CaptainWes wrote:Is the Schneider better than the Zeiss? Which heavyweight of lens awesomeness is better?

radi0j0hn wrote:They are all licensed designs made in China, so a better question is "How good is the company that actually made they lens?"

Zeiss lenses are manufactured in Germany and Japan.

spock1104 wrote:Actually, that's their preview. Here's the review (this is the same, sans GPS).

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q210grouptravelzoom/page11.asp

Great comparison between compact super zooms. Conclusion was that this has the most versatile lens out there right now. Great in daylight, OK with flash.

Did you make it past the DPreview to the owner's opinions?

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=samsung_hz30w

It looks like this may be a camera with great specs that falls flat in the real world. Or possibly there were some quality control issues, which explains them being offered via refurb.

phearce wrote:Did you make it past the DPreview to the owner's opinions?

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=samsung_hz30w

All 3 of them?

jmbunkin wrote:Can you tell me if you bought this camera in the store or on line at Costco? I can't find it on their website.

I got it in store. Their website and in store merch does not match at all. I know this because there was a great Fuji camera I initially saw online that was not in the store.

One important thing to note: the default image quality setting on my 35W was set to fine not super fine. This may have been overlooked by some users.

mechno wrote:Lack of an optical viewfinder takes this one out of the running for me.

Yeah, I'd like an optical viewfinder, but they're getting hard to find on these compact less expensive cameras.

Here's an interesting forum: Lens quality of Schneider Kreuznach for Samsung ???

How well could a camera like this take Macro shots? I use(d) my point-and-shoot a lot, and want something newer, better, and less broken, but I take Macro shots like 80% of the time. Its so frustrating to have to fight the camera's autofocus for 5 minutes just to get a single decent picture.

thecracker1337 wrote:What is the delay between pictured?
I know that it depends on a lot of factors(memory card speed, image size, etc.) but an average would be helpful.

i just don;t want to have to wait a second between shots for action pictures.

Also, would anyone know the delay between the button press and picture taken?

On some of the older digitals I've delt with you have to try to time the shot because of this delay, which I would like to avoid.

Thanks in advance :-)

Edit: I guess the proper question would be:
How are the single shot and shot-to-shot shutter lag?

I couldn't find the exact specs, but I came across several reviews that complained about shutter lag. Perhaps that's why I couldn't find the specs...

For example, this spec page has a line for "lag/cycle times," but it's blank.

I would conclude that it's slow (generally point-and-shoots are, but it would still be nice to have the specs to compare).

luciferous wrote:dpreview review:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/1001/10011903hz35whz30w.asp

Take it wiwth a grain if salt - it's not a review, it's a copy of the Samsung press release

royale b wrote:Yes, it's a shame that this new arrangement has forced you to live by the laws of the land in which you choose to live. Tragic, really.

Yes but who gets the tax? That is the tragedy b/c your local city/state does not get the tax benefit. Cross border has been tax free before but when the internet took off, states started salivating.

XxquesterxX wrote:Fixed the link above....

Another link with the specs...
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Samsung/samsung_hz30w.asp

When looking for camera reviews, specs and opinions I always visit DP review.

To some of the things stated above...

About the view finder:
This isn't that type of camera. It's a point and shoot. smaller and more compact than most with a view finder. It's designed to be put in a pocket or purse and taken along.

Is it better than Zeiss optics:
No, there aren't many things that are up to the quality / standards of Zeiss. Just below or equal to Zeiss optics I would put Leica.

That being said, Schneider makes fair optics. After all this (even at the new price) is a mid priced & mid sized camera. It's a fair lens for this price.

It's not overly large so that is why it is f3.2 at 24mm. It is a little surprising it only goes to f5.8

Seems to be an average camera that most point and shoot folks would get good use from. The price seems about what it should be for a refurb.

That's not a "viewfinder" but a screen. In camera terms you look through a viewfinder to see an accurate view of what the lens sees. When I look at this camera I see a video screen, nothing more. Your comments on lens grades and qualities has to be taken with a grain of salt. It depends on the year, type of lens, where it was manufactured and alot more. All Zeiss, Schneider, Leica, Nikkor and some Canon and Pentax lenses are excellent. You can't generalize this, you have to be specific on the lens.

Thanks for the TAXSUCKS hint, that saved me a fin. Would anyone know if that always works? Also thanks for the info regarding the HDMI mini cable, just purchased one for less than 3 bucks.

During the recent Woot off, I picked up PaintShopPro, and was hoping they'd have a camera to go with it. I was almost going to buy a Canon at twice this price, but held off an extra day, and imagine my surprise at what showed up on Woot today!

This deal was tempting but the problem for me (and possibly other users) is that the battery is proprietary. I switch between regular shots and video and that usually sucks the battery life quickly.
If this camera allowed conventional AA batteries, I'd pull the trigger on it.

Do any digital cameras, that aren't a DSLR, come with viewfinders anymore?

Was on the border here; I've been needing a new mid-range compact camera for a while now, and this seemed like a pretty good deal even refurb. While the geotagging on the HZ35W would have been nice, it's not a feature I really need so I'm in for one. The 15X optical zoom was a big feature.

mothersnakes wrote:Do any digital cameras, that aren't a DSLR, come with viewfinders anymore?

I've haven't seen more than 1 or 2 that do. They're few and far between. It's a shame for people that prefer them.

Just missed it! UGH!!!!!!! :C

pjheinz83 wrote:I've haven't seen more than 1 or 2 that do. They're few and far between. It's a shame for people that prefer them.

There are a few, and the viewfinders aren't though-the lens. Here's a forum about some that isn't too old: Digital cameras: Optical Viewfinder on Point-and-shoot digital cameras

Should I use the LCD or Viewfinder on my Digital Camera?

Thanks Woot! Just got my order in before the sell out. My wife will thank you on her birthday.

Decent low light performance for a point&shot at this price level.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jupiterssj4/with/4855925156/

zzax wrote:I got it in store. Their website and in store merch does not match at all. I know this because there was a great Fuji camera I initially saw online that was not in the store.

Thanks. May check the store then. I know the Fuji camera your are talking about I think it had a 30x optical and sold out on line.

Darn! Didn't see this until sold out...definitely would've grabbed this up for those instances when needing a zoom!

did i just get a quality post? wooo! i didnt even know what that was until now haha.

mechno wrote:Lack of an optical viewfinder takes this one out of the running for me.

+1 I really don't understand not having one if you plan on taking any serious pictures!

Thanks to MichaelSF for your post. I just got home today and was very disappointed I missed this Woot, as I am in the market to replace my broken digicam. I, too, am a serious amateur and also want a camera that is smart enough for me to point and shoot without me having to do anything at all and still get a great photo. After reading your post, I feel so much better about missing out on it, although the cameras I'm currently eyeing are more than double that price. I only replace my camera when I have to, so I don't mind spending a little more for quality even if it hurts the pocketbook at the time. FYI, the ones I'm looking at are the Sony DSC-HX5V (wide angle, panorama feature) and Canon Powershot SD4500 Elph (Canon brand, 1080p video, but not wide angle). I also considered a Panasonic and Fuji. No one makes the perfect camera for what I want. It's frustrating.

Can anybody recommend a substitute for this camera for those who missed it? Or somewhere where it's almost as cheap?

I'll go ahead and add myself to the list of people who're sorry they missed it. I'm looking for something between a crappy point and shoot yet not as expensive as a dslr.

Suffering succotash I wanted this!!!!!!!

Frustrated I missed this, anyone have any leads on something similar for close to the same price?
Thanks!

Another source for this refurbished (not as nice a price, of course).

XxquesterxX wrote:

It's not overly large so that is why it is f3.2 at 24mm. It is a little surprising it only goes to f5.8

The aperture range listed is the minimum aperture across the zoom. At full wide, you'll get the 3.2. At full zoom, the largest aperture you can use is 5.8. That's not the max the camera has overall...

efreet69 wrote:In for one.

Uhm... When did Woot start charging tax?! Is this Amazon's evil doing?!

They have always charged tax when shipped to a TX address (including tax on the shipping)...looks like the Amazon acquisition has added a few other states.

zzax wrote:I won't pretend to be anything near a camera expert. However, after a little research I bought this camera from Costco a few weeks ago. We have been extremely happy with it so far, I have taken some amazing pictures. We got ours for $160ish, but with a memory card. It really did seem like on of the better sub $200 cameras on the market. Again, I am not an expert, but we have gotten our moneys worth out of it.

Damn, I'm jealous. I bought this camera at Costco 3 weeks ago for 199.99 with a 2GB card and leather case. Did you get the case as well? Either way, I think I got a great buy considering the price on this camera without the card and case is higher. I have been happy with it so far as well, seems to take great shots. Still trying to learn the best settings to use in which types of light, but that will come in time :-)

msradell wrote:+1 I really don't understand not having one if you plan on taking any serious pictures!

Most Point and Shoot type cameras with an optical viewfinder don't actually view through the lens, so what you see through the optical viewfinder would actually NOT be the correct framing for the picture (i.e. what you see through the view finder would probably be cropped slightly)So really, if you're planning on taking serious pictures with a point and shoot and it DID have an optical view finder, you probably wouldn't want to use it.

My favorite point and shoot camera of all time was the samsung digimax L.85 8 megapixel camera I got from Woot several years ago, This is until my son dropped it. This has many of the same options only better. I'm glad I was up late last night so I had a chance to jump on this before it sold out.

Michiganian08 wrote:Samsung's dual stablization which just might do the trick.

"Dual stabilization" is a marketing gimmick. The optical IS is what's important. Turning up the ISO to lower the shutter speeds in good lighting is only going to reduce image quality.

Michiganian08 wrote:Samsung is no Canon or Nikon when it comes to pro gear

I see you've never used a GX

XxquesterxX wrote:
Is it better than Zeiss optics:
No, there aren't many things that are up to the quality / standards of Zeiss. Just below or equal to Zeiss optics I would put Leica.

That being said, Schneider makes fair optics. After all this (even at the new price)

It's not overly large so that is why it is f3.2 at 24mm. It is a little surprising it only goes to f5.8

The Summicron-50mm is after nearly a century still called by many the best 50mm ever. Zeiss makes excellent glass, and so does Schneider, but objectively it rarely if ever outperforms Leica. Thank god for the huge FFD on R-mount glass.

It's moot, anyway, since this lens was not manufactured by Schneider. It was done under license. Cybershot lenses are manufactured by Cosina, and the VLUX/CLUX/Lumix lenses by Panasonic.

The aperture is 5.8 at the tele end because it is a factor of the focal length. An f/2.8 at that length would require the lens to be triple, if not, quadruple the size.

spacemart wrote:those pics should be crisper... I think I'll pass

With the amount of diffraction you typically on a superzoom lens, this camera's clarity actually amazes me. If you absolutely need that level of sharpness, stick with a prime lens camera.

NightGhost wrote:
But what do you mean by "marketing under license"? You are implying that these companies are allowing their names to but put on some other companies' lenses, and that's just contrary to fact.

It's exactly what's happening. Schneider's consumer level lenses are manufactured under license by Pentax, with theoretical design and oversight done by Schneider-Kreuznach. In all honesty, I believe they are just straight Pentax rebrands with the name bought. Leica sells designs to Panasonic, and Zeiss to Sony.

pjheinz83 wrote:I've haven't seen more than 1 or 2 that do. They're few and far between. It's a shame for people that prefer them.

An OVF is nigh-worthless for framing on a zoom lens, as anyone using the a default VF on a rangefinder can tell you with a 135mm attached. You get parallax problems at the close end, on top of that.

All that being said, this is very good for a superzoom. It minimizes the softness and has a very robust feature set.

davetar wrote:I spent so much money on the wootoff! But I want this camera so bad! and payday is another week away...*sigh*

I'm still kind of new...what exactly is a wootoff??

nthomasrn wrote:I'm still kind of new...what exactly is a wootoff??

New deals every few minutes.
http://www.woot.com/Forums/Default.aspx

brucedoesbms wrote:Actually, it depends on the amount of available lux, or light... the EI (exposure index) is the primary indicator of shutter speed -- so, the higher the EI, the faster the shutter speed... you can hand-hold a camera down to approximately 1/30 sec. without a tripod... and then there is also your "anti=shake" settings on the camera itself...

Not to burst your bubble, but the longer the focal length, the harder it is to get a clear shot. This is due to the fact that any incremental movement in the camera causes a greater movement in a tele-shot as opposed to a wide shot. You can hand-hold wide shots up to 1/10s, but anything around or over 200mm will need 1/60 or higher, which is difficult to achieve with a "slow" zoom (which I'm assuming this is)

I bought this exact camera a couple weeks ago from Costco for $199 and I love it.