Which is better of these 2 cameras?

[azza33]

I have the swivel screen on my 3rd canon
it's quite good for many things other than just self portraits.

[Snick]

As I mentioned the S95 has replaced the S90
It has 3 new features over the S90
1) HD video
2) an improved IS system
3) built in HDR

The camera was only announced a few weeks ago, google for reviews

another difference between the S95 and G11 is the maximum aperture is f2.0 on s95

[Torurot]

A monopod is more useful than a tripod in congested areas like bars and good for fending off Soi Dogs.

[Jake_Sully]

This long weekend has given me time to think and research some more. Spare wheel/ bumblebee and rxpharm (indirectly through spare wheel) made the case for zoom lens.

I originally thought I could deal with 3x optical zoom which is the max my SD1000 has and its 4x digial zoom, but it distorts terribly with digital zoom so 3.8x and 5x zoom of the SD90 and G11 was definitely not the answer to my needs.

So I started looking closer at the TZ10 (upgrade to the TZ6/7 suggested up) and that left me desiring better low light quality.

I figured out over the weekend, there is no perfect "the best" camera with everything. There is however a camera that best fits YOU, or me in this case.

Eventually I arrived at the Panasonic FZ-35. Its about to be upgraded by the FZ-40 but the more I thought about it, the more the obvious was staring me in the face.. the FZ-35 is the best selling camera in the super-zooms.. its sold better than the Canon SX20 IS, the Nikon Coolpix P100 and the Olympus (although the latter have more zoom).

While the FZ-35 only has 18x zoom, its a proven camera with beautiful image quality and I'd be rolling the dice and gambling my money on an unproven camera just to have the latest version.

I have always been a loyal fan of things and teams.. Canon has served me well over the years but even though the harder I tried to scrutinize and dismiss the Panasonic FZ-35.. the more it made me like it including my willingness to sacrifice my want of a swivel LCD screen.

Even though I'm not a video maker, I really couldn't dismiss video's anymore after I saw this video.. it made me feel like I was there and the night shots are fantastic:



I'll post some snaps in time when I receive my camera but in the mean time look at some of these videos all shot with a FZ-35 (its parallel to what BB and SW suggested but has better night capture)..  

Another beautiful night capture:



Zoom capability:



Aperture test:



Look at the night sky here:



Here are some night still images.

To be honest the FZ-35 is seriously doing something right if it has that many owners and reviews as it does.

I'd really like to thank all of you for your input. If you hadn't discussed here, I might have been stuck with a lemon and we all know what a pain in the ass it is to return something once its bought.

I'll pick it up soon and upload some humble snaps after I've learned how to use it a bit.

[manarak]

just remember you can't zoom and shoot in low light at the same time.

[Jake_Sully]

You mean image stills or video? The zoom video I just posted made me think I can.

Besides I think most of the night time captures would be non zoom since I would need the light to make it a longer exposure.

[manarak]

I mean for photography.
The more you zoom in, the less light flows into the lens.

[Road Runner]

Remember the greater the optical zoom ratio of a lens the more glass there is between the subject and the sensor  -  thus more light is diffused and distorted.
In theory a digital zoom avoids this  -  but in practice you tend to get more errors introduced during the image processing within the camera.

Most modern cameras are good in low light but with a zoom lens you will hit a brick wall at which point the image quality falls off dramatically  -  that is what Manarak is trying to get across.

Finding an all around camera that will cope with low/varied light in bars and also with outside scenic shots is almost impossible with digital cameras  -  unless you want to lug a large professional digital camera into the bars around Bangkok.

From the images I have seen posted over the years on this forum I would suggest you take note of what Snick and Rxpharm say regarding camera choices for shooting in bars.

RR.

[Jake_Sully]

Yes I considered both aspects greatly and that's why I dismissed the Canon SX20 IS and the brand new Pansonic FZ-100 which is supposed to be an upgrade to the FZ-35 and $200 more. All of the cameras with super zooms were losing image quality.. the only one that didn't was the one that had the least amount of zoom in this case the FZ-35 which is why I decided on that.

As to it being big camera, your point is valid and I didn't want a big camera but I don't think its huge, I can wear it around my neck with a strap. Or if I feel I'm going to a place I'm not sure about like say walking street at 3 in the morning, I can always use the expendable old point and shoot SD1000 Elph.

Also this was one of the few super zoom cameras that had lithium batteries. Most others have 4 AA batteries and those are heavy, not to mention usually run out faster in my experience.

If I can take images like this person has with the FZ-35 I'll be very happy:

[Snick]

All of these cameras have variable aperture depending on the zoom length
For example my canon S90 has an aperture of f2.0 at minimum zoom, and f4.9 at maximum zoom (which is roughly 8 times smaller, and lets in 1/8 the light).

Almost all zoom lenses behave this way, until you get to the $500+ point where you can buy constant aperture zoom lenses for DSLR.

The nice thing about the S90/S95 is F2.0 is a VERY wide open lens and lets in a lot of light, more that the G11 (f2.8) , Panasonic LX3 is also f2.0

The S90/S95 also has something called candlestick mode, where the resolution drops to 2.5mp from 10mp but becomes much more sensitive to light.

The only downside to the S90/S95 is the lack of a BIG zoom (normal zoom is fine), if you need 10x than the S90 is not for you.
In my case I have a DSLR for zoom, it has been in my closet for 2 months now, I use the S90 85% of the time, a cheap waterproof Fuji 10% and my DSLR 5%

[Jake_Sully]

Yes the one I got has an Aperture Range   F2.8 - 4.4 / Multistage Iris Diaphragm (F2.8 - 8 (W) / F4.4 - 8 (T)

Here are the complete specs.

I didn't ignore you Snick. I looked at the G11's night images and zoom, compared it with the S90 and then found the FZ-35 to be equal or better. The things I had to compromise on were size and non swivel LCD but I think I got the best image quality provided I can learn how to use it properly. That will take time.

[Jake_Sully]

I have another question:

Is there any advantage to either 4:3 or 3:2 shots as the DSLR puts them out or its just personal preference?

[Jake_Sully]

Only fair I post a few results of the new camera. This is just quick and crude since I'm still a noob with this camera but hopefully by the time I hit los, I can take better shots. I'll try taking better scenic shots over the weekend but so far:

Actual darkness with auto mode:



Long exposure of my neighborhood:





I think I need a tripod. My shaky hands.

[rxpharm]

Better than your old cam - the image stabilization makes a significant difference. If you plan on doing night landscape shots, then a tripod is a must.

[laputanegra]

i need a new cam too what is the slimiest canon camera? i like it slim like my old casio exilim.