Could you some advice from the boards...

[thejollyfinn]

I (like others here) am looking at upgrading from my old Kodak 5 MG P&S to something with a little more versatility.

I've gotten some favourable advice from a camera shop owner (mom & pop store - not from one of the box mall sales rep.). They recommended going with the Sony Cyber-Shot DSCH7B. Its a fair price - within my budget and they stated it was really good for night photography. (Something my P&S is totally lousy with!!!)

Has anyone here used this model? And if so, is it worth the money or are there better models from the other camera companies.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[ukcatfan]

I (like others here) am looking at upgrading from my old Kodak 5 MG P&S to something with a little more versatility.

I've gotten some favourable advice from a camera shop owner (mom & pop store - not from one of the box mall sales rep.). They recommended going with the Sony Cyber-Shot DSCH7B. Its a fair price - within my budget and they stated it was really good for night photography. (Something my P&S is totally lousy with!!!)

Has anyone here used this model? And if so, is it worth the money or are there better models from the other camera companies.

Thanks a bunch!

Unfortunately, that model has the same small 1/2.5" image sensor that almost all p&s cameras have, so it will not be really good for night photography. You are much better off doing a little research on your own instead of relying on information from someone trying to make a sale. Try http://www.dcresource.com/, http://www.steves-digicams.com, and http://www.dpreview.com. The only way to get real night performance is to get a DSLR, but if a p&s is a must, look for a larger sensor like 1/1.6" - 1/1.8".

Kevin

 

[Master Mason]

From DP review

All 'super zoom' cameras struggle with noise since they have particularly small sensors (they have to be small or the lenses would be the size of a trash can) - this is one of the key compromises we have to accept if we want a lightweight camera with a lens this big. Sony's approach to noise reduction seems to be that you can't have enough of it, and once you get to ISO 200 or over the combined effects of noise and heavy NR are enough to cause a serious loss of fine detail. It's not significantly worse than most of its competitors (though the NR - and therefore detail loss - is amongst the heaviest); this is what you get when you stuff eight million pixels into a 1/2.5-inch CCD sensor.

I don't have the camera, and haven't used one, but based on the review above, I don't know what kind of photos you will get at night, when you need the higher ISO

 

[Anewman]

While I am sure the H7 has better nighttime shooting capabilities if compared to your Kodak. It does have a reasonably fast lens(aperture) and image stabilization which both help with lower light shooting, but that might not be enough for all night time shooting.

But really its' strength is being an ULTRA ZOOM(wow 15x) not low light shooting.

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

After you have done a little research on your own you'll undoubtedly come up with a list of features you think are important (such as low light capabilities or high zoom or fast shutter speed, etc.) Once you have prioritized what is important to you, try and pick 2-3 cameras that are rated high in those areas. When you have that, then go out and find either a store or preferably a friend who has one of these and shoot some pictures in conditions that you normally would (birthday party, fireworks, sports, whatever). Try to figure out which camera feels the best and gives you the results you want. I'm a firm believer that the camera that you feel most comfortable with is the one that will give you the best results regardless of how well its feature set is rated. I could have the best low light camera in the world of if I can't easily find the controls when I need to make a shot I'll never be happy with the camera. Features combined with your personal shooting style will define which camera is right for you.

Jeff

 

[figment52]

After you have done a little research on your own you'll undoubtedly come up with a list of features you think are important (such as low light capabilities or high zoom or fast shutter speed, etc.) Once you have prioritized what is important to you, try and pick 2-3 cameras that are rated high in those areas. When you have that, then go out and find either a store or preferably a friend who has one of these and shoot some pictures in conditions that you normally would (birthday party, fireworks, sports, whatever). Try to figure out which camera feels the best and gives you the results you want. I'm a firm believer that the camera that you feel most comfortable with is the one that will give you the best results regardless of how well its feature set is rated. I could have the best low light camera in the world of if I can't easily find the controls when I need to make a shot I'll never be happy with the camera. Features combined with your personal shooting style will define which camera is right for you.

Jeff

Thank you. I think that is the most honest statement/evaluation I have ever seen regarding camera selection and just what I needed to be reminded of.

I too am considering a camera upgrade and all this technical information has my head spinning. I appreciate your comment as that speaks to me more than most of the technical stuff right now (in a few years I will understand the rest of the "babble" but right now I just don't comprehend it all).

 

[thejollyfinn]

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to pursue this with a lot more under my belt.
Once again, the boards helps me in a big way!

Cheers!