epiphiny43
Posts: 688
Joined: 10/20/2006
Status: offline
|
There are darn few inadequate cameras on the market. Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Lumix and the rest just keep getting better. A few minutes on Google finds camera test web sites with no ax to grind, just user tests. Forget digital zoom, it sucks and you can do it later on your computer at home with out losing the data the zoom clips out at the time. Big zooms in small cameras are SLOW! If you won't carry a tripod, the stronger telephotos are useless.
Most pocket cameras now have macro focus that beats even dedicated Macro lens for SLR bodies. But ASK.
Storage chips keep getting smaller and cheaper. The smallest are hard to handle with older eyes and even easier to lose! But huge storage capacity can mean a whole vacation goes on one chip. Download Every day anyway, losing the camera shouldn't mean losing all your vacation images.
Many current phone cams do what the OP needs, the phones can be more expensive than a camera that does all that? Why carry two items if one does what you need? Some are 'waterproof' to varying degrees. 5 meter or more means it's an adequate snorkling camera if you aren't really ambitious. Most also now have HD video. PRACTICE all the functions well before departure and carry the user manual at all times. I KNOW Canon cameras and never leave home without the book. Its parked in the camera bag in the cover flap pocket.
I've worked professionally and prefer access to all the controls. Current programmed auto cameras do much better for most of us in almost all situations. Manual controls do a few things I like but require education and experience.
Learn how to do exposure control, most cameras have it. It can make a marginal image say what you want clearly. Shoot a Lot of images of important stuff. You can always delete the poor images, you can't take more once you leave, exposure control is huge in difficult lighting. If the camera has a spot metering function, it serves as exposure control if you choose your spot brighter or darker than the center of the eventual image. You need a way to lock exposure to do this. It won't happen with out practice. In strong backlight, or bright reflections it can be essential. avoid the hassle and shoot with the Sun behind you when possible. Pros do. Or carry strong flash equipment, not your option?
Store images in Raw if it's available, you gain sometimes 2 stops of exposure latitude in the file and a bit of sharpness. If you need useable net images on the spot, Don't! Shoot in the file size you need if you don't have the ability to reduce files with you. For instant image tranfer (Which phones do better), you may have the option to save a Raw file and another of reduced pixel count at the same time. Why even guys should RTFM! If you expect to do photo manipulation once home, big image files preserve options and it's simple to reduce them down to email or web page size on a computer photo app.
If the camera uses proprietary batteries (Not AAA or such) REMEMBER THE CHARGER! And buy an extra battery for extended shooting sessions. Many of us won't repeat a holiday trip. You may have a photo opportunity of a lifetime, don't waste it with a dead battery or full storage media. Shoot too many images! Waiting for the perfect shot means getting No shot many times. Shoot immediately, fast and often and then work on quality when you have the basic image in the camera. Many chances last but seconds, particularly with wildlife and weather. Getting anal means missing the shot totally. Pros shoot all the images they have the time, money and energy for, then throw away all but 2.
Check motor drive speed (Images per second) and number of consecutive images you can shoot before filling up the buffer and have to wait for it to process. This is what you pay big bucks for with more expensive cameras more than anything else! Be realistic about what you need. If you Have to capture wildlife or sports with very few chances, you need at Least 5 frames a second and will always wish you had 10 f/sec. Which Costs for a large DSLR and separate objective lenses. But is how most such images happen.
Look at shutter lag, another thing you pay to improve. A cheap pocket cam may do everything else well but the shutter lag means you always miss the image you need of a dynamic situation. Balance the inconvenience of a heavy photo bag against what you require for the image? A latest model Canon Rebel may be your real need, lens selection makes or breaks the usefulness of a DSLR. Scenery or table top product shots look fine on medium to large file (6 mp or better) pocket cams with any shutter lag since nothing is moving. Small light tripods do squat in wind but can make low light shots great that are impossible hand held.
Check autofocus function in time to return a faulty camera. I took a bag of disposable cameras on a never to be repeated trip and Every camera had soft focus, nothing was usable. English doesn't express my feelings about that well.
Check your shots every day if not at the end of every session. If the camera fails, you need to know ASAP and another sourced.
Don't be chimping during a photo shoot. Film pros laughed to see new digital shooters always going, "Ohh! Ohh! Ohh!" over some image they shot and were admiring on the rear view screen. The more experienced pros where shooting everything that happened out in front while the chimper got excited about what he'd already shot. Who GOT THE SHOT?? The people always looking and shooting. Digital cameras can be like living life through a rear view mirror. Keep your head up and keep Shooting!
Images are about light, not the image capture equipment. Study the tool enough to use it then search for magic light. Time on the net or in photo books studying light and lighting are more productive than studying cameras once you know the controls. Dawns and sunsets are often the best. Noon usually sucks for people Or landscapes. Side light shows shapes and textures. Straight overhead Sun makes people look Bad. Shoot the action whenever and where ever it happens!
< Message edited by epiphiny43 -- 5/17/2013 7:29:33 PM >
|
Need a Good Digital Camera - 
Profile
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread