To do or not to do, that is the question!

Canon EF 28-135mm F/3.5-5.6 IS USM

07/26/2002 10:31:59 AM · #1

I have been using the Oly C-3020Z (3MP,3X Optical Zoom) since Christmas. I have really enjoyed it but feel that I have reached it's limitations on zoom too many times. Digital zoom is not much count! After looking for camera's with longer zoom and more megapixels, I have narrowed the search to the Nikon Coolpix 5700 or the Minolta DiMage 7i. Unfortunately, neither has an optical viewfinder, but guess I could get used to EVF. The other option I had was to add a 2x zoom to mine, but after reading many posts have all but ditched that idea.

The Coolpix will take about $200 more than the 7i. I really like the long zoom, but I like macro stuff too. Guess I want it all! Any suggestions or comments appreciated.

Thanks

ClubJuggle

Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi

07/26/2002 10:40:27 AM · #2

Originally posted by pnicholls:
I have been using the Oly C-3020Z (3MP,3X Optical Zoom) since Christmas. I have really enjoyed it but feel that I have reached it's limitations on zoom too many times. Digital zoom is not much count! After looking for camera's with longer zoom and more megapixels, I have narrowed the search to the Nikon Coolpix 5700 or the Minolta DiMage 7i. Unfortunately, neither has an optical viewfinder, but guess I could get used to EVF. The other option I had was to add a 2x zoom to mine, but after reading many posts have all but ditched that idea.

The Coolpix will take about $200 more than the 7i. I really like the long zoom, but I like macro stuff too. Guess I want it all! Any suggestions or comments appreciated.

Thanks

The CoolPix is a nice camera indeed. The main advantages I see for the CoolPix are the 8x (rather than 7x) zoom and the flip-and-twist LCD. The advantages of the 7i are the availability of a wide-angle setting (28mm) and the fact that the 7i takes AA batteries (it appears the Nikon uses a proprietary battery).

You'll get used to the EVF very quickly, it's actually a nice feature.
-Terry

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

07/26/2002 10:52:24 AM · #3

Thanks for your comments clubjuggle, another thing I like about the 7i vs the 5700 is that you can put a filter onto the end of the lens. I think with the 5700, you have to have an adapter that extends the threads to the end of the zoom when it is extended.

jeremya

Minolta DiMAGE 7i

07/30/2002 08:57:28 AM · #4

I brought the Dimage7i over the Coolpix 5700 for the following reasons:

-Uses cheap ($20us dollars) NiMH Battery's that last ages..
//www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTM
Will help you choose what batteries to buy if you can't
get any more 1850mAh Sanyo's (supplied w/ Dimage7i) and
they are thee best I've ever used. Get a second set when
you buy the camera. And you can you lithium "e2's" AA's if
you are in a squeeze. (Don't leave them loose in your pocket
I got burnt today when my change shorted one out! and recked a
pair of trousers to boot :-((

-Filter Ring.. personally I like a $15 UV filter to protect my $150-
200 lens.

-Manual Zoom ... I hate motorized zoom... personal taste.

Cons for me: (after owning the camera for two weeks)

-Looks like it was designed by in Russia, no offence to russian's
(spose this could be a pro because a thief might think it's a
less valuable target.)
-Silver, so it stands out...
-The rear LCD does not swivel/come out...

Not many...

You will get used to the EVF very quickly...
Also the controls are a LOT easier than they look!

Oh, yeah... the macro is great.. though sometime's you have to manual focus on those really tight shots.. but the manual focus is also the best I've used on an EVF...

Hope this helps in you,
Jeremy

P.S. I will be watching the Hardware forum, if you buy the Dimage7i, tell me and I will tell you what settings to change to get the most out of the camera.

hokie

Nikon D2X

07/30/2002 10:03:00 AM · #5

I have heard that the Minolta is the one of the best imaging digicams you can buy without going full DSLR.

I have a Canon G2 but I have a friend who has the Minolta and I can't say I prefer one over the other. The Canon fits my needs but I could be equally happy with the Minolta's output.

I do not like Nikons current offering of Digicams. The 995 series was very nice for the bucks but I cannot say with confidence I like the new series. And I am a long time user of Nikon film SLR's.

As a matter of fact, the Canon has been so good to me for the last 5 months of ownership I may be going completely Canon when Digital SLR's get a bit less pricier.

07/31/2002 08:52:06 AM · #6

Thanks jeremya and hokie, I haven't seen any work from the 5700 yet, but seen some impressive stuff with the 7i. I have at least held the 7i and snapped a shot, but the controls are not intuitively obvious so wasn't able to really test it out.

Price wise, the 7i is a couple hundred bucks cheaper, so am leaning that way at present. I would certainly like to take you up on your offer of giving me the settings, as I have read elsewhere that you really have to make some changes to get the most out of the camera.

Will keep you posted. Thanks a bunch for your comments.

chariot

Olympus C-3030Z

07/31/2002 03:23:06 PM · #7

I know I keep pushing it but I really like this camera. Check out the Fujifilm S602. Its a great camera and I heard the batteries will last a real long time.

Originally posted by pnicholls:
I have been using the Oly C-3020Z (3MP,3X Optical Zoom) since Christmas. I have really enjoyed it but feel that I have reached it's limitations on zoom too many times. Digital zoom is not much count! After looking for camera's with longer zoom and more megapixels, I have narrowed the search to the Nikon Coolpix 5700 or the Minolta DiMage 7i. Unfortunately, neither has an optical viewfinder, but guess I could get used to EVF. The other option I had was to add a 2x zoom to mine, but after reading many posts have all but ditched that idea.

The Coolpix will take about $200 more than the 7i. I really like the long zoom, but I like macro stuff too. Guess I want it all! Any suggestions or comments appreciated.

Thanks

jeremya

Minolta DiMAGE 7i

08/04/2002 06:01:25 AM · #8

chariot,
Yes, the S602 is a very nice camera when you consider the focusing and color (most of the time... occasional red to orange shift)
I was also seriously considering purchasing it until I took a photo with the Dimage 7i and the S602 at max output and pulled them both up on the same monitor....

On the S602 any diagonal lines looked jagged.. (very aliased) and output was full of artifacts... like when you heavely compress a JPEG..
this camera should be considerd a 4 megapixel equivalant (steve's digicam said something to this effect.) But I felt ever the 4 mega pixel output was not up to my standards, but I do some offset print work.

The S602's let down is it's "super" CCD which is only 3.3 megapixels... so it interporlates another 3meg of data to get it's 6megaixel output...
If they put a standard 5megapixel CCD in it, it would Rock...

Also, some of us from the film/pro DSLR side of things like manual zoom over power zoom!

Jeremy.