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General discussion

nikon coolpix s8200 or olympus sz14

May 9, 2012 8:59AM PDT

looking to buy a small portable camera when im not able to carry my main camera cant decide to get the nikon or olympus any suggestions???

Discussion is locked

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(NT) Heretic? I carry my HTC Evo 4G and it's good enough.
May 9, 2012 9:53AM PDT
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Nikon S8200 - Olympus SZ14
May 10, 2012 12:22AM PDT

I have looked at this from several perspectives and just can't decide myself.

Based on what I know and what I have read, my best suggestion is to keep looking.

Several things bother me.

1.
I don't know what your "main" camera is.
If your main camera has the some manual controls (shutter priority, aperture priority, full manual) you will find either of the two cameras frustrating.
They only provide automatic functions.

2.The Nikon uses a 16MP sensor which produces too much noise and the camera manufacturers have to resort to noise reduction firmware which removes the fine detail from the photo.
The Olympus uses a 14MP sensor which is only a little better than a 16MP sensor.
I would look for a 12MP sensor camera.

3.
The 24X lens on the Olympus is an invitation for failure (blurry pictures).
I read one customer review and they downgraded the Olympus camera because the image stabilization was poor.
They were taking 24X zoom pictures while hand holding the camera.
To ensure good blur free photos you need a tripod for any zoom over about 10X.
And you should hold the camera very steady for shots between 5X and 10X.

Keep Looking

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