Canon SD450 vs. Panasonic DMC-FX9, PLEASE HELP!

[ms123d]

Hi... I'm looking for an everyday use (non professional) compact digital
I currently own a Canon S410 and was looking at these two.

Budget: 300-400
Couple quick ?s: Are they both USB 2.0 and what are your personal thoughts on these cameras (if you own them or have seen them personally)

I read reviews for both and both seem great. I always liked Canons but I was drawn by the OIS system from Panasonic (does it really work as well as advertised?) I'm not looking to make big printouts therefore super quality isnt an issue here... just everyday comfortable use in natural light AND night time

My biggest complaint with my current S410 is it's horrible in low lighting with no flash (I try not to use flash even in low lights... ruins the picture).. very blurry. Hoping Panasonic is better?

Please help! Thank you very much

[Jason25]

The Fuji F10 seems to be the low-light, no-flash king right now in the compact market. You might look into that one, or it's successor, the F11.

[ms123d]

Thank you.. but I'm looking for comparison between SD450 and DMC-FX9

Anyone else have comments/suggestions/opinions?

I'm looking to sell my S400 soon so I'd like to know which one is getting the better consumer reviews.

Thank you.

[ms123d]

any other owners of SD450 or DMC-FX9 have opinions about their camera?

[coldrain]

The panasonic will be a bit less blurry because of the IS, IF the subject stays still. Else with a moving subject it will have motion blur. That is why he recommended looking at a Fuji.
The FX8 (5mp)is less noisy (compared to the FX9 (6mp))

[ms123d]

thanks for the info

but isnt the FX9 higher megapixel than FX8? also, isnt it a newer model? how is it possible for the FX9 to be more noisy than FX8?

[David Metsky]

but isnt the FX9 higher megapixel than FX8? also, isnt it a newer model? how is it possible for the FX9 to be more noisy than FX8?
Because megapixels aren't everything.

With the same size CCD, the FX9 is trying to put more pixels than FX8. This results in more noise since you're asking an already pushed CCD to do an awful lot. You'll have to look at the images yourself to decide if the extra noise in some situations is worth the extra megapixels.

Extra pixels don't make for a better camera, they just make for more pixels.

-dave-

[ms123d]

i see

im not a very nick picky person when it comes to quality so i guess thats not too bad (its not unbearable is it?)... another question i had was that ive heard larger lcds crack easily but then again other people have said no... i was wondering if there was anyone out there who can give me some input with their own experience using digital cameras with lcds between 2-3".

[coldrain]

So you are not picky about noise but you want to boast about 1mp more? Hmm. Anyway, look at the full resolution sample shots of the reviews here and see just how noisy the FX9 is compared to the SD450.

[ms123d]

thanks for the input...
Well... I wasnt looking to boast about 1 more mp.... i would rather the fx9 was like 4-5mp and be cheaper if i had it my way :)... but since there was no other choice i was just wondering what the big difference was... my big thing was that my canon s400 sucks in low light with no flash so i was drawn by the IS of the FX9 hoping it was worth it... I looked at the comparisons (no SD450 so saw the SD400, probably same?) and I wasnt bothered much by the noise... so I guess it's a toss-up between SD450 and FX9 for me

[coldrain]

the FX8 IS the FX9 with 5mp instead of 6mp. So why the fixation on the FX9 with a lot more noise?

[ms123d]

not sure... just figure its newer?

also i believe the LCD screen is much better quality than Fx8? but your question is actually a good one.. maybe i should consider the fx8 :) thanks for everything

[BIG JOHN 101]

Howdy, I'm a new member and i have been reading the past messages in the forums about the SD450 vs. the FX9 this was a big decision for me as well, I recently got Canon SD450 and it is a wonderful camera, i went for the SD450 because it is generally cheaper and i was not disapointed it is easy to use, a very compact but managable size, and the LCD is HUGE. The advantage of the Canon over the FX9 for me is the viewfinder, the better layout of the buttons, and just the ease of use

[BIG JOHN 101]

the only thing that the FX9 has on the SD450 is the extra one megapixel but that is not much five is more than enough for anyone casual enough to get an ultra compact, a five megapixel on ultra fine makes an image bigger than an 8-1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper that is excellent quality i am quite satisfied with what my SD450 does and i would recommend it for anyone.

[ms123d]

what actually drew me to consider buying the FX9(or 8) over the SD450 is the higher quality LCD resolution and especially the image stabilization thing... I've seen the SD450 briefly and it seemed like a great camera, but I really hated how my current S400 is so horrible with no flash (very blurry), hoping the FX9's image stab. system would help out in that department to some satisfactory level... im not sure how the SD450 fares with no flash in low light, if you could give me some input with your own SD450? thanks a bunch

[BIG JOHN 101]

I don't know what you are talking about with the SD400 having no flash, i thought it had one, but i can assure you that the SD450 has a very nice powerful flash, i used it and it had a range of over twenty feet in a lowlight room, and if the flash that is included doesn't have enough range for you after market ones that are compatable are available everywhere, as for the image stabilization it is not perfect but it does work fine just off the hand, the digital macro mode is alittle blurry off the hand but i would imagine that it is so with all ultra-compacts, with either you get i would advise you to get a small tripod, i have one and i can get amazing pictures, perfectly focused, with no problem.

[ms123d]

:) i meant in shooting WITHOUT using flash (i didnt mean that it DIDNT have a flash on it) in low light conditions, the canon 400 is very blurry when I shoot with flash turned off
so with that in mind.. could you tell me how your SD450 is in low light when NOT using your flash? (i dont want to purchase a tripod either)

i try not to use the flash in low light situations as much as possible because images dont come out very natural (unless its just too dark then i have to)

[sjseto]

May I ask why you're limiting yourself to these two particular cameras? Is it because you want to re-use your SD cards? Because I can think of better cameras for shooting in low light without flash. I own one of them, but it uses xD cards.

If you need to shoot in low light but you don't want to use a flash or a tripod, your camera needs to have either a fast lens, image stabilization, or high ISO capability. Neither the SD450 or the FX9 have very fast lenses unless you stick to the wide end of the telephoto range. The FX9 has image stabilization. It allows you to capture sharp images at slow shutter speeds, but, as Coldrain already mentioned, slower shutter speeds will reveal a blurry subject if your subject happens to move. And both cameras suffer from noise and loss of detail when you raise the ISO to 400. Plus, sometimes even ISO 400 isn't enough to give you a fast enough shutter speed to avoid camera shake in average room lighting (assuming that there is no image stabilization).

So, I guess the FX9 will be the better of the two for low-light shooting without flash or tripod. Your moving subjects will still be blurry, but everything else in the photo will be relatively sharp.

Stephanie

[ms123d]

i was looking at these two because of its size and price... do you have any other cameras that you think would be beter in that department?

im looking for very compact cameras with larger lcds that shoot well in low light conditions (if possible...) and im not looking to pay more than $350

[Duwenbasden]

The Fuji F11? ;) or the SD500 (lower now due to clearance)

[ms123d]

thanks for the suggestions... im looking for more of an ultracompact camera
(thin and light) as well...

[sjseto]

i was looking at these two because of its size and price... do you have any other cameras that you think would be beter in that department?

im looking for very compact cameras with larger lcds that shoot well in low light conditions (if possible...) and im not looking to pay more than $350
The Fuji F10 is the camera that I own that I was referring to (the F11 is the newer version that adds aperture and shutter priority, that is available outside of North America). But Jason25 was the first one to recommend it way back in the first reply, and you had said that you were only interested in the Canon SD450 and the Panasonic FX9... :confused:

The F10/F11 is very capable at higher ISO's (400 and 800; 1600 is okay for small prints, probably). This will really help with your low light shots.

Another camera within your budget is the FinePix Z1, also from Fuji. It is smaller and would be considered ultracompact, but only goes to ISO 800 and is not as good in the photo quality department as the F10. There are a couple of Olympus models that go to ISO 1600 but only at lower resolutions. Then there are a few other compact cameras with high ISO capability that are more than your specified budget.

[ms123d]

thanks for the suggestions.. hopefully i can take a look at all of these models in person at a nearby camera shop or something and make my decision then... but ultracompact-ness is definitely what im looking for (thin and not too heavy)

[ms123d]

one question i had for SD450 users was... what do you think about the colorswap thing included within the camera? the advertisements seem to make it a big revolutionary thing in the SD450 but when I checked it out, it didnt seem that great (maybe I just didnt know how to use it?)

[ms123d]

one quck question.. it might not be in line with this thread, (sorry)

does anyone know where you can purchase a good case for the fx8 or fx9?... i know canon makes their own but panasonic doesnt?
just trying to do my research before I buy a camera
there doesnt seem to be any cases (any suggestions appreciated)

[ms123d]

one thing regarding Canon SD450 or the Panasonic DMC-FX8 or 9, I've been able to take a look at the Canon personally, and they are VERY quick from shot to shot, as well as very quick when reviewing pictures... I haven't been able to find a local dealer that has the Panasonic cameras...

Are there anyone out there who has been able to get their hands on the Panasonic DMC-FX8 or 9 cameras who could tell me about their shot to shot speed as well as picture review speeds?

thank you so much, this forum has been tremendously helpful