Canon PowerShot S410 or...

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gene cleangene clean
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Well, I want to get a new digital camera for point-and-shoot pictures, but I'm still not sure which one to get.



My brother has a Canon PowerShot S410 (a.k.a Digital IXUS S410) and it's a great camera, as far as I can tell from the pictures he sends me. But somehow, I'm not so sure I want the same one.



I was checking out the PowerShot SD110, and although it seems quite good, I just don't know if it's 'nice'. At $159 it seems a good deal, but I don't want to get a camera that may be obsolete in a couple of months.



So, my question(s) to you guys:



~ Would it be feasible to get the SD110 for normal, everyday point-and-shoot pictures? Nothing fancy, just the casual picture.



~ What's the real difference between a 2X Optical Zoom and 3X Optical Zoom?



~ Is it worth it to pay $100 more for the S410 or should I choose the SD110 seeing as their only difference is the optical zoom? (and some other stuff I don't really care about).





Thanks for your responses.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    groveratgroverat Posts: 10,872member
    I wouldn't say it matters a whole lot. Personally I wouldn't spend $100 on +1x optical zoom.
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  • Reply 2 of 11
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Here's a good site with way more information that you'd ever need.



    http://www.dpreview.com/



    But they don't have in depth reviews of either of these two cameras.
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  • Reply 3 of 11
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by groverat

    I wouldn't say it matters a whole lot. Personally I wouldn't spend $100 on +1x optical zoom.



    I wouldn't either, it's just that I mainly used non-digital cameras, and don't really understand this '2X optical zoom and 5 MegaPixel' hype. Thanks for your contribution groverat.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by Scott

    Here's a good site with way more information that you'd ever need.



    http://www.dpreview.com/



    But they don't have in depth reviews of either of these two cameras.



    Thanks Scott! That site is very helpful.
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  • Reply 4 of 11
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    In general more pixels are better. Especially if you're going to crop and zoom after you've taken the picture.



    There's an interplay between the quality of the lens and the number of pixels. A crappy lens wont be able to focus well enough to make a difference with a lot of pixels. You'll just end up with a blurry image on a high resolution sensor.
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  • Reply 5 of 11
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gene Clean

    I wouldn't either, it's just that I mainly used non-digital cameras, and don't really understand this '2X optical zoom and 5 MegaPixel' hype. Thanks for your contribution groverat.







    Thanks Scott! That site is very helpful.



    Yes this site is helpfull, especially Phil Askey's reviews.



    Beware of the forums, some post are good and very helpful, but some others are worthless.

    There is especially a large amount of pixel peepers, who love to find failures in lenses or cameras, and who practice tests only showing that they are simply bad photographers, whining about their equipment rather than their skills.



    Now my own advice concerning cameras : 5 mpixel is more than enough. It will allow you to make nice A4 and even A3 prints. The zoom is important. A bad lens will always give you a bad pic. Take a 3 or 4 times zoom. Remember that for landscape 35 mm equivalent is the minimum.
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  • Reply 6 of 11
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Then I'm leaning towards the S410 since I will be cropping and zooming a lot. I'm going to Europe soon and I plan to visit a lot of places and take a lot of pictures. I guess a better camera [judging from its specs] wouldn't hurt. It's $100 dollars more, but, what the hell. It'll last longer, I guess.



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  • Reply 7 of 11
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gene Clean

    Then I'm leaning towards the S410 since I will be cropping and zooming a lot. I'm going to Europe soon and I plan to visit a lot of places and take a lot of pictures. I guess a better camera [judging from its specs] wouldn't hurt. It's $100 dollars more, but, what the hell. It'll last longer, I guess.







    4 megapixels is generally regarded as the "sweet spot" for most casual photography. You can take advantage of wide format printers without starting to see the pixel structure (up to about 18"X 12").
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  • Reply 8 of 11
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Powerdoc

    [B]Yes this site is helpfull, especially Phil Askey's reviews.



    Beware of the forums, some post are good and very helpful, but some others are worthless.

    There is especially a large amount of pixel peepers, who love to find failures in lenses or cameras, and who practice tests only showing that they are simply bad photographers, whining about their equipment rather than their skills.



    I haven't read the forums much and I don't even plan to now.





    Quote:

    Now my own advice concerning cameras : 5 mpixel is more than enough. It will allow you to make nice A4 and even A3 prints. The zoom is important. A bad lens will always give you a bad pic. Take a 3 or 4 times zoom. Remember that for landscape 35 mm equivalent is the minimum.





    Even more support for the S410. Thanks Powerdoc.





    Quote:

    Originally posted by addabox

    4 megapixels is generally regarded as the "sweet spot" for most casual photography. You can take advantage of wide format printers without starting to see the pixel structure (up to about 18"X 12").



    Hmm, interesting stuff. I'm so behing in digital cameras that these things seem like revelations to me.



    much appreciated.
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  • Reply 9 of 11
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Well, I just ordered the Canon PowerShot S410. Hopefully, I will enjoy it.



    Thanks for your help guys.
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  • Reply 10 of 11
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Gene Clean

    Well, I just ordered the Canon PowerShot S410. Hopefully, I will enjoy it.



    Thanks for your help guys.



    That's great, if you have some problems, your brother will be able to give you some good advices. It's seems that you have your own private genius bar
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  • Reply 11 of 11
    gene cleangene clean Posts: 3,481member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Powerdoc

    That's great, if you have some problems, your brother will be able to give you some good advices. It's seems that you have your own private genius bar





    except that he lives in Europe and can only e-mail me his answers or maybe on the phone.



    But I'm gonna bug him alright :P
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