I'm trying to purchase a P&S with some over-ride facilities. I liked Pentax 928 but am not sure whether the new Pentax 928 M retains all the functions of its predecessor. (Like Multiple exposure, man. exposure compensation etc). If it does, it would be a great choice. Also, do any of the other cameras (Oly 80 wide and Canon z90w) come with as much flexibility? Any noticeable pros and cons?

Thanks in advance

Vish

-- Vish Chandramohan (vishwaskc@yahoo.com), March 07, 2001

Answers

I am a fan of the Canon Classic 120 P&S. It's one flaw is the zoom range (38-120), so I recommended the Canon Z90 to my sister. However, the Z90 feels flimsy and doesn't handle nearly as well as the 120. While I have not seen photos from the Z90, my brother-in- law reports that they are not that great. I also owned a zoom Olympus P&S for a while; it developed a light leak, which evidently is common with the Olympus cameras. Plus, the lens, focus, flash, exposure system, and handling of the Olympus were inferior to the Canon 120. I've never used the Pentax, but I doubt it handles as well as the Canon 120. I guess my point is, I can certainly understand the desire to have a zoom which begins at 28mm (that's my preference, too), but I don't think there is any P&S camera with that zoom range that can compete with the Canon 120, except perhaps the Contax TVS 3. By the way, I also have an Olympus Stylus Epic, which is reputed to have an excellent lens. That may be, but the fact is, the lens, autofocus, exposure system, flash, and handling of the Epic are also inferior to the Canon 120. Too bad Canon didn't build the 120 with a 28-90 zoom. Oh -- you may want to try the Rollei Prego 90 -- it gets good reviews, and has a 28-90 zoom. Good luck!

-- Chris Crevasse (ccrevasse@millermartin.com), March 08, 2001.

The 928M does not have the user controls of the original 928. It lack exp. compensation settings and the lens is slower. However, it does have Bulb mode and is quite compact. The zoom is smooth and very quiet compared to others. I agree with Chris that the Classic 120 has a great user interface and an excellent lens for a P&S. See more at my P&S page at: http://www.geocities.com/jpmccormac/pscam.html

-- John McCormack (jpmccormac@aol.com), March 08, 2001.