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General Category => Off the Record => Topic started by: alfred russel on November 26, 2012, 10:58:07 AM

Title: New Camera Advice
Post by: alfred russel on November 26, 2012, 10:58:07 AM
I recently went on a trip where I thought my pictures turned out okay, but then when seeing the pictures others took, realized I badly need a new camera.

I want a kick ass camera that can be operated by a noob (though taking a photography class is on my to do list), isn't too heavy, and isn't going to break my heart if/when it gets stolen.

Does anyone have any advice?
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Liep on November 26, 2012, 11:08:44 AM
http://www.dpreview.com/camerareviews/

Best advice I can give is to look around there. I've been very happy with my hybrid camera with micro four thirds lenses (compact camera with digital SLR).
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Pedrito on November 26, 2012, 01:21:10 PM
A good photography class comes way before a kick ass camera, as a means to get nice photos.
My best pics were taken with an old Olympus OM-1 and a twin-lens Rollei. The youngest of the two is 30 years old and completely manual. The oldest, well, it's *old*.

L.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: mongers on November 26, 2012, 03:54:21 PM
Quote from: Pedrito on November 26, 2012, 01:21:10 PM
A good photography class comes way before a kick ass camera, as a means to get nice photos.
My best pics were taken with an old Olympus OM-1 and a twin-lens Rollei. The youngest of the two is 30 years old and completely manual. The oldest, well, it's *old*.

L.

:hug:

Hell, it still think the best photo I've ever taken was my first frame shot on a 110 film camera.   :blush:

Loved those twin lens 6x6, I had a big old mamiya c330, found the some sheets of slide I took with it, lovely emulsion type colours and all the detail is still there unfaded after decades. 
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: katmai on November 26, 2012, 03:58:04 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on November 26, 2012, 10:58:07 AM
I recently went on a trip where I thought my pictures turned out okay, but then when seeing the pictures others took, realized I badly need a new camera.

I want a kick ass camera that can be operated by a noob (though taking a photography class is on my to do list), isn't too heavy, and isn't going to break my heart if/when it gets stolen.

Does anyone have any advice?

I got nuttin.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: mongers on November 26, 2012, 04:01:08 PM
Quote from: Liep on November 26, 2012, 11:08:44 AM
http://www.dpreview.com/camerareviews/

Best advice I can give is to look around there. I've been very happy with my hybrid camera with micro four thirds lenses (compact camera with digital SLR).

That's pretty good advice; I have a DSLR, mainly because I've a lot of nice glass lying around, and despite it being one of the lighter ones you can get, it's still a heavy thing, plus once you delve into the menus, they're pretty complex beasts to configure.

Four Thirds sensors aren't quite the size of DSLRs, but as you can see from this comparison, its a huge improvement over what are in compacts:

(https://languish.org/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2Ff%2Ff0%2FSensor_sizes_overlaid_inside.svg%2F550px-Sensor_sizes_overlaid_inside.svg.png&hash=79c8337930f757810e11aef34b310a5bb9793029)
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: katmai on November 26, 2012, 04:04:31 PM
Quote from: mongers on November 26, 2012, 04:01:08 PM
Quote from: Liep on November 26, 2012, 11:08:44 AM
http://www.dpreview.com/camerareviews/

Best advice I can give is to look around there. I've been very happy with my hybrid camera with micro four thirds lenses (compact camera with digital SLR).

That's pretty good advice; I have a DSLR, mainly because I've a lot of nice glass lying around, and despite it being one of the lighter ones you can get, it's still a heavy thing, plus once you delve into the menus, they're pretty complex beasts to configure.


:yeahright:
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: mongers on November 26, 2012, 04:07:01 PM
Quote from: katmai on November 26, 2012, 04:04:31 PM
Quote from: mongers on November 26, 2012, 04:01:08 PM
Quote from: Liep on November 26, 2012, 11:08:44 AM
http://www.dpreview.com/camerareviews/

Best advice I can give is to look around there. I've been very happy with my hybrid camera with micro four thirds lenses (compact camera with digital SLR).

That's pretty good advice; I have a DSLR, mainly because I've a lot of nice glass lying around, and despite it being one of the lighter ones you can get, it's still a heavy thing, plus once you delve into the menus, they're pretty complex beasts to configure.


:yeahright:

meaning ?
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: katmai on November 26, 2012, 04:12:27 PM
If i can do it, anyone can :P

DSLR are used with great frequency in production now a days.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: mongers on November 26, 2012, 04:20:40 PM
Quote from: katmai on November 26, 2012, 04:12:27 PM
If i can do it, anyone can :P

DSLR are used with great frequency in production now a days.

Well some of the options are pretty obscure; I was reading one of the in depth reviews the other day and the review was at a loss as to which of the two in camera sharpening processes what the best to choose.  :Embarrass:

Frankly I'd be happy with a DSLR that replicated a fairly basic SLR, just give me aperture, shutter, full manual modes along with centre/spot, iso, white balance, auto-bracketing and a manual/auto focus switch and I'd be happy as larry. 
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: alfred russel on November 26, 2012, 04:24:44 PM
Quote from: katmai on November 26, 2012, 03:58:04 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on November 26, 2012, 10:58:07 AM
I recently went on a trip where I thought my pictures turned out okay, but then when seeing the pictures others took, realized I badly need a new camera.

I want a kick ass camera that can be operated by a noob (though taking a photography class is on my to do list), isn't too heavy, and isn't going to break my heart if/when it gets stolen.

Does anyone have any advice?

I got nuttin.

Damn it, I was counting on miracle advice from you.  :P What if I deleted the part about it breaking my heart if it got lost/stolen?

I don't understand any of the acronyms in this thread.   :(
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: katmai on November 26, 2012, 04:46:14 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on November 26, 2012, 04:24:44 PM
Quote from: katmai on November 26, 2012, 03:58:04 PM
Quote from: alfred russel on November 26, 2012, 10:58:07 AM
I recently went on a trip where I thought my pictures turned out okay, but then when seeing the pictures others took, realized I badly need a new camera.

I want a kick ass camera that can be operated by a noob (though taking a photography class is on my to do list), isn't too heavy, and isn't going to break my heart if/when it gets stolen.

Does anyone have any advice?

I got nuttin.
What if I deleted the part about it breaking my heart if it got lost/stolen?


Then yes i might have some advice :P

and what is too heavy?
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: alfred russel on November 26, 2012, 05:04:57 PM
Quote from: katmai on November 26, 2012, 04:46:14 PM
Then yes i might have some advice :P

and what is too heavy?

If I was going to do some rather rigorous hiking, I wouldn't want it holding me down. Say a camera I would be willing to take on a climb of Kilamanjaro (which is my ambition that will probably never happen). 
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Pedrito on November 26, 2012, 05:10:22 PM
Briefly, but not so much:

SLR: Single lens Reflex, the good old non-compact camera: say Nikon, Canon, Olympus; Big pros: interchangeable lenses, plenty of accessories. Big cons: heavy, bulky, expensive (the glasses mainly). Film: 35 mm rolls, THE rolls everyone has shot in his life.

DSLR: the same, but instead of film, there's a sensor inside and instead of rolls, you have a sd card. Same pros and cons, the issue of sensor size is getting less and less interesting.

The new (a couple years ago-new) fad are mirrorless cameras: with a body the size and weight of a compact camera, packing a micro-4/3 sized sensor (re: image posted by Mongers), you get interchangeable lenses (way smaller than DSLR lenses), ease of use and of carry, and pretty nice quality (IF you've already had a photography class  :P)
Lately the camera seen as the best of the mirroless lot is the Sony NEX 7, but it's almost one year old. The new NEX 6 will be out in a couple of months. The Olympus OM-D EM-5 seems very good too.

Probably the best DSLR camera out now is the new Nikon D600 - full frame sensor, excellent system, movie mode, quite exorbitant price tag, and backorder list of six months.

If I were to buy a new camera these days, I'd go for the smallest, most portable I could get. I'm tired of trucking around kilos of equipment.
Next weekend I'll be in Paris and I'm planning to bring with me either my wife's Nikon compact camera, or my old twin-lens Rollei without any attachment.

L.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: katmai on November 26, 2012, 06:56:05 PM
If looking for something under $1,000 i'd suggest the
Sony A65 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta65/)
The D600 Pedrito posted is a nice camera, but inferior for me in professional respects when comes to shooting Video, i'll stick with the Canon 5d Mark II or Mark III (though they are about $1,000 more expensive than his recommended D600)
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Caliga on November 26, 2012, 07:10:08 PM
I approve of this thread.  I am in the same boat as you, AR, and I was eyeing my cousin's camera when I was in Turks and Caicos earlier this month.  He recommended a Canon PowerShot SX50 to me.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: katmai on November 26, 2012, 07:12:32 PM
It all comes down to how much control you want over the image and how much you are willing to spend :D
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Caliga on November 26, 2012, 07:25:29 PM
Well, I can tell you what I want:

* badass zoom (at least 20x optical)
* wideangle
* viewfinder
* HDR capability
* onscreen histogram
* that thing where you can use an external flash (forget what it's called)
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: mongers on November 26, 2012, 07:29:57 PM
Quote from: Caliga on November 26, 2012, 07:25:29 PM
Well, I can tell you what I want:

* badass zoom (at least 20x optical)
* wideangle
* viewfinder
* HDR capability
* onscreen histogram
* that thing where you can use an external flash (forget what it's called)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_shoe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_shoe)

Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Caliga on November 26, 2012, 08:13:59 PM
Yeah, that guy.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: alfred russel on November 26, 2012, 08:43:10 PM
Quote from: Caliga on November 26, 2012, 07:10:08 PM
I approve of this thread.  I am in the same boat as you, AR, and I was eyeing my cousin's camera when I was in Turks and Caicos earlier this month.  He recommended a Canon PowerShot SX50 to me.

I just finished the Inca Trail trip I mentioned earlier---which was awesome. I thought my photos were okay (I was using a crappy point and click Olympus camera--it is 12 mp so I thought that was decent) but then I saw some of the pictures other people on the trip were taking...we took some pictures of the same things at the same time and mine were dramatically inferior.

Katmai, the D600--if I don't care about video (I don't)--is that about as good as I can do?

Is the A65 going to be noticeably worse than the D600 in the hands of an amateur?
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Jacob on November 27, 2012, 01:59:40 AM
My wife recently bought a Sony Alpha Nex 5 and we're pretty happy with it. I think there's a newer version out.

It's pretty light, but if you want you can go to town and add fancy lenses and stuff, but it has manual controls for shutter speed, aperture, and exposure time. Honestly, though, with a digital camera 9 times out of ten you'll want to use it on automatic or using pre-sets.

Personally, I find the main things for actual results for a digital camera are:

- start up speed
- processing speed once you take a picture (buy a fast memory card, class 10 I think you want)
- quality of the low light sensors, so you don't have to mess around with a flash (because in most cases a flash makes your picture look like shit, unless you're pretty serious about how to do your lighting)
- are the pre-sets easy to use and do they actually make a difference
- how heavy is it (because lugging a heavy camera around kind of sucks, so sometimes you'll leave it at home)

Like I said, were pretty happy with the Sony Alpha Nex 5 we have. I'd suggest checking one of the related ones out (I think they're on 7 ones) and then look at comparable cameras on dpreview.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Maladict on November 27, 2012, 04:28:10 AM
I'm looking for a new camera as well. Currently torn between the Panasonic FZ-200 and entry-level Nikon DSLRs like the D3100/3200.

Panasonic: bridge camera, so no additional lenses. But the one it has looks pretty awesome: 25-600mm with an aperture of 2.8 throughout (!).

Nikon: DSLR, better sensor, the older D3100 is on offer with two kit lenses (18-55 and 55-200) for roughly the same price as the Panasonic. Not too keen on carrying all that stuff everywhere though.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: CountDeMoney on November 27, 2012, 07:31:58 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgKToPCIkNI

Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Vricklund on November 27, 2012, 07:36:19 AM
Get a second hand Canon D500-D650 or Nikon D3000-D5000. If it's used you often get a couple of different lenses too for next to nothing. It should be marginally more expensive than a compact - so you wouldn't have to worry about dropping it/someone stealing it - and take better quality pictures than you probably have aptitude for. They all have room for tinkering if you should develop an interest but also standard point-and-click capabilities. :)
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: alfred russel on December 16, 2012, 01:10:57 PM
So I think I'm going to get the A65 Katmai recommended.

Any recommendations on what I want out of lenses? The camera can come body only, 18-135mm lenses, or 18-55 lens.

My thoughts on why...I really don't know what I'm doing, so going second hand is not a good option (I won't be able to diagnose any problems from wear). I first thought D600 that Pedrito posted, but some reviews made me wary (said probably not best for a beginner), and the A65 is cheaper and I trust Katmai. I'm also assuming that this camera will be sufficient to get me through a photography class.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: katmai on December 16, 2012, 01:23:18 PM
I use primarily 16-35 & 24-70 for most everything.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: mongers on December 16, 2012, 01:51:46 PM
Quote from: katmai on December 16, 2012, 01:23:18 PM
I use primarily 16-35 & 24-70 for most everything.

Sensible man, what does that equate with in 35mm terms, 24-55 and 40-105 ?
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: katmai on December 16, 2012, 01:58:55 PM
That sounds right.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Zanza on December 16, 2012, 02:05:00 PM
As far as compact cameras go, I like Panasonic Lumix' series.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: alfred russel on December 16, 2012, 08:00:10 PM
Quote from: katmai on December 16, 2012, 01:23:18 PM
I use primarily 16-35 & 24-70 for most everything.

So...I've tried researching this, and am coming up a bit empty....

From what I read, below 35mm is wide view, and above 70mm is telescopic, with 35mm to 70mm being normal. I have no clue what the first number means. It also seems like there are lots of other factors, but I don't understand those either.

Fuck this is hard. This is the camera:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Translucent-Mirror-Digital-18-55mm/dp/B005IHAIDO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355684978&sr=8-1&keywords=a65+sony+camera

Should I just get this and then sign up for a photography class? I assume this lens is decent and would allow me to zoom and stuff?
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: katmai on December 16, 2012, 08:08:05 PM
Yeah you'll be fine with that lens :D

Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: PRC on December 16, 2012, 09:40:42 PM
I recently purchased a Pentax K30 and I have been very happy with it.  Great camera, performs very well and is highly water resistant if you're going to be doing a lot of outdoor shooting.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: mongers on December 16, 2012, 10:35:49 PM
Quote from: katmai on December 16, 2012, 08:08:05 PM
Yeah you'll be fine with that lens :D

Yeah, people sometimes get hung up on the lenses and technology and forget the photography; this guy generally used one fixed lens, get one of his books, it'll inspire you:

http://www.amazon.com/Henri-Cartier-Bresson-%C3%80-Propos-Paris/dp/0821224964/ref=sr_1_cc_3?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1355714919&sr=1-3-catcorr&keywords=cartier+bresson (http://www.amazon.com/Henri-Cartier-Bresson-%C3%80-Propos-Paris/dp/0821224964/ref=sr_1_cc_3?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1355714919&sr=1-3-catcorr&keywords=cartier+bresson)
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: alfred russel on December 16, 2012, 10:53:09 PM
Camera is ordered.

The average car purchase is less confusing than that was. Thanks for the help everyone.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: mongers on December 21, 2012, 09:37:49 PM
Found a nice piece of glass, whilst I was clearing some stuff out, a Pentax 50mm 1.7, the optics look A1; I'll try it out on the dslr this weekend, weather permitting and see if it's up to anything. 
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Scipio on December 21, 2012, 09:52:50 PM
Bought the wife a Nikon D80, an extra battery, and a 32 GB SDHC card.

She's gone fucking bonkers with it.  I introduced her to manual focusing of photographs (I grew up with my mother taking thousands of B&W photos and developing them in her own darkroom).  Digital is fucktons easier.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Warspite on December 22, 2012, 07:00:28 AM
I'm going to reiterate the idea that you should take photography classes or read a book on it.

The most expensive camera in the world cannot compensate for a lack of technique. You absolutely must know the basics of how to use light in order to take a good shot. For example, it can be as simple as taking photos of people outside with the sun in front of them - not behind them.

But the good news is that the basics of light and composition are actually quite easy to learn. Most people never bother with this step, which is why most photos aren't very good.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: mongers on December 22, 2012, 09:44:56 AM
Quote from: Warspite on December 22, 2012, 07:00:28 AM
I'm going to reiterate the idea that you should take photography classes or read a book on it.

The most expensive camera in the world cannot compensate for a lack of technique. You absolutely must know the basics of how to use light in order to take a good shot. For example, it can be as simple as taking photos of people outside with the sun in front of them - not behind them.

But the good news is that the basics of light and composition are actually quite easy to learn. Most people never bother with this step, which is why most photos aren't very good.

Indeed and I'd suggest reading/looking at the work of great photographers for inspiration.
Title: Re: New Camera Advice
Post by: Maladict on December 22, 2012, 03:41:42 PM
Got a nice deal on a Canon 650d while in Germany.
Pretty pleased with the quality of the first shots.  :)