Canon IXUS 70 compared to Kodak DX7630??

[scottylad]

Hi, I have a Kodak Easyshare DX7630 which I have had for years now, pretty much when it came out (2004 I think), and it takes amazing pics but I wanted to upgrade to something newer and it's a bit bulky anyway.

I was just wondering if the Canon would produce better photos and if you think its a better cam overall? Im just a casual camera user looking for something new. thanks!

[pauling]

I think canon is the way to go, I like my canon s5is

[Photo-John]

Anything from 2007 will be a huge step up from your Kodak DX7630. The Canon PowerShot S5 IS would be great as would the Olympus SP-560, or one of the Sony H-Series cameras. However, those are all about the same size as your Kodak. If you want something smaller that still has a powerful zoom lens, take a look at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3, the Casio Exilim EX-V7 or EX-V8, and the Pentax Optio Z10. The Panasonic has a 10x zoom lens in a near pocket-sized body, and the Casio and Pentax cameras have 7x zoom lenses in pocket-sized bodies. All of them will have much better image quality than your Kodak, better high ISO performance, and they have good, image-stabilized zoom lenses. Here are links to reviews for those cameras:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Pro Review >>
Casio EX-V7 Pro Review >>

It seems the Pentax Optio Z10 hasn't been added to our reviews. So I'll get it added. But there won't be any reviews for it right away. Just so you know, it has a 7x zoom lens and an 8-megapixel sensor. I have a feeling the Pentax and Casio EX-V8 may be very, very similar. It wouldn't surprise me if Casio is getting their lens from Pentax.

[scottylad]

thanks I like the look of the Lumix.

One other Q.. I have a Sandisk Extreme III memory card. the Kodak doesnt support the high speeds, apparently its too old. Will the Lumix take advantage of it?

[Photo-John]

Any camera from 2007 should be able to use your Sandisk card with no trouble. They'll also be compatible with the new SDHC cards.

I realize I missed one of the main parts of your original question. The IXUS 70 - or SD1000 in the US, is a nice camera. But, it doesn't have image stabilization. I do think Canon has better image quality than Casio, Panasonic, or Pentax. If you like the look of the IXUS 70, take a look at one of the Canon pocket cameras with image stabilization. I'm finishing up a review of the IXUS 960 IS (PowerShot SD950 IS) right now. I love it. I actually bought it because I did a review for the PowerShot SD850 IS (IXUS 950 IS) in the summer and I really, really liked it. The IXUS 960 IS is 12-megapixels instead of 8, and it has a titanium body. If you don't care about having an optical viewfinder, take a look at the IXUS 860 IS. It was a wider lens, and trades the optical viewfinder for a larger LCD. I can't live without the optical viewfinder, though. I wish I had the wider lens. But the optical viewfinder is more important for me.

So there's a bit about the Canon IXUS cameras for you. They are wonderful and have great image quality. But they won't give you the kind of zoom range the cameras I mentioned previously will. For me, image quality is the top priority. I did like the little casio a lot, and it also offers more manual control than the Canon IXUS cameras. But the IXUS cameras definitely have better image quality. I didn't get to use the Panasonic much. Someone else did the review for me. But I did think it was pretty nice. It would be a good compromise between your old Kodak and the pocket-sized Canon IXUS cameras, I think.

[scottylad]

thanks alot!

ok, image quality is the main selling point for me as well so I will go for a Canon..

This is gonna sound a bit dumb but what is the advantage of an optical viewfinder? Cant you just look at the lcd

Im not sure out of the 860 or 960 which to get..they are both close in price (both over budget but I dont mind paying extra if the quality is better). I like the look of the 860 more in the pics and because its "only" 8mp its probs gonna be faster at taking pics. I dunno though..

[Photo-John]

thanks alot!

ok, image quality is the main selling point for me as well so I will go for a Canon..

This is gonna sound a bit dumb but what is the advantage of an optical viewfinder? Cant you just look at the lcd

Im not sure out of the 860 or 960 which to get..they are both close in price (both over budget but I dont mind paying extra if the quality is better). I like the look of the 860 more in the pics and because its "only" 8mp its probs gonna be faster at taking pics. I dunno though..

I would prefer the wide angle lens. But I need the optical viewfinder for panning action photos. I do a lot of mountain bike photos and I've found it's almost impossible to pan accurately with an LCD. It's super easy with an optical viewfinder, though. For me, that's a critical feature. I wish Canon made an SD camera with a wide-angle lens and optical viewfinder

[scottylad]

Still havent actually bought this yet but will do in the next few days!

One concern though, someone posted this..

I bought this camera in Nov 2007, along with the Canon DCC-70 Leather case (sold by Canon specifically for this camera).

I find the picture quality is very good; the colors are vivid, the large screen is wonderful, the wide-angle on the lens is very useful (that's why I chose this camera).

BUT:

The power button on the camera is not recessed, so is very easy to press by accident, whether it is in your pocket or even when it is in its case (the sides of the leather case are soft, so the power button can even be pressed while in its case.
Pressing the power button deploys the lens - but if the camera is still in your pocket (or in its case), this is impossible, so the lens assembly grinds to a halt. I think the lens assembly may be particularly fragile due to the Optical Image Stabilisation - in any case, the result is that the lens assembly breaks.
Unfortunately this kept happening to us (despite taking reasonable precautions) and the lens assembly broke within ~5 weeks of purchase. The lens assembly was repaired by Canon under warranty, but the new one broke again within two weeks!

In conclusion, the 860is is a fine camera for those who treat it with kid gloves - but I've found it isn't robust enough to be carried around in a pocket.

Try to find a Canon 850is instead - this has the same lens, has an optical viewfinder, and doesn't have the power button problem!

I will still get it though, hopefully mine wont have that problem!