007_reviews/sony_h7.html


maanmo myself say... i personally prefer the H9 with the tiltable screen
it does not swing around  like the canon s5is, but it should be fun to use
although this H7 has no tiltable screen, it  has a wider angle lens than the
canon s5 is

in fact many days ago i saw a london drugs sales person talked a custom from
considering a DSLR to prefering a sony H9, this salesman says he likes the
H9 picture quality better,

in any case, the $400 canon xt is not a good buy, no body should buy the xt
any more, people who advise you to buy a xt, should be able to sell you one
second hand for $200,a useful lens included.

this xt is an  stop gap product, designed for people going from a film SLR
not for a hobbyist being initailized into DSLR