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Suggest a Camera

N

NastyNative

Gawd
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
522
Hey guys,

My wife wants a new digital camera for X-mas and Im tired of getting her cheap
cameras that plainly suck ass. After seeing some of the shots on this thread
Im ashmed of the quality of the pictures we have.

We also have a new born on the way (Do on July 4th...woot)
and would like to have nice pictures of our 1st baby and also
our vacations.
So needless to say she is not a proffesional photographer and
Im going to end up using it more then she does.

I have no idea what camera I should get her.

If you guys could recomend me some cameras.

I wouldnt mind paying up to 500 - 1000 bucks on a camera, but remember
we are not pros and Im looking for somthing that will last and will take
beautiful 1080i and videos of course.
 
Well, I want to manage your expectations.

It is more than possible to get a camera from 500-1k that will do what you're asking in this thread, but having an expensive camera doesn't net "professional" results. Most cameras that do 1080p do 1080p at least decently... mostly because they have to, because the market for cameras is fierce. The problem lies in the technique and stability.

Consistently good photographs are born from knowledge, practice, lighting, and a boat load of techniques.
Shakycam™ video doesn't look great and feels amateurish. A lot of newbie videography generally lacks stability and lighting (not to mention well matched and developed sound).
This is stuff that takes years to develop.

However, I'm not saying any of this stuff to discourage you. For those of us in this subforum that are passionate (and I'm willing to bet that quite a few are) we love image making and the challenges that that requires. If you want to get there then we can help, but if it's not something that interests you, super expensive tools will not help you bridge the gap.

So then, why am I saying this stuff? I don't want you to buy something expensive and think it will make you amazing. If you want to buy a 1k setup, that's fine, but I don't want you to buy something based upon any of our suggestions that will just end up in a box and never used. That's a disservice to you. There are people out there in which a really nice point and shoot is enough, because they aren't going to open up Lightroom or Photoshop, and for them it's about documenting things in life that happen, not trying to get photos submitted to Ghetty Images.

So the first real question I want to ask is: how far do you want to take this? Do you want to spend the time to learn how to use either a dSLR or a m4/3 system?
This is an important first question, because these tools are meaningless if you don't want to spend the time to learn how exposure works. If you're going to leave a dSLR in full auto, you may as well purchase a point and shoot. The results will be similar, and you'll save a lot of money in the process.

However, to get to brass tacks and answer your question, if I had a friend that was going to buy "new" with your budget I'd probably recommend a Canon T4i with the 18-135mm kit lens and a speedlight of some-sort. Maybe a 430EX II.
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Rebel-D...UTF8&qid=1355725490&sr=8-1&keywords=canon+t4i
There are other options however. This is more of a quick suggestion, because honestly it's hard to recommend gear if we really haven't pin-pointed what you want yet. There are of course Nikon alternatives like the D3200. Pentax has a new system that is getting raves in the entry level market. Like I mentioned earlier there are m4/3 systems that meet your budget as well. And in betweens like the Sony Nex 5N. Tons of options!

More to the point, if your wife and yourself are more practical, I would highly recommend buying used. Camera gear, provided it's not abused, operates just the same way new or not. I try to buy as much of my stuff used as possible. No joke, because the savings are so high.
I bought ALL of my lenses, and my flash used. My body was new, ONLY because at the time I found a deal that was comparable to what it was going for used at the time. Otherwise, I would have bought that used too. I don't have a huge amount of gear, but I have probably already saved around $1k (minimum).

That same T4i, lens, and flash setup will probably cost $250 or more less than buying new. If you want a good, reliable, community to buy from, I highly recommend the Fredmiranda forums. I signed up just for the Buy/Sell/Trade forum, I stuck around because they are knowledgeable, helpful, and have an active community.


EDIT: I suppose I also wanted to mention that the T4i is a heck of a camera. It's a far better entry level camera than what I had when I started. As a tool it is significantly more sophisticated and will allow you to grow provided you put in the time. This is kind of a golden time for digital. There are lots of options and most of them net excellent results (provided one knows how to use them).
 
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Wish I had installed a keylogger on my own system.... just lost bunch of writing.:eek:

What is your camera? What specific qualities of the photos are you unhappy with?

With any camera you need to figure out and learn how to get the most of it. Maybe you need to change some settings - sensitivity or image color controls(saturation, contrast, sharpness) or others. For example, I helped my parents buy a Canon Elph 110 HS point and shoot this last October. Great camera overall. The one quality that we personally didn't like is that the Auto Sensitivity setting likes to choose and ISO of 640-800 when indoors to balance the background to the foreground subject. This high of a sensitivity causes the image to lose details and become less sharp. To correct this, we decided to set the sensitivity to 200 ISO which is a good compromise, and now we have all the detail and sharpness back. I also showed my Mom how to set it to 400 when the image is a little dark.

To take it even farther, you could process your images in Lightroom or similar. Maybe the color balance is off, shadows are too bright, highlights are to high, not enough contrast, too much saturation, not sharp enough. All and much more can be correct with a few sliders.
 
I'll go off the wheel here and say Sony NEX-5, because of the biggest reason, size. dSLRs are awesome, don't get me wrong, they truly are, but they are also a royal pain to lug around. Does your wife want to carry a separate camera bag everytime she goes out? Or just carry a mirrorless one that can fit in a purse nicely? It can even fit in a large pocket if you used a prime lens.

Unless you intend on taking photography to the next level, the Sony NEX is more than plenty to meet you and your wife's needs.

I recently got myself a Fuji x10 for the same reason, it's no dSLR by any stretch, but it takes fantastic pics given it's size. I didnt go the NEX route because I didn't want to start a new collection of lenses, but I would've (Actually, I'd have gotten the fuji x100, and I'll try and suggest that, but the prime lens is a downfall [it's not, but it's not flexible either]).

In this day and age, I would only suggest a dSLR if you are willing to go to extremes, and sacrifice many conveniences just to get "that shot". Unless you're pro or heavy enthusiast, you'll love a Sony NEX.
 
You guys are awesome thanks for all the info.

I'll admitt when you guys are talking about ISO and dSLR's or M4/3 its like chinese to me..

Unknowned Souljer brings up a good point that its not the camera alone and my wife or I will
need to learn how to really understand the process of lighintg space etc.
I majored in CG back in college since then I have gone to a totally different industry but I
still have my photoshop installed and I'm decent with it.

MN Scouts - Its like a 3 year old Casio and she never goes into the setting. Im the one usually going in and playing around with the setting and have capture what I think are pretty decent pictures. Of course nothing compared to the photos on the forum, but thats not the camera (its all Skill) and now I understand that.

Empty_Quarter bring up the final point which is that my wife wants to put a camera in her bag. I showed her the Sony and the 1st thing she said was "Thats not going to fit in my bag".

So with all of this said is there a decent camera that will take nice pictures that will fit in her freaking bag..lol

But at the same time I need to honest with my self and say that I would be the person willing to learn the skill and techniques required to take wonderful shots.
I wouldnt mind carrying an extra case and would really enjoy learning.
Since I do work ALOT and wont really have time to jump 100% into this
I will probably be looking to purchase a beginner pro camera.
I did check out the Sony and its looks like something a n00bie like my self
can pick up and go with.
Please if you have more suggestions please send them my way.
I will say that since its for me I wouldn't spend 1K on a camera
maybe the most 400 and I dont mind used cameras at all.
Im alot cheaper with my self...:D
 
You're telling me a sony NEX-5 w/ the 16mm lens wont fit in her bag?

If not, you're resorted to more compact cameras. What comes to mind: Fuji X10. Lumix LX7, canon S110
 
Empty_Quater

I know it will fit in her freaking bag...
but the facts dont matter in this only what she says...lol

Im going to get her a piece of shit camera and get my self a nice camera.
Now she wants a pink digital camera :mad:
 
I got my wife a little Canon Powershot Elph 110HS, in red. She loves it. It's actually a really great little camera honestly, especially for how small it is. I would say definitely play with a DSLR, see if a friend has one or something. They are kind of large, but for many people, including me, it's no big deal and any time I want a "serious" picture, I always goto the DSLR and the capability, especially in low light just blows away little handhelds.
 
This thread has definitely taken a fast turn. I may not be Dr. Phil, but if your wife wants a small, pink P&S, getting an entry level dSLR is probably a wrong way to go ;) Get her the ELPH 110HS like extide suggests, and spend the rest of money on the system you think you will be able to use and take advantage of. (If she's not dead set on pink, then we might suggest more options for you)

Canon P&S are some of the best in the market, and you should both be happy with the results the little thing can produce. But most importantly, it is compact, which means the odds of you two actually taking the camera with you to a party/random family event/travel are better. We all love and cherish our dSLR systems here, ask anyone, but traveling with 20lbs of glass in your backpack through airports sucks major balls :p That's probably why most of us own the second camera, be it a Fuji X, Leica, NEX... what have you.

So, if you choose to go this route, great. Your wife gets what she wants at a low cost to your budget, and you get to spend $500-900 on an entry level setup for yourself. And at that point, the first thing you need to do is go to your local Best Buy, and play with every camera they have on display. See what feels comfortable in your hands. Play with the menus, knobs, buttons... because at the end of the day, you can achieve the same results with the different cameras in the same class, no matter what brand it is, but if you're not comfortable with the camera, you're not going to be using it much.
 
I would recommend a Canon s110 or s100 if you want a "best in class" P&S. Not to be mean, but I sort of figured things would go this way once the wife was involved. I don't say that to be condescending at all, as there are plenty of women who are AMAZING photographers (Annie Lebowitz comes to mind...), but most people (not just women) fall into the category of being casual photo takers, not pushing for serious hobby or for work.

If you want to sort of have a half way between dSLR's and a point and shoot, I would do a Canon G15 or older model G12 etc. This way the wife can do full auto, you can spend the time to learn proper exposure, and it's still more than compact to fit in the bag. It is a bit more chunky than something sleek like the S110, but it is an excellent photographic tool in its own right.

I recommend both the S110 and the G15 because they both offer full control, and they both offer RAW, which will allow for the best post processing as opposed to jpeg. The sensor and low light performance isn't half bad either. I really feel like the G12/G15 is best in class, in so far as its cost bracket. The Fuji X-Pro 1 and the Leica M are better given the form factor (and have interchangeable lenses etc.), but then cost several times as much. Additionally both have video modes. So you'll have that as well.


EDIT: As a side note, I really dig the leather cases you can get for a G15. They make it feel like it's an old school range finder. I realize that isn't for everyone, but for people that dig it, it's super cool. Here is an example, but there are tons of manufacturers that offer them. The bottom part of the case stays on, and the top part comes off.
 
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There's other options too: Panasonic LX7, Sony RX100, Olympus XZ-2 (and the XZ-1, which can probably be purchased pretty cheap now.)
 
The Olympus PEN E-P3.
09EP3SLVSLK.jpg
 
Good advice above. I'd pick her up a decent p&s, and then pick up an entry level dslr to learn in preparation for the baby. I'd vote T4i with the 18-135 STM lens ( specific advantage over most dslr combos; faster and near silent video AF, and good range). While a bigger flash helps; i'd hold off till you start using your on-camera flash; and buy it then.
 
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