nikon coolpix 4200/5200 or canon elph (ixus) especially macro ability

Hi -

I'm trying to decide whether to buy a compact nikon coolpix (4200 or 5200)
or a canon elph (ixus, s410, sd300 or sd500). I've read the online
reviews.

If you have one of these cameras, how do you rate its macro ability?

I assume the elphs have similar macro performance. I had a coolpix 880, it
had superb though slow focusing macro abilities.

Do you find the lack of manual control on the elph limiting? I sometimes
like to adjust the shutter speed, or use shutter priority, but rarely.

4 vs 5 mp is not a major issue; $30 or so more for 5 mp is worth it. I'm
planning on getting a DSLR (likely a canon eos20d) for high quality images
and higher zoom, the compact will be for every day usage.

The size differences are not significant, but all things being equal I
would go with the smallest camera (sd300). All the cameras are within my
price range (less than $350 online, buydig.com for canons bhphotovideo.com
for nikons).

Right now I have an Olympus C750UZ, its low light performance is subpar,
the big zoom is nice but the camera is not fast enough.

Thanks!

-- Patrick Mansfield


Patrick Mansfield

Hi,

I'm happy with the "close-up" capability of my Digital Elph S500. However, the
LCD panel is quite accurate for framing the picture, while the optical
viewfinder is not. Keep in mind that "macro" usually implies 1:2 or 1:1 size
ratio of the images, and for that you need a SLR (film?) with a so-called
macro lens.

Good luck.

Morton



Patrick Mansfield wrote:

> Hi -
>
> I'm trying to decide whether to buy a compact nikon coolpix (4200 or 5200)
> or a canon elph (ixus, s410, sd300 or sd500). I've read the online
> reviews.
>
> If you have one of these cameras, how do you rate its macro ability?
>
> I assume the elphs have similar macro performance. I had a coolpix 880, it
> had superb though slow focusing macro abilities.
>
> Do you find the lack of manual control on the elph limiting? I sometimes
> like to adjust the shutter speed, or use shutter priority, but rarely.
>
> 4 vs 5 mp is not a major issue; $30 or so more for 5 mp is worth it. I'm
> planning on getting a DSLR (likely a canon eos20d) for high quality images
> and higher zoom, the compact will be for every day usage.
>
> The size differences are not significant, but all things being equal I
> would go with the smallest camera (sd300). All the cameras are within my
> price range (less than $350 online, buydig.com for canons bhphotovideo.com
> for nikons).
>
> Right now I have an Olympus C750UZ, its low light performance is subpar,
> the big zoom is nice but the camera is not fast enough.
>
> Thanks!
>
> -- Patrick Mansfield