Anyone have experience with this camera

[upnorth]

I'm possibly looking for a new digital camera that will be capable of decent action shots at airshows and be generally flexible to other types of photography.

I have a Fuji finepix camera which is good for point and shoot holiday snapshots and such but its optical zoom is only 3x and its not very good at capturing action reliably (no image stabilizer).

I'm not in the market for a professional DSLR unit, so I thought this might be a good compromise, the price is certainly attractive for the features listed and I've never had bad experience with Canon products:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A720IS/A720ISA.HTM

If any of you have one, or know of someone who has one and have tried to shoot aircraft in flight in airshow conditions, I'd love to have your feedback about how good it is for the purpose.

I don't need real high professional grade close up shots, but I would like good clear shots that show something better than a distant black, blurry shape. Will this unit give me that?

Thanks in advance

[zeke]

Hey there upnorth...not a chance!

At 6x zoom you're still only getting the equivalent of a 210mm lens, so it's going to be better than your old one, but still not great.

If you want to stay in the Fuji range how about the S800fd, which has 18x zoom....much better, but more £££.

Edited May 31, 2008 by zeke

[PHREAK]

Zeke is right, the Canon 720IS will be next to useless for the airshow circuit as the lens is just not 'long' enough and a/c will still be dots in the sky.

The next level up is the 'bridge camera' such as the Fuji in Zeke's post, which will give the magnification needed but....there's always one!...it is not a DSLR and so you'll be viewing the subject via a small electronic viewfinder (effectively a mini TV) and so the resolution will not show a sharp image. #

I tried one at RIAT a few years ago and found it frustrating as I couldn't see the B2 approaching until it was practically in my face! The EVF was just not sharp enough.

The other slight disadvantage is that the image that you are looking at in the EVF is transmitted to your eye...the speed at which it is transmitted does create a slight delay which can be critical when photographing a/c at high speed.

Ultimately, bridge cameras can be recommended but with reservations. In the ideal world, you will be better off with an entry level DSLR.......depends on your budget!

Rich R