Cameras: D-750, D-745, s9200, s3200
Those I went to uni with will know my little Nikon Coolpix s1000 well, he spent 3 years with me up in Liverpool, joined us on many a night out and provided me with countless fond memories. Unfortunately, 3 years of partying has taken its toll on the little fella. He is now covered in scratches and struggles to zoom after too many knocks. He also now freezes after he takes a picture, which can only be cured by removing the battery, (probably a result of too much vodka and beer). This can only mean one thing, NEW CAMERA TIME!
I went into PC World/Currys (since they're too lazy to pick just ONE name) and viewed what was available. I picked four that took my fancy, two by Coolpix, Nikon (s3200 and s9200) and two by Olympus (D-745 and D-750), then I came home and studied their technical specifications online and compared them against each other. *Pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose* I figured I may as well share this, in case anyone else wants to read out of interest or is looking to get a new camera! I've written it with simplified jargon, just in case people need things explained! (see if you can figure out which is the most expensive and which is the cheapest from this) :)
Mega pixels (obviously important, you want a good quality image)
16 (Jointly won by s3200, s9200, and D-750)
14.5 (D-745)
ISO Range (a bigger range is more useful in different light levels, a lower number is less sensitive to light)
80 - 3200 (s3200)
160 - 2300 (s9200)
100 - 1600 (D-750)
80 - 1600 (D-745)
Image stabilisation
Lens shift (s3200, s9200), personally prefer, though it's more expensive
dual (D-750), definition varies from makers, too unreliable (personally)
digital (D-745), tries to remove shake or blur after the picture is taken
Focal length (Don't worry about this too much, but again a bigger range is more useful)
4.5 - 81mm (s9200)
4.2 - 40mm (D-750)
4.6 - 27.6mm (s3200)
4.7 - 23.5mm (D-745)
35mm Equivalent focal length (The lens angle, how much of a scene it can capture, once again a bigger range is better)
25 - 450mm (s9200)
24 - 240mm (D-750)
26 -156mm (s3200)
26 - 130mm (D-745)
Aperture (Controls how much light is let through to the sensor, the smaller the number the more light is let in, a bigger range is more useful)
f/2.8 - 6.5 (D-745, I was surprised by this)
f/3.5 - 6.5 (s3200)
f/3 - 5.7 (D-750)
3.5 - 5.9 (s9200)
Optical zoom (I've ignored digital zoom for this, it creates a noise problem in pictures)
18x (s9200)
10x (D-750)
6x (s3200)
5x (D-745)
Summary: (NB: Both the Nikon offer "Anti-reflection" screens, the Olympus don't.)
Nikon Coolpix s9200, The most expensive at £199.99
Nikon Coolpix s3200, £84.99
Jointly shared by the Olympus D-750 (£94) and Olympus D-745 (69.99)
Having compared them, my heart is set on the little Nikon Coolpix s3200, I personally feel the s9200 is too expensive, if I want higher quality images I will use my D70s. The s9200 is also substantially clunkier than the sleek s3200, I want a little camera I can fit in my pocket or a small bag.