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General discussion

canonA95 Vs canon S410

Apr 25, 2005 4:12AM PDT

Hi,

I am looking to upgrade from my nikon coolpix 885 to 4-5 MP digital camera, under $300.

I am confused between these two canon models as there's not much price diference.

Could you please help?

Discussion is locked

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Canon A95 - S410
Apr 25, 2005 7:38AM PDT

These two cameras are aimed at two different customers.

The S410 is a small point-and-shoot camera.
The A95 is a medium/small camera with manual controls.

The S410 is for someone who wants a pocket camera they can carry anywhere, and doesn't want to get very involved with photogaphy.

The A95 is for the more advanced photographer, or someone who wants a camera that will grow with them as they gain knowledge of photography.

If you want to just get good photos with the least amount of effort, then you want the S410.

If you want to take good photos and also be able to control the camera in difficult photographic situations, then you want the A95.

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So what can manual controls do for you?:

Two important controls are Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority.

With Shutter Priority you can set the shutter speed and the camera will set the aperture to the correct setting.

Why?

You want to take some action shots of motorcycles jumping. You set the shutter speed to 1/1000th of a second and you will get non-blurred photos of the cycle in mid air.

You want to take a shot of a waterfall and have the water look like it is flowing. Select a slow shutter speed (2 seconds) and put the camera on a tripod.

With Aperture priority you select the f-stop and the camera selects the correct shutter speed.

Why?

You want a portrait shot of someone but want the background to be out of focus. Set the f-stop to f2.8 and zoom out to about 2X. Position the camera so that the subject fills the screen.

You want to take a picture of a mountain in the background with Aunt Matilda in the foreground. You want the mountain and Aunt Matilda to be in sharp focus. Set the f-stop to f16 or f8 to increase the depth of field.

Full Manual Mode - You set the shutter speed and the f-stop. This lets you take shots which no point-and-shoot camera can do.

Low light night scene - You want a picture of a shopping center at night. When the camera is controlling the situation, you will get a very dimly lit shoping center. You want the photo to show exactly what your eyes are seeing. So you set the Shutter speed at a slow speed and set the f-stop to a wide-open setting (f2.9). You will need a tripod. The camera will notify you that this is all wrong. Ignore the cameras warning and take the picture. Examine the results and adjust the shutter speed up or down to get the results you want.

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experience?
Apr 28, 2005 6:58PM PDT

i was curious, snapshot2, do you have experience with the canon powershot a95 personally? i notice that you seem to have extensive knowledge in the digital camera world, from all the posts i have read. you help recommend many cameras to different people, but i was curious what is the camera of your choice? thanks for your time!

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Cameras
Apr 29, 2005 1:09AM PDT

I have experience with the "A" series of Canon cameras, I have not used the A95.

I do read a lot, you can gain a lot of knowledge from others. For first hand "Owners Opinions" of the A95, go to:


http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=canon_a95

Owners opinions are only valid when there are a lot of them. Such as for the A95. You have to learn to weed out some reports. There are always a few oddball owner's reports from people who have a grudge against a particular camera Maker (trolls), or people who have obviously purchased the wrong camera for their need (i.e. they expect it to do things that it was not designed to do).

My background in photography goes back to the cave man and his first pin-hole camera.

I remember when there was no color film.
Black and White was all that was affordable.
I guess that is why I have no interest in seeing black and white photos taken with a digital camera.
What a waste of resources.

My first real camera was the Kodak Twin Lens Reflex II (film camera). I carried that camera around for many years. It used 120 and 620 film and had an adapter to make 828 slides that fit into 35mm slide holders.

While in the Army I learned to develop film and use an enlarger to print my own pictures. Lots of fun.

I finally put together enough money to get the Canon AE1 SLR 35mm film camera. It was one of the first cameras that used electronics to adjust the aperture and shutter speed. Very nice camera with lots of manual controls. I still have it and it still works.

My first digital camera was a 1 megapixel Epson that didn't even have an LCD screen. It took good photos.

If I were to buy a new non-DSLR camera, I would probably get the Canon G6.

For a DSLR camera, the Canon 20D would be my choice.

But who knows what tomorrow will bring to the digital camera world.

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thanks
Apr 29, 2005 4:26PM PDT

thank you so much for the help and advice snapshot2. i really appreciate it ! and my new camera will too, I'm sure. thanks again.