Camera question

[trailgranny50]

After seeing all the beautiful travel pics on this forum I'm curious as to what type of cameras are being used. I used to do a lot of photography years ago and had a Canon AE1 and a bunch of lenses. That went to a grandson and now my cell phone had become my camera. Does fine but for wildlife and longer range scenery not so much. Thinking of a Panasonic Lumix DMC- FZ300 as it's more rugged, water, dust and shock resistant à week as having a pretty long lense standard issue. So?

[trailgranny50]

The 50K was what I'd considered but thinking maybe the newer 70 model. Decisions decisions.

[deserteagle56]

trailgranny50 wrote:
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you for All of the comments. Pretty much confirms my choice of the Panasonic Lumix 50 as size and weather resistance are important to me. I know the 300 has more features and such but the little 50 has more range without getting too much and loseing stability while shooting pics. When I was using the old Canon the longest lense I could afford was a 300 and that set up as heavy and not weather resistant. Was shooting for oil companies of their rigs day and night and also some school kids senior pics. Used all the adjustments and special filters to control color and exposure. As I have gotten older simplicity but still having more control than simple point and shoot is a good thing. Have forgotten so much of what was second nature, use it or lose it I suppose. Will be taking a photo course at the local Vo-tech to refresh my memory. My biggest issue has always been getting the distance shots and I think the 50 unit by Panasonic will work and with our more stringent budget it won't break our limited bank. Thanks again. It's really neat to know where the great travel shots are coming from. You guys are great helpers!

Which "Lumix 50" are you thinking about? The DMC-FZ 50 from 10 years ago with the 35-420mm lens - or the new, super compact ZS-50 with the 24-720mm? I just treated myself to the latter but am having trouble adjusting to it because it is so tiny whereas my hands are big and clumsy. But it does have a viewfinder (mandatory for me for shooting outside) and it will easily fit in a pocket so I can carry it all the time!

[bighatnohorse]

For web work, almost any point and shoot will suffice. The pocket sized Lumix, Nikon or Canon would all work.
The FZ300 would be your go-to for making prints or the self satisfaction of having a great camera.

But much has changed.
Shooting in RAW format isn't possible in the little point & shoots. And eventually one may want software for post-processing such as Lightroom, Elements, etc.

Having both a SLR and a point & shoot camera is a good option.

[tplife]

The Sony Alpha mirrorless series of cameras offer a lot - very small size, almost pocket sized. Removeable Alpha lenses, so you aren't limited to upgrade your gear. 1080 video quality. The full-frame DSLR sensor means you can actually have high-res photos, unlike most small cameras with their tiny button (and much larger than the 4/3) sensors that can't capture light outside of a bright room. They are considered the finest cameras available for travelers for these very reasons.

[trailgranny50]

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you for All of the comments. Pretty much confirms my choice of the Panasonic Lumix 50 as size and weather resistance are important to me. I know the 300 has more features and such but the little 50 has more range without getting too much and loseing stability while shooting pics. When I was using the old Canon the longest lense I could afford was a 300 and that set up as heavy and not weather resistant. Was shooting for oil companies of their rigs day and night and also some school kids senior pics. Used all the adjustments and special filters to control color and exposure. As I have gotten older simplicity but still having more control than simple point and shoot is a good thing. Have forgotten so much of what was second nature, use it or lose it I suppose. Will be taking a photo course at the local Vo-tech to refresh my memory. My biggest issue has always been getting the distance shots and I think the 50 unit by Panasonic will work and with our more stringent budget it won't break our limited bank. Thanks again. It's really neat to know where the great travel shots are coming from. You guys are great helpers!

[jimh406]

Obviously, there is nothing wrong with carrying a camera and a cellphone that is a bad camera. Here's an article that attempts a reasonable comparison of two of the phones with good cameras to a dslr although it doesn't describe all of their features of the phone or camera.http://www.phonearena.com/news/iPhone-6-Plus-vs-Galaxy-Note-4-vs-DSLR-camera-comparison-strengths-an...

Note the phones in the article aren't as good as the latest models or even the best phones with cameras, but you'll get the main comparison points.

[scbwr]

Photography is my hobby and I've been a fan of the mirrorless micro 4/3 system. I've just purchased a new body, the Olympus OM D M10. Aside from having a pretty good selection of lenses, I like the micro 4/3 system because of the smaller size and weight of the gear. And, image quality certainly meets the needs of most people.

For the average consumer, the question is whether to buy into a camera system with interchangeable lenses or to stay with a single lens camera. For those that don't want to get into multiple lenses, I think a good "superzoom" camera is the way to go. That way, you can have plenty of zoom, but you will have to carry a little bit larger camera than the real small digital cameras that are available. Before getting into the 4/3 DSLR system, and then the micro 4/3 system, I had a Panasonic FZ20 (superzoom) camera, and I captured some really nice shots with that camera, and it was really great having the ability to have such a zoom range without changing lens.

I started a photography club in our community, and the most important point that I emphasize with camera owners is to learn how to get the most out of their camera, i.e. learn how to shoot in different modes (aperture, shutter, manual, etc.) because the auto/priority mode won't always give you the best results. If you take time to understand the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO setting, you can learn how to take better pictures. And, every camera enthusist should understand the problems created by low light situations or fast action. These two situations are the reason why so many people get frustrated trying to take pics of their children/grandchildren playing sports or other activities where they are in motion.

Also, if you want to learn how to be better with a camera, there's a ton of help available on the internet. I especially like some of the videos available at adobe.com and at adorama.com.

[Rocky2]

I've used Lumix models for years. I bought the FZ70 (20-1200mm) for last summer's Alaska trip. I compared some of the pix I took on the 2007 trip with my old Lumix FZ40 and noted the mega zoom really was better. Hand holding a 1200mm is a bit much though. I still used my Iphone for snapshots but for wildlife it was a no brainer to use the Panasonic.

[coolmom42]

cmcdar wrote:
I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC- 258 that I've had for 4 years now and am quite happy with.

The only thing I would change is to get one with a more powerful zoom.

One thing to note, when I was looking for a new camera (4 years ago), I tried quite a few but did not like the coloring of their photos. A number of them seemed to have "too much of a blue tint".

Here are a couple of my recent photos:




It is not bad for a point and shoot. Next camera will likely be FZ300. I like the Lumix.

The blue tint is likely due to an incorrect setting that can be changed. For instance if you have incandescent light chosen as the setting, the camera will add some blue to compensate for the overly yellow light. If you don't change the setting in sun or shade or a cloudy day, there will be too much blue.

[DWeikert]

Most of the shots in my trip reports were taken with a Pentax Optio WP. It's only 5 megapixels but that's sufficient for web photos. It takes great pics, is compact and waterproof. I actually ran it through the washing machine once when I forgot it was in the pocket of a pair of cargo pants. Came out squeaky clean and working fine. I only wish it had either an real viewfinder or the lcd viewfinder had better visibility in full daylight.

[cmcdar]

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC- 258 that I've had for 4 years now and am quite happy with.

The only thing I would change is to get one with a more powerful zoom.

One thing to note, when I was looking for a new camera (4 years ago), I tried quite a few but did not like the coloring of their photos. A number of them seemed to have "too much of a blue tint".

Here are a couple of my recent photos:




It is not bad for a point and shoot. Next camera will likely be FZ300. I like the Lumix.

[nycsteve]

nycsteve wrote:
My 2 main camaras , an Olympus TG2, a Nikon 5300. The Olympus is waterproof to 50 feet. 20 megapixals IIRC. Very nice pics and excellent video in a compact package. it replaced an Olympus SW1030 a similar featured camara that aged out. Still use it though. The Nikon is an excellent 24 megapixel SLR. Got it in a kit from Costco for 999.00 . I think the a couple of hundred less now. 2 lenses came with , a 300mm tele and a 50 mm . More bulky than the Olympus but definitely worth the hassle in certain situations.
I like the Olympus for its size, picture quality and its weather proof housing. The pics atre very good.
As far as cell phone camaras, Im still packing a waterproof flip phone. If I want a camara I'll use one. If I want a phone, I'll use one. BTW the flip has way more battery life and connects to network where smartphones cant. And its smaller. I can live without Miley Cirus's latest tweets and twerks.

Plus the cellphone camaras use dime size plastic lenses don't they?

[nycsteve]

My 2 main camaras , an Olympus TG2, a Nikon 5300. The Olympus is waterproof to 50 feet. 20 megapixals IIRC. Very nice pics and excellent video in a compact package. it replaced an Olympus SW1030 a similar featured camara that aged out. Still use it though. The Nikon is an excellent 24 megapixel SLR. Got it in a kit from Costco for 999.00 . I think the a couple of hundred less now. 2 lenses came with , a 300mm tele and a 50 mm . More bulky than the Olympus but definitely worth the hassle in certain situations.
I like the Olympus for its size, picture quality and its weather proof housing. The pics atre very good.
As far as cell phone camaras, Im still packing a waterproof flip phone. If I want a camara I'll use one. If I want a phone, I'll use one. BTW the flip has way more battery life and connects to network where smartphones cant. And its smaller. I can live without Miley Cirus's latest tweets and twerks.

[jimh406]

I use my cellphone- Samsung Note 4 because it takes better pictures than my digital cameras, and I almost always have it.

My favorite in bad weather camera is a waterproof Pentax.