sony v1, w1, or canon s60

[xdjoynerx]

assume i can get any one for the same price.

i know anything and every thing about these 3 cameras, but i would like to hear what you think is the best and why. take EVERY aspect into consideration, and base your choice on that... ie. dont say, i like this camera cause it has way more features than another, or i like this one cause its smaller. make this an overall decision.

[xdjoynerx]

[Alexandre Gabriel]

I LOVE Sony because they are quite able to do anything with transistors and/or chips. But they are not the best in Digital photography IMO.
Well, W1 is not an option, awful optics compared to the other two cameras. Pick S60 if you want WA and Compact Flash, pick V1 if you want 4x zoom and proprietary hardware :twisted: Serious, both are good options but I'd pick S60 because of WA and "pocket factor".

[xdjoynerx]

i thought the w1 took EXCELENT pictures... at least as good as the s60, if not better.........

w1 sample gallery

http://gallery86106.fotopic.net/c278869.html

fotopic, kinda messed up the pics a little bit (reduced quality)..... but oh well, you get the idea.

[xdjoynerx]

anyone?

[Moppie]

Clearly the S60.
You asking on a Canon forum after all :P

I would forget the V1, there is a complete lack of options avliable, making it nothing more than a very expensive digital disposable.

The W1 and the S60 seem very similar spec wise, but the W1 almost looks like its trying to take on the canon A and G series cameras, in which case it should be compared to the A95 or G6, both of which are far better camaras.
The sony however is smaller, and prehaps a fraction lighter (with battery and card) than the S60, but IMO is a less practicle shape if your looking for a good pocket camera.
Both offer a simlar range of exposure and apature settings, but I would check that in manaul mode you get the same number of options in between the extremes. Iv found the Canons generaly have every possible shutter speed and apature size from max to min, while many others have only a very limited number of options.
This makes the manual shooting mode in the Canon very useful, but in the others it turns it into nothing more than a useless selling point.

The ISO range on both is differnt, the Canon will go down to 50, the sony only 100.
It might no sound like much, but on a bright sunny day I would put money on the Canon taking better pics. I notice quite a differnce in quality in bright light when shooting at ISO 50 compared to 100 in my A80, and in flash photos, or time exposures there is a noticable reduction in the amount of noise. Iv even had a Canon EOS 1D user moan about me being able to shoot at ISO 50, while he was limited to ISO 100.
Its only a small point, but the W1 and the S60 are so close in spec it takes a small point to tell them apart.

The Canon also has the option to set a custom white balance, something that is VERY useful if your shooting in unusal lighting conditions. Say at a party or a resturant or an out door event with mixed lighting.
The sony is restricted to a limited number of preset options.


And of course Canon have been making Cameras for many many years longer than Sony have, and have been a market leader in Digital imaging since its inception.
Sony are still play catch up IMO.
To put it simply, I'll buy my Camera from Canon, and my TV and game counsul from Sony.



Also note that prior to reading this thread I knew nothing about either camera, I do know a little about each brand, I now own my second Canon A series, and Iv used several Sonys but I have no personal experiance with the S60 or the W1.

All I did was read and sumerise these two pages:

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=NkPRx3Qyb0vR4DUMvwnbzDs9kD1U27QdyqQ=?Cat egoryName=dcc_DIDigitalCameras_Cyber-shotDigitalCameras&Dept=dcc_DIDigitalCameras&Templ ateName=item%2fsy_item_b&ProductSKU=DSCW1

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelTechSpecsAct&fcategoryid=144&m odelid=10149

[xdjoynerx]

well, sonys 100iso, has far less noise than canons 50. (and for a bright sunny day, faster shutter speeds will take care of that no problem), so even though it can only go down to 100. its really not a problem at all.

the v1 shoots as 800 iso, with FAR less noise than the g5 does at 400.

canons consumer digital cameras and there iso ratings are a joke to me.

and what do you mean the v1 has a lack of features?

www.dpreview.com

ive read the entire 15 or 20 page or what ever it is review on both the v1 and g5 and the v1 is better in every which way just about, except battery life, and the g5 has a slightly sharper default setting, but that can be taken care of by setting the sharpness up 1, and you dont have the issue with the jagged diagonal lines like the g series does. the v1 has just as many options for add ons as the g5 does, and just as many controls(and has many more unique settings and features that the g5 does not) . its smaller, and it doesnt have a lens cap.

the v1 imo is superior to the g5 in just about every way, and this is coming from a 4 time canon owner. g2, s50, a300, & the a60.

i was looking for an unbiased answer, but i guess thats not possible.

g5 - 400 iso

http://img2.dpreview.com/gallery/canong5_samples/030328-1142-14.jpg

v1 - 400 iso

http://img2.dpreview.com/gallery/sonydscv1_samples/030626-1146-08.jpg

i know the w1 and s60 are very comparable cameras also... the w1 is slightly smaller and has a bigger lcd, and the s60 has a few more features. so its really about trade offs there.

i just want to know what you meant about referencing the v1?

if you were just making a quick refrence from readings sonys quick fact page or whatever.............. heres a detailed review on every aspect of the cam.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscv1/

[Moppie]

Then I think you've just answered your own question :)

[xdjoynerx]

i seem to do that alot :|

anyways, i just want to hear what you guys think (not that it matters, cause i already know :oops: ), but just hearing some feedback cant hurt anything. (i will stop telling you what i already know now :oops:, this is a feeback thread not a debate. sorry)

[Moppie]

Sometimes its nice to have someone else to bounce your ideas off and prehaps offer a differnt perspective.

Even its just to comfirm what you already know.


That said, I would take a Canon A or G series over the V1.
Yes it clearly has less noise, but if you look at the example photo the Canon one has more colour in it, and I personaly prefer it because of that.
At 50 and 100 ISO Iv never had noise troubles with my A80, and slower shutter speeds compensate for not useing a higher ISO number. ;)

There are other things to cosider to, the V1 only goes down to F:4, while the Canons all goto at least F:8. Depending on what your shooting I think theres a lot more potenial in the canon lens based on that.

And of course the Canons all have larger LCD's, and on the A and G series they are also movable and twistable. It might seem like a gimick, but its possibly one of the most funtional tools Iv used.
Iv used it to take photos with the camera sitting on the ground, hanging off the side of the blowKart, or above my head. All of which would have been impossible to compose with out the flip out screen.


All cameras are made slightly differnt, and with thier own style, the trick is finding one that suits you. What you need it to do, what you want it to do, and what you might want from it in the future.
The best camera is not the one with the best features, or the best review, its the one with the best style for you.

[nosquare2003]

There're no custom white balance, no RAW files for Sony digicam. And I don't like Sony memory stick! (I have sufficient CF cards on hand.) However, the external flash for such a compact camera is a very good feature.

And they (including S60) don't have image stabiliser.

I prefer to wait.

[dr150]

I've been doing a lot of similar research recently regarding such cameras.

I'm a former Oly C-3000 user which broke on me after being thrown to the ground a few too many times.

I tested the Canon S70 and Sony W1, fwiw.

To me the Canon S70 is a decent camera, but not one worth owning. Aside of features, the Canon has SUBSTANTIAL problems with VIGNETTING (dark corners in close-ups of ~5ft+. This is a DEAL KILLER. The Canon also has issues with PURPLE FRINGING in contrasty areas. Both issues stem from its wide lens of 28mm. The body has also been panned as being cheaper and flimsier than previous iterations. BTW, I hate these sliding front doors! ANY moving parts are bound/engineered for eventual failure--another deal killer for me.

The Sony W1, on the other hand has no vignetting--partially attributable to its 38mm lens. I hate 38mm since it usually prevents you from adequately getting people in the pics in cramped quarters!! This is not Sony's fault. The WHOLE industry is moving towards the 38mm direction so they won't get panned in reviews for barrelling or vignetting issues--like the S60/S70......One professional review already panned the S60 for the same exact reasons as I had with the S70.

Picturetaking-wise, the W1 is a very good camera. It excels at noise reduction and night pics over the Canon. Plus purple fringing and vignetting issues that Canon has make the W1 a clear winner in the face-off imho.

I still prefer my old Olympus though for pics!!

..........Moving along

There are new players that have introduced new lines that are compelling. It depends upon how many manual features you want, etc, but I have read really very positive things about:

Fuji E550/810:
Fully manual. 6MP. Fast & repsonsive. HQ video mode has been panned (810? bits)--very noisey. 2" LCD. $320 street price. Great quality pics. Crappy pop-up flash. Buttons/dial feel rather cheap. Takes AA's, comes with recharger. 810 model is Li-Ion.

Panasonic FX7, FX5 or LC70, LC80:
I'll be getting the FX7 next to try. Not fully manual of course, but sleek. Picture taking quality is rated as wonderful. "Digital Camera Shopper Magazine" (UK mag found at B&N or Borders) did a 12 camera shoo-out where the only camera to get a perfect 5/5 in pics was the Panny FX5. It beat out the like of Canon, Sony P93, Fuji FX710, Oly C-60, Minolta G6500, Pentax, etc.....The FX5 is a 4MP camera, yet BEAT out the rest for all elements of picture quality and detail.

IMHO, the FX and LC series are dark horses ready to become very popular. First off they're cheaper than related products. Leica lens. Have a 2.5" CCD--way larger than all competitors (which is prolly why it takes better pics). The FX series comes with MOTION SENSOR technology (VERY unique) which is prolly why the pics are sharper in day or night as well.

http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/vModelList?storeId=11251&catalogId=11005&langId=-1&catGroupId=17168
http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0811/date005b.htm

Pentax Optio 555:
Has a lot of features and is getting very good reviews from different professional mags.

[darwin]

After comparing all three and deciding on the S60 I can honestly say I made the right decision.

Get the S60.

[ayS]

ive got recently got the s70 and am enjoying it. love the features. metal case is nice. and light. camera overall. pocketing factor is a plus as well.

[dr150]

The Canon S60 and S70 have a serious vignetting issue at widest zoom setting.

Do this simple test: Get about 3,4,5 feet from a white wall in your house. Take a picture at widest zoom with flash and then without flash......Then download the pictures onto your computer. You will notice 4 substantially large dark corners in the frame--this is called vignetting.

Both the S60 and S70 have this serious defect.

Another issue is the purple finging. In contrasty pictures, the fringing is severe.

Another issue is substantial pincushioning at full telezoom. Barelling at widest zoom is also marked but forgiveable.

Such serious problems have caused me to pass on purchasing them.

If you do research on the web, you'll see reviews delineating these defects.

[xdjoynerx]

yeah, i think im pretty decided on the v1. 8)

[dr150]

If you buy it go to onecall.com. They have a very good price and are a class outfit like amazon.com...... and will price match if you find it any lower from an AUTHORIZED dealer.