re: Need Camera Recommendation

quote:

---

Also, once you get used to the camera in auto mode, which does not take long, play with shutter speeds, exposure, etc. Then start thinking about an editing program and an external hard drive to store your photos.

---

quote:

---

not married to a budget, but would like to keep it around $1K or so

---

You can spend all day reading reviews, but as a novice you'll never notice the difference between Nikon or Canon.

I recommend going to Sam's or Costco and buying whichever DSLR bundle you can afford. It'll tell you right on the box if the camera is wifi/Bluetooth enabled.

I know the Nikon D3400 comes with a great 300 mm telephoto lens.

I have the previous model, and it has a fantastic guide feature where you select the type of scene you are shooting. It sets the camera up for you and displays the settings so you can learn what you need.

(no message)

Yep, it's nice being able to put the camera to my eye and hit the shutter and take a focused photo within half a second even if the camera is asleep.

No holding down a zoom button and waiting either, just twist the zoom ring and go.

quote:

---

Not many people blow up posters. Lots of folks crop.

---

I rarely crop. I'm working on my composition, might trim a small bit off but nothing major.

quote:

---

I'll make one defense in favor for higher MP however: if you are running at a full frame

---

Key phrase. On a full frame camera the quality as well as quantity of the pixels is enough to crop and blow it up.

On a point and shoot you might have the quantity but not the quality. Easy way to tell is to zoom in to 100% in Photoshop.

Also, with small sensors and high numbers of pixels diffraction comes into play because the tiny size of the pixels starts to approach the wavelengths of light. At these pixel sizes a photon can end up at 2 different pixel sites (depending on its phase) resulting in inaccurate colors and blurry edges.

Also the resolving power of the glass itself starts to break down at such small sizes.

quote:

---

I really can't see a reason to get a P&S unless you just dislike removable lenses. You can get a decent DSLR with kit lens(es) for what you can get a P&S

---

I'm going to come across as a fanboy but here is your reason:

LINK

F2.0 max aperture
Can shoot 20 FPS in RAW (and yes, they are doing some software magic)
Can shoot 4K video
Limited lens attachments.

I use its predecessor for places where weight and volume considerations are at a premium, or it's too dusty/wet for me to prefer not carrying a DSLR.

Or if I want to get underwater shots at all.

quote:

---

Well, with hard work and practice, maybe one day--maybe--you'll be skilled enough to use a Nikon.

I keed I keed

---

I know. I was shooting this long exposure shot of a motel in Tucumcari and, a sweet little old lady from South Africa, carrying the red Nikon (forget exactly which model) walks up and asks to see how it came out. She was amazed and wanted to get the same shot. I let her use my tripod but she had no idea how to use the camera in manual, so I told her its easy, I will show her.

Holy shite, that thing was technical. I never did figure out how to get the shutter speed to go to where I needed it, I could only change the f/stop and ISO (and it was not in AV priority).

We finally gave up and I just sent her a copy of my image. I jokingly told her to go learn the camera. I told her she has a Ferrari and drives it like a Toyota.

Here is the shot

8 secs at F/10 ISO 200

Saved this thread when I saw it this weekend so I could make a proper response. I've owned a ton of different digital cameras in just about every type of form factor you can think of. From the tiny Casio Exilim EX-M1, Waterproof tough TG620/TG3, high end ultra zooms like the FZ1 and Olympus E100RS. My first dSLR was the Nikon D50 then I went through just about every DX Nikon body (D80, D5000, D90) until I got my D300. I won best in show and had a couple of my images published in the local arboretum calendar with those cameras. That little D50 with it's lowly 6mp output was more than enough resolution to print 8x10 and win awards for me.


Nikon D50 w/ Nikkor 80-200 AF-D ED


Nikon D50 w/ Nikkor 80-200 AF-D ED

After years of waiting for a D300 successor I felt the old 12mp sensor was starting to lag behind a stop or two from the newer cameras so I started testing the waters more. D7000 was a fantastic imaging device but once I got my hands on the E-M5 I was done with cameras with mirrors. If you are using a crop sensor there just isn't any good reason to need the bulk and size to fit in the old mirror assembly. For those inexperienced with the art of photography I feel they greatly benefit from having a EVF instead of a OVF. The "What you see if what you get" of viewing through the EVF is a great asset for someone learning to make adjustments on their camera. No more snapping the picture and chimping at the rear screen to make sure the exposure was correct. You keep your eye in the viewfinder dial in your exposure see how the image turns out before you snap your picture. Once the picture is snapped you get a split second preview of the final image without ever taking your eye off the camera.


OM-D E-M1 w/ Olympus 17/1.8. Image take in near complete darkness the only thing I could see through the viewfinder was the two points of bright light on the right /center of the image. Taken with "Live Bulb" where you press the shutter and the image exposes on the viewfinder as it gathers light. Once you have the exposure you want you press the button again to stop the exposure.

In the mirrorless world I've used Sony, Fuji, Panasonic, and Olympus. My preference had been for Fuji and Olympus. Bang for the Buck I just get more out of those systems than I do with the Sony. For good affordable quality glass I don't think you can beat mu43. Sony has some great glass but they are easily double the price of the mu43 equivalent. For sensor performance the only advantage the Sony gave me was a little bit more dynamic range at high ISO and more pixels. But, that slight edge in dynamic range was blown away because of the higher quality brighter glass I could get for my Olympus system and the Olympus 5 axis stabilization which I could push 2 stops more than I could get out of Sony's optical stabilization. And not all of the Sony glass was stabilized.


Sony a6000 w/ Zeiss 16-70 f/4

For about $1000 I've seen OM-D E-M1's sell for around $500 and the 12-40/2.8 sell for a little more than $500. Put those two together and you have professional quality glass that's that super sharp with great contrast wide open through all focal lengths. It's a water resistant combo so you don't have to worry about splashes or rain. You get your 10fps though I have no idea why anyone would ever use that except for paid sports photographers. Freaky good 5 axis sensor stabilization that will work with any lens you put on the camera, and since it's a mirrorless you see the stabilization effect through the viewfinder. Compared to APS-C cameras you won't be sacrificing anything except for a megapixels (Crop a 24mp APS-C sensor to mu43 size and you get... 16mp!). You will get this in a package much smaller and lighter than anything decent with a mirror.




OM-D E-M5 w/ 12-40 f2.8 ISO2500

For Fuji they were selling the X-T1 with the 35/f2 lens for $799 brand new. That's a fantastic bargain. Find a used 18-55 2.8-4. Love the output from the 16mp X-Trans sensor. I had a hard decision between the Fuji and Olympus but ended up keeping my E-M1. I still have a X100s which is my take everywhere camera.


X100s @ ISO6400

For the photography I do which is mainly friends and family and vacation type stuff and some Macro thrown in I found I didn't need or really use the capabilities of a Full Frame sensor. When it came down to size and weight I could carry my mu43 with a couple of lenses in the same size bag with as it would take me to carry one dSLR with one zoom lens and lower the overall weight too. When I had those great 4+lbs dSLR lenses they were great but they lead me to make statements like this

quote:

---

$15k in gear, and don't do much with it anymore

---

12lbs camera bags get really freaking heavy after a while. Size, weight, bulk, etc had me leaving must of my gear at home most of the time. With the smaller mirrorless bodies I almost always have a camera on me.



OM-D E-M1 w/ Rokinon 7.5 Fish Eye

Hiking around whether it be in the 114 degree heat of Utah or in sweltering 90 degree heat in Washington DC you really appreciate a light weight camera setup.