I have taken many photos and uploaded them on to the Solo's Forum, I have little interest in photography and employ the point and shoot method.
However I plan to visit areas such as Kings Canyon and have seen photos that my camera would not be able to match.
My question is what camera under $500 will do the better job without needing extra accessories and the requirement to choose between a multitude of options.
Keep It Simple Stupid = KISS is the requirement and I would appreciate advice from those who take photography more seriously than I hitherto have done.
Thanks for any responses, John
Gerty Dancer said
05:07 PM Feb 11, 2014
That's a big ask John! Your photos are pretty good, and you have a good eye for framing the picture nicely, I reckon you would be fine at KC with the one you have.
My little digital camera takes what I thought were fairly good photos, but theres no way I can photograph birds, not enough time to focus it. It was over $800 several years ago!. I mostly employ the "point and click" method too, and don't know how to use most of the functions on this camera, so its really wasted on me.
GaryKelly said
08:35 AM Feb 12, 2014
Fujifilm make a great range of point and shoot cameras with good lens quality and powerful built-in zoom. I've seen them advertised at Post Office shops for around $200 or less. They're a cross between a compact and a DSLR. I have two older Fujifilm cameras as spares for my Nikon DSLR, as well as a Fujifilm compact. Fuji lenses are renowned for their quality.
Oh... and another thing... Fujifilm cameras use AA batteries which can be handy. I buy the rechargable ones.
-- Edited by GaryKelly on Wednesday 12th of February 2014 08:36:24 AM
brian said
09:35 AM Feb 12, 2014
I have been using the Panasonic tz series cameras since they first appeared. Whenever I update, I pass the older one to family. My latest is a tz30 which has a 20x optical zoom and with digital zoom can go out to as far as 168x.
You get a bit of pixelation at those distances, but not as much as you might expect, and at least you get the shot that you otherwise might not have.
It takes very good video as well and you can operate the zoom in movie mode on this one, which you could not do on previous models or some other brands.
They can be a bit heavy on the rechargeably battery, especially if doing a lot of zooming, so a few spares are essential.
They later tz40 is reputed to be even better but they use a different battery so I have been a bit slow to update until my present batteries get a bit tired.
They have manual modes for the enthusiast plus an intelligent point and shoot mode, plus a heap of presets that are well labelled for all sorts of event photos. The antishake feature is a real godsend as well.
You can pick the later models up new for around $300.
brian said
09:38 AM Feb 12, 2014
Gary, how does the Fuji go with the rechargeable batteries? I have wondered whether the lower 1.2v of the rechargeables as compared to the 1.5v of alkalines would be a disadvantage in a camera.
yeoeleven said
11:08 AM Feb 12, 2014
Thanks for the comments, Gary the camera that I currently use is Fujifilm XP I bought it for the water/shock/dust and freezeproof features prior to travelling across the top.
The zoom is temperamental and I am not happy with colour replication when looking at light shades in landscapes.
Will take the info given and have a look at the Panasonic that Brian recommends.
John
GaryKelly said
05:37 PM Feb 12, 2014
Never any probs with the rechargeables in my Fujis, Brian.
brian said
11:46 PM Feb 13, 2014
GaryKelly wrote:
Never any probs with the rechargeables in my Fujis, Brian.
Thanks Gary.
Another thing that I like about the Panasonic is that the shutter speed is so fast you can actually take a photo of a woman with her mouth closed.
I have taken many photos and uploaded them on to the Solo's Forum, I have little interest in photography and employ the point and shoot method.
However I plan to visit areas such as Kings Canyon and have seen photos that my camera would not be able to match.
My question is what camera under $500 will do the better job without needing extra accessories and the requirement to choose between a multitude of options.
Keep It Simple Stupid = KISS is the requirement and I would appreciate advice from those who take photography more seriously than I hitherto have done.
Thanks for any responses, John
My little digital camera takes what I thought were fairly good photos, but theres no way I can photograph birds, not enough time to focus it. It was over $800 several years ago!. I mostly employ the "point and click" method too, and don't know how to use most of the functions on this camera, so its really wasted on me.
Fujifilm make a great range of point and shoot cameras with good lens quality and powerful built-in zoom. I've seen them advertised at Post Office shops for around $200 or less. They're a cross between a compact and a DSLR. I have two older Fujifilm cameras as spares for my Nikon DSLR, as well as a Fujifilm compact. Fuji lenses are renowned for their quality.
Oh... and another thing... Fujifilm cameras use AA batteries which can be handy. I buy the rechargable ones.
-- Edited by GaryKelly on Wednesday 12th of February 2014 08:36:24 AM
Thanks for the comments, Gary the camera that I currently use is Fujifilm XP I bought it for the water/shock/dust and freezeproof features prior to travelling across the top.
The zoom is temperamental and I am not happy with colour replication when looking at light shades in landscapes.
Will take the info given and have a look at the Panasonic that Brian recommends.
John
Thanks Gary.
Another thing that I like about the Panasonic is that the shutter speed is so fast you can actually take a photo of a woman with her mouth closed.