Which to buy???

[UFreefer]

I've always had canon's in the past and was thinking about picking up a A620

Well i stopped by Ritz today in the mall and played around with the coolpix 7600 and really like it. It seemed to have much better macro focusing then the canon's that i had looked at. The only downfall is that it doesnt have threads for other lenses.

I was also looking at the coolpix 7900, which has great reviews on dpreview.com but also lacks the lense threads.

What do you guys suggest?

 

[gregr]

I just took a look at all three cameras and it looks like the Canon has the edge in a few key areas. First is the lens- 35-140mm v 38-114 for the Nikons. The A620 also performs better on macros with a minimum coverage area of 21x16mm v 31x23 with the 7900. Focusing is another matter- impossible to tell about that from an on-line review... so your hands-on experience carries a lot of weight there.
Another significant difference is the lcd- the 620 has the flip and twist (love that!) and the Nikons just have your standard lcd on the back.
Probably the biggest difference though is in the controls- or lack thereof for the Nikons. They are fully automatic- no aperture and shutter speed priority for them. That may be a good thing for you if you don't want to think about that stuff, but if you want to have more creative control over your photos you'll want a camera with aperture and shutter speed priority.
Hope this helps

 

[UFreefer]

thanks alot greg, how important is it when taking tank shots to have shutter speed and aperature priority?

if i was to go with a nikon, would it be worth the extra $80-100 for the 7900 over the 7600. The only difference i really see that the 7900 has lithium batteries and adjustable ISO settings. What are your thoughts?

 

[gregr]

I have to head out in a few minutes but a quick glance at the specs shows me that the 7900 has a stronger flash, manually adjustable iso settings and a significantly better lcd. There are some other differences too but those stand out in my super quick look
How important are aperture and shutter speed priorities? It comes down to how picky you are and how much control do you want to have? If you aren't so particular about depth of field then you'll probably be happy with the 7600 but if you think you might want to learn more about photography and take a little more control- the 7900 (or A620) will suit you better.
Hth,
Greg