Noob help! What's the best point and shoot?
I just joined Dgrin today. I've really gotten into photography the last six months or so, but don't have a camera. I've been using my BlackBerry, which is awful. I opened a SmugMug account at the first of the year and love it. I uploaded ton of photos, most of which were on old memory sticks.
Anyway, I want a decent camera to begin talking better shots, nothing too high tech or expensive. I ride motorcycles a lot and love taking pics of the places I ride to and through. I've got three kids and enjoy taking tons of photos of them doing everything.
Recently, I've looked at the Nikon S9300 and the Nikon L810. I like the S9300, because it small enough to put in a shirt pocket etc. or a motrocycle tank bag. I would like to have anyone's opinion on starting out with good equipment and what's the best point and shoot camera.
Thank you for the help. :help
Anyway, I want a decent camera to begin talking better shots, nothing too high tech or expensive. I ride motorcycles a lot and love taking pics of the places I ride to and through. I've got three kids and enjoy taking tons of photos of them doing everything.
Recently, I've looked at the Nikon S9300 and the Nikon L810. I like the S9300, because it small enough to put in a shirt pocket etc. or a motrocycle tank bag. I would like to have anyone's opinion on starting out with good equipment and what's the best point and shoot camera.
Thank you for the help. :help
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An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Okay, thank you jmphotocraft. Knowing nothing about cameras, I always think the higher the optical zoom / digital zoom the better and the higher the megapixels the better. Is this true?
Thanks.
False and false. Lens quality and sensor size will trump zoom and pixels almost every time.
Unfortunately, asking what the "best" of anything, without qualification, will never get you the right answer. The best car in the world might be a Dodge Viper, according to certain criteria, but if you have a family of four you need to lug around, or a city commute, suddently it's not that attractive ...
So, what kind of pictures do you want to take?
Specs and Features:
*16MP EXR BSI (Back Side Illuminated) CMOS II, 1/2 inch Sensor, larger than most competing P&S cameras.
*Fujinon 15x Optical Zoom Lens.
*CMOS-shift image stabilization
*8 fps at full 16-megapixel resolution or shoot at 11 fps at 8-megapixel resolution.
*The FinePix F660EXR can freeze action at up to 320fps (320 x 112 pixels), 160fps (320 x 240 pixels), 80fps (VGA 640 x 480 pixels).
*Best Frame Capture Mode, Half-press the shutter and the FinePix F660EXR starts recording photos at 11fps at 8 megapixels resolution. When the moment happens, fully press the shutter button and the camera captures up to 16 frames including pre-recorded frames, giving you the opportunity to select the best shot.
*HR High Resolution mode for well-lit conditions, SN High Sensitivity/Low Noise mode for low light, and DR Dynamic Range mode for high-contrast scenes.
*Advanced Anti Blur. Stacks 4 images to reduce sensor noise at high-ISOs.
*Full HD Movie with Face Tracking AF. 1080p30 and it allows optical zoom during capture.
*Wide Dynamic Range 1600% Elaborating from above, this mode uses a 2 image bracketed capture, compositing the 2 images for wider dynamic range, up to a claimed 16x improvement (reality is less, but still better than most).
*3-D capability. Take 2 shots, using interocular separation (or interpupulary distance) for close subjects, or spaced further for distant subjects. The camera combines the images and saves the results in a special MPO format for later printing or viewing.
*Face or Dog/Cat recognition for AF (but not simultaneously.)
*3-image AE Bracketing
*3-image Dynamic Range Bracketing
*Easy Web Uploading to YouTube™ and FACEBOOK
Despite all of the above, there is a basic EXR mode where you let the camera control all of the automation and just press the shutter button as desired. It can be as simple to operate as the situation indicates.
Concluding statements in a nice review:
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/fujifilm_finepix_f660exr_review/conclusion/
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Thanks MarkR.
I mostly take pictures of my three children, my motorcycle travels, my yard, vacations, family events, such as kids first days at school, baptizing, zoo trips, motorcycles, kids' sporting events, birthdays, and random pics of other things of interest, like worn out moto parts. Since I opened a SmugMug account in Feb, my interest has really increased and I've steadily taken more and more pics.
I've now added my SmugMug link to my signature, although many pics have been taken with my BlackBerry and many older ones have been scanned in, because they were taken in the late '90s.
Thank you for the help.
Welcome to the addictive, frustrating, and expensive world of photography, where there is no such thing as one perfect camera/lens that can do all of that well. If your kids' sports are a serious priority, I would start looking at entry level DSLRs like the Nikon D3100 or Canon Rebel T3i, with the kit lenses (18-55) plus a Nikon 55-200 or Canon 55-250 zoom. This will get you the tracking autofocus, speed, and reach you need for high quality outdoor sports photos.
But if that's too much at this time, you're going to have to decide what you want to shoot most and how much you're willing or able to "zoom with your feet". Everything is a tradeoff. The more zoom a lens has, generally its image quality decreases. The best zooms have a ratio of about 4x or less. The best lenses don't zoom at all. You don't really need much more than 12 megapixels either. Higher pixel density generally leads to more noise (kind of like film grain) which usually degrades image quality in general, and really hurts in low light. If sports and wildlife are a priority and a DSLR is out of the question, you need a camera with a lens that goes to an effective 200mm at least, preferably 300mm. In this case I would recommend a Canon SX230 HS. It and the Nikon S9100 won this comparison test: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q311travelzoomgrouptest. Canon and Nikon lead the DSLR race together, but I believe Canon has a decisive edge in point-n-shoots.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Shoot the heck out of a point and shoot. Work on improving your skills. Keep track when you hit the camera's limits. Note what capabilities you use all of the time.
If you find yourself shooting in the dark and getting poor results, you may identify the need for a large aperture lens or superior high ISO performance.
If you find that you can't get close enough to those flowers and bugs, you need better macro capability.
If you find that your sports shots have a tiny subject, you need a longer focal length lens.
If you find that your portraits have annoying background detail, you need a lens with a large maximum aperture (a numerically smaller number).
If you find that you just keep getting better and better shots, you won't need to change anything at all.
Once you separate out photographer limits from camera limits, you know what to upgrade in terms of learning and in terms of equipment. Then upgrade as appropriate. But wait until you know what you really need.
My shooting style emphasizes available light, candids, and portraiture. Our P&S did not have good enough high ISO performance and it didn't have enough maximum aperture. Our DSLR and lens purchases were guided by these needs, and we've been very happy with the gear.
Canon 50D, 30D and Digital Rebel (plus some old friends - FTB and AE1)
Long-time amateur.....wishing for more time to play
Autocross and Track junkie
tonyp.smugmug.com
Most SLRs can't even handle all that!
I'd look at a point and shoot with some fast glass and a mid-wide to tele zoom. You'll have to decide how pocketable you need it to be. Something like the Canon S100 is probably a good starter camera.
I appreciate all of the feedback. I really don't have any serious priorities for my pics, just overall I want good ones. Yeah, DSLR is gonna be a bit much right now as I'm just really starting. I've gotta lot to learn. Think I'm leaning toward the Canon S100. Hopefully I can check one out this weekend.
I hope to learn more here.
Manual Controls are easy to use built HDR and other fun stuff
http://kadvantage.smugmug.com/
The S100 is a great camera, I have one. IMO it was previously the best p&s out there until just recently, when the RX100 was announced. But that's significantly more money. Good luck.
An "accurate" reproduction of a scene and a good photograph are often two different things.
Great photo DsrtVW. I love it.
Thanks again jmphotocraft. I'm looking forward to it.
If you do mainly everyday portraits, forget those compact cams and get a previous-generation mirrorless (the Samsung NX100 or Olympus GF3 will do nicely!) with a fast fixed-focal lens (Samsung does a fantastic 30mm f/2, and Pana/olympus have the 20mm f/1.7).
I got myself a brand-new NX100 with a 30mm f/2 for 300€, less than what I would pay for any "enthusiast" compact, and it has an APS-C (read "freaking big!") sensor that runs circles around any compact cam...
Now if you are into landscapes, food photos, etc, then a compact cam would do nicely...
I don't have a good sense for what is out there for p&s cameras, but would suggest to you that you might be happier and spend less money (in the long run) if you consider a mirror-less removable-lens camera (maybe buy a used body?). That is, if you are confident that your interest in photography will continue (which it sounds like it will). If you buy into a system, some of the money you spend today will provide value to you for many years - whereas a p&s camera will serve for some (shorter?) period then be tossed.
Thom Hogan writes about cameras, and I think he has a sensible perspective on what is important. If you read some of his articles on http://www.sansmirror.com/ it would probably help you sort through what is most important for you (and might confirm that p&s is really where you want to put your money now, or give you a sense for what you can get if you spend a bit more).
As someone else pointed-out, there are DSLRs that can't do all that you wish to do - or at least we could say that some are not good at all of those things. You will find that there are compromises in every aspect of photography, and even unlimited budgets do not solve all issues. When you know why your photos disappoint you, you can figure out what it will take to step up. Having said that, I don't subscribe to the notion that you should just shop for a logical upgrade to the camera you have - it is quite possible that you could leap-frog a couple levels and be well-served by something more advanced. It is a matter of sifting through the trade-offs.
Good luck!
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