Must decide this weekend: Fuji S5200 vs Olympus SP510 UZ

[squirrelza]

Hello everyone,

Well I've finally narrowed my decision down to 2 cameras, the Fuji FinePix S5200 Zoom or the Olympus SP-510 UZ. I have to decide by this weekend. Just to recap I will mainly be using this at indoor shows with low light and will not printing out any of them. What are your thoughts?

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[Photo-John]

It's a tough call. I would lean towards the Olympus because it has almost 40% more resolution. That's enough to count - if the image quality comes with it. Generally, Fujifilm's digital cameras are among the best for image quality. But I was never a fan of the 5-megapixel cameras. Neither one has image stabilization, which I would want for a compact camera with a 10x zoom lens. What is the reason you're looking at these two cameras? Is it the xD memory? I would encourage you to look at the Kodak, Canon, and Panasonic super-zoom digital cameras. They use image stabilized lenses which will deliver more useable photos. That's better than the best image quality in most cases. Because who cares about the best image quality of all of your photos are blurred from camera shake?

To make a commitment to one of the two you've listed here, I'd go with the Olympus. The Fuji is already a couple of years old, and like I said, I don't really like the 5-megapixel sensors. I was honestly pretty disappointed with the image quality from all of them. I've used a couple of Olympus compacts with 7-megapixel sensors and they were pretty good as long as you could keep the ISO setting low.

But I'd still encourage you to look at Kodak, Panasonic, and Canon. I think you'd be happier with those cameras in the long run.

[squirrelza]

I've picked those cameras because i'm limited to what I am able to get. I have found that I can also get the Kodak Z612

[Photo-John]

I've picked those cameras because i'm limited to what I am able to get. I have found that I can also get the Kodak Z612

We've got review pages for all those camera on this very site! I'm sorry, but it drives me crazy when people post links to pages on other sites when the same content is available here.

Thanks for putting up with my little rant

Ok, I'd definitely get the Kodak. It has a 12x optical zoom lens with image stabilization. Like I said before, image stabilization will deliver more useable photos and that's more valuable than the best image quality in the world. And I am actually a fan of the Kodak digital camera color. I think the exposure and image quality are great with Kodak digitals - right out of the camera. And the difference in resolution between the Kodak and the Olympus are negligible. The Kodak also uses the more universal SD memory card format. So if you decide to change cameras in a year or two, the memory you own will be more likely to work in your next camera. Kodak!

If you want to read a little more about the Kodak super zooms, we have a review for the Kodak EasyShare Z712. It's basically the same camera with a 7-megapixel sensor.

I hope that helps. I really think we've narrowed it down to the best choice. It took a while but I'm very confident that the Kodak is the best camera of the ones you've mentioned.

[squirrelza]

Wow I'm getting mixed opinions on all the different boards! To get an idea of the photography I am interested in, check here

[Photo-John]

Live music music in dark concert halls is one of the hardest subjects to shoot - especially if you can't use a flash. Pro music photographers use very, very SLRs and expensive lenses because of the low light. And if they can, I expect most of them use image stabilized lenses. I've shot a fair amount of live music, although not for a while. Last time I did, the photographers weren't allowed to use any flash. So that brings us back to the image stabilization. Unless you can use flash all the time, I think the Kodak or another camera with image stabilization will be critical to the success of your photos.

What are the other recommendations you're getting and why? If people are recommending other cameras because of higher ISO, I think that's a mistake. ISO will give you better exposures, but with more noise. Image stabilization will give you exposure latitude by allowing you to use slower shutter speeds and lower ISO settings, and that equals better image quality.

[squirrelza]

Here is what other people are saying:

Person 1: Dad has a similar Kodak and says it doesn't cope with indoor and low light. Thinks the Fuji is the best deal

Person 2: Doesn't really like the Kodak, doesn't think it lives up to other brands. Recommends the Fuji

Person 3: Z612 has OIS, but thinks ISO 400 is not good enough for indoors and low light. Fuji will have lower noise at ISO 1600 then the Olympus.

[zokiii]

I would choose Olympus SP-510 UZ

[Photo-John]

Here is what other people are saying:

Person 1: Dad has a similar Kodak and says it doesn't cope with indoor and low light. Thinks the Fuji is the best deal

What is this person's level of experience? This doesn't address the image stabilization issue, which I think is the most important issue. Indoor and low light are best handled by good technique, anyway. The camera can help. But only in auto modes does it really "handle" the problem. The truth is, all cameras have trouble in low light. Taking some manual control is the best solution.

Person 2: Doesn't really like the Kodak, doesn't think it lives up to other brands. Recommends the Fuji

A non-answer. Why doesn't he like it? In what way does it not live up to other brands? Does the Fuji have image stabilization? Does it live up to Kodak in this case?

Person 3: Z612 has OIS, but thinks ISO 400 is not good enough for indoors and low light. Fuji will have lower noise at ISO 1600 then the Olympus.

If I remember correctly, the Z612 has an ISO 800 setting. But I wouldn't use it. I haven't yet seen a compact camera that isn't super chunky with noise at it's maximum sensitivity setting. ISO 400 + image stabilization equals lower noise and sharper photos than ISO 800 and no image stabilization. As for the Fuji Olympus comparison, it's a non-issue. If you compare noise levels at 100%, it may be true that the Fuji has less. But the Olympus has about 40% more pixels. The increased resolution effectively minimizes the noise at real image sizes - it makes each bit of noise smaller. Furthermore, using either camera at ISO 1600 is a bad idea. Again - the highest ISO setting of any of these cameras is going to be pretty nasty-looking. I would recommend keeping it down around ISO 400, if possible. Another benefit of image stabilization is that it will allow you to shoot at lower ISO settings because you can use slower shutter speeds. This will give you better image quality.

You can get whatever camera you want. But I have a lot of cameras go through my hands and lately I've found that I am unhappy when I have a compact camera that doesn't have image stabilization. I think it should be a standard feature. And for super zooms, where telephoto lenses magnify camera shake, I consider it mandatory. I can't recommend any super zoom camera that doesn't have image stabilization. It's just a bad idea.