Re: Need comnpact camera to take good crsip stage shots

My first reaction is to stick with recommending the A720 for the
following reasons:

The SD950 has 12 megapixels, so it's a bit slow. Continuous shooting
will not be very good for those sequences you want (although, the A720 is
only marginally better). The only way to get something like 3 frames per
second is to go to a DSLR.

Also, this camera doesn't give you any manual control, so you're stuck
with whatever the programmed scene modes give you. The plus is that it
will fit in your pocket better than the other two, and the prints should
be good as long as you avoid the top ISO speed.

As for the S5, it's the best of the thre, for most purposes, but I think
it will be a bit bulky for your intentions. It would be better to lug it
around in a bag than in a pocket. However, it's going to give you the
most versatility. It definitely has the best lens, and it will give you
slightly better action stopping ability or depth of field in most
situations.

As mentioned above, the A720 gets the initial thumbs up because I think
it will be the best match to what you want. But, if you like, I can
check into the other two more thoroughly, if you've got the time.

Take Care,
Dudley


Thank you again,

I would appreciate it if you did check into those other 2, as I'd hate to
go for one when i really could have gotten a better one. You know what I
mean?

I will go and look at the S5 in a shop if I can today to see if it really
would be a pain to carry.

I know i';m used to an old Mamiya Sekor SLR I love and lugged around since
new in 168, and it is still a great camera, but film. The video cam is a
pain as well so anything smaller would be a bonus, even if it was not
small pocket size.

It is more if you have the time, not I, so please only do what you can
with ease.

I appreciate it.

Regards,

roc

Hey, Rock, no problem.

I should qualify my above recommendations based on your statement that you
have lugged an older SLR around. The S5 is probably a fair bit smaller than
your old SLR, so if you wouldn't mind lugging that one around, the S5 should
be easier. It's just that it won't fit into a pocket. And, it's getting
close to the Digital Rebel sans big telephoto lens.

I really like the lens on the S5. It's a bit more than double the zoom of
the A720, and it's got a bit better aperture. It's also got more lens
elements arranged in more groups, so image quality is excellent.

In either case, you will probably like the face detect mode which will
almost ensure that you don't end up focusing on an overhead mike, footlight,
etc.

I think you will definitely find the S5 a faster camera to use, with nearly
2 shots per second if the LCD is turned off and you are framing shots
through the optical viewfinder. I think that is closer to what you want,
but the Digital Rebel will do 3 per second and isn't that much bulkier
(providing you don't have some huge telephoto lens mounted).

The thing I like about the S5 the most is that you can attach an external
flash to its hotshoe, which isn't a big deal during a performance, but you
mentioned earlier that you also wanted to use it for portraits. This camera
can use some pretty high-powered ETTL flashes -- either mounted to the shoe
or cabled as remotes.

This camera is really a mini version of many DSLR's. I would have loved to
shoot concerts with it back when I was lugging two SLR's with different lens
and film combos during a concerrt.

As for image quality, any of the cameras will produce something you will
like, and which should provide professional quality appearance.

I'll check out the S5 a bit more carefully tomorrow when my dealer is open,
but, if you don't mind the extra bulk (it's nearly double the size of the
A720) the S5 could be the better choice.

Take Care,
Dudley



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