HELP - I need a new family camera
Discussion
OK, forgive me for asking such a general question, but I need a new camera and have no idea where to start.
A couple of years back I resolved to get a decent camera to take pictures of the kids growing up. I went for a Panasonic Lumix GMC-G2K complete with a couple of lenses. Trouble is, it just never got used and is now up on eBay.
I need something that is a step up from an iPhone but that is idiot proof to use, lightweight, ideally with a zoom.
I'm quite happy to spend a decent sum and prepared to look at either new or used options.
I know very little about photography, but do want to be able to capture a few better shots than the iPhone delivers from time to time.
Any ideas on where I should start?
A couple of years back I resolved to get a decent camera to take pictures of the kids growing up. I went for a Panasonic Lumix GMC-G2K complete with a couple of lenses. Trouble is, it just never got used and is now up on eBay.
I need something that is a step up from an iPhone but that is idiot proof to use, lightweight, ideally with a zoom.
I'm quite happy to spend a decent sum and prepared to look at either new or used options.
I know very little about photography, but do want to be able to capture a few better shots than the iPhone delivers from time to time.
Any ideas on where I should start?
Helicopter123 said:
....iPhone.....
....... iPhone ........
Any ideas on where I should start?
Funny you should mention it - twice........ iPhone ........
Any ideas on where I should start?
Personally, I'd hold off and see what people say when the 5S is on the streets.
I'm not thinking of giving up a dSLR and selection of fantastic glass, but I happen to be about ready to upgrade my three year old iPhone to a new one and new contract. The full price of a 64Gb iPhone is only twice what I paid for a Nikon P7000 about two years ago and I'm thinking of pensioning it off already, because I suspect the iPhone will be pushing it into a less handy option with much closer results!
DibblyDobbler said:
There is a multitude of choice but the Canon S100 would be a decent choice 
+1 for this range. Recently bought two Canon S110's for myself and the wife. We are both keen photographers with semi-pro DSLRs and a huge range of lenses and we can't rave enough about just how great these little cameras are. Very very capable for their size, and the built in wifi allows us to easily transfer to our smartphones and share on instagram / Facebook / email to family straight away. It won't be leaving my side!
Nikon D7000 and the kit lens. Bought one yesterday (body only) and I am VERY impressed with it.
Felt I didn't need the D7100 and quite a lot more money and I have to say it's nicer to use than my D700. Image quality is almost as good too.
All the camera that 99% of people will ever need.
Felt I didn't need the D7100 and quite a lot more money and I have to say it's nicer to use than my D700. Image quality is almost as good too.
All the camera that 99% of people will ever need.
What is it in particular that means the iphone doesn't meet your requirements?
I've never owned an iphone, but find I can get perfectly reasonable shots out of my Galaxy S3 when I don't have one of my DSLRs to hand. As a random example, the shot below has been uploaded straight to flickr from the phone. No post-processing of any sort.
Charlie and Nathan at Hobbledown by Chris Walker Epsom, on Flickr
The one thing the S3 can't provide, of course, is an optical zoom. With the advent of the Galaxy S4 Zoom, however (a mobile phone with a 16mp camera and 10x optical zoom), I can't really see why anyone would buy a compact camera any more?
I've never owned an iphone, but find I can get perfectly reasonable shots out of my Galaxy S3 when I don't have one of my DSLRs to hand. As a random example, the shot below has been uploaded straight to flickr from the phone. No post-processing of any sort.
Charlie and Nathan at Hobbledown by Chris Walker Epsom, on Flickr
The one thing the S3 can't provide, of course, is an optical zoom. With the advent of the Galaxy S4 Zoom, however (a mobile phone with a 16mp camera and 10x optical zoom), I can't really see why anyone would buy a compact camera any more?
The s4 zoom is a big bulky chunk of a thing that offers no advantage over a phone or a camera and is a compromise of the two.
It's probably a step in the right direction but is too big to be a phone (it's twice as thick as my partners lumix compact) and offers compromised quality and features over a dedicated camera.
http://youtu.be/-Yxt6lrPjlo
Try getting that f
ker in your pocket...
It's probably a step in the right direction but is too big to be a phone (it's twice as thick as my partners lumix compact) and offers compromised quality and features over a dedicated camera.
http://youtu.be/-Yxt6lrPjlo
Try getting that f
ker in your pocket... Edited by MysteryLemon on Sunday 15th September 21:34
I must be doing something wrong with my S3. The photo quality is actually very good in good lighting conditions but in more challenging conditions it suffers, and the lack of a zoom I find to be a massive pain - particularly given that if I'm using my phone camera it's for a quick snap, rather than something that I've got the time to run around and compose.
I like the look of the S4 Zoom in theory but as MysteryLemon says it's a compromise and makes some quite big sacrifices. That being said I think further development in that area is a really good thing.
But for now I'd rather have a decent phone and a dedicated point and shoot (that shoots RAW) that still has options for easy sharing - which most modern P&S's do.
Back to the OP:
I'd look at the Canon S100.
I like the look of the S4 Zoom in theory but as MysteryLemon says it's a compromise and makes some quite big sacrifices. That being said I think further development in that area is a really good thing.
But for now I'd rather have a decent phone and a dedicated point and shoot (that shoots RAW) that still has options for easy sharing - which most modern P&S's do.
Back to the OP:
I'd look at the Canon S100.
MysteryLemon said:
The s4 zoom is a big bulky chunk of a thing that offers no advantage over a phone or a camera and is a compromise of the two.
Surely the advantage it offers over a phone or a camera is the fact that it is a phone and a camera?
It might be bulkier than a phone or a camera, but is it bulkier than a phone and a camera?
Saying it offers no advantage over a phone is just patently absurd. It offers a 10x optical zoom, which no other phone does.
Saying it offers no advantage over a camera is easier to agree with, but I'd say it's that feature of always being with you, assuming you always take your phone with you. If you always carry a compact camera with you, then I doubt the total size of camera plus phone is smaller than the S4. If, on the other hand, you only take the compact out when you're expecting to use it, you'll end up missing lots of impromptu shots you might've otherwise taken.
Also, most people are in the habit of keeping their mobile charged all the time, whereas the chances are whenever you dig your compact out of its drawer for that quick shot you want, the batteries will be flat.
I can vouch for the Canon S95 which has been updated with the S100 and I think the now S110. It is nice and small, has plenty of features and a fully manual mode should you decide to move from the auto modes and consistently surprises me with the quality it produces.
These are both from the S95.
IMG_2314 by Lee Curtis photography, on Flickr
Morning at the Lake by Lee Curtis photography, on Flickr
These are both from the S95.
IMG_2314 by Lee Curtis photography, on Flickr
Morning at the Lake by Lee Curtis photography, on Flickr
Kermit power said:
It might be bulkier than a phone or a camera, but is it bulkier than a phone and a camera?
Mobile phone manufacturers have spent billions reducing the weight and thickness of phones - that's because in their core function they're more comfortable to use. Strapping a camera on undoes a lot of that - it becomes less comfortable to hold a phone to your ear for long periods of time, browse in bed, read a book, watch a film - making it a worse phone as a result. That's a significant compromise.Kermit power said:
If you always carry a compact camera with you, then I doubt the total size of camera plus phone is smaller than the S4.
Overall, no, but you aren't saddled with the weight and bulk when you're not taking photo's.Kermit power said:
If, on the other hand, you only take the compact out when you're expecting to use it, you'll end up missing lots of impromptu shots you might've otherwise taken.
A lot of photographers carry a lightweight compact in their jacket pocket precisely to catch those impromptu shots - and take their DSLR when they're expecting to use a camera.Like I say - I'm all for Samsung pumping money into expanding this area, I just don't think that it's quite there yet. The ideal would be an S4-Zoom-alike that can shoot RAW with most of the features of a good compact whilst still having a top quality phone type touch screen and low weight/bulk. As an amateur photographer and shameless Android geek that would suit me. But I use my phone for too many things to be willing to sacrifice the comfort of it's use just for a 10x zoom.
Incidentally the S4 Zoom is getting a panning in the reviews.
Kermit power said:
Surely the advantage it offers over a phone or a camera is the fact that it is a phone and a camera?
It might be bulkier than a phone or a camera, but is it bulkier than a phone and a camera?
Saying it offers no advantage over a phone is just patently absurd. It offers a 10x optical zoom, which no other phone does.
Saying it offers no advantage over a camera is easier to agree with, but I'd say it's that feature of always being with you, assuming you always take your phone with you. If you always carry a compact camera with you, then I doubt the total size of camera plus phone is smaller than the S4. If, on the other hand, you only take the compact out when you're expecting to use it, you'll end up missing lots of impromptu shots you might've otherwise taken.
Also, most people are in the habit of keeping their mobile charged all the time, whereas the chances are whenever you dig your compact out of its drawer for that quick shot you want, the batteries will be flat.
People keeping their phone on charge all the time is true, but the fact is, my compact, and DSLR for that matter, last weeks without a charge because they don't have to be switched on 24/7. What good is a camera built into a device that you need to save the battery life incase you need to make an emergency phone call? Or it dies because it's been searching for signal all day whilst you've been out hiking?
As I said before, it's a step in the right direction, but the S4 Zoom is not the answer. Especially not to the question asked in the OP.
Jack Blag said:
If you can afford it, the Sony RX100 is all the camera you will ever need... and it fits in your pocket!
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/...
Simpo Two said:
Why is a sensor that is only 13.2 x 8.8mm called '1"'?
At a guess, and based on this – http://www.sony.com.au/product/dsc-rx100 – the 1" diagonal length includes the black surround rather than purely the rectangle of pixels.Based on actual pixels, it's only 15.86mm diagonal, so it was easier to do what I suspect they've done than define it as a 1/1.6 sensor.
1" sounds much more impressive to the general layman, doesn't it?
PJ S said:
Just to clarify a point... the Sony is not to be compared with a camera phone. While I use a Samsung Galaxy S4 to take snaps (which it does very well), I use the Sony to take shots where I can control things like shutter speed, aperture, etc. It has replaced my Nikon D300 as my "every day" camera, as the DSLR is just too big and wasn't getting used enough. The Sony fits in my pocket, has HD video, takes panoramic shots, and takes brilliant 20 megapixel images. It's not cheap, but it is a great camera!Gassing Station | Photography & Video | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff