Nikon 8700 or 5700

[UnFocuzed]

On a recent trip to Canada to ride my bike my camera (N80) was stolen. I am picking up a film point and shoot to have and mess with but want a new main camera and i am picking between these two as i am a nikon fan and they have a rebate going on. I am wondering if i should just save some money and pickup a 5700 or go all out and get an 8700. I know the 8700 has more noise then it should past iso 100 how does this compare to the 5700? I plan to shoot pretty much most things but also a main focus in biking photography.

Any opinions or suggestions?

[Photo-John]

The general response to the 8700 has been pretty poor. The 5700, on the other hand, has been very well received. A lot of serious camera testers are also skeptical of the current batch of compact 8 megapixel cameras. I believe the general concensus is that the image quality isn't that much better from 5 megapixel cameras. Sure, there are more pixels. But they're crammed into the same area so they're much smaller - small enough that they're running into new image quality issues. I think that if the choice is between those two cameras, the 5700 is the right decision.

[UnFocuzed]

Hey John thanks for the post back. I have moved away from the 8700 and pretty much the Minolta A2 is the top of the list. I like the adjustments on the lens and the overall feel of the camera. Do you think it is worth it or should i save money get a 5700 and more accessories for it? Overall which one is faster and easier to use? I love manual adjustments since i learned photo only a few years ago on an all manual SLR so it's a big thing that i like.

Thanks!

[Photo-John]

I thought you were committed to buying Nikon or I might have mentioned the A2. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to use the A2, yet. But from what I've heard, it's the winner in the new 8 megapixel category. I did play with it a little at PMA and there is little, if any, noticeable shutter-lag. I don't think the Coolpix 5700 is known for it's speed. And the Konica Minolta Anti-Shake really works. I think it's going to help them sell a lot of cameras. There have been a fair number of people reporting reliability issues with the A2. I'd say that it's still a good choice, just be aware that you might have to actually use your warranty.

[UnFocuzed]

Thanks John i researched more on the 5700 and the A2 is what i am going with. Will post back with some pics when i do get it eventually later this month.

[darkman]

Why not an A1? I'm kind of in the same dilema. I'll be in switzerland in a few weeks and after searching, and researching, and...., I think I decided on either the A1 or A2. I want something that has this kind of range and is light weight. Albeit I'm a little leary of minolta. I've had several friend with problems with minolta quality on various different cameras.

Anyway, the nikon and canon, are too slow and have poor low light AF. The sonys are tempting except it's a little on the large(r) and heavy side. Which leaves the minolta's. Though until I put my money down the sony 818 is still in the running. The 717 doesn't take cf cards.

Now I'm trying to decide if it's better to get the 8 vs 5Mp. Being realistic, my old canon G2 made very nice prints through the sizes I usually print. Conversely, more than likely a lot of the noise seen at 100% with the 8Mp models won't be aparent to the eye on even large prints.

I'm having problems making a decision!

Mike