Monday, June 16, 2014

Photography and camera help?




hdfyg


I want to get in to photography for a hobby and I need to buy a camera. What type of camera should I buy( I want one that is good for most pictures) ? A good price range would be 300-650 . Thanks !


Answer
300 - 650 WHAT? Pound or Euro or Dollar (which one?) or Baht or Francs?
There are hundreds of currencies in the world..... and boy, do they vary!
It sure would help if you told us which currency you are speaking about.

"Which one is a good camera to buy?" gets asked many times every single day here on YA.
A quick search would have given you thousands of instant replies (without having to wait for answers), but once again here is my 10 cents on the subject:

I don't really like to give recommendations for particular cameras because there are too many choices and too many variables in what people are looking for. I find it much more useful to help you think this over, then make up your own mind.

Point & Shoot cameras are wonderfully handy because of their small size.
When light conditions are ideal, they even take really nice photos - all of them do.

However, they all DO have limitations - they don't do very well in low light situations (i.e. noisy photos, hard to avoid blur, etc). The little onboard flash is very harsh at close range, and doesn't reach very far.
Many of them have no manual functions, so you are limited to only very basic photos, you can't compensate for unusual situations, or do many fun "tricks" and special effects.
P&S's also suffer from frustrating shutterlag and many of them chew through batteries rather quickly.

If you're ok with all those limitations, then go ahead and pick one, most of them (the same type and same price range) are rather similar. Personally I would pick either a Canon, Nikon (but not the L range), Sony, Panasonic etc, and would certainly stay away from Kodak , Vivitar and GE.

A higher end P&S will give you more manual options and better quality. Many of those even give you the option of adding a proper flash (which makes a big difference to your flash photos).

Don't worry too much about megapixels - all modern cameras have plenty enough, plus there is a limit to how many pixels you can squash into a tiny P&S sensor before you actually LOSE quality rather than gain it. 6 megapixels is about the upper limit for those little sensors.
Don't worry about digital zoom, in fact, don't EVER use it. It simply crops away pixels, i.e. destroys information. The only real zoom is optical.

Some people ask for a camera that "doesn't take blurry photos". Blur is the photographer's problem, NOT the camera's. Even the most expensive camera will take blurry photos if the person behind it doesn't know what they're doing.

Some words about special effect features such as color accent, or even just b/w or sepia:
About applying any sort of effect in camera: DON'T DO IT !
Imagine if you just happen to take the best photo you ever took - surely you would want to have it in all its glory, right?
Always set your camera to biggest size, best quality (and to color).
That way, you start with the best possible photo as your original.
Then you make a copy and edit it to your heart's content.
You have much better control over any editing on your computer, even something as simple as b&w will look MUCH better when it was processed properly instead of in camera.
You can do all sorts of things to it PLUS you get to keep your original.

Decide which features are important to you, and look for cameras that have that feature.
Then go compare a few models on www.dpreview.com .

The very best thing you can do for your success is to borrow some books and learn about photography. A bit of knowledge will make a much bigger difference to your photos than your choice of P&S camera can.

You might want to check out the Canon Powershot G1X http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_g1_x#BrochuresAndManuals, although most people would probably prefer a Canon Powershot SX50 HS http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_sx50_hs because of the bigger zoom.
I don't always want to carry around all those kilos of DSLR gear, so I recently bought a Sony RX100 MkII and I love it!

If tiny size is attractive and important in your opinion (but you still want a camera that gives you some decent options), I'd suggest looking at cameras like the Canon Powershot SX210IS or perhaps the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10. However, do keep in mind that small cameras have tiny sensors and tiny lenses, so don't ever expect miracles from any of them.

What is a good quality camera that isn't too expensive?




Wishful Th


I've been wanting to get a new camera and since I'm planning to go to Puerto Rico soon, I really need to make sure I have one soon. Right now, I just use the camera on my phone, which isn't a bad camera. It actually takes some pretty good pictures. However, I don't want to wear down the battery of my phone with tons of pictures. And the camera I did have, was a cheaper one (was a gift) and it's been knocked around so many times, I doubt it works anymore.

What I need is something good. A good quality camera. Something that I can take shots at night as well would be nice. I'll be taking lots of pictures of nature, sunrises/sets, people, etc so I need something that can handle all of that. Also durable since I tend to drop... everything. If it's waterproof, that would be awesome. And ablity to upload pictures on my computer and/or print as well would be awesome too. ^_^

I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I don't want something cheap that falls apart the moment you look at it. And I don't want something too big and clunky because I don't want to carry around a bunch of stuff either.

I have a couple months before I go to Puerto Rico, so I do have time to save up and look around. I want to know what's good, what's a good deal and what's good quality. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, what you think I should get, and so on. Anything and everything. If you could, please include prices and/or pictures/links to the camera so I can see it as well and know how much to save up. Thanks much in advance!



Answer
I've sold cameras at a couple of different places, and I know that choosing a camera is a pretty personal thing. Its not just because of marketing that there are some many cameras out there!

Start by setting a price range to narrow down your search. Remember, electronics don't really have resell value, so spending more than you need will never pay off. On the other hand, getting a camera that falls short (or falls apart) means you'll want a new camera sooner, meaning spending more money.

Get a pad of paper out, and start listing what you haven't liked about prior camera. Look at old photos, and see what about them falls short. Look at where most of your photos were taken and think about where you spend most of your time. This will help you determine what you are going to need in a camera. - the basic features are

Megapixels - Ignore this unless you like to do a lot of after shooting editing (photoshop etc) or make lots of very large (bigger than 8x10) prints. All cameras on the market seem to be 10mp or higher.
Zoom- Look at optical zoom. 3x is the most common. ignore digital zoom, and avoid using it. It tends to mess up more photos than it helps. A good zoom is useful for photographing animals and for getting candid shots. This quickly adds to the price though.
Battery - Does it take AA batteries or Lithium ion. AA is great for long trips when you can't charge your camera. However, extra lithium batteries run for under $20 bucks (get name brand) and last longer, so I avoid AAs.
Cards - SD is usually the best bet. Most computers have a built in reader for them. This shouldn't be a deal breaker, but since most cameras use them, its nice to be able to loan your SD cards to a friend, or quickly upload your shots to someone else's computer.

You should stop by a few stores and play with the cameras. Figure out what feels good in your hand and will fit your lifestyle (ie. purse, pocket, bag etc). A high traffic Best Buy can be a great place to see what will break on your camera. Week points become apparent on display cameras pretty quickly. Pick them all up, listen for glitches, see how quickly they can shoot. If you have an SD card, sharpey your name on it, and bring it too so you can actually shoot. Play with the menu, it should feel intuitive to you to do the basics. Bring your pad of paper with you, and take lots of notes of model numbers, prices and what you liked, disliked.

Now that you have an idea of what is out there, and what you will want to do three searches for each camera. First on CNET to see a video and read the highlights of the cameras you're interested in. Next, get on Amazon and bring up each camera for CNET that you've liked. Pay attention to 'similar' cameras on CNET and Amazon to add to your list. The final search is the name of the camera and "problems" or "trouble shooting." This will give you an idea of real world issues. You can also google "sample photos from" or "sample videos" to see how they work. Flickr has a great camera finder (see link below)

After this is all done, you should have a handful of favorite cameras. Now is a good time to go to RitzCamera, or a higher end camera store, and really get to play with the camera a bit. (also check with friends to borrow their camera for a day, if you're lucky enough that they have one you're looking at). Does the camera feel sturdy or cheap? Can you hold the camera comfortably?

Take one last look online at sample videos, make sure none of the issues the camera has will be a deal breaker, and its time to buy! Make sure you get a case, and avoid the warranty (or find a comprehensive plan that covers drops, spills and being run over by a car - see it in writing before you buy! I think Ritz may still do this type of plan)

I spent the last month doing research- I'm going on vacation in May, and wanted a small fast camera that works well in low light, has a bit of zoom and was under 300. I went with the NikonS8100, and was not disappointed. Amazon sells it for $228, it can fit in a jacket pocket comfortably, has 10x zoom and start to first shot is amazingly fast. They put in a full CMOS sensor (the 'film' of a digital camera) that is the size of a DSLR (big camera)'s sensor, so it performs amazingly in low light.




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Title Post: Photography and camera help?
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