Fujifilm F30 vs Casio EX-Z850

I have been researching the purchase of a digital camera for my wife's
birthday in May and have come down to these two. I am sure there are others
to consider also.

I was set on the Casio until I saw some pics taken with the F30 showing the
benefits of the higher ISO. I don't know if that feature is hype and the
Casio can do the same or if the Fujifilm actually has an advantage.

My wife wants a camera to carry with her to use as the opportunity arises.
Indoor pictures will be frequent so poor lighting capabilities are a big
plus. I like the scene modes of the Casio but wonder if that is just a
gimmick that would be cool to play with at first and then go unused later.
For myself, I would like the camera to have manual features that I can
learn to use.

Any suggestions one way or another? Any other camera's that I might
consider in this class and price range.


Michael

In article ,
Michael Stroh wrote:

I have been researching the purchase of a digital camera for my wife's
birthday in May and have come down to these two. I am sure there are others
to consider also.

The Z850 is just out, and the movie mode has nasty jaggies (which may or
may not be fixed in an update); the Z750 is a safer bet.

The F30 isn't released yet, and it sounds promising, but you could buy
an F11 now, which has a similar sensor and seems to be well liked.

I was set on the Casio until I saw some pics taken with the F30 showing the
benefits of the higher ISO. I don't know if that feature is hype and the
Casio can do the same or if the Fujifilm actually has an advantage.

It is not hype. According to all I've read, the Fuji sensor is larger
and does significantly better in low light than all other compact camera
sensors. The F30's sensor is claimed to be a bit better than the one in
the F11, but the jury is definitely out on that one. None of these
compares to the sensors in DSLRs, unfortunately. (I wish I could get a
faster lens and a DSLR sensor in a semi-compact camera).

Any suggestions one way or another? Any other camera's that I might
consider in this class and price range.

Fuji F11, Canon S80 (nice 28mm wide angle; not sure how good in low
light), Fuji 900E (maybe too expensive), Canon A610 or A620. I suspect
you'll get better image quality from the Canons.

-- Russell