Canon PowerShot SX410 IS

[Rs2oo]

Any thoughts please. I know nothing about photography but want to take some good/impressive photos without knowing about photography. For instance, I go to Le Mans 24hrsand would like to get close up into the pits from the grandstands opposite, day and night. Shoot the cars at speed day and night etc. Also, normal family holiday stuff. I have done some research and like the IS facility, 1/4000 shutter speed and HD movie. Is this a good choice and is it really worth going up to the Powershot SX420 for an etra £150. Whats the difference apart from the 40 x lens over the 42 ?

Thanks

[RobDickinson]

420 has wifi & nfc I think

both only do 720 movies

extra 'zoom' is barely worth talking about

both are 'prosumer' which is marketing term for looks like a real camera, acts like a phone with a zoom lens.

How much are they?

[rich888]

There are better cameras to choose from and the Sony RX100 Mk1 is one of them mainly because its sensor is substantially bigger.

http://cameradecision.com/compare/Canon-PowerShot-...

[RobDickinson]

rich888 said:

There are better cameras to choose from and the Sony RX100 Mk1 is one of them mainly because its sensor is substantially bigger.

http://cameradecision.com/compare/Canon-PowerShot-...

RX100 only has a 100mm max focal length vs 960mm, it might be the better camera overall but shooting things far away it will suck in comparison.

[Pints]

Surely it's the "shooting things at night" requirement where the Canon will struggle, especially given the sensor.

[Rs2oo]

The spec. Seems really good for £120 or is it a case of get what you pay for ?. As I'm not into photography I'm not keen on spending too much and have around £200 to spend. The ease of use and compact size do appeal.

[rich888]

Rs2oo said:

The spec. Seems really good for £120 or is it a case of get what you pay for ?. As I'm not into photography I'm not keen on spending too much and have around £200 to spend. The ease of use and compact size do appeal.

The zoom and sensor size is a bit of a compromise in that the large sensor compact cameras have a much lower zoom than the smaller sensor versions, issue bring that in low light the smaller sensors struggle more to take sharp photos because the shutter speed has to be lower, now you could ramp up the ISO to achieve higher shutter speeds but the Canon is only good for 100 - 1600 whereas some of the other cameras go up to 6400 (and above), in layman terms the higher the number the more grainy the photo, and the better cameras tend to cope better with shooting at higher ISO before it becomes a problem.

Now for £120 the Canon seems like really good value for what you are getting. Just don't get too taken in by the number of megapixels. It's not the best but it's probably a lot better than some of the older digital cameras that are still in use by many users.

Sony seem to have shaken up the established brands with their RX100 range of compact cameras which have a poor zoom range but excellent photo quality in their class, but they also produce some cheaper models which might be worth considering such as the WX500 which has a 30x zoom lens.

Panasonic also do a very interesting range of cameras and the Lumix TZ60 is just within your budget and also has a 30x zoom lens. http://www.johnlewis.com/panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz60-...

Neither of these has the 40x zoom offered by the SX410. The problem you will have is wanting to use the long zoom lens at night to photograph the cars in the pit, which might prove somewhat tricky especially if trying to photograph the cars when they are moving. In bright sunlight you should be OK.

Also worth mentioning is that if you are recording video you might need a decent sized SD card, so don't skimp on that. For what SD cards cost nowadays just pick one up in PC World. I tend to use 32GB in my cameras which allow me to take plenty of photos and plenty of 1920 x 1080 video - I did notice that the Canon SX410 records 1280 x 720 video which may or may not bother you but you can certainly see a difference when watching on your TV.

Final thought, have you considered buying a used DSLR, try https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-phot...
also worth visiting https://www.lcegroup.co.uk/Secondhand-Search/?Orde...

I guess that for £120 you are getting a lot for your money, and as you say, if you're not into photography as yet then I quite understand you not wanting to spend more. Just make sure you post a few pics on here after the event because I've never attended Le Mans and it sounds mighty interesting - and good luck

Edited by rich888 on Monday 23 May 23:03

[Rs2oo]

Ok, great info, thanks so far. Found this http://www.johnlewis.com/panasonic-lumix-dmc-fz72-...

1080p and ISO rating 3200. Will this perform at night better than the Canon ?

[RobDickinson]

To get good night shots you have a combination of things.

Size of the sensor, bigger is better
ISO rating - though ISO 3200 is the same (ish) on cameras, the results might not be, just having the ISO number doesnt mean its a good usable value.
Lens speed - at the same focal length. 'faster' is better, which means a lower f number. f2.8 is two stops faster than f5.6, which lets in 4 times more light.

DMC-FZ72 has the same (small) sensor size as the canon sx410 or 420.
and a similar f5.9 aperture at the long end.

I doubt its any real improvement.

[Rs2oo]

Have just read up on apertures so I know what to look for. Now expanding my knowledge, next step understanding ISO, then IS etc. Any suggestions for what I want would still be welcome although with my budget its not easy.

Edited by Rs2oo on Wednesday 25th May 21:52

[Weslake-Monza]

Whatever you buy a cheap monopod will help you take better photos.