wrote on Saturday, 19 May 2007 1:34
PM:
> I found this website to be very usefull.
>
> http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html
www.dpreview.com is also excellent, especially for side by side
comparisons of models. Once you have a shortlist of cameras it can be
useful to enter the forum for that camera and read user comments. Often
they're a little biased or misinformed, especially when people expect
too much from their camera, but if you keep hearing the same negative
comments you can be fairly sure there's a problem with that camera.
> I ended up with a Cannon S3 IS which has been excellent. It
> even got me a "sort of" picture of a Spoon-billed Sandpiper
> across a salt pan outside Bangkok. And when it's a bird like
> a S-b S it's nice to have a click to go with the tick - it
> brings back good memories.
I have one of these too. Haven't used it on birds with a tripod yet, so
I can't really comment on picture quality. However, hand held shots at
full zoom (432mm) usually give me shots good enough for checking the id
later. Presumably this is due to the optical image stabilisation.
Two comments about the S3 IS:
- It has an LCD display, and an electronic viewfinder, i.e. you look
through a little hole at a tiny LCD instead of a proper optical
viewfinder. The latter has the advantage that you get some of the
benefits of an optical viewfinder (better performance that the full size
LCD in strong sunlight), while still being able to see the stuff
normally only seen on the big LCD (exposure info, menus, etc). But the
electronic viewfinder isn't as easy to use in sunlight as an optical
viewfinder. This might be partly due to the fact that I wear glasses,
and the extra distance that puts between my eye and the viewfinder might
let more stray light in.
- The battery compartment seems just a fraction tight. When I change the
batteries (AA) they don't all just slide out. I often have to claw at
one or two to get them out. I changed brands of batteries when I got
this camera, so they could be slightly fatter than normal, but they do
fit in my old Canon A40 ok. Have you found this with yours, Jen?
Peter Shute
==============================www.birding-aus.org
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