[DigiCam] Re: ISO for 'auto' setting in misc. cameras?

[Tom Nugent Jr]

At 9:21 PM -0800 3/17/04, ShirleyK wrote:
>I think that's typical of auto modes, including the Canon Digital
>Rebel (an SLR). I seem to recall that some of my auto modes use ISO
>400, but since the CMOS sensor is bigger, it doesn't have the noise
>of smaller CCDs.

OK.  I originally asked the question because the pictures seemed 
somewhat noisy.  And oddly, the camera is turning my baby's skin 
_extremely_ red, even though it leaves all other colors just fine.

Perhaps I'm judging the Z1 too harshly, but it seems like non-flash 
indoor photos taken with it are noisier and just not as good as those 
taken with the CP950.   I usually dislike most of the indoor close-up 
shots taken with a built-in flash, so I try to avoid using it.  But 
of course many pictures turn out dark (or noisy) since I don't have 
flood lamps all over my house.  :-)  The external flash is nice, but 
they're often so expensive, and take a while to 'recharge' before you 
can take another shot.  Does anyone have a better suggestion for 
dealing with lighting issues?  Are there any f/1.0 cameras out there? 
;-)

>By the way, what was wrong with the Coolpix pictures?

Oh, there's nothing wrong with them.  It's just that the CP950 is 
pretty ssllloowwwww.  It's a bit unreliable in starting up and 
switching modes (sometimes it thinks about whether or not it wants to 
make the change at all), isn't terribly efficient with batteries, has 
a flash that's way too close to the lens, sometimes takes a long time 
to focus, etc.  But on the other hand, after playing with the Minolta 
Z1 for a while, I've come to appreciate the rotating LCD and the 
Nikon's great color, as well as being able to make a number of 
settings changes without having to go into the menus.

I was thinking of trying the Canon Powershot A80 when I return the 
Z1.  But the Olympus C-5060 Wide zoom and the Nikon CP 5400 are 
beckoning to me, with their 28mm wide-angle.  :-)  I've realized how 
much I liked the wide-angle lens I put on the CP950, and since I'm 
taking a number of photos of the baby sitting in my lap, it's nice to 
not have to hold the camera above my head.  They're more expensive, 
but OTOH they're not much more than the A80 plus its wide-angle lens 
(which I'd probably buy).

  -- Tom