Quantcast

which camera of these two is better?

binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,162
1,261
NC
I really like those W55s. I think that was a good little pocket camera series for Sony. A little slow to focus in low light, but most budget cameras are. The picture quality was very good and the colors very neutral.
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,162
1,261
NC
Of course I know about it. I just think boycotting Sony as a manufacturer is a little silly.
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
binary visions said:
Of course I know about it. I just think boycotting Sony as a manufacturer is a little silly.
Click to expand...
Their hardware is also fond of dumping bloat/spyware onto your computer. My GF had a Sony Mp3 player once. Getting rid of the Sony infestation on her computer was like gutting a really ****ing big pumpkin.

I avoid their hardware like the plague.
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,162
1,261
NC
SkaredShtles said:
How about boycotting Sony because most of their hardware is crap? :monkey:
Click to expand...
Actually, Sony cameras are very good.

Quo Fan said:
I'd say go with the Nikon, because they know a thing or two about taking pictures. I've never owned a camera made by someone who doesn't know a thing or two about taking pictures.
Click to expand...
I've always cringed at this logic. Sony has made some of the most stellar, market leading cameras available. It's not just a camera anymore, it's a piece of electronics. Sony knows electronics. And they bought most of their optical designs from someone who knows lenses: Carl Zeiss.

RE: the memory stick thing, well, a 2gb memory stick can be had for under $20 on sale, and who buying a compact pocket camera will need more than a 2gb stick? The pipelines in the consumer cameras are so slow that the memory stick speed is virtually irrelevant. I don't know where you're getting information about them being slow from, but I believe the fastest memory sticks outrun the fastest SD cards. edit: SanDisk's website confirms that their fastest SD cards are not as fast as their fastest MemoryStick Pro Duo cards.

For the consumer market, making buying decisions based on memory format is almost silly.

Just dispelling some myths...
 
Da Peach

Da Peach

Outwitted by a rodent
Jul 2, 2002
13,780
5,217
North Van
curious about memory sticks...I got a cheap 2GB SD card and my FPS on my SD750 seems slower than it was on my SD200.

Could the problem be the SD card?

Get the Sony.
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,162
1,261
NC
Da Peach said:
curious about memory sticks...I got a cheap 2GB SD card and my FPS on my SD750 seems slower than it was on my SD200.

Could the problem be the SD card?
Click to expand...
Doubtful, probably just the image processing pipeline.

DPReview notes the SD700 as being 1.4 seconds shot-to-shot. Steves Digicams has the SD200 as being 1.2 seconds. Sounds like your impression is right on the money. Of course, it's processing twice as many megapixels in the same amount of time, so... Tradeoffs.
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,162
1,261
NC
blue said:
Their hardware is also fond of dumping bloat/spyware onto your computer. My GF had a Sony Mp3 player once. Getting rid of the Sony infestation on her computer was like gutting a really ****ing big pumpkin.
Click to expand...
You mean, like iTunes? :p

Yeah, for a little while Sony's MP3 players would only play in their own music format.

They've certainly done some questionable things but the digicam market is a place where Sony's products at the high end are often the best or among the best available, and at the low end are often excellent deals regarding their price to performance ratio. I have a tough time looking at an item that's technically superior to anything else around and dismissing it based on what the same company's MP3 players are like.
 
LordOpie

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
It's not just about boycotting, it's about not trusting them at all.

Would you buy a car from a dealer that screwed you? What if the car you wanted was a great deal and in great condition?

Buying Sony is like hooking up with your ex... you know you'll get a virus, but which one?
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,162
1,261
NC
If the car was new, had a warranty and you knew the price was as good or better than anywhere else, why wouldn't you? You're not buying a used item that may or may not crap out on you. It's brand new with a warranty. If the software is the worry, well, it's a camera. You don't have to install a freakin' thing. Plug it into your computer and it'll pop up as a removable drive. Bring your own image editor.
 
LordOpie

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
binary visions said:
If the software is the worry, well, it's a camera. You don't have to install a freakin' thing.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes:
Dude, this is not about you, it's about educating someone else about the very real possibility that their software contains spyware. How is Alexis supposed to know this if no one tells him?

And someday soon, Sony will figure out how to download software even from a generic USB device.

Go head post me down. You win.
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
binary visions said:
If the car was new, had a warranty and you knew the price was as good or better than anywhere else, why wouldn't you? You're not buying a used item that may or may not crap out on you. It's brand new with a warranty. If the software is the worry, well, it's a camera. You don't have to install a freakin' thing. Plug it into your computer and it'll pop up as a removable drive. Bring your own image editor.
Click to expand...
You know 80% of people out there are going to use the software that came with their camera to download and edit the pictures they take. What you said is irrelevant. In the consumer realm, what software comes packaged with the hardware matters, and in Sony's case, it's always a steaming pile of ****.

Sony is evil. I don't like evil. Fvck 'em. Case closed.
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,162
1,261
NC
No need to act all hurt, LO.

It's not about me at all. I'm stating that if software is what you're worried about, then you don't have to install it.

Of course, this is laying aside the fact that the rootkit debacle happened two years ago and all software for the camera in question has been out and widely installed for some time now, with no repercussions. Sony software is getting examined with a magnifying glass now, I'd be surprised if they could sneak in a one time usage statistic collector without someone calling foul.
 
binary visions

binary visions

The voice of reason
Jun 13, 2002
22,162
1,261
NC
Okay, blue, if you'd like to get up in arms about the software, would you like to let me know what software the W55, or virtually any Sony camera that I've ever seen, comes with?

It comes with drivers for the camera so the computer will recognize it as a mass storage device. It also comes with a very simple image browser with a few basic tools that is low profile, unintrusive and pretty decent for bundled software.

I'm not handing down a blanket recommendation of all Sony products manufactured from now until eternity. He asked which camera to pick. The W55 is the better camera. Your response is that Sony is evil. That's fine, but it doesn't change the fact that the W55 is a better camera with nothing, not even software, standing in the way of that recommendation. Sony may be evil but apparently they decided to avoid imbuing this particular camera with Satan's essence.
 
LordOpie

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
*yawn*

point ............................................................ comprehension

have a nice day.
 
Kornphlake

Kornphlake

Turbo Monkey
Oct 8, 2002
2,632
1
Portland, OR
Sony makes some nice stuff, generally the nice stuff falls in the low end consumer market and generally it costs a little more than the other low end consumer stuff. If you're looking for something besides low end consumer stuff you can in most cases do better. Do your own research and decide for yourself what is best, you'll get a dozen different opinions that don't even address your questions if you ask here.
 
H8R

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
If I was taking a picture of a Sony camera, I'd use a Nikon.

If I was taking a picture of a Nikon camera, I'd use a Panasonic.

If I was installing software that came with a camera on my computer, I'd stop.
 
Transcend

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
deadatbirth said:
i was checking those out before i bought my 40D Canon....i mean how good can a f-ing $34k camera be? we make a $30k Pro camcorder but thats w/ a expensive microwave transmitter.
has anyone seen the quality of a hasselblad print?
Click to expand...
That's like saying how good can a medium format or large format camera be, 35mm is great.
 
Transcend

Transcend

My Nuts Are Flat
Apr 18, 2002
18,040
3
Towing the party line.
deadatbirth said:
no you are right, but is it that much better than say a 1Ds Mk3?
Click to expand...
It creates a massively detailed, high resolution file. The only other way to obtain something along these lines is to shoot medium format film, process and drum scan. Even then, it won't look as good and it will take a week or 2 vs instantaneous. You can also get a digital back, which will cost as much as the entire digital MF body.

So if you need to shoot ridiculously high definition stills, then yes, it is that much better.

It is also slow, file sizes are huge and it costs a fortune. It's like saying Sure, I can use the handle of a ratchet to pound in a nail, but a hammer will work better. It's all about right tool for the job.
 
narlus

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
65
behind the viewfinder
deadatbirth said:
i was checking those out before i bought my 40D Canon....i mean how good can a f-ing $34k camera be? we make a $30k Pro camcorder but thats w/ a expensive microwave transmitter.
has anyone seen the quality of a hasselblad print?
Click to expand...
a friend of mine uses one. he gets regular gigs shooting for Esquire, Business Week, USA Today and commercial jobs. he's had shots on billboards and glossy mags.

it's a tool, and he uses it as such.

and yes, i've seen prints off that camera. which reminds, i should be getting his xmas card soon. they are always fun.



i have a sigma 15mm fisheye...it works so much better on a full-frame camera body. if you want to see what it looks like, check my site for shots in these folders:

hold steady
boris
charalambides
grails
om
 
H8R

H8R

Cranky Pants
Nov 10, 2004
13,959
35
Transcend said:
Canon 15mm Fish on a 1.3 crop Mk2.

Click to expand...
Hard strobe from camera right....about 10-20 feet up the trail?


(Sorry...I'm doing that Strobist de-construct thing on almost every picture I see these days.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom