Guide me, is this only a certain brand feature?
Generally, most cameras nowadays have various picture setting modes, and many cameras can allow manual adjustments to fine tune the output within each of those picture setting modes. Some have actual film simulation modes (ie: Velvia, Kodak Gold, etc), others may just have 'landscape', 'vivid', and such. But within each of those modes, there is often an options button that allows you to further tune the contrast, saturation, and sharpness within that mode to fine-tune the camera's output just the way you like it.
I'm sorry for my ignorance, are you referring to what photo_chick was noting?
If I'm explaining something you already know, please excuse - but it seemed possible that you might not know the distinction between LCD and EVF. I understand that you don't want to shoot using the LCD panels on the backs of cameras, and prefer to place a viewfinder up to your eye to shoot. But there are two types of viewfinder - optical (OVF) and electronic (EVF). Not having an OVF may not matter as much to you as long as the camera has an EVF - this still allows you to put the camera up to your eye, looking through a finder, to frame and compose your shot. It's not an optical image, looking through the lens' glass directly, but it's an electronic image of what the sensor is seeing through the glass, allows short eye focus which can help with people that have vision issues or macular degeneration, and still helps shield out light and other interference when shooting. Since many higher-end P&S cameras like the ones you mentioned (Sony RX10, Panasonic FZ1000) and mirrorless cameras have EVFs, they may fit the bill.
(this has a higher crop factor, so works like an 18-180mm zoom)
I feel vulnerable to say this but I'm not sure I fully understand this point. Could you try again? Thanks.
Crop factors are referenced usually more with interchangeable lens cameras, but technically apply to ALL cameras. The basic summary is that 35mm film is the reference point referred to as 'full frame'. Some DSLR cameras come with 'full frame' sensors - and all lens nomenclature is based on this frame size, so that a '35mm' lens stuck on one of these cameras results in a '35mm' view...ie: no crop. As sensors get smaller, the smaller sensor is using a smaller image circle - if that very same 35mm lens was attached to a camera with a smaller sensor, the image would appear to be similar to a 'cropped' photo from that full frame camera - you'd take that full size photograph, and cut out the central portion, and that would match the total frame size that the smaller sensor camera captures. The most common sensor size in interchangeable lens cameras is known as 'APS-C'. When you hear reference to a crop factor for APS-C sensors, it's usually 1.5x (Canon's sensors are slighly smaller than the rest of the industry so their crop factor is actually 1.6x for APS-C). You multiply any lens' focal range by 1.5x, and that's the equivalent view and framing you're going to get when using the APS-C sensor camera. A 35mm lens on APS-C will yield a 'crop factor' equivalent to a 52.5mm lens on a full frame camera. As the sensor gets smaller, the crop factor gets bigger - hence Micro 4:3 cameras from Olympus and Panasonic which have a smaller sensor than APS-C have a 'crop factor' of 2x, and the the Nikon 1 and Sony RX cameras which use a 1" sensor have a 'crop factor' of 2.7x. Though you don't see it mentioned as much with P&S cameras - they too have a 'crop factor'. Take a typical point-and-shoot camera with a bigger zoom lens - they may claim to have the equivalent zoom of, say, 27mm to 420mm (12x). But the sensor on these cameras are quite tiny, usually 1/2.5" (12x smaller than the APS-C cameras) - your Kodak likely has a sensor like this. If you look at the front of the lens, you'll see a small sounding focal range like 4.5-42. That's the actual focal range of that lens with no crop factor applied - that tiny sensor will have a crop factor of 6x - multiply 4.5x6 and voila! 27mm. Multiply 42x6 and voila! 420mm.
Thanks for this. A comparable Panasonic came up as well when googling this suggestion. FZ1000. Thoughts?
The FZ1000 and Sony RX10 cameras are large bodied P&S cameras with larger 1" sensors...they will have higher overall quality and better ability in low light situations than your tiny-sensor compacts like your Kodak, but generally not quite as capable as the even-larger sensored interchangeable lens cameras like mirrorless M4:3 or APS-C cameras...like anything, a compromise. These bodies are quite large - comparable in size to an APS-C DSLR camera plus kit lens - so be aware they will often dwarf your old Kodak in size and weight - but also be quite a bit more capable. The FZ1000 has more lens reach than the RX10 - both use essentially the same sensor. The Sony body has better build, and is weatherproof, the Panasonic has more optical zoom reach.
Could someone please help me understand these specifications. I obviously understand the Optical 16x, but how do the other features work?
Optical: 16x
Extra Optical Zoom (EZ): 22.4x
Extra Optical Zoom (EZ): 32x
Intelligent Zoom: 32x
Digital: 4x
Generally, the best advice most would agree with is: ignore all but the optical zoom. That's the only true zoom that is getting you closer to the subject with no compromise to the sensor's original pixel output and resolution. Typically, 'smart zoom' 'intelligent zoom' and 'extra optical zoom' is a mode which lowers the camera's resolution setting to amplify the 'crop factor' - if the camera is normally a 20MP sensor, then using extra optical zoom to reach out to 22x will lower resolution to, say, 10MP. It's not really any different than if you were to take the photo with the normal optical zoom, and just crop the photo a little tighter on your computer. Digital zoom is generally worse, because it's destructive - it's not only 'cropping in' tighter, but then digitally enhancing and trying to up-res the results back to fit the full 20mp output - in doing so, it's filling in information that isn't there - and rarely results in positive results unless needed in a real pinch. Remember too what that '16x' number means. Some people get confused by thinking that the bigger the 'x' number, the more reach the camera has...this is not always the case. The key figure to know is, what is the equivalent focal reach of the camera at the widest setting? That's what the 16x is being multiplied with! So if a camera has a 24mm wide end focal reach and a 16x zoom, you multiply those numbers and the maximum reach is 384mm. Now take another camera that ONLY has 12x zoom. Less reach, right? But wait...that camera's wide end focal reach is 36mm...so when you multiply 36 x 12, you get 432mm! There's an example where 12x has more reach than 16x. Always remember to find out the widest 'mm' equivalent, so you know what that 'X' zoom figure is being multiplied by.
Hope all that wasn't far too confusing!
