Archbob
Ancient CFC Guardian
Thanks, I'll keep that model in mind
Camera Suggestions
- Thread starter Archbob
- Start date
warpus
In pork I trust
How much experience do you have as a photographer?
The quality of the pictures you take with your camera depend not only on the hardware but also your experience, knowhow in the field, and how artistic you are. It will be "easier" to take great shots with a dslr, but if you own a point and shoot and know it inside-out, your photos will on average probably turn out better than a n00b with a $5,000 dslr
You could buy the most kickass camera and have it produce crappy photos.. or buy a $100 point and shoot and produce amazing looking shots.
I travel a lot so I have to stick to a compact point-and-shoot travel cam. The one I own now seems to be pretty damn good - it's fully customizable (ISO, aperture, etc.), has great options for a geek like me (1080p video, hdmi, stereo sound, etc.), it's tiny, and even has an advanced 'auto' setting that you can use if you get stuck (It uses an on-board processor to do post-processing "on the fly" for you)
I paid $550 after taxes, shipping ($80), extra batteries, warranty, etc. The camera itself was maybe $300 or so. I take better photos with it than my sister does with her Canon Rebel.. . That's mostly because I love to experiment and that leads to me knowing my camera fairly well.. while she's not a geek and is still focusing on the basics. I bought this thing for my Peru trip, so I don't really know it nearly as well as my last camera... yet.. so there's still a lot of exploration to be done in that regard, but I'm already very happy with the types of shots it has helped me create (see my Peru thread)
The better you know your camera, the easier it will be to take great photos with it.
Anyway, here's my camera, and here's a great site you can use to compare cameras. Helped me a TON when I was picking one out to buy.
The quality of the pictures you take with your camera depend not only on the hardware but also your experience, knowhow in the field, and how artistic you are. It will be "easier" to take great shots with a dslr, but if you own a point and shoot and know it inside-out, your photos will on average probably turn out better than a n00b with a $5,000 dslr
You could buy the most kickass camera and have it produce crappy photos.. or buy a $100 point and shoot and produce amazing looking shots.
I travel a lot so I have to stick to a compact point-and-shoot travel cam. The one I own now seems to be pretty damn good - it's fully customizable (ISO, aperture, etc.), has great options for a geek like me (1080p video, hdmi, stereo sound, etc.), it's tiny, and even has an advanced 'auto' setting that you can use if you get stuck (It uses an on-board processor to do post-processing "on the fly" for you)
I paid $550 after taxes, shipping ($80), extra batteries, warranty, etc. The camera itself was maybe $300 or so. I take better photos with it than my sister does with her Canon Rebel.. . That's mostly because I love to experiment and that leads to me knowing my camera fairly well.. while she's not a geek and is still focusing on the basics. I bought this thing for my Peru trip, so I don't really know it nearly as well as my last camera... yet.. so there's still a lot of exploration to be done in that regard, but I'm already very happy with the types of shots it has helped me create (see my Peru thread)
The better you know your camera, the easier it will be to take great photos with it.
Anyway, here's my camera, and here's a great site you can use to compare cameras. Helped me a TON when I was picking one out to buy.
warpus
In pork I trust
One guy on my Salkantay/Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu had an iPhone.. and that's all he had in terms of something to take pictures with. Most of them turned out very well!
The thing with DSLR cameras is that you can take amazing photos with them - but you need to get the settings just right for whichever lighting conditions you are in, where the sun is coming from, what time of day it is, the texture/reflectivity of the object you are photographing, etc. Want a great photo? You need to be educated on those things and get the settings just right.. That, and you need to have the right lens attached. It is meant for professional photographers and people who know what they are doing. You won't just be able to bring the camera with you and "point and shoot" and expect for all the photos to be amazing. Some will be, but if all you really want is a point and shoot, then you should just get one instead. Point and shoots allow you to just "point and shoot" because they put far less emphasis on you in terms of setting everything up in terms of ISO, aperture, the right lens, flash, etc.
hobbsyoyo
Deity
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2012
- Messages
- 26,575
Oh I don't disagree that dedicated cameras are superior and you should know how to take pictures to get consistently good ones.
But I'd like to point out though that as software improves, both dedicated cameras and phones are automating to the point where they adjust automatically to the conditions. Eventually, setting up for a good shot will be a thing of the past unless you are going for a special effect.
And as the digital technology improves, phone cameras are going to keep catching up with dedicated ones to the point that eventually the differences will be minor to the non-professional power users. In fact, we're pretty much there for the majority of users.
Phone cameras, compared to a simple $100-200 point-and-shoot from a year or two ago, are already on parity or better. However, due to simple size requirements, they will never perform as DSLRs 
To illustrate my point, here's a random shot I took with my phone:
To illustrate my point, here's a random shot I took with my phone:
Spoiler large :
hobbsyoyo
Deity
- Joined
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Phone cameras, compared to a simple $100-200 point-and-shoot from a year or two ago, are already on parity or better. However, due to simple size requirements, they will never perform as DSLRs
I wouldn't go that far. Look at the current impact of miniaturization on all aspects of phones, then continue that trend for another decade or two.
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
That is an extremely fine alternative, especially if you are looking for a far smaller form factor that takes up a lot less space. There is no doubt you can take some great photos with that camera, as your travelogue clearly shows.
It is definitely an alternative to a DSLR. But a DSLR also has numerous advantages over such a camera, especially if you want to get serious about photographic arts.
Any modern day SLR has a default "automagic" mode. There was an interesting article a number of years ago about how the press were being forced to upgrade their manual SLRs to cameras that could respond immediately. Their staff photographers were missing a lot of key photographs that were being taken by amateurs instead with far simpler cameras because they could react far faster to an incident. Their beloved manual Nikons were just not cutting it anymore for photojournalism where they must frequently react quickly.
But you are right in regard to the notion that a modern day SLR does allow you to make a lot of those decisions yourself, instead of leaving them up to the camera to make. That is really the main reason why you would get one along with the interchangeable lenses. Depth of field in particular is an aspect that is fairly simple to do with an SLR, but it is usually quite difficult to do with a point and click camera.
Not really, my P&S is over 5 years old now, and it still takes better photos than top modern phone cameras. (Though I take most photos with my phone, because of the convenience.)
Archbob
Ancient CFC Guardian
I might get a better point and shoot as well, but I've tried to adjust all the light settings on my current point and shoot and unless I'm shooting upward at a bright sky, the colors just look dull.
I can never get the level of color/detail in shots like this one:
http://www.pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?mat=&pg=5091
This is about the limit my Camera can go(remind you it was extremely foggy this day)
http://www.goodfreephotos.com/place...bluffs-and-mississippi-river/dsc00599.jpg.php
I can never get the level of color/detail in shots like this one:
http://www.pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?mat=&pg=5091
This is about the limit my Camera can go(remind you it was extremely foggy this day)
http://www.goodfreephotos.com/place...bluffs-and-mississippi-river/dsc00599.jpg.php
You might want to start here to get an idea of prices and the best ratings of point and shoots.
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCate...m_sp=CameraTab-_-VisNav-_-Camera&Order=RATING
http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCate...m_sp=CameraTab-_-VisNav-_-Camera&Order=RATING
warpus
In pork I trust
Again, I highly recommend you use snapsort.com to compare whatever camera you want to buy with a bunch of comparable competitors..
It will give you a rundown of which camera is better at what.
It will give you a rundown of which camera is better at what.
fromeast2west
Warlord
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2010
- Messages
- 112
For travel and hiking I usually pack a rugged PnS. I have an older Olympus that was OK, and I really like the current Sony w/ the panorama feature.
I love that it will shoot for days without a recharge and can be dropped / submerged / rained on, without much worry. If you're going to be running around and snapping outdoor shots it could be worth the (relative to a DSLR) very low cost.
I love that it will shoot for days without a recharge and can be dropped / submerged / rained on, without much worry. If you're going to be running around and snapping outdoor shots it could be worth the (relative to a DSLR) very low cost.
Show me some pics you took with your P&S.
Archbob
Ancient CFC Guardian
End up getting a Cannon T2i with an a 55-255 lens. Thanks all.
Formaldehyde
Both Fair And Balanced
Grats. Post some photos when you get a chance.
Also, be sure to buy a UV lens filter if you haven't already done so. It will protect the zoom lens and is easily cleaned. Just remove it for indoor shots when using a flash. Any other time, it is completely transparent and will have no negative effect on your photos.
Archbob
Ancient CFC Guardian
I just got this for the filter:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053V5MF4/ref=ox_ya_os_product
Think that will cover it.
Also learned how to correct horizons in Photoshop today. Probably need to learn more photoshopping for images. Think that should work for the 18-55mm lens and the 250mm one as well.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053V5MF4/ref=ox_ya_os_product
Think that will cover it.
Also learned how to correct horizons in Photoshop today. Probably need to learn more photoshopping for images. Think that should work for the 18-55mm lens and the 250mm one as well.
