Tony Crocker":pnw38fbs said:
The viewfinder vs. LCD issue for compact cameras is getting worse not better. That's why I spent ANOTHER $115 to have the SD800 repaired to fix the CCD that was creating all those green pics you guys loved so much. :lol: .
The 20x zoom SX10 got a good workout on the Far East trip. Its viewfinder is back and white and kind of grainy; I nearly always use the LCD screen. It's a great camera, but I doubt it will see much use for skiing.
The SX10 takes AA batteries, but it can run out of juice unexpectedly. I like the proprietary Canon batteries for the compacts. They hold a charge quite a while, like 4 days on the Inca Trail for instance. For a longer wilderness expedition, then you might want a camera using a stockpile of AA's.
Oh man, I am SO irate about the state of cheap point and shoots right now! My dog recently ate my camera (well, chewed the corner where the battery slider is to the point that it no longer works) and I started researching new cameras. The market out there for cheap point and shoots that are good for skiing and action shots is horrid.
As tony noted, there are almost NO cheap point and shoots with a view finder any more except a few Canon models. You can still buy some of last year's Sony models but I suspect even most of Canon's by 2010 will drop that view finder. Not great for capture continuous shots in which a LCD will usually "freeze" the action for a short bit. Though it seems most LCDs have improved on being seen out in the sun. Still, big thumbs down there.
Then the megapixel war has slowed continuous shooting to a crawl on cheaper point and shoots with big megapixel gains without any image quality gains, yuck. Bigger files, slower cameras, and burst modes that only work at 3MP at high ISO. Horrid.
There are some really interesting CMOS options out there right now that are upping the low light quality and promoting good continuous shooting though still a lot of notiable set backs and the Casio, the fastest of the lot, has poor photo quality.
Ultimately, I pulled my six year old Olympus Stylus 600 out of the computer part junk box to limp along until I can purchase a two year old used digital camera. Why bother buying new right now? The market sucks for the type of camera that works well for skiing action shots and new technology is starting to trickle down into the cheaper point and shoots. I am buying a two year old used camera for well under one bill to use for another year, or maybe two, until the market fixes this gapping hole in their offerings. Ack.