My SD950 died - need replacement advise

[pragmatist]

My Canon SD950is which i loved has suddenly stopped working. Quite upsetting for a $400 camera after 2 years.
Does anyone know of a good replacement? The picture quality of the SD950 was widely rated well for picture quality for its time. Now - im not seeing good ratings for small point and shoot cameras.

I want to spend less than $250 simply because these cameras die too soon to justify spending more.This way in 2 yrs i wont be as upset getting something new.

One model that gets good ratings is Canon Elph 300 HS. Its $250 but i wonder how good the picture will be. One website that compares sample photos (imaging-resource) showed the Elph 300 quite poorly compared to just about any other i selected. Pics were washed out looking. But all the good reviews never mentioned this.

Any ideas?

[Anbesol]

Well, image quality does carry a price tag, and not only in currency, but in size.

The SD950 was a sort of contradiction to that "size" aspect, cramming a rather large sensor in the camera for its size. As such, it was an excellent quality camera, but it cost a lot. The Elph 300 is the typical sensor size (1/2.3") instead of the larger sensor of the SD950. The Elph 300 however has one major sensor advantage, CMOS, vs the 950's CCD.

I just cross referenced some full resolution images from both the SD950 and 300 at imaging-resource.com, and saw results typical of this feature set difference. At ISO 100, the two cameras produced nearly identical results, the SD950 having a slight edge. At ISO 800 the image grain increased dramatically on the 950, while producing much cleaner grain on the 300. The Elph 300 has a muuuch greater sensitivity range, providing much cleaner results on fast ISOs.

You may also want to consider a Sony Tx5. Its "shock proof, water proof, freeze proof". The TX5 has better IQ than the elph 300 at ISO 100 to 400. At ISO 800 and above, the canon's cleaner grain puts it ahead Still, the difference in IQ between the TX5 and the Canon Elph 300 is very little, both detail and grain.

I'm looking at the image samples, the still life ISO series on imaging resource and the Elph 300 looks pretty good. I think the "washed out" tones you are talking about is the noise reduction in the image, and is scalable thus to the ISO. Yeah, it does suck, but your other option is to get an Olympus Pen, or Sony NEX, or a Canon G12 if you want better image quality then that. With your budget, the image quality of the elph 300 is very good!

[pragmatist]

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply.

I wonder if you can explain a little about the ISO settings you refer to in your post. With the SD950 i always had the camera on AUTO which i believe used ISO 200-400. Wether i shot people posing indoors/outdoors, or just a some landscape in the park the pics were always nice. The only time i had to play with manual settings was indoors with flourescant lighting from more than 6 feet away (pics would be dark on AUTO - especially with zoom).

If i understood you correctly - the 300 does better at high ISO's and worse at lower ISOs. I just dont know when you use the higher..or lower ISOs.

Will another $50 ($300) give me appreciably better IQ for basic photos?

I LOVED the Canon S95 IQ on image resources ..but its alot of moolah, and only 3.8x zoom.

Thanks!

[Anbesol]

If i understood you correctly - the 300 does better at high ISO's and worse at lower ISOs. I just dont know when you use the higher..or lower ISOs.

That is correct, but the difference at lower ISO is very little, the difference at higher ISO is much more significant. The ISO is the sensors sensitivity to light, it is the same thing as what was "film speed" back in the day. It will make a particular difference when shooting in dimmer settings like indoor.

images get dark as you zoom in because the maximum aperture is reduced and lets in a less light. In this situation, an increased ISO can do you well. That is where the better image grain of the 300 comes in to play. The Auto ISO algorithm on the 300 I suspect (though can't find confirmation yet) can be extended to 1600.

Yes for an extra $50 you could get the Sony HX7V, which produces significantly better IQ than anything mentioned so far, due to its superb CMOS image sensor, and its equally superb lens. It is very sharp AND very clean grain. It isn't a pocket-cam quite like an elph though, it is a bit bulkier.

The S95's lens starts out at an aperture of f/2, which is dang fast and will help produce exposures in low light. Because it has such a wide aperture, it is a shorter zoom length. It also has more manual controls and features, including RAW image capture, which is a pretty big deal for a point and shoot to do that. Those are the reasons why its so expensive.

[pragmatist]

Thanks again.

So now im stuck between the Elph 300 and the Sony HX7V... (cheapest ive seen them is $272 at Provantage for the Sony and $229 at Unique photo for Canon, shipping included).

You have given great reasons to chose the Sony + 1 you havent mentioned..the 10x zoom. The canon has rave reviews all over cyberspace. Ex. on Amazon the Canon recieved 60 reviews at 4.5 out of 5 stars. The sony only has 9 reviews, and is not reviewed by many other sites. Sony is heavier/bigger, and a little more money.

I had an easier time reading the bottle labels on the Still-Life photos at imagine-resources with the Sony than the Canon.

uuggh im a horible decision maker...im the guy who always holds up the buffet line weighing the options.

[Anbesol]

Haha, you and me both! But, we rarely experience buyers remorse. We have that buying impulse in check!

Yeah, no doubt the Sony has better image quality all around and is much more versatile with its longer zoom range. But, the Canon can fit comfortably in a shirt pocket, and you save ~$50. Those are the two distinct differences that it ultimately boils down to, as any other difference is negligible, really.

[pragmatist]

I am actually having trouble finding a Sony hx7v to touch and hold in the stores around NYC. I see the Canon and have played with it when possible in the store.
Staples has a Olympus VR-320 for ~ $170. which has nice zoom..but i could find NO reviews of anykind on-line. Assuming you get what you pay for, the IQ cant be that good...or could it

They also has some DLSRs with 20-40+zooms which are SO MUCH FUN to play with in the store...but i just know i wouldnt ever have it with me when i wanted to take a picture due to the large size.

[pragmatist]

I bit the bullet and purchased a Sony HX7V from J&R yesterday.

It does have many nice features. The zoom is very nice as is the panorama and video quality. The pics are sharp and clear.

But one thing occured which is a deal breaker for me.

I am finding that the REDS are appearing on both the camera screen and computer monitors as a very neon - flouresant red...almost a hot pink! Maroon looks apple red, orange looks like burnt red..etc..

ive tried various settings and its always the same. with incidental red in a pic its not traumatic. But if a person is wearing a red shirt...the outcome is SO RED its horrible.

I really hate to return a camera it took months to decide on...but i dont think i can live with this IQ.

Here are some samples i took to show what i am talking about:


ok...evidently i have only 4 posts so i cannot post my pics

i can email this to anyone who is interested,