Olympus C5050, Fuji F602 ???

I dunno what's come over me as of late, musta gotten tired of staring at money in the bank (don't feel like investing ATM, though the market should be set for some good deals over in next 12-18 months) First the PB, and now this, I want a digital camera.

Compact, but not tiny, high res, fast lense.

The 5050 seems to fit, except that I've read it's auto focus is a little wonky. The 3X zoom is nice, though 4-6X would have been just that much better. According to dpreview, Olympus has actually managed to match the resolution of Sony's DSC F717 even though they're using a smaller sensor. The other problem looks to be excessive chromatic aberration.

Then there's the Fuji, with 6X zoom, and some very nice features, which outputs a larger 6MP file, but most reviews put its resolution at about the equivalent of 4MP competition.

I can get both for the same price.

Opinions? Experiences? I've been slowly learning with my father's selection of film based Nikons. It's a cool hobbie and he enjoys it, though he doesn't do ANYTHING digital. Black and white darkroom at the community center that his club uses, or send out for color processing.

I'm convinced I could learn -- through sheer volume of pictures -- a lot more by just going digital and taking lots of snaps to see what works and what doesn't. I think it'd be cheaper in the end, And I'd like to keep the camera untill the day when I'm ready for an affordable 4/3rds system. The world's heading digital anyway, I think. As such, to practice how to do this right, a camera with a good set of user controls is a must.

I've had these two recommended, whaddaya'll think?

Good, bad, experiences?

[ 01-18-2003: Message edited by: Matsu ]</p>

hmmm...

Askey seems to marvel that the 5MP res is actually quite good, though chromatic aberration and noise are not good at all. ermm.

Prices? I'm not sure what a G3 will cost me up here compared to the Fuji or Olympus.

Yeah, there really shouldn't be that much noise at ISO 100 or lower. Could be the algorythms, his wording gives me the impression that the optics are up to the task (and Olympus is usually pretty good here according to other reviews) but that the noise cancelling isn't very sophisticated. Pretty impressive things can be accomplished in the electronics as Sony have shown with their ever improving cameras.

You're probably right though: a combination of optics and sensor size that will need more sophisticated in camera processing before it completely matches larger (2/3) cameras. I would never buy a camera counting on it, but does Olympus periodically ship firmware updates?

Even though Eugene will barge in here to tell you different, Foveon's solution isn't all roses, it has problems too, and you can read about them for yourself all over DP discussion forums. What does Foveon Deliver? It seems that it delivers about the same resolution as a bayer pattern of twice its pixel count. 3.5MP foveon seems to resolve about as much detail as a 6.1MP bayer and sometimes a touch more. That's pretty (very) impressive, but it may be easier for the mosiac filter guys to crank out full frame sensors, something to do with image circles and the angle of incedence at the edges, and there are also color issues, and ISO speed to think about. I don't think Foveon will move beyond specialty product. Some photogs will use it to great effect, but it isn't the be all end all of photography.

Same thing with 4/3 (in that it may not go to it's intended target market). The idea of 4/3 was brilliant untill Canon and Nikon showed some very impressive full frame 35mm sensors. Pros have lenses for this size/focal length up the wazoo, and the good camera makers have a ton of experience making them perform very well. Is a digital photgrapher (or 35mm film based photographer) with thousands of dollars worth of lenses and accessories and a lot of familiarity with their strengths and weaknesses going to jump over to 4/3 when he can pick up a full frame sensor that likely will deliver a higher output resolution and works with all his stuff? Nah, it seems that 4/3, if it's going to have a future will move into a sub-compact class of camera for consumers (and pros), while full frame 35mm usurps some of the territory of medium format cameras and carries it's momentum forward to remain the standard format of demanding in the field photography. 4/3 should get a following among pros too, as some of the better systems ought to perform well and recycle some 35mm lenses. The point is that things don't always hit their target markets in the way a manufacturer/consortium may intend.

I wouldn't look for either Foveon or 4/3 in a high-end consumer/prosumer camera for at least another 2 years. I want a camera with good manual controls that will let me learn as much as I can between now and then, and preferably one that won't break the bank.

Olympus and Fuji and Canon are all decent options. Foveon -- just like 4/3 -- isn't, and it won't be for some time.