DSLR like cameras

Everything camera related. Includes triggers, batteries, power supplies, flatbeds and sheet-feeding scanners, too.

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russca
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DSLR like cameras

Post by russca »

These cameras offer DSLR features at a fraction of the cost.

1. Canon G12 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8 inch Vari-Angle LCD. Priced at $429.00
canong12.jpg
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2. Nikon Coolpix P7000 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 7.1x Wide Zoom-Nikkor ED Lens and 3-Inch LCD. Priced at $419
niconp7000.jpg

3. Panasonic Lumix DMC-G10 12.1 MP Live MOS Interchangeable Lens Camera with 14-42mm Lumix G Vario f/3.5-5.6 MEGA OIS Lens. Priced at $419.95
panasoniclumixdmc-g10.jpg

4. Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR 12MP Super CCD Digital Camera with 14.3x Optical Triple Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD. Priced at $376.01
fffinepix-s200exr.jpg

Out of these 4 I really like the last two, especially Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR . Remote triggers are available for most such cameras.

Here are few pictures taken using Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR in raw format:
ffs200exr1.jpg
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ffs200exr2.jpg
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ffs200exr3.jpg
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When comparing quality vs price these cameras are a bargain. Why go for super cheap or expensive cameras when you can find the best of the two worlds in the middle?

Example pics are by Kevin Coppalotti. Source
will1384

Re: DSLR like cameras

Post by will1384 »

russca wrote:These cameras offer DSLR features at a fraction of the cost.
$400 is around the low end price of a real DSLR, and often you can get factory refurbished DSLR cameras
for around $400
russca wrote: When comparing quality vs price these cameras are a bargain. Why go for super cheap or expensive cameras when you can find the best of the two worlds in the middle?
I could have got five of the cameras I use for $400, $400 is way to much, and what about needing two of them
for some scanner designs, ouch :shock:

Also, image noise on Point and Shoot cameras only stats to get bad at ISO 400 an above, so with proper lighting,
image noise should not be an issue.
bnz

Re: DSLR like cameras

Post by bnz »

On that note, what I'd really like to see are comparison shots in full resolution of the same single page with the low-budget canons pocket cameras done with sdm/chkd, such midrange non-dslr cameras with dslr-features, and "normal" dslr cameras like the canon t2i/550d and in the same conditions. It's kind of better to judge for yourself. Does anyone here have access to all this equipment?
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daniel_reetz
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Re: DSLR like cameras

Post by daniel_reetz »

I have access to many dozens of cameras. What we really need is a standardized test page so we can all compare. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make such a thing? I'm considering making a Print On Demand book, but I could just as well print a huge number of test pages and ship them worldwide. That way we could standardize on camera performance for book scanning purposes.
bnz

Re: DSLR like cameras

Post by bnz »

I guess it is rather unlikely that someone here goes through the trouble to buy a print-on-demand book even if it is just a few pages and cheap. And for you shipping test pages isn't much better either - just a huge workload and costs for you and lots of waiting time for the one who wants to do the tests.

I think the first step would be to have such a test pages available as a PDF with maybe some guidelines how to do the printing (e.g., printer DPI, no cheap ink printers, etc.). I can imagine that a lot of people in this forum do have some form of access to some kind of professional printing device. While this may not yield exact results, they will probably be good enough for the start.

Regarding the page or pages: I imagine that it would be useful to have some text block (lorem ipsum or something like that) printed in different font sizes and different fonts. Then, maybe a few tables with again different font sizes and different border line strengths, some complex shaped b/w figure, a greyscale picture, and a color picture. Also, text with different colors and again in different sizes and fonts might be a good idea. These are just some initial ideas. There is probably lots to add.
will1384

Re: DSLR like cameras

Post by will1384 »

bnz wrote:On that note, what I'd really like to see are comparison shots in full resolution of the same single page with the low-budget canons pocket cameras done with sdm/chkd, such midrange non-dslr cameras with dslr-features, and "normal" dslr cameras like the canon t2i/550d and in the same conditions. It's kind of better to judge for yourself. Does anyone here have access to all this equipment?
There are a lot of camera review websites, some of them test cameras using pages / posters with text,
black and white stripes, and other designs, they also have images at various ISOs to compare image noise

Here are a few:

Steves Digicams
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Digital Photography Review
http://www.dpreview.com/

PhotographyBLOG
http://www.photographyblog.com/

The Imaging Resource!
http://www.imaging-resource.com/

Cameralabs
http://www.cameralabs.com/
russca
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Re: DSLR like cameras

Post by russca »

will1384 wrote:$400 is around the low end price of a real DSLR, and often you can get factory refurbished DSLR cameras
for around $400
So far I didn't have a luck in finding a brand-new DSLR for $400. As a rule I never buy used or refurbished cameras, scanners and cellphones.
will1384 wrote:I could have got five of the cameras I use for $400, $400 is way to much, and what about needing two of them
for some scanner designs, ouch :shock:
That's funny. I was thinking the other way: For the price of one DSLR I can get 2 DSLR like cameras. :lol:
I intend on using RAW format a lot. I bet all those cheap cameras output images only in JPEG resulting in image data loss.
bnz wrote:On that note, what I'd really like to see are comparison shots in full resolution of the same single page with the low-budget canons pocket cameras done with sdm/chkd, such midrange non-dslr cameras with dslr-features, and "normal" dslr cameras like the canon t2i/550d and in the same conditions..
From what I read in customer reviews at amazon and company sites DSLR like cameras are at par with actual DSLRs. Image quality of Nikon Coolpix P7000 and Fujifilm Finepix S200EXR cameras are almost indistinguishable from real DSLR.
Last edited by Anonymous on 18 Dec 2010, 22:53, edited 1 time in total.
will1384

Re: DSLR like cameras

Post by will1384 »

russca wrote: I intend on using RAW format a lot. I bet all those cheap cameras output images only in JPEG resulting in image data loss.
My Cheap Canon PowerShot A480 cameras that I got factory refurbished for around $80
each, can use CHDK http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

And CHDK allows the camera to shoot in RAW, BTW you "may" be disappointed when using RAW
as often the RAW image is softer and has less sharpness.

Here is a page to look over,

RAW vs. JPEG
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/raw-vs-jpeg
russca
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Re: DSLR like cameras

Post by russca »

Thanks for the link. I am seriously considering purchasing 2 Fujifilm Finepix S200EXRs for my diy scanner. A single raw file is 24 mb. It has a Raw + JPEG shooting option. So, I'll need at least 32 gb SDHC card class 6 or 10. Processing raw files won't be a problem as I already have Adobe CS3 Suite. I don't know yet if it's possible to use gphoto to control 2 cameras.

Here is gphoto in action:




ibr4him
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Re: DSLR like cameras

Post by ibr4him »

I made the mistake of buying a "DSLR-Like" camera (Canon G12), while the picture quality is indeed DSLR-Like but thats not everything.

DSLRs are more convenient for this purpose (book scanning), you don't need to remove the base plate for changing batteries or downloading pics, but more importantly, you can do tethered shooting, live preview (on a PC) and build all sorts of cool customs apps using the Canon SDK. Therefore, I purchased 2 Canon 550Ds and I'm really satisfied now!
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