calling all camera boffs.....

Basil1234

i think i'm just gonna give up here keep looking around seeing cameras i like here and there read manufacturers spec all looks dandy then read some customer reviews and independent reviews and some of them say basically the specs have been stretched beyond belief or are not worth toilet paper! example this cameras low light is very poor or pics grainy. i mean how hard is it to produce a decent allrounder? obviously very
i think i just hang right off for the mo and have a look around christmas maybe. thanks for everyones input.
a good example of above is s2500hd just glad i'm checking other reviews first.

Lirin

You can't really have a good decent all-rounder- the different manufacturers specialise in differing areas.

For example, Canon's tend to produce great image quality, and have a well-built body, but batteries and Canon accessories can be pricier.

Sony are very popular, but again- accessories are hugely marked up. They rely on Carl Zeiss lenses to sell a lot of the cameras- they are in fact Sony lenses which are given the seal of approval by Zeiss, so can be marketed with the name. They are very easy to use, and there's a lot of functions packed into them.

kodak, ironically given their history, tend to produce cameras that are not up to demands- the menus are hard to use and the lenses are lacking, with soft image quality. They are cheap to buy, accessories too, though, and are a good 'starter' camera.

Nikon- brilliant lens quality, good functionality, but body strength lacking (compromise, as they're cheaper than Canon)...

Fuji- I found several Fuji's I've tried have a pink cast on the images, though they're sharp enough. Not as easy to use as Nikon with functions, but again, a lot of camera can be picked up for the money.

Olympus- Nice funky body designs, and extremely fast lens for the body class. Accessories not the cheapest, but not too bad by standards. Good price to buy.

Pentax- Nice and cheap, and while never in contending stakes for image quality, they're not too bad, featuring slightly more than basic functionality, but doing it well.

Panasonic- Good reasonably solid bodies, nice functionality, can be more hard-wearing than some other brands.

I used to repair cameras, working as apprentice to a full repairer, and have worked in selling/ testing cameras and lens demographics- Fact is, I could give you 10 positive points about any camera- but also 10 negative. Any modern compact camera is more than capable of producing an acceptable image that should be printable up to 12x16…

Optical stabilisation, optical zoom, megapixel, ‘smart’ focus, instant zoom- these are all largely marketing tools at the current time, as there is only so much that compact can actually achieve without compromising easy functionality or size at the current time.

The best advice I could give is to go into a camera shop, play around with a few until you decide which one feels best for your needs, and then look around for the best price.

Each camera is made differently, but each will have different functions/ build to suit your needs- for example I use Canon in my work, and I'm very fond of them, but my original Canon was bought solely because it had no buttons on the right side at the time, and all it's contenders did- I'm blind in one eye, so my nose kept hitting them!

The amount of times I've had people ask me for a decent all-rounder over the years, and it usually results in confusion- there is no such thing.

Basil1234

oh well bit the bullet and have to suck it and see! bought s2500hd read around peoples real reviews and the general theme seems to be good in the main. anyway got camera, 8gb card, case, batteries charger, free 3yr guarntee on top and free tripod for £189 hopefully be here in next few days.
avoid that cameraboxco.uk site as alot of reviews suggested alot of grey imports on bloke bought a nikon at whatever price went to register it on nikon site and would not let him as was grey import. got mine from a site that guarnetees uk stock only obviously something to watchout for sounds alot like pixmania's stuff.

Lirin

Now all you have to do is post up some pics! Glad you got sorted out.