[sixxsix]

After many years lugging around a trusty old Mamiya C330 medium format 6x6 (hence the user name) camera and associated tripod and lenses etc, doing landscape photography in and around the Sheffield area, I decided to sacrifice some loss of quality for the flexibility of a Sony DSC H9 8 megapixel 15x optical zoom camera as I'm also keen on photographing people and places as well as landscapes and am really looking for a 'Jack of all Trades' camera but am wondering if the loss of quality, even at 8 megapixels, is a step too far.
http://www.panoramio.com/user/1027207
Opinions would be gratefully received. Thanks.

[mrmist]

Only you can judge if you think the quality is acceptable because everyone will have their own view.

Of course, if that camera doesn't reach the mark, I'm sure there are other - generally more costly - dSLRs that would come up to the mark.

[PeteM01]

You have made a very dramatic switch there, from a very high quality film system to a consumer grade digital camera. The sensor on the Sony is probably small compared to most digital SLR cameras and that has the same effect as moving from medium format to 35mm film: a distinct loss of detail and likely also dynamic range. Add to that the fixed zoom lens - high quality, no doubt, but with a wide range of focal lengths and so probably compromised throughout - and you do not have a comparable package to your Mamiya. There are some pretty small dSLRs out there if size and weight are a problem and some fine lenses, too.

Having said that, the photographer is far more important than the gadget and the Sony is a very portable camera (with IS, so the tripod is less important) so you can safely ignore everything that I have said and just take pictures!

[sixxsix]

Thanks for the advice guys.
I think I'll keep my Mamiya for the high quality landscapes that I enjoy taking as, even with 8 megapixels (and no RAW files), the Sony doesn't come anywhere near capturing the detail and resolution of a medium format camera. However it is an excellent general purpose camera that fits neatly into my glove box and with an excellent zoom range and 3 frames per second capture is great for reportage photography where you want to capture events and people by being as unobtrusive as possible. Even a dSLR with lenses that cover this zoom range would be very bulky and obtrusive.
So until the new Canon 21 megapixel dSLR becomes affordable it looks like I'll be sticking with my Mamiya for a good time yet!