Camera advice - Megxon C580?

[m1spw]

Hi

I have been looking on ebay for a camera, and have come across a lot of these Megxon C580's which claim to be 10MP and 8x optical zoom, but for only £170 or so.

Heres the advert:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=97007&item=7533100104&rd=1

These seem to be too good to be true - are they just made of cheap parts, or has anyone had any experience of them? Any feedback would be great!

Cheers
m1spw

>>it also seems to be known as a Praktica 5008, or an AX581?

>> Edited by m1spw on Sunday 24th July 13:09

[_dobbo_]

It's not 10megapixel, it's 5, and can do 10mp interpolated.

This basically means the camera takes a 5mp image, and the fills in the gaps to make it 10.

other than that it looks ok as a point and shoot, but my money would go on something much smaller with all the same features.

[simpo two]

Says it's the same as a Praktica, which is a little more comforting than 'Megxon'!

'Focus Range 6.6 – 58.2mm (35mm camera : 40 – 350mm)'

There's effectively no wide-angle and you can't do anything about it. That alone would stop me buying it.

You're also stuck with 4xAA batteries, which will die quickly and cost a fortune.

Simpo says - no thanks!

>> Edited by simpo two on Sunday 24th July 15:02

[te51cle]

They're generic versions of Prakticas. Suspect you'll get what you pay for, probably not bad but not brilliant either. It does quite a long telephoto but no real wide angle, and the range of apertures looks very restricted - if not very suspect !

They're up for sale all the time and I've seen cheaper offerings of the same piece if kit.

[m1spw]

_dobbo_ said:

but my money would go on something much smaller with all the same features.

Do you mind me asking what you would go for at around that sort of price, and a relatively similar spec?

Cheers
m1spw

[simpo two]

Which bit of the spec is most important to you? Or were you attracted to that one because it looked like an expensive one for less money?

[m1spw]

Really the most important thing is the quality. I have a 3MP basic Kodak camera at the moment, but I am finding that it doesn't have quite the quality I want. I go to quite a few track days at places like Croft, so a decent zoom and maybe image stabilisation would help, and my budget would be max £250. This camera seemed very good value, and almost too good to be true with 10MP for £170. It also doesn't matter what it looks like or its size really, but smaller would be better.

hope you can help!
m1spw

[_dobbo_]

m1spw said:

_dobbo_ said: but my money would go on something much smaller with all the same features. Do you mind me asking what you would go for at around that sort of price, and a relatively similar spec? Cheers m1spw

Well you aren't really asking the right person as I sold my Ixus500 and upgraded to a DSLR.

If you are shooting track days, the most important thing is probably low shutter lag. I'm afraid I don't know much about compacts to tell you which is best for that.

For what it's worth, I loved my Ixus500, it was so small, beautifully built and took lovely images. Only problem was it didn't allow control of aperture or shutter speed, so creatively was a little limiting.

[simpo two]

m1spw said:

Really the most important thing is the quality. I have a 3MP basic Kodak camera at the moment, but I am finding that it doesn't have quite the quality I want. I go to quite a few track days at places like Croft, so a decent zoom and maybe image stabilisation would help, and my budget would be max £250. This camera seemed very good value, and almost too good to be true with 10MP for £170. It also doesn't matter what it looks like or its size really, but smaller would be better.

You really need a DSLR to do motorsport properly - a friend of mine just got a second-hand Canon D30 for about £300 inc 28-200 lens. However you want 'small' so you're already making a big compromise.

'Quality' - you want to make prints beyond the size that 3Mp will allow? Or your photos are falling short for some other reason?

Size and budget would dictate a compact, and there are hundreds out there so I can't give you a full appraisal. Panasonics are very well regarded - I don't know the price of this one but there are similar cheaper ones: www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmcfz30.asp

[m1spw]

I would like to be able to print them a bit larger, currently only possible up to 15"x12" (or something like that), and I have found that at high zoom (3x optical) the pictures lack detail. I have found this Fuji, which seems like a good deal on amazon:
www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002XNT76/ref=br_lf_li_1_2/202-9659577-7511820

I think a proper DSLR would be a bit too much for me (both price and ability), and so a high MP compact seems to be the way to go. Thanks for your advice

m1spw

[simpo two]

Fuji are decent.

One thing - you need to convert 'Y x zoom' into real numbers to undertand what you're getting. The site says 'Fujinon 4x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 32.5130mm on a 35mm camera' which is clearly a typo but I presume means 32-128mm in realspeak.

128mm is not awfully long (I would want at least 300mm), but it all depends on how close you plan to get to the action. This is the problem with non-interchangeable lenses!

[driftwood]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30018&item=7531400848&rd=1

If it's of any help to you, I bought a Minolta Dimage 7Hi recently, and the guy has three left. (see the above link) OK, it's a discontinued model and not an SLR, but it's my first steps into the digital world and takes great pictures....well, I like them anyway! Considering the price of the camera when it first came out, and what others are available, I'm happy with the £269 price tag.

[te51cle]

I don't believe it. Not only does Simpo write very similar opinions to me at exactly the same time, but I've just bought myself a Fuji E550 too ! Seems to be an excellent pocketable compact, but of purple fringing at the wide angle but otherwise OK.

The Amazon deal is very good and I used it. Picked up a genuine Fuji 512MB xD card at the same time for £31 including delivery, not bad at all. Pixmania are selling for even less but they have a delivery charge for the camera wheras Amazon don't.

[simpo two]

te51cle said:

I don't believe it. Not only does Simpo write very similar opinions to me at exactly the same time... purple fringing at the wide angle but otherwise OK.

My long lost twin! :hug:

Purple fringing is an interetsing one. With the D70 I recently took a shot of a light-coloured birdbath in full sun against a dark b/g. A purple fringe was very noticeable, even with the Nikkor 70-300ED. I think that this is a common problem of digital sensors with high contrast across sharp edges.

[beano500]

simpo two said:

Purple fringing is an interetsing one.

It's quite interesting too.

I've come to the conclusion that a combination of film lens on digital SLR is a contributory factor here. I get very noticeable fringing on highlights on water (seem to take a load of shots into the sun) and it doesn't seem to matter which lens.

[imperialism2024]

But as far as looking for a camera... what I always tell my customers is that the lens quality will matter, in most cases, more than the number of megapixels. And a good camera in the hands of someone unskilled will do no good. In reference to the Megxon camera, what kind of lens would that use? Would it be a good lens, or would it be along the lines of a Sigma lens?

[srider]

beano500 said:

simpo two said: Purple fringing is an interetsing one. It's quite interesting too. I've come to the conclusion that a combination of film lens on digital SLR is a contributory factor here. I get very noticeable fringing on highlights on water (seem to take a load of shots into the sun) and it doesn't seem to matter which lens.

It could be "blooming". Some sensors bleed charge from one photosite to the next when subjected to very high light levels. Lenses can cause it too however.