SX20is vs SX210is ??

[james0803]

Ok I have been reading reviews and watching what videos I can find about the SX20is and the SX210is until my eyes are burning. I cannot decide between the two. I have had a Rebel XSi, but it was a little much for what I like to do with photography. I love macro and dof photo's and my main question about the two above is with the aperture so limited (like 2.8 - 8.0) on the SX20 versus the broad range on the Rebel, will I still be able to get really nice macro shots as well as landscape?? With the limited aperture does that mean I just need to "play" with the shutter speed and ISO to achieve same effect?? Still learning as I am going here. I have narrowed it down to those two simply because they seem to be loaded with features as well as having the manual controls also. ANY input or opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
James

[inkista]

Originally Posted by james0803

Ok I have been reading reviews and watching what videos I can find about the SX20is and the SX210is until my eyes are burning. I cannot decide between the two.

Do you need HD video, a flash hotshoe, and flip-out screen vs. pocketability is mostly what it seems to come down to in my opinion.

I love macro and dof photo's

By DoF photos, do you mean shallow DoF? or deep DoF? Because the small sensored cameras suck at the former and rock at the latter. P&S cameras have a very hard time getting anything out of focus, not just from the aperture range, but because the sensors (about 1/5 or 1/6 the size of the APS-C sensor in your dRebel) demand equally small lenses. And with a focal length of 6mm, you're going to have a huge DoF.

DoF-wise, f/2.8 on a P&S is much like shooting at f/8 on a dSLR.

will I still be able to get really nice macro shots as well as landscape??

Definitely. One of the upshots of having <10mm focal length on the wide end of the range is that you can focus very closely. Macro doesn't require a special lens on a P&S camera. And the huge DoF is going to let you do landscape shooting pretty well. Your biggest restriction is how wide the lens is going to go. That 6mm lens has an field-of-view equivalency of a 28mm-35mm lens on a 5D.

With the limited aperture does that mean I just need to "play" with the shutter speed and ISO to achieve same effect??

What effect? The shutter speed/iso/aperture exposure "triangle" works the same for any camera.

I have narrowed it down to those two simply because they seem to be loaded with features as well as having the manual controls also.

If you're willing to pay those pricetags, you may also want to wait two or three months and see what the G12 and S95 look like. They're rumored to be in the fall releases, and both are even higher-featured than the two cameras you're looking at. They shoot RAW (without the CHDK), have larger sensors, and wider lenses. They won't have supertelephoto reach, though.

[james0803]

Thank you very much taking the time to explain the differences. The "effect" I was referring to was bokeh, as well as a shallow dof. Which I kinda think are pretty close to the same thing, ?? and macro as well as bokeh are my favorite types of photo's. Like I said I am still learning as I read As for the HD video part I am sorry I just don't understand that in a camera, unless you are on a vacation, etc. I always thought of a camera as a camera lol. But that is technology and don't get me wrong its pretty cool, but I will never use it. Thanks for the information, I really do appreciate it. I will do some research and see what I can find out on the new cameras you mentioned.

[inkista]

"Bokeh" is the Japanese word for "fuzzy". It's generally used in discussions of lens characteristics to describe the quality of out-of-focus blur, as in, "this lens tends to render a smooth bokeh, but it can become harsh when wider than f/4". Bokeh isn't really an effect.

[james0803]

Ahh I see. Thanks again for the tip and for the reading. Trying to learn as I go

[audreygreen]

When it comes to cameras, the best ones often depends on the user's preference and how he'll mainly use it. So if you are the type who love traveling and taking pictures from far away (I do, cause I'm a fan of baseball games), then I'd say you go for the Canon SX210IS. It's 14x optical zoom makes it ideal to shoot distant subjects.