Best Prosumer camera

[Islandergirl]

Hi
I have a dilema and hope someone out there can help. I have a Canon 20D with various lenses, which I really like but my problem is that I injured my shoulder in a car accident and am having trouble carrying my gear when I'm out and about. So I would like to get a prosumer camera to use when I have a lot of pain, I need the best quality possible as I like to take stock photos to subsidise my photography purchases and also I like to get nice sharp images. The camera would need image stabiliser as I find it difficult to carry the tripod.
I hope someone can give me some advice as I know little about these cameras.

[Birdsnapper]

Hi Islandgirl, welcome to the forum. My wife uses a Panasonic FZ7 (FZ8 now latest) as a carry-around camera when the 350D is too cumbersome. It's quite small and light and has Leica lens, image stabilisation, and focal length range (35mm equivalent) = 35mm to 430mm. She has had good results and is pleased with it. Try looking at her gallery - check EXIF to see what camera. Her user name is Demoiselle.

Other members may be able to advise on other makes/models.

Best of luck - it's never an easy decision.

[Canis Vulpes]

Welcome indeed.

I am not sure what lenses you are using on the front of that 20D but in my experience the lens can be more or equal to the weight of the camera. A look at different lenses may be an option with some loss of quality but you retain the use of your existing equipment and quality loss may not be as much as dropping to prosumer standards.

[yelvertoft]

Hello and welcome,

It would help to know what kind of subjects you like to take pictures of, this will have an impact on what your sensible choices are. I'd be surprised if a prosumer camera will produce good enough quality output to be saleable to stock libraries but I suppose it depends on the subject matter.

I'd agree with Stephen's suggestion of alternative lenses as a first step, but again it depends what you're taking pictures of.

Regards,

Duncan

[Islandergirl]

Thanks for the welcome,
I take all types of photo's, for the stock shots its anything & everything but for my own enjoyment its wildlife and particularly birds. The lense I use most is the canon 28-200 as standard and I also have a Tamron 200-500 just for the birds which I hang on a belt so thats not so bad as I only take it when doing birds. I have been looking at the canon S5, does anyone have this lense. The most important points for me are image quality, good zoom and image stabiliser.

[Mick]

I received my new camera this morning, a Canon S3 I haven't had the time to see what it can do yet but when I do I will put up some results if that's of any help.

Mick

[Mick]

Here is a very quick test I have just done, standing in one spot camera on auto, 1 is no zoom, 2 is zoomed as far as it will go and 3 is with the 1.5 extender. All pics cropped the same amount no other processing, hope that might be of help.

Mick

Strangely the Exif is missing on the third pic, perhaps it doesn't like the extender?

[Islandergirl]

Hi Mick
Thanks for posting the photo's, they look pretty sharp to me. How do you like the camera itself. I have just been out this evening along the river with our camera club. Every other Thursday we go out and take pictures and the other Thursdays we go to the pub to look at what we took the week before. The weather has been lousy but we still go out and try and find something good. My gear is just to heavy so I'm going to see if local camera shop stocks the S5.

[Mick]

I like it so far but I need a bit of time with it to form a proper opinion and I should point out I am working my way up the camera ladder, you might find it different going the other way. I nearly bough the S5 but I though I don't need the face recognition feature or need the extra pixels. yet anyway.

Mick

Suggest also look at Nikon Coolpix S10, the current successor to E4500 swivel & zoom.

Having had a Pana FZ7 for a year, I would not recommend it and also did used to wonder if I should have paid the extra for a Canon S3, but from what I could see on the web there was little if any difference in quality.

As far as Image stabilisation is concerned, in camera IS on this grade of camera only does what software can do afterwards with better user control & once something has been done auto by the camera, you can't re-do it in pp. I have done quite impressive salvage jobs of FZ7 at 1/4 sec using Focus Magic software which has a module that compensates for camera shake or movement ( http://www.pbase.com/crisscross/image/80140670 ) The Nikon S10 also has it. I now prefer my E4500 shots to the FZ7 era.

I am afraid you will have to leave the birds free as you really do need a good telephoto except for the ones that sit around waiting. My Sigma 50-150 on 350D (cropped) generally outperforms the FZ7 at its nominal 430mm equiv. No use for birds, but don't rule out the canon 18-55 kit lens for landscape and plants, it is light and not at all bad if you try to keep down to 50mm.

Lastly the compact zooms do not control DOF in the same way as SLR. Play a bit first. I have not tried the Nikon but would.